Big Jolly Politics

politics in Harris County and Texas

4th Rent-A-Voter outbreak –this time in Fort Bend County

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In an update to a story BJP first reported on October 14th titled “When election results have to come out the way a developer & bond counsel want it to—who they gonna call?” BJP can report a fourth outbreak of potential Rent-A-Voter has been confirmed–this time in Fort Bend County.

The Rent-A-Voter phenomenon was first observed this election cycle in Conroe, Texas and it all started when Friendswood Development Corporation sent Michael Johnson to present plans for a new community and the formation of a new MC MUD 148 to Conroe City Council.

A MC MUD where two voters were poised to approve $500 million in bond debt and the tax rate to be levied on future homeowners—

Through the mailing address on their Montgomery County voter registration information and the MC MUD 148 Temporary Voter Trailer Building Permit, the voters were linked to the 20615 Marilyn Lane, Spring, Texas address of Stingray Services.

At the time of the October 14th story Stingray Services boasted on their website:

Stingray Services website

“Stingray Services specializes in providing turn-key voter trailer installation services and election services. We have completed over 70 trailer installations in Texas over the last 10 years and have supported nearly 100 elections.

We locate residents, perform landlord services support residents in changing their license and voter registration and assist with the district election. We have worked with a host of major developers and engineers including Lennar, Toll Brothers, Friendswood, Land Tejas, Taylor Morrison, Pate Engineers, Brown & Gay—to name just a few.”

As of today though the Stingray Services website no longer contains their —ahem—extensive resume.

Stingray Services today

Ooops.

As for the outbreak of potential Rent-A-Voter in Fort Bend County, Fort Bend County Election Central’s website reported the results of a Proposition II-Proposed Williams Ranch MUD 1 election where two registered voters were poised to approve almost $134 million in bonds, the tax rate to levy on future property owners and the four MUD directors.

Records obtained from Fort Bend Election Central identified the mailing address of the two registered voters in the Proposed Williams Ranch MUD 1 election to be 20615 Marilyn Lane, Spring, Texas.

Which is the address of Stingray Services.

A second potential Rent-A-Voter citing was associated with the formation of MC MUD 132 and the third potential citing of Rent-A-Voter was associated with the  formation of MC MUD 142.

Exit question—if former Dallas County JP Carlos Medranos was sentenced to jail for inducing family members to move to addresses long owned by that family to vote for him in a tight election, how do Stingray Services and Stingray Elections LLC get to neatly package the same concept and actions into a business without so much as the bat of an eye?

And if The Woodlands RUD voters had owned a Rent-A-Voter service business would they have been prosecuted with the zeal and government force of  the Texas Attorney General’s office?

Rent-A-Voter has been covered by the Houston Chronicle, ABC13, Raging Elephants Radio, and the Austin American Statesman.

Stay tuned.

When election results have to come out the way a developer & bond counsel want it to—who they gonna call?

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Last night BJP reported on the upcoming Montgomery County MUD 148 election where two people could decide the fate of $500 million in road, sewer, water and recreation bonds and the tax rate to be levied on future homeowners who purchase a home in the planned community—and we published a photo of the trailer residence used by the two voters on their voter registration cards.

But did you know there’s a company that specializes in providing turn-key voter trailer installation services and election services for MUD’s, WCID’s (water control improvement district and RID’s?

Stingray Services website

(click to enlarge photo)

The Statesman wrote about Stingray Services back in February 2012:

In general, MUDs, often the building blocks for development, are approved by the Legislature but don’t come into being until an election is held involving everybody who lives in the proposed district. Everybody who lives there could be nobody.

So it behooves the developer to move somebody onto the land, somebody who understands he or she is free to vote however he or she wants to (wink, wink, nod, nod).

That’s where Stingray Services and Tina can come into play. It’s also where Craigslist becomes an integral part of the election process. On Jan. 27, a Craigslist posting popped up with this headline: $300 / 3br-1200ft2-  Live on site, low rent.”

“Developer needs full time residents in a MUD district election. Cheap rent for 6 months beginning approx. March 1, 2012. $400 deposit. No pets. In order to qualify you must be eligible to vote in Texas (NO felonies, 18 yrs or older, valid Texas ID or Drivers License).

House is a 2008 manufactured home in great condition with all appliances, and w/d connections. Eligible tenants will vote in and serve as election officials for the MUD district election which takes place in the home. Tenants will be paid for their time spent serving as election officials.”

Stingray Services will even help secure the construction permit for the temporary voter trailer—as they did for MUD 148 from the City of Conroe BC-15-005893 issued permit.

Because the election results HAVE to come out the way the developer and bond counsel want it to.

But what I want to know is how many of the voters from the near 100 elections Stingray Services has helped with were prosecuted by the State of Texas for illegal voting?

When Jim and Adrian get out of jail will the State of Texas allow them to operate a turn-key voter trailer installation services and election services business?

Two voters could approve up to $500 million in Conroe bonds

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Montgomery County voters will head to the polls next week to cast a YEA or NAY vote on Constitutional amendments, school district bonds, and management district bonds but two people with a Conroe residence will decide the fate of over $500 million dollars in parks, sewer, water, and road bonds for one newly-created municipal utility district in Conroe.

The two voters will also cast a ballot to tax future homeowners to repay the bonds sold to finance the construction of roads, water and sewer lines and recreation, as well as vote for the five MUD board directors.

The two voters, one male and one female, are said to be residing in this trailer with newly built wooden stairs located on the western edge of the district. This residence trailer is self-evidently a temporary structure as it in no way conforms to the proposed development and hence cannot be construed as a permanent residence.

MUD148

Although the two voters in this temporary dwelling have mailing addresses in Harris County, they will determine the tax rate on future homeowners in this Montgomery County MUD.

The City of Conroe first heard the presentation about the proposal to create Montgomery County Municipal Utility District 148 located off Loop 336 East as an In-City MUD during a February 2015 city council meeting. During that meeting the Friendswood Development Company presentation outlined just under 300 single-family homes selling for about $200,000 to be built on approximately 83 acres.

After the enabling legislation SB2056 became law in June 2015 and two days after the bid was posted to clear approximately 82 acres, two people registered to vote using an address inside the boundary of Municipal Utility District 148 as their residence.