Big Jolly Politics

politics in Harris County and Texas

Fort Bend Republicans could campaign on THIS issue—but they probably won’t

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Last month a Texas Tribune article highlighted Texas’ ultimate win against the Big Federal Government social-justice warrior-led effort to force suburban cities to surrender their local zoning policies through a type of back-door annexation via the imposition of low-income housing quotas under threat of litigation.This issue should represent a topic Fort Bend County Republicans could campaign on—but for reasons I’m about to outline, I’m guessing they probably won’t.

In the wake of a recent U. S. Supreme Court decision designed to impose low-income housing quotas on the residents of suburban communities through the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs tax-credit program, the lawsuit over housing segregation in Texas was dismissed.

On August 26, the Texas Tribune reported U.S. District Judge Sidney Fitzwater found the Inclusive Communities Project could not prove the existence of a State specific policy resulting in low-income housing projects approved for construction in mostly minority areas (emphasis mine):

“…ICP has failed to point to a specific, facially neutral policy that purportedly caused a racially disparate impact. By relying simply on TDHCA exercise in discretion of awarding tax credits, ICP has not isolated and identified the specific practice that caused the disparity in the location of low-income housing.”

The defeat of an attempt to force low-income housing quotas on suburban cities through fear of potential and protracted litigation at huge taxpayer expense is an issue custom-made for Fort Bend County Republicans to campaign on through Election Day.

However I’m guessing they probably won’t.

Even Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner knows this is a winning issue for Republicans that could draw more voters to the polls in November—why do you think he HIMSELF pulled the plug on a tax-credit financed apartment complex at 2640 Fountainview?

So why do I think Fort Bend County Republicans won’t touch this issue with a 10-foot pole?

Because campaigning on THAT issue would open up State Representative John Zerwas and State Representative Phil Stephenson to questions about their support for low-income housing projects in the County.

14148 – Representative John Zerwas Support Letter 3-31-14.pdf

Phil Stephenson letter of support

And it would open up State Representative Rick Miller to questions about why he was incapable of even MAKING a decision on a project.

Rick Miller Letter of Support

Stanley Kurtz was right when he opined about the GOP being silent on a YUGE and potentially winning campaign issue for Republicans:

“A smart Republican party would expose all this, save itself, and split the Democrats. But that’s not the party we’ve got.”

 

Flashback to 2014: Remember how this Texas state lawmaker said he’d address rising property taxes in Fort Bend?

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After Fox 26 reporter Andrea Watkins interview with State Representative Rick Miller on Fort Bend County residents protesting their increasing property taxes in front of the Fort Bend Central Appraisal District —in which Miller reportedly said he’d  “put together a district advisory team to help him find solutions”—-some Fort Bend residents are quietly wondering what  “solutions” were found by the district advisory teams when they were formed over TWO years ago. Is promotion of these district advisory teams simply empty rhetoric designed to deceive and distract Fort Bend County residents from the REAL problem of taxpayer-supported lobbying in the County?

In March 2014 and announced BY State Representative Rick Miller himself, 16 District Advisory Teams were established within House District 26. One of the —ahem—“Advisory Teams” was supposedly focused on taxes and residential real estate (emphasis mine):

“Representative Rick Miller (Sugar Land) is announcing the creation of 16 District Advisory Teams (DATs) within House District 26. This new effort will focus on critical issues affecting House District 26 (HD 26) and the State of Texas, particularly Public & Higher Education, Elections, Veterans’ Affairs, Health Care, Mental Health Care, Insurance, Energy, Water, Small Business, Banking, Taxes, Public Safety, Public Governance, Transportation, Commercial Real Estate and Residential Real Estate.”

One might ask “what were the contributing factors of increasing residential real estate property taxes identified by the Taxes and Residential Real Estate teams” given that in 2014 the taxpayer-supported Greater Fort Bend Economic Development Council claimed credit for passage of burdening property owners with repayment of $184.9 million in bond package debt.

Why else do some Fort Bend residents wonder if publicizing these District Advisory teams serve no purpose other than to hoodwink County residents into thinking their elected officials represent all Fort Bend County residents?

Because the same property tax protests—the same plugs for a District 26 Advisory team on Taxes were regurgitated again in June of 2015!!

In this June 2015 article titled “Rep. Miller to set up District 26 Tax Advisory team” the Fort Bend Independent reported on a group of Fort Bend County homeowners protesting their increasing property taxes:

“Last week a group of 1000+ Fort Bend County residents have protested what they believe to be high and arbitrary property taxes this year in front of the Fort Bend Central Appraisal District offices in Rosenberg.”

Furthermore the Fort Bend Independent reported the action State Representative Rick Miller planned to take:

“Texas State District 26 Rep. Rick Miller plans to address growing concerns about rising property taxes with a District 26 Advisory team on “tax issues” this fall.”

Horse-hockey.

And here again in 2016—for three years in a row now—- we read media accounts churning out the same tired and worn-out “District Advisory Team” nonsense from Rick Miller.

Taxpayer-supported lobbying, in part by the Greater Fort Bend Economic Development Council is a contributing factor resulting in Fort Bend County homeowners shouldering an ever greater percentage of the property tax burden in the County. Another factor is the crony handouts given by cities to businesses that don’t need them.

State Representative Rick Miller can disband his scam “Taxes” advisory team—he’s starting to sound like Crooked Hillary.