Saving Fort Worth

Kudos to Jim Ashford and  Louis McBee for sounding the alarm - again.  Read about the Ethics (or lack thereof) at Fort Worth City Hall in the FW Weekly.  Kudos to the Weekly for telling you what others don't!

Keep making noise boys! We hear ya!

The committee was created 20 years ago to review complaints, issue opinions, and advise city officials on ethical and moral quandaries. But in the past decade the panel has met only a handful of times, despite a city ordinance that calls for quarterly sessions. Two members dropped out of the committee years ago. Nobody replaced them.

For years residents have criticized Mayor Mike Moncrief and the Fort Worth City Council for allowing gas company employees to dominate task forces, committees, and conversations on drilling oversight. City officials have shrugged off the complaints.

Scarth votes on issues involving Chesapeake even though he has leased his property’s mineral rights to the company. Several other council members earn money from gas leases, and Moncrief earns hundreds of thousands of dollars a year from the energy industry, including Barnett Shale drillers.

The ethics ordinance prohibits officials from taking part in issues involving companies in which they hold a substantial interest. However, defining “substantial interest” can be subjective. To determine whether the mayor or council members should recuse themselves from voting on gas issues, City Attorney David Yett applies an income test to see if their gas revenues exceed 10 percent of their gross incomes.

“When your only business is oil and gas like the mayor, everything you do that benefits that industry is going to benefit you,” he said.

Residents aren’t exactly comforted by promises. Moncrief refused to breathe new life into the ethics panel after he was elected as mayor in 2003, despite pressure from former council members Clyde Picht and Chuck Silcox. Three years later, Moncrief finally sent a one-page memo to neighborhood groups seeking nominations for the committee. Moncrief ended the letter by thanking everyone for helping in “this important process.”

Four years later, no appointments have been made.

We Won't Pipe Down: Carter Avenue Rescue Operation Rally Thursday March 4 Downtown Fort Worth

The Carter Avenue Rescue Operation will be holding a rally on the Courthouse steps Thursday, March 4th at 7:30 a.m. Everyone is invited to attend.

This rally will be held prior to Steve Doeung's court appearance in his battle with Chesapeake Energy. Steve Doeung is attempting to stop Chesapeake Energy from using eminent domain to take his home in order to put a pipeline beneath the homes along Carter Avenue in Fort Worth.

Steve Doeung does not have legal counsel. He is a Lone Ranger battling Chesapeake Energy. The last time Steve Doeung was in court he was virtually alone against Chesapeake Energy.

This time we do not want Steve Doeung to be alone. We want Steve to feel the support of his fellow Texans, with a solid, loud expression of the American Spirit.

The Court hearing begins at 8:30. Please come witness this historic moment in Fort Worth and Texas and show your support for Steve Doeung and the residents of Carter Avenue.

All North Texans should be concerned with the process and outcome of this hearing. A recent Fort Worth Business Press article named Tarrant County, the eminent domain capital of Texas, which by default likely makes Tarrant County the eminent domain capital of America.

YOUR neighborhood could be next.

Speakers at the event include:

Louis McBee - Vietnam Veteran, Business Owner, Community Leader, Former Mayoral Candidate and Treasurer of NCTCA

Glen Bucy - Afghanistan Veteran, Former City Council Candidate, and Local Community Activist

Billy Mitchell - Rancher, Eminent domain abuse victim, Community Activist

And special guest - DISH, TX Mayor, Calvin Tillman - Mayor Tillman has been leading the way with his determination and resolve to ensure the safety of resident's rights concerning gas drilling, not only in DISH, but the entire state of Texas. He was recently invited to speak to citizens in New York about their concerns with gas drilling issues.

CARTER AVENUE RESCUE OPERATION begins at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 4, 2010 at 100 W. Weatherford in Fort Worth. That is the Old Historic Courthouse at the north end of downtown, across the street from Heritage Park. Just follow the signs, downtown, to Sundance Square, where you will find plenty of parking lots.

Refreshments will be provided. Please plan on attending and bring your family and friends!

Incoming Notice for Lake Worth

Just thought that folks out at Lake Worth and the surrounding area would be interested to know that Chesapeake is requesting "abandonment" of the residential platting associated with this area. Anytime that Chesapeake is involved with planning or zoning one needs to be cautious. If you know of anyone around the Boat Club Road residential area please warn them of this upcoming agenda item for the Plan Commission.

Louis McBee

16. PA-09-004 Abandonment of Lake View Estates: 15 Residential Lots
and 1 Public Street. Council District 7. (Mapsco# 46Q)

a. A Vacation of the Plat of Lake View Estates, an Addition to the City of
Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas, as Recorded in Volume 38834,
Page 7, PRTCT.
b. General Location: West of Boat Club Road, north of Ivy Hill Road,
east of Basswood Drive and Basswood Court, and south of Over Lake
Drive.
c. DRC Recommends: Approval of this plat abandonment which is in
compliance with the Subdivision Ordinance.

Power in numbers

Louis McBee helping protect Fort Worth and it's residents once again. Read about it in the Fort Worth Business Press.

Trinity River TIF

Recent Fort Worth mayoral candidate, Mr. Louis McBee, has something to say about the Fort Worth Business Press article concerning the Trinity River Vision.

Question is, WHO is listening?

rfrancis@bizpress.net

While I certainly do appreciate the Biz Press trying to educate us country folk about the ever rising cost of the Trinity Uptown project (now renamed the Trinity River Vision), I do have a couple of problems with your relayed information.

First, " TIF " commitments are city tax dollars that would normally accrue to the general fund to help us pay for infrastructure improvements throughout the city, but instead are captured within the TIF district for private use.

Second, there has never been a public vote on the Trinity Uptown/ TRV project as a stand alone ballot initiative, and certainly NEVER has the issue of whether to cap the spending on this project gone "before the voters and defeated."

I would very much like to see the Biz Press print a retraction, and clarify the city commitment of our tax dollars....all of them. It would also be very helpful if the Press could report on how much of our tax dollars are being capered within all TIFs in Fort Worth . Especially during these difficult financial times.

Louis McBee