Big Jolly Politics

politics in Harris County and Texas

HCDE Trustees Morales, Wolfe continue feud

by

In my report on the Harris County Department of Education’s Board of Trustees vote against a tax rate increase, I chose not to focus on the feud between two trustees: Roy Morales and Mike Wolfe. First off, blog posts should be as short as possible and secondly, the main thrust of that post was that the Republican dominated board held the line on taxes. I had every intention of doing a second post about the meeting because there was so much material. I didn’t realize that the two would continue feuding in the interim.

First from Wolfe after the vote:

Once again, Roy Morales changed his mind at the last minute and voted for my original proposal.

This morning from Morales (spelling is his, not mine):

Why does Michael Wolfe continue to lie and decieve the public? The record shows that Trustee Roy Morales made the motion to freeze property taxes for Harris County residents and proposed adopting the Effective Tax Rate. Trustee Marvi Morris second the motion. The vote was 5 for and 2 against. Why would anyone vote for Michael Wolfe with his record of unthical behavior. Has the public forgotten that he was fired by the Harris County Republican Party as the 2008 Primary Director for unethical behavior (See Bettancourt Saves GOP from Wolfe.http://www.chron.com/default/article/Bettencourt-saves-GOP-from-Wolfe-1782526.php)?

Heh, Morales manages to get Tio Pablo (aka Paul Bettencourt)  involved! Nice touch!

The truth is that the record will show that Morales voted FOR the tax increase before he made a motion to reduce the rate to the ETR. The record might well show that Trustee Marvin Morris seconded the motion – that will be up to the board secretary, who will have to flip a coin because both Morris and Wolfe seconded the motion at the same time. The record also shows that the ETR is what Morris and Wolfe proposed in the first place.

So I’m at a loss as to Morales’ assertion that Wolfe continues to lie and deceive. During the board meeting on Tuesday, Morales did respond to Wolfe’s original charges, saying that there are multiple divisions of Phonoscope and that the division he works for has nothing to do with the division that will likely be involved with the new for-profit business dealing with cloud computing. Morales confirmed that he did consider resigning the board in order to pursue an out of county opportunity but decided to stay because he wanted to continue his work on the Harris County Department of Education in order to help the children.

I was very disappointed in Wolfe for trying to hide their feud away from the prying eyes of the public. When Board President Angie Chesnut moved to agenda item 5F, Wolfe made a motion to move it to executive decision, to which Morales went nuts, chiding Wolfe for always talking about transparency but then wanting to hide. I thought it was a well deserved punch. I asked Wolfe after the meeting why he did it and he told me that a couple of other board members had wanted to keep the board’s dirty laundry from being public. Well, fine, but let those members make the motion – Wolfe should know better.

Now see there? This post is already too long and I still have lots of stuff from that meeting. Some other time.

BTW, you can hear Morales yourself today at noon. He’ll be the speaker at the Downtown Houston Pachyderm Club’s weekly meeting at the Spaghetti Warehouse. Come on down, you’ll meet a lot of good people and have a cheap meal. And maybe figure out why a Republican is telling people not to vote for a fellow Republican.

Harris County Department of Education holds line on tax increase

by

Although the meeting was contentious, in the end the Harris County Department of Education Board of Trustees voted along party lines 5-2 to not raise the tax rate above the Effective Tax Rate. In technical terms, that means that the board did not raise taxes this year. In non-technical terms, the rate went up by roughly a half percent but due to a decrease in property values, the total revenues should be the same, not including new properties added to the tax rolls. In real dollars, the budget will increase by about 3{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} or $500,000 because of growth in Harris County. In terms of how it affects any single property, if your home was appraised at the same value for the past two years of $100,000, your net tax bill will increase by four cents per year. More property was appraised at less value in 2012 than in 2011, thus the slight increase in the Effective Tax Rate.

Gotta love figuring out tax rates and total taxes, right? But the bottom line is that this is why the voters of Harris County elect Republicans – to keep taxes low and force agencies to be efficient.

Okay, that was the executive summary version. Now to the meeting itself. First off, for the first time this year, according to people that go to these meetings regularly, all seven board members were present. Which is how it should be for a vote to increase taxes.

The meeting opened with prayer and pledges. Then it was time for citizen comments. No one came forward to support the tax rate increase. Four people, including myself, spoke against the rate increase.

[singlepic id=14 w=560 h=420 float=center]

Activist Colleen Vera speaks against the tax rate increase.

[singlepic id=16 w=560 h=420 float=center]

SD6 Candidate R.W. Bray speaks against the tax rate increase.

I was disappointed that only one candidate for office in Harris County and no elected officials came to testify about the proposed increase.  R.W. Bray, candidate for Texas Senate District 6, was passionate about keeping to conservative principles and protecting the voters in SD6. Keep your eye on Mr. Bray, one of a number of young minority conservatives in the Harris County Republican Party.

After hearing from citizens, the board heard from four Harris County Department of Education groups: Special Schools, Alternative Certification, Adult Education, and Choice Partners. These “annual updates” weren’t – they were promotional presentations designed to tell the board how great the HCDE is. But they were informational – I wish the videos were online so that you could review them.  The videos for the schools reinforced my desire to visit them and helped me to understand more about what they do and why. Perhaps Supt. John Sawyer will consider putting them online – if so, I’ll let you know.

The last guy to present, Les Hooper, tried to put lipstick on the pig that is Choice Partners. Yeah, I get that was snarky and not polite but I was the one sitting in a building named after President Ronald Reagan listening to a guy touting the benefits of…well, central planning? Socialism? Whatever you want to call it, having a government agency in a for-profit business is the antithesis of capitalism and free markets. I’m guessing that President Reagan squirms in heaven each time Mr. Hooper steps up to the microphone.

It was simply amazing listening to Mr. Hooper, Supt. Sawyer, Trustee Roy Morales, and Trustee Debra Kerner repeatedly boast about the profitability of Choice Partners and how those profits reduce the burden on the taxpayers to fund HCDE programs. Incredible. And later in the meeting, Supt. Sawyer had the nerve to say they weren’t really profits, they were just getting in more revenue than they spent. Fortunately Board President Angie Chesnut stepped in and reminded him that yes, they were profits.

Some of the things that Mr. Hooper said were interesting and some were unbelievable. Turns out that this year they are handling about $59 million in contracts, producing gross revenue of $1.9 million with expenses of $1.2 million, leaving them a $700,000 profit. Or “contribution to relieve the burden on the taxpayers” in Supt. Sawyer’s terms. How many small businesses have margins that high? Something fishy is going on here. I wonder what would happen if an outside accounting firm looked at the books of Choice Partners?

Mr. Hooper brought up an issue that needs to be looked at very closely by the attorney general’s office, especially in light of a statement that Supt. Sawyer brought up later in the meeting. First, Mr. Hooper noted that their current contracts were down from a high of $90+ million because they “depend upon relationships” to garner contracts and they had had some turnover in employees/consultants. But he assured us that the relationships were being rebuilt and this year was looking up. Later, in a discussion about a former board member Don Elder, now the Mayor of Katy, as a consultant, Supt. Sawyer told the board that he was worth every penny of his fees because of the doors he opened.

Wow. And here I thought that Choice Partners contracted with government agencies because  they were the low bidder on contracts or could prove they had they were the best value. Little did I know that they were schmoozing clients and getting work based on relationships. Yeah, I’m guessing that the attorney general’s office might have some fun with Choice Partners. If I were a board member, I’d move quickly to dismember them before I got caught up in that mess.  The Harris County Department of Education should be about education, not backroom deals and relationships.

Here is the list of board members that voted not to increase taxes:

  • Angie Chesnut – Board President, Position 2, Precinct 4
  • Louis D. Evans, III – Board Vice-President, Position 4, Precinct 3 (outgoing)
  • Roy Morales, Position 6, Precinct 1 (outgoing)
  • Marvin W. Morris, Position 1, Precinct 2
  • Mike Wolfe, Position 3, At Large (up for election)

Note that three of the seven positions are on the ballot this year – these positions are currently held by Republicans. That is why it is critical that you either vote Straight Ticket Republican or make certain that you vote all the way down the ballot for these three candidates:

If Republicans don’t vote all the way down the ballot, the balance of the board will shift to Democrats and I guarantee you that your taxes will increase and not by a small amount.

[scrollGallery id=2]

Steve Radack to Harris County Republicans: get off your butt and do something

by

Harris County Precinct 3 Commissioner Steve Radack was the featured speaker at the Downtown Houston Pachyderm Club yesterday. He talked about a wide range of subjects but his warning about the November election is the one that stuck with me because I’ve been saying the same thing. We must overcome the weakness of the Harris County Republican Party leadership and the lack of enthusiasm for our presidential nominee. If we don’t, we could very well have a repeat of 2008, a year in which our judges and several county officials were swept out of office.

Commissioner Steve Radack answers a question from the crowd.

I was very happy to hear him talk about people that sign up to be a part of the effort and then do nothing, especially since he called out the candidates themselves. I can’t tell you how disappointing it is to have supported a candidate in the primary and then see them doing absolutely nothing to help win in November, riding the coattails of the rest of us. Specifically, the very judicial candidates that are going to LOSE if we don’t convince moderates and independents to vote straight R. About the only time I see them is at this very meeting, which happens to be close to their offices and they can walk down, grab a quick lunch for cheap, and claim they are helping. Nonsense. Get off your butts and get out there and register voters, talk to voters, convince voters to vote for you, and then convince them to vote straight R. Otherwise, all R’s lose.

Everyone had to laugh when Mr. Radack said that one of his favorite things to do is to gas up his car and scream out “Obama, you’re killing me!”. He said everyone thinks he’s insane anyway, so why not? Plus, the reactions of those who are around is priceless. He used his experience as a cop to make his point, saying that he learned that you don’t have to wait for the other guy to hit you, you anticipate it and hit him first. I think I’ll give that one a try.

I couldn’t begin to write about everything he talked about. Toll roads, getting 10 people to vote who then get 10 people to vote who then get 10 people to vote, the importance of voting YES on the Metro ballot item, his agreement that the Harris County Department of Education is a huge waste of money and should be closed down, toll roads and their importance, and the need for a the county to have the ability to levy a sales tax.

It was that last one that bugged me. I hadn’t yet read Patti Hart’s commentary on the subject in the Houston Chronicle or I would have been prepared to ask more questions. We should always be hesitant to give new taxing powers to government but this is Commissioner Radack talking about it, so we need to give him some benefit of the doubt. Not much, but some. I don’t think that Ms. Hart presented the issue correctly. I think that the issue has to do with the City of Houston creating special taxing districts in unincorporated parts of the county and taking revenue and putting it into the city’s general fund. I think that Radack’s point is that IF there is to be a tax in these areas, the revenue should go to the county because the county is responsible for infrastructure in those areas. I think. I’ll have to get back to you on this one.

Another issue I’ll have to get back to you on is the HCRP’s Joint Judicial Campaign, or the unorganized lack of one. I have a call into Jeff Yates to try and get a balanced view of it but right now, judicial candidates are upset that little to nothing is happening on that front. Folks, without a good JJC, we will lose, it is that simple. The party is so disorganized in every other Get Out the Vote effort that the JJC remains the focal point of the campaign. I’ll wait and see if Mr. Yates returns my call before making a judgement on it – perhaps something is in the works.

And last but not least. I asked Michael Kubosh when he was going to run for office. This morning, I get a note from Jason Baldwin to go here. Hmmm.

Protestors Block Access to Texas Disability Assistance Office

by

Yvonne Larsen

Contrary to THIS Houston Chronicle report, approximately 30 protesters blocked access to small businesses and disrupted services used by visual & hearing impaired Houstonians yesterday. The building, at 3311 Richmond Avenue, houses the Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services office. Texas DARS, in conjunction with two State agencies, recently produced two American Sign Language videos on West Nile Virus Prevention.

click picture to enlarge

The protesters, according to eyewitness reports and the below photos but NOT mentioned in the Houston Chronicle article, put themselves forth to be members of HOPE; the Houston Organization of Public Employees and the Texas Organizing Project. My source also verified bullhorns and foul language were used and protesters went into individual offices that have no association with the Harris County Republican Party, also located in the same building.

Attached are pictures taken (and printed here with permission of the photographer) of the protestors INSIDE the building with bullhorns (peaceful protest, right?).

If these miscreants are so upset over Mayor Parker’s decision to provide tax incentives for the construction of luxury high rise homes..if they’re so angry over the President’s Food & Drug Administration decision to revoke use of Avastin in breast cancer treatment, maybe they should be protesting outside Houston City Hall, the White House or the Harris County Democratic Party offices?

Harris County Republican Party Executive Meeting Thursday, September 6

by

Normally I don’t post these notices but there are a couple of reasons that I need to – day and location. Normally, these meetings are held on a Monday night but the Party is saying that Labor Day interferes with that. And the location has changed – the meeting will be at Houston Baptist University, not at the Harris County Community College West Loop location.

Here is the call from the Party (click here if your browser isn’t compatible with Google Viewer):

If you are a precinct chair, you need to be there! And put some thought into it before attending. The Harris County Republican Party desperately needs a makeover on several committees, most importantly the Vacancy committee. We need people on that committee that care enough about the future of the party to actually attend meetings and recruit precinct chairs.

I know that in my district, SD11, several people are challenging the status quo – that is a good thing. Just because someone has been in a position before doesn’t entitle them to hold that position forever. We need ACTIVE representation, not names on a piece of paper.

Please spread the word so that all precinct chairs are aware of this meeting. I’ve talked to several people who think that the HCRP moved this meeting to a Thursday night to have less participation because it is opening night of high school football. If that is true, that is a sad reflection on the Party.

Lloyd Oliver files suit in State Court, Democrats want Federal

by

The sage of the Harris County Democratic Party trying to remove a man duly elected in a primary continues this afternoon. We just aren’t certain where the latest round in the fight will be held.

Harris County Democratic Party primary winner and District Attorney nominee Lloyd Oliver filed his complaint in State District Court – it was assigned to the 133rd, Judge Jaclanel McFarland. She is on the ballot, creating a conflict of interest, so an associate judge is supposed to hear the case. You can read his full complaint here.

However, I talked to Mr. Oliver this morning and the HCDP has filed a motion to move the suit to Federal Court. They want to use the case law created when former HCDP Chair Gerry Birnberg removed Dave Wilson from the ballot. Interestingly, Mr. Wilson is a named plaintiff along with Lloyd Oliver in the current suit.

As a voter, the action by the Democrats is outrageous. About the only thing that could make it more outrageous is a ruling in their favor. Goodness, just think about us poor Republicans – if you think that the Harris County Republican Party is ruled by the Taliban now, just wait and see what happens if they can remove candidates at will. Wow.

This came via email, no author provided:

Death of Democracy

Democracy, 236 years old, of the Texas Democratic Party passed peacefully into God’s Eternal Kingdom Wednesday August 22, 2012 surrounded by her friends in the Harris County Democratic Party Headquarters.

Party Chairman, Lane Lewis, with orders from Gerald “Boss Tweed” Birnberg and with the blessings of State Party Chairman, Gilberto “Hitler” Hinojosa, declared 57,000 primary voters null and void.   57,000 voters get trumped by 3 people because 3 people do not agree with who the voters choose!

The Republicans state “If you don’t vote, you don’t have a say in who your elected officials are.”

The Democrats   state “if you   do    vote, you don’t have a say in who your elected officials are.”

Democracy celebrated a long and patriotic life in Texas, always keeping the citizens in the forefront of her actions.

Democracy in the Democratic Primary first became ill in January  2010.  Gerald “Boss Tweed” Birnberg removed Dave Wilson (Democratic candidate against the disgraced Republican Jerry Eversole) from the ballot without cause.  The case, which became diagnosed as the “Tammany Hall Cancer”,  was sent to the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans for treatment.  Doctors of Jurisprudence, Davis, Smith and Southwick only diagnosed the case half right.  They concluded that Mr. Wilson has a cause of action for damages, but they went on to state that a person does not have a property right of access to the ballot and they cannot be given a new election.  This opened the door for Birnberg and Lewis’s actions; therefore spreading the cancer that destroyed Democracy in the Democratic Primary!

Democracy leaves behind many sons and daughters, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, who will miss her.

A Memorial service will be held for her Monday, August 27, 2012, in State District Court # 133 at 3:00 pm.  In lieu of flowers, please send your condolences to Mr. Birnberg and Mr. Lewis.

P.S.  No one has to worry about Voter I.D.