Bay Area Houston

Is there a connection to the PAC Fort Bend United?

Back in 2022 a PAC created in 2019 created and mailed an “Election Guide”. It did NOT come from the Harris County Democratic Party. This election the Community Justice PAC is promoting a “Harris County Democratic Endorsed Candidates” slate for the Democratic primary election. As with FBU the endorsement includes some interesting selections but is NOT from the HCDP.

As mentioned in my last post HCDE is funded by two individuals/entities from the Pusch & Nguyen law firm. Over the last few years Pusch & Nguyen have contributed to various candidates and organizations including $60,000 to the Harris County Democratic Party. See below.

Since 2019 Anthony Pusch has donated a total of $47,440 to various candidates including $9,440 to Fort Bend United in 2022 and 2023. In the next few weeks we will see if HCDE sends out any mailers.

It’s Dick again.

Well, the  Bankruptcy & Collections Division of the Office of the Texas Attorney General has issued a demand letter from Harris County Dept of Education Trustee Eric Dick. Dick was fined $30,000 for his involvement in a mailer supporting his 2019 run for City Council. He also agreed to a $10,000 settlement for not reporting expenditures. The Texas Ethics Committee (TEC) referred Dick to the AG’s office in December of 2022. A year later the AG’s office took action.

According to the letter Dick had till early January to pay his debt to the State:

 If payment is not received in ten (10) days from the date of this letter, or if arrangements are not made within that time to satisfy the debt, our office will consider filing suit to recover the full amount owed plus any attorney’s fees and court costs that can be recovered. This is the only letter you will receive from us relative to the unpaid fines so it should be considered a final demand. 

You can read the entire letter here.

Dick again.

Over a year ago the Texas Ethics Commission (TEC) referred Trustee Eric Dick to the Texas Attorney General’s Office for collections. According to the letter sent on December 28, 2022, the TEC stated “As of the date of this letter, the respondent has not submitted any part of the $30,000 civil penalty.” They also referred Dick to the Texas State Bar.

In May of 2022 Dick was fined by the TEC $30,000, the second largest fine in the history of the Commission, for his role in sending an endorsement mailer during his run for City Council in 2019. You can read a summary of the final order here. The TEC has also sent a letter to the Collections Department of the AG’s office for another fine of $10,000. According to the letter “As of the date of this letter, the respondent has not submitted any part of the $10,000 civil penalty, and no appeal has been filed in this matter.”

Unlike with the $30,000 fine, Dick signed an agreed resolution and accepted the $10,000 fine. So it is strange that he has not paid the fine. It’s been over a year now and so far that is no activity by the AG’s office, or at least none that is public record.

Dick continues to serve the public on the Harris County Department of Education. He is also running for reelection and is unopposed. His wife is also running for a seat on the Board.

District Attorney Kim Ogg is running for re-election.

In January Ogg filed a 131 page report with a fundraising total for the period of $282,274. Her challenger, Sean Teare, raised $278,817 in the same time period.

In his report Ogg raised $147,455 from 19 individuals including an in-kind donation of over $20,000 from Tillman Ferititta for and event. She also received a $30,000 from the Deason family out of Dallas. Unlike Teare, Ogg has not received any donations from out of state PACs. Here are her top donors:

Harris County Department of Education (HCDE) Trustee Eric Dick should be removed from office just for wearing those glasses.

But seriously, what does it take to be removed from office in Harris County? That’s the question the Houston Chronicle is asking in their article “Harris County trustee Eric Dick under investigation for alleged illegal activities after Maui fires”. It’s worth a read.

Dick is currently under investigation by Hawaii for soliciting clients after the Maui fires. Dick is not licensed in Hawaii but he sent out mailers telling people “YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO MONEY!”. He has used the same type of mailer here in Houston after various events.

The Chronicle also mentions his $40,000 fine that was assessed by the Texas Ethics Commission (TEC), his reelection to the board and his wife’s campaign for the board against Trustee Cantu. Dick endorsed Cantu for City Council in the 2023 election. Go figure.

The TEC fined Dick $30,000 for sending out deceiving mailers in the 2019 City election. He initially claimed he had nothing to do with it. As the Chronicle quoted me “I never expected a historic fine of $30,000”. Dick at one time was offered to settle the complaint for a $5000 fine. Before he could refuse, the TEC rescinded the offer after emails from the printer showed Dick not only paid for the mailer he was providing instructions on the development and mailing. In short, under oath, he deceived the TEC and for that he received a $30,000 fine.

There is something happening at the HCDE. Calls and emails to the Trustees are ignored except my initial email to the President. No one will discuss this situation or if they will take any action against Dick. Here is the only response I received from the HCDE:

I hear your concerns. I share these same concerns. I am currently in discussions with administration and other board members about what actions can be taken in this matter. 

–Andrea Duhon, President HCDE

The Chronicle quotes Brandon Rottinghaus, political science professor at the University of Houston. He claims “None of these violations are major transgressions.” which is bullshit. Dick is an attorney, an arm of the Court. After the fine he was referred to the Texas Bar for disciplinary action. He deceived the Commission, under oath. He refused to honor a subpoena to attend his hearing. And there are questions about whether he instructed or suggested the owner of the printer and his partner in the mailing scheme to ignore the subpoena to attend the hearing.

These ARE major transgressions and actually should be investigated by the District Attorney. So far no one except the TEC has taken any action to hold Dick accountable. No one, not even the HCDE.

It is frustrating.