A Harris County jury recently put an end to the shenanigans of Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan and his office’s attempt to overturn the election of Houston Community College Trustee Dave Wilson.
After the election, the Harris County Attorney’s office claimed that Dave Wilson did not live in the district that he represents. Mind you, they only sought to remove him after he won the election and never questioned his residency when he filed to run.
Clearly, this was a blatant attempt by Vince Ryan, to remove Dave simply because he did not like him. Even democrats were critical of Ryan’s efforts – surprising. This is not a partisan issue. Manipulation of the legal system is improper. Today, it is Vince Ryan and Dave Wilson. Tomorrow, it is Devon Anderson and Denise Pratt.
I have known Dave Wilson a very long time and I like Dave because he is passionate about his beliefs and a warrior when it comes to wasteful government spending. Dave puts his money where his mouth is.
I have said from the beginning of this legal battle, Dave was a victim of selective enforcement. He was forced to spend his money fighting to maintain an unpaid position.
Many people know Dave for his radical stances, especially regarding homosexuality. Is this why Vince doesn’t like Dave? Maybe. I don’t know if Vince was on this crusade against Dave on his own or if he had other supporters; but, this “challenge” was a dog from the beginning.
Fortunately, Dave prevailed in court. It should be a very high bar to overturn an election and, thankfully, the jury thought so too. I have argued more than once that overturning elections makes us a banana republic.
Even if you don’t agree with Dave’s politics, the good guys won here on this issue. I was able to watch a portion of the trial, including the closing arguments. Dave’s attorney, Keith Gross, outshined Vince’s assistants.