Tonight at 6 p.m. the canvassing and swearing in of the newly elected candidates from Saturday’s election will be on Midlothian’s agenda.
View the entire agenda here : May 12 city council meeting
Dr. Hank Miller ousted incumbent Wayne Sibley in a very closely contested race.
Establishment type Steve Massey defeated anti-annexation candidate Bill Redding.
Thankfully the people at least had a choice. I personally would have liked for both incumbents to be replaced.
Here’s to the new council!
Categories: Midlothian · Midlothian Elections · Western Ellis County
Hank Miller sent this on over to us:
“Report Card” on Midlothian’s Financial Strength
Now is the time to vote on who you want to watch over your tax dollars. Before you make that decision, please take a second to rate your current city council’s way of watching your money:
* During the 4/28/2009 city council meeting, Dan Almon (Southwest Securities), Midlothian’s financial advisor, stated that the debt ratio was high for a city of this size.
* The city currently has 90 credit cards in use and has charges ranging from $42,600 to $78,000 per month for the past 6 billing months.
* The city park’s annual bill was over $700,000 last year.
* The city’s tax rate jumped over 3 ½ times in 10 years from 17.4 cents to 65.0 cents.
* The debt service rate of the city is up 5 ¾ times from 6.8 cents to 39.45 cents.
* Each Midlothian resident has a current debt from the city of $8,551. (In 1999, it was $3,492.)
* Over 60 percent of your taxes goes just to pay the city’s debt?
* Our city has a NEW $30,000,000.00 water project in the works
Sit back and think for a second. Is your city better off than it was 5 to 10 years ago? Are you better off today than you were 5 or 10 years ago? Are you happy with the progress that the city has had in that time?
Changes can happen, but it will take you getting out voting. If you are tired of the spending and want change, Vote for Bill Redding and Hank K. “Doc” Miller.
Categories: Midlothian · Midlothian City Council · Midlothian Elections
[[[UPDATE]]] Airport manager Andy Biery’s job is being “evaluated” in executive session today. Look for copies of this blog to circulate at the meeting today…
What the hell is going on at Mid-Way Regional Airport?
[Click Here to Read the Mid-Way Regional Airport Agenda]
Today at 4 p.m., there’s a Mid-Way Regional Airport meeting and one of the agenda items, according to calls The Ellis County Observer has been getting today, is one that will allow a local pilot to drop material out from his plane.
There’s also some commotion about spending $20,000 on poison to keep wild boars and pigs from entering the airport property.
[Click Here to Read the Mid-Way Regional Airport Agenda]
There’s even more: we’ve got two competing agendas for the meeting today. According to pilots who plan to attend the meeting at 4 p.m., one agenda set by airport manager Andy Biery is different from one posted by Midlothian.
[Click Here to Read the Mid-Way Regional Airport Agenda]
See Also: The Ellis County Observer
Categories: Mid-Way Regional Airport
For those who don’t remember, The Ellis County Press was the only – still the only – paper to have reported on Southwestern Bell’s eminent domain of the old Midlothian post office. We plastered that on the front page of our paper…and to this day, SBC still hasn’t done crap to that land over on Avenue F.
They tore down the old post office that was once housed to a business owned by a prominent Midlothian family, but those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it…read the horrors below:
[Direct Link: http://www.ij.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2681&Itemid=165]
Texas Senate Guts Property Rights Legislation
Key Provisions Stripped from Eminent Domain Bill Prior to Passage; Meanwhile, Strong Bills Languish in the House
Austin, Tx.—The Institute for Justice Texas Chapter issued a warning today to property owners across Texas: despite politicians’ claims to the contrary, Senate Bill 18, which passed through the Texas Senate yesterday, will not end eminent domain abuse in Texas. The Institute litigated the infamous Kelo eminent domain case before the U.S. Supreme Court, and its Austin-based Texas Chapter has led the way to eminent domain reform in the Lone Star State.
“As it stands, SB 18 represents a bait and switch on Texas property owners,” said Matt Miller, executive director of the Institute for Justice Texas Chapter (IJ-TX). “This bill helps protect rural property owners but leaves urban and suburban property owners exposed to private development schemes.” The definition of “public use”—which was the entire focus of the Kelo litigation—was stripped from the bill in committee. All that’s left is a collection of procedural safeguards. Although helpful, those provisions do not address the central problem of Kelo.
Property owners across Texas should be worried about SB 18’s momentum because more meaningful bills are now being stalled by legislative leaders. Property owners from Houston, El Paso and San Antonio, all of whom are today being threatened by eminent domain abuse, rallied at the Capitol in March. They were met with assurances that this session Texas would finally address Kelo once and for all.
“The Governor opened this session saying he wanted a constitutional amendment to address Kelo,” said IJ-TX Staff Attorney Wesley Hottot. “Now, with mere weeks left in the session, time is running out for the legislature and Governor Perry to make good on their promises.”
With SB 18 gutted, Texas property owners must pin their hopes on two bills in the House. The first is a strong constitutional amendment, House Joint Resolution 14, by Frank Corte (R-San Antonio), which offers Texans the strongest protection for their homes and businesses. The second is House Bill 417, by Bill Callegari (R-Katy), a bill that would address the problem of cities using bogus “blight” designations to justify eminent domain for private development. Both bills are out of committee, but have not yet been scheduled for a vote.
“Texas property owners should have the opportunity to curb eminent domain abuse through their Bill of Rights, and Rep. Corte’s constitutional amendment does just that,” said Miller. “Combined with HB 417, HJR 14 would give Texans some of the strongest property rights in the nation. Chairman Dennis Bonnen did what he said he would and got those bills out of his House committee. Now it is up to the Calendars Committee, the Senate and Governor Perry to follow through.”
“If SB18 passes but HJR 14 and HB 417 do not pass, this legislative session will be a failure for anyone who owns a piece of property in Texas,” said Hottot. “People need to pay attention right now and demand passage of the real reform measures, otherwise we will once again have been denied the protection we were promised. This legislative session is starting to look like a repeat of 2005 and 2007 when genuine property rights protection was promised by Texas political leaders, but never delivered.”
# # #
Source:
Institute for Justice Texas Chapter
816 Congress Ave, Suite 960 Austin, TX 78701
(512) 480-5936
Fax(512) 480-5937
Categories: Midlothian · Midlothian City Council
Tagged: eminent domain in Texas, SB 18 eminent domain, Texas eminent domain
These are very nice.
For those who don’t already know, I’m a political junkie and I collect campaign and election materials, including yard signs. It’s for a makeshift political history museum I’m constructing.
Categories: Midlothian Elections
Readers, let’s start combing through this list of boards and commissions and partition the members into camps: Citizens National Bank/Danny Rodgers allies; Mayor Boyce Whatley allies; Paula Baucum allies; TXI/Cement Industry allies, etc.
Some can overlap, but tracking Midlothian’s boards, commissions and appointed officials will help us better understand the differing agendas in play.
Remember, we can predict future council/mayoral/school board races based on the appointments to city boards and commissions. We can also track voting records on zoning issues in a property rights-and-liberty bias — and should one of those zoning commissioners seek elected office, we’ll have their records.
Midlothian, Texas Boards & CommissionsCitizen’s Capital Improvement CommissionReviews and prioritizes community needs for capital facilities
Citizen’s Capital Improvement CommissionCommunity Development CorporationFocuses on the maintenance and operating costs of publicly-owned and operated projects
Community Development CorporationCorporation for Economic DevelopmentAttracts new and retains existing business and industry and encourage economic development
Corporation for Economic DevelopmentHistoric Advisory BoardConsiders all issues involving historic preservation in the City
Historic Advisory BoardHousing AuthorityPromotes, develops and finances public housing in the City
Housing AuthorityIndustrial Development CorporationPromotes and develops commercial and industrial manufacturing
Industrial Development CorporationJoint Midlothian/ Waxahachie Airport BoardAdvisory to both Midlothian and Waxahachie Councils and oversees daily airport operations
Joint Midlothian/ Waxahachie Airport BoardMilothian Development Authority (MDA)Promotes, develops, encourages and maintains employment, commerce, economic development and public facility development
Milothian Development Authority (MDA)Park BoardImproves and manages City parks
Park BoardPlanning & Zoning CommissionConsiders all planning issues, and advices on ordinance amendments and zoning issues
Planning & Zoning CommissionSchool & City Library BoardEstablishes library policies and hours
School & City Library BoardUtility Advisory BoardMakes recommendations to City Council regarding the City’s water and sewer operations
Utility Advisory BoardZoning Board of AdjustmentsA quasi-judicial body that determines variances to the zoning ordinances
Zoning Board of AdjustmentsBoard and Commisssion Application
Categories: Midlothian · Midlothian Boards & Commissions
Readers on Facebook can now become “fans” of The Ellis County Observer/Midlothian Observer:
[Click Here to Become a Facebook Fan of The Ellis County Observer]
Categories: ECO MO
The Secretary of State’s office is sending an election monitor to Midlothian for Saturday’s election, according to Kim Thole of the SOS office in Austin.
This will make the second Ellis County city to request and obtain SOS election monitors. Ennis was approved for one last week.
In both cities, concerns over the handling of ballot boxes and the integrity of the election day votes were brought forth to Ennis city marshal candidate Daryl Spence and Midlothian Councilman Ken Chambers, who specifically requested the monitor on behalf of two council challengers he has endorsed.
Both cities use paper ballots. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Categories: Midlothian City Council · Midlothian Elections
A police officer who lives in Midlothian had his dog euthanized by Midlothian animal control — the very agency that both city council incumbents running in the May 9 election tout as having launched — and today, this officer had to break the tragic news to his children.
Kelli Jackson is the animal control officer who carried out this “punishment” and according to the officer, Midlothian PD’s Don Cole contacted him to inquire about the situation.
This is definitely a huge PR problem on Midlothian’s hands.
I have contacted my friend at the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the Virginia-based organization that got involved in the recent Ferris Police Department dog-shooting policy story.
See Also: MidlothianObserver.com | The Midlothian Observer
Joey,
Sorry to bother you on a Sunday, but I wanted you to know that me and my wife just told our children about the assassination of our dog Hunter. As I expected and told you, my 12 year old, as I send you this email, is crying hysterically, and has been for about an hour. My wife has already called and left KELLI JACKSON a voicemail at work and informed her of the atrosity of her actions. I was also contacted by Cpt. Don Cole of the Midlothian Police Department on Thursday May 1. I chose not to contact him back as I did not want stir up a “honets nest” as I was still very angered.My neighbor, who was involved in the whole situation, and the one who paid the $20.00 murder fee to the inconsolable KELLI JACKSON for transport fee, has also sent a letter to the Midlothian Mirror in reference to the whole situation.
I just want you to assist in letting people know to make sure there animals are kept and/or “beware of dogs” signs are posted on or about their households so as to stop this inhumane activity to occur again.
We are the humans, dogs are our companions. Who should be euthanized? Maybe KELLI JACKSON should.
Joey, PLEASE post this ASAP on the front page as I want everyone to know the agony of telling children that God didn’t take there dog, but an ignorant human did.
Craig Draxlir
Categories: Midlothian Police Department
Some factual and non-misleading information about what’s being spread around among Midlothian voters:
To the editor:
While I’m not a Midlothian voter, I’m being used by a group of malcontents in Midlothian to damage the candidacy of Bill Redding and Dr. Hank Miller. Their information is an absolute lie, and your dissemination of the truth is appreciated.
They are a registered PAC for the purpose of promoting the candidacy of the two incumbents. They claim to be for “unity,” but their methods appear hateful and divisive. Their recent attack is an absolute lie, which demonstrates how desperate they are to maintain their control over the city.
I was a consultant for the RCAA group (www.rcaa.us) in their opposition to forced annexation. This was the second group with whom I consulted. The first group was not annexed; RCAA was.
RCAA internal e-mails were being forwarded to the city manager. It was difficult for RCAA to believe one of their neighbors was a “mole,” but that was the only explanation. A Freedom of Information request revealed one of the e-mails was sent to the city manager from an e-mail that appeared to be owned by Jason Kyle, an attorney in your city. It included a personal comment, “hehehehe.” It was felt an attorney (a) would not divulge information and sell-out his neighbors, and (b) would never use such a juvenile term as “hehehehe.” E-mail headers can be forged, so we wanted to know for sure.
I also wanted the city council members to think twice about forced annexation. I decided to “kill two birds with one stone” by writing a fake e-mail that looked like it was being sent to all RCAA members to see if it would reach the city manager. It included a “threat” of a lawsuit by a councilman – again, something to give the council members second thoughts. The e-mail was sent blindly, so the recipients could not determine the distribution list. It was sent ONLY to Jason@kyle-law.com and me, with a verification copy the communications agent sent to himself.
I knew if it were received by the city manager, it had to come from the e-mail that we sent it to, Jason@kyle-law.com. Kyle-law.com is registered to “Kyle & Associates, P.C.” The website indicates their office is at 411 W. 8th Street, # 100, in Midlothian. Therefore, RCAA’s “mole” has access to an e-mail owned by Mr. Kyle, so assuming it is Mr. Kyle himself is not too much of a stretch of the imagination. The use of that fake information in a website owned by Mr. Kyle adds more credibility to that assumption.
This e-mail was a trap for the RCAA mole, but a MODIFIED version is now being used for political purposes, indicating Mr. Redding is responsible. A partial excerpt from Mr. Kyle’s web site follows:
“While Bill was RCAA President, a letter was sent out to their members in which they stated that if they were annexed “ Midlothian will regret ever messing with us.” The RCAA planned to “easily win any election” and after elected they planned to de-annex the entire city with the exception of the industrial tax base section. That way they would not have to pay any taxes and they could get rid of the City employees. A copy of this letter can be seen to the right. Perhaps we should ask Bill if his campaign is really his way of keeping his promise to the RCAA members.”
Note it says the e-mail was sent to “their members;” it was not. It also presents as fact that RCAA planned to “get rid of City employees.” That statement was not in the “trap” e-mail. Since they published the e-mail on their own site, one would think they would know the difference. Additionally, the wording of the e-mail has been modified from its original form.
I wrote the e-mail, and Rob Shields (their communications agent) sent the e-mail to Mr. Kyle and me. No one in RCAA ever received the e-mail, and the only RCAA person who ever saw the content was Mr. Shields, who sent it at my instruction.
Dr. Miller knew nothing about the e-mail, and was not active in RCAA at the time. Mr. Redding knew I was sending an e-mail, but was not shown the content.
Categories: Midlothian · Midlothian City Council · MidlothianTogether.com
Midlothian’s Matt Martin famously asked, “how can the most Republican area in our county produce some of the most liberal city councilmen?” That’s a paraphrase quote on what he said, but the idea is the same.
Western Ellis County is the hub of Republican politics. He who wins Midlothian precincts is virtually assured of victory in the countywide race. City and local politics aside, here’s a resource guide for the GOP leadership on the west side of Ellis County:
Midlothian Voting Precincts + Chairmen:
Precinct 101: Alan Gell
Precinct 102: Melody Cawthorn
Precinct 107: Tom Hall
Precinct 108: Marilyn Barnes
Precinct 142: Duff Hale
Ovilla Voting Precincts + Chairmen:
Precinct 103: Charlie Morton
Precinct 137: Jack Hood
Precinct 138: Vacant
Maypearl Voting Precincts + Chairmen:
Precinct 112: Unknown/vacant
Precinct 118: Anita Blackwell
Since many precincts were left off of the above map, click here for a list of all Ellis County Republican/Democratic precincts and chairmen
Categories: TX · W. Ellis County Voting Precincts · Western Ellis County
For those graduates of Midlothian ISD, there’s now an online message board/forum for us all: http://www.midlothianalumni.org/forums/index.php
So, what kind of student was I during my Midlothian High School years (‘98-01)? Click below to find out:
Side note: I dressed up as H. Ross Perot for fifth grade Halloween at J.R. Irvin Elementary. That was the start of my political upbringing…
Categories: Midlothian ISD Alumni
Former Midlothian finance director Jimmie McClure has no business ever uttering another word about anyone – current, former, or retired – having integrity.
I wrote about her back-and-forth exchanges with Duff Hale (council candidate Hank Miller’s treasurer and a columnist colleague for The Ellis County Press) in a recent Freedom of the Press column titled “Integrity is a joke.”
Since that issue, not a peep has been publicly uttered.
McClure should have been indicted for her role in the Midlothian Justice Center/First Baptist Church real estate deal. Steve Campbell and William Foshea aren’t the only guilty parties to this transaction.
She bitches about how Place 3 Councilman Ken Chambers embarrasses city staff and questions things, and then proceeds to suggest that Chambers and others ask questions before a council meeting. In the real world, Jimmie, a council forum for the public at large so that it is on public record has every right and duty to hear and see the answers from city staff.
Freedom of the Press | Joey Dauben
It’s not like I ever used the word, but “integrity” will never be used to describe any politician ever. Why? Bill Clinton once used the term to describe a friend of his, and a former adviser of his used it to describe ousted Sen. Tom Daschle, D-South Dakota, after the former Health and Human Services nominee disclosed failure to pay income taxes. With guys like that using a word that means “without corrupting influence, honest, completeness,” it’s time to consult another vocabulary.
Locally, the “integrity” label was pinned on City of Midlothian finance guru Chris Dick by the city’s former finance director, Jimmie McClure. McClure was responding to my colleague, Duff Hale, in a few financial matters he brought up in two editorials. Is Dick really a man of “impeccable integrity?” Probably not, and McClure definitely isn’t the one I’d ever use that term on. Why? Every dollar spent on by Midlothian was signed off by McClure. That included the massive corruption that Place 3 Councilman Ken Chambers – another McClure target – exposed in The Ellis County Press regarding the new police station:
Excerpts from Chambers: Former Police Chief Steve Campbell initialed the contract for the city as the city’s representative (buyer), the person responsible for representing the taxpayers … it was his job to acquire the property at the best price for the citizens of Midlothian. Representing our city, Campbell used William Foshea as the broker (realtor). Foshea received $36,000 in commission, according to the HUD Settlement. Coincidence? The Texas Real Estate Commission verified that William Stephen Campbell had a real estate salesperson license and was being sponsored by licensed real estate broker William Foshea (the person who received the commission) during the course of the real estate transaction. The TREC website currently shows the same address for both Foshea and Campbell. The city has verified the buyer’s initials on the bottom of the contract are those of William S. Campbell.”
McClure should have been indicted and prosecuted for this, as should others still working at Midlothian City Hall.
The May 9 elections in Midlothian will prove telling: Chambers’ allies, Bill Redding and Dr. Hank Miller (Hale is Miller’s treasurer), will seek to knock out two incumbents after being annexed into the city in November, and we will see once and for all the meaning of true leadership.
Leadership Void
So, how do you know that a leader has integrity? Integrity is one of those traits that can be seen, not described. If you are a Christian person, you are known by what you do, not by what you say. The same principle applies in politics. When a dishonest garbage can of a politician calls their dishonest friends persons of “impeccable integrity,” cringe. Cringe every time it’s said.
Lord Acton is always misquoted. The popularity of his “power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely” has a secondary quote that is never included: “Great men are almost always bad men.” In the case of McClure, women are included. I don’t tell people I’m Christian, or a God-fearing person. Others should be able to see it. Likewise, honest politicians should never have to tell others that they’re honest. The public should see it. Midlothian is scarce in honest leadership.
Categories: The Ellis County Press
MidlothianTogether.com claims their donations they solicit and receive are not for profit and are public record. Public record where?
The 8-day out campaign finance report should have been filed by all six candidates for Midlothian City Council and Midlothian ISD school board last week. So, if any donation appears from either of those MidlothianTogether.com folks who are listed on the Web site, one must ask: were those donations sent to the candidates as individuals, or were those donations sent via MidlothianTogether.com?
R. Ted Howard Gary Hensel Mark Fletcher Jason Kyle
203 N. Fourth 1608 Creek Bend 848 Nueces Trl 4461 Sir Lancelot
Midlothian, TX Midlothian, TX Midlothian, TX Midlothian, TX
If sent from the individuals by way of MidlothianTogether.com, there will be a political action committee filed with Midlothian City Hall. If there’s not one, readers need to consult with the Texas Ethics Commission on illegal donations to candidates.
Categories: MidlothianTogether.com
MidlothianTogether.com is appearing damn-near close to the Duncanville Pro-Dunc PAC, and they’ve announced their no-surprise endorsements for the May 9 election.
Place 5’s Wayne Sibley and Place 6’s Steve Massey get MidlothianTogether.com’s endorsements, and the reasons given sound an awful like the talking points that both incumbent councilmen gave in candidate speeches.
Too bad some of that stuff is flat-out misleading and wrong. Take for example the future land for parks that somehow won’t cost taxpayers a dime. That’s a bald-faced lie. Debt obligations end up getting paid off…resulting in higher taxes to pay off just the interest on the debt for future parks. Even maintenance of parks requires money.
Government policy is obviously different in scope to public policy with a few people…
I know Matt Martin, Duff Hale, Sherry Freeland and Ray Williams can vouch for a lot of the misleading information put out by the incumbents.
Truth is, there are people scared you-know-what-less on the thought that Saturday, May 9 could be a post-tea party revolt. And rightfully so.
Categories: MidlothianTogether.com
Ray Williams is a former Cedar Hill City Council member.
Mr. White,I’ve coined a new phrase that I want to share with you, “Floyd Ingram.” It is best described with examples.
Our Sunday School teacher was telling us how some people like to present facts in a distorted fashion to support a particular point of view, and said that was not Biblical. He then lowered his voice to where we could barely hear him, leaned toward us and very seriously said, “I need to tell you something about our pastor; he is sleeping with the organist!” For about 2 seconds there was shock on our faces, and then we burst out into laughter. The organist was the pastor’s wife. It’s a “Floyd Ingram.”
A good friend goes to overnight Toastmaster’s meetings and introduces his dinner companion as his “first wife.” It raises eyebrows. As they finish dining, he asks her if she’s ready to go to bed, and she follows him toward the rooms. People are aghast. You’ve already guessed it – they’ve been married for 45 years and still are. It’s a “Floyd Ingram.”
When I was elected to the city council in Cedar Hill, I was told of an incident a few years earlier; the purpose was to emphasize I should get all the facts prior to making a decision. The story was that a police officer had been charged with a serious prank and the city council was going to fire him; the city manager was opposed to the action. The officer was taken to Dallas for a polygraph on the same night as the council meeting. The city manager received a phone call, and then announced to the council the officer had passed the polygraph. The council certified him as “innocent” with no disciplinary action taken. This cleared the officer from council action, as there could be no “double jeopardy.” The officer did, indeed, pass the polygraph by truthfully telling the operator he was GUILTY of the prank. It’s a “Floyd Ingram.”
Categories: Midlothian Media
Approximately 1/3 of the e-mail sign-ups at my StopLoop9.com Web site have had 76065 zip codes, and it’s because of this route that the 12 to 14-lane toll road known as Loop 9 has planned for:
Those blue lines are the proposed toll road, and those itty-bitty little gray rectangles are houses. Lake Ridge Parkway is to the north in this photo.
The Ellis County Press carried this photo on its front page in the April 9, 2009 issue:
Categories: Loop 9 Midlothian
Tagged: Loop 9 Midlothian, Midlothian Loop 9
Originally posted at The Ellis County Observer:
[Original Post Link: http://www.elliscountyobserver.com/?p=5854]
The fact of the matter is Midlothian Police Department has become an extension of the DeSoto Police Department. From the computer systems they use to the actual hardware used by officers on patrol, Midlothian is a clone of DeSoto these days. Hell, their police cars even look identical. If you ask any officer or employee of Midlothian PD about their chief and how many times a day they hear “in DeSoto we….” you will see. Ask them how many times a day Chief Mike Brodnax from DeSoto is there.
The fact is MPD Chief Carl Smith was not the first choice for the chief of police position for Midlothian. Smith was passed over to begin with. Never to fear, DeSoto police chief Mike Brodnax (pictured with his girlfriend on the right side of this blog) made phone calls to his old money DeSotoites (i.e., Roy Orr, DeSoto’s former mayor and a former Dallas County commissioner) who now live in Ellis County and guess what…. Smith was hired. Carl Smith, is DeSoto Chief Mike Brodnax’s understudy. The whole DeSoto “old money” crowd has been forced out of DeSoto, S. Dallas and Dallas County. They are all settling in Ellis County these days, particularly in the Midlothian area.
These people are on a power quest and are attempting to gain the control of Ellis County just like in days past during when they had control of the “Best Southwest.” (Duncanville, DeSoto, Cedar Hill and Lancaster).
BUYER BEWARE these guys are DIRTY!
The first step of any shady organization is to infiltrate the police departments. They have done that. The games are set to begin. If you still doubt what I say, take a look at this link: http://www.ethics.state.tx.us/sworncomp/1993/93006.PDF
The gang is all here: Orr, former DeSoto Mayor Richard Rozier, who lives on Black Champ Road, Smith and even ‘ol Monte Anderson, the Options Real Estate guy who has been developing “downtown” DeSoto, Midlothian and Why do flies always spoil a picnic??
These are the facts that voters and citizens in Midlothian need to be aware of as it relates to the increasing influence of DeSoto politicians and politics into western Ellis County…I find it ironic that former DeSoto mayor Roy Orr – who now lives in the northern Ellis County town of Oak Leaf – would be against the sin of…buying and selling liquor in Waxahachie (he said so at the Waxahachie City Council meeting two weeks ago.)
I mean, after all, sin is sin, even if you’re caught lobbying to get your friends on a DeSoto Economic Development Corporation board and the DeSoto City Council to approve land purchases to get your lobbying buddies a casino put in town. Right?
Note: This is the same Roy Orr that currently co-chairs Ellis County’s bond facilities oversight committee
Oh, the cool things I’ve learned in my days as an investigative reporter/blogger: 1) never put yourself on someone else’s timeline. When someone gives you a news tip, it might be for right then and there; or, it might take some investigating.
Or, it might be better to hold it until say, a very secretive task force being run out of Midlothian PD (Chief Carl Smith is DeSoto PD’s former assistant; the contract awarded to roof Midlothian PD’s building was awarded to a DeSoto company, who also built DeSoto PD. Wow!) involving officers from DeSoto PD and the IRS is making it difficult by sending open records requests to the AG’s office for a ruling to see if records on that task force should be made public.
Why, this wouldn’t be the first time a controversial task force involving DeSoto PD officers was investigated would it? Actually, no, it wouldn’t be.
The DeSoto PD task force being run out of Midlothian PD reportedly has a Paul Pothen working there. That’d be the same Pothen who investigated some very not-so-nice things about the DeSoto Political Establishment, mainly the allegations of – surprise, surprise – corruption – among members of the DeSoto Political Establishment (Orr, Rozier, Roberts, etc.)
So the question must be asked: is the DeSoto political establishment trying to make inroads in Ellis County? After all, former DeSoto mayor Richard Rozier now lives in Midlothian; he tried getting the City of DeSoto’s law firm to go after The Ellis County Press for numerous articles exposing these big-time players and claiming they were “political advertisements.”
Below, Rozier tried to say the ECP was publishing political ads as advertisements (LOL):
My answer to my own question would be, yes, there are major players from DeSoto – former mayors Ernie Roberts and Lester Martin (as in M&M Advertising — the billboards) – involved in some very questionable business contracts and other fine upstanding “Christian” political conduct, both past and present. The extent of which we aren’t able to tell fully…but where there’s smoke there’s fire.
And I think I just ignited a big one.
**PS: I actually favor gambling in Texas, seeing as how the government shouldn’t tell me what to do with my own money, but my personal opinions and views don’t mean a thing re: this issue**
Categories: Midlothian
Just in case people forgot about this, I’ll also re-post it over at The Ellis County Observer. I know how some memories are, but thanks to the blogosphere, this stuff is out there forever:
(Note: The Ellis County Press was the only paper that did any coverage on this controversial land deal; top front page. I’ll try to find a copy)
Original Post:
For those of you with a Midlothian Mirror close by, pay attention to Becky Cox’ letter to the editor. Hopefully one of my faithful readers, Matt Martin, will post the electronic form in a comment. It will start to fill in some of the holes in our big “we need a second high school” debate.Allow me to fill in the rest.
But real quick: I was recently interviewed by the Midlothian High School student paper for my “side” in the upcoming Nov. 6 bond election, the one that will see voters approve or reject $103 million (second high school, land, ag facility) in future debt.
Now for the good stuff:
Perhaps this $103 million bond on Nov. 6 has something to do with the last City of Midlothian bond election, as well as some very prominent addresses on Walnut Grove and Mockingbird Lane.
CNB Texas VP Danny Rodgers lives on Walnut Grove Road. Midlothian City Councilman Steve Massey lives on Mockingbird, near where Walnut Grove Middle School is located. WGMS, and both homes of the aforementioned are all within walking distance of the corner of FM 1387 and Walnut Grove.
It might be worth noting that the MISD has been paying inflated (highly) costs for land for years — and I have this from former school board trustees that sat in on real estate negotiations dating as far back as 1995.
It’s nice that Rodgers has a “campaign staff” in the form of appointments to city and ISD boards and commissions. He can hand-pick who he wants to set the agenda. The second high school has supporters, yes, but not for the reasons that are being published. If Floyd Ingram, the Midlothian Mirror editor, would do his damn job, Becky Cox wouldn’t have to pen the letter she did, and I wouldn’t have to devote another website post highlighting this.
There are some highly unethical movements going on behind the scenes in Midlothian.
Sure, the “demographics” can say whatever the people who hire the demographers want them to say. Let’s forget about personal pride for once — me being a graduate of Midlothian High, I favor a single, massively-sized “campus” of a high school — and focus on the real issue here: (1) Real estate has its perks. One of those perks is appointing your favorite people to boards and commissions, and then the other is having favorable councilmen throw in extra piles of money into a bond election proposal to help with Walnut Grove “re-widening” and “re-surfacing” so as to substantially up the value of property that a future school could – and will – be built upon.
Not that Midlothian didn’t have this planned to begin with. However, when this Danny Rodgers-appointed bond committee (I say DR-appointed because he’s pretty much got everything under his control) reverses at the last minute and instead makes a city bond package increase by $500,000 literally overnight to benefit Walnut Grove Road — just so that part of the bond will look better for say, a Nov. 6, 2007 MISD bond election seeking $93 million to build a second high school on – you guessed it – Walnut Grove Road – which is short walking distance from both Rodgers’ house and Massey’s home — then there’s something to be asked.
And people aren’t asking the right questions.
And now with this information — and the rumors that Danny Rodgers will run for mayor (and if he does, you can guarantee I’ll have a hand in helping him not get elected) — maybe We The People can see for ourselves just how unethical, dishonest, and shady people and institutions are in the western half of Ellis County.
It pays to be in public service, ay?
Of course, you wouldn’t hear about a single drop of this in the Mirror, because surprise, surprise, the Mirror’s advertising revenue comes from the same companies managed by the same people sitting on the same boards and commissions that Danny Rodgers & Friends happen to sit on.
How brother-in-law can you get in this county?
This issue picked up a lot of steam in the Chris Gastin-vs-Steve Massey race a couple of elections ago. And The ECO exposed it then, too.
Get ready, Midlothian voters: the campaign season has just officially kicked off.
Categories: Mansfield City Council · Midlothian · Midlothian Real Estate
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