Are you serious?
Former Harris County Dept of Education Trustee, Eric Dick, is running for the Board again. Dick served on the Board then he decided to run for Houston City Council in 2019. He lost that race but not before generating a boat load of controversy. The headline from the Houston Chronicle says it all: “Houston Republican fined $30K for mailers suggesting Black Democrats endorsed him“
Dick sent out about 100,000 mailers during that election. That mailer can be viewed below and it looked like he was endorsed by many African American officials. (he wasn’t) I filed a complaint against him for funding the mailer and not having the required disclaimer “Political Ad Paid For By…..”. I truly expected a small fine, a slap on the wrist, and a promise from Dick to not do it again. Instead Dick was fined $30,000, the 2nd highest fine in the Ethics Commission’s history, and a referral to the Texas Bar. His cohort in this little scheme, Paul Bryant, was fined $6000 for his part. You can read all the details about the fine at: “The Texas Ethics Commission issues final order on Harris County Dept of Education Trustee, Eric Dick“. It was much, much, more than just the lack of a disclaimer. Much, much, more such as:
Dick had claimed, under oath, that he had nothing to do with the mailer, yet the data provided by the printer showed that he paid over $20,000 for over 100,000 mailers and was directing the printer on every aspect of the job.
Dick lost that race. He also lost his bid for County Treasurer in 2022. His wife ran for his seat on the HCDE Board and lost also. I thought for sure that would be the end of Dick, but according to the Harris County Ethics System, Dick has filed an Appointment of Treasurer for his run for the HCDE Board. Of note, his former treasurer, Joe Synoradzki, is no longer his treasurer for this race. Synoradzki is listed as an associate in the Dick Law Firm. According to his filing Dick has appointed Marcus Coward who is associated with the white wing wag Texas Conservative Review.
I really thought that a $30,000 fine and a referral to the Texas Bar would have been the end of Dick’s political career. Once again, I am wrong.
Bay Area Houston 