The Democratic Primary. The Good. The Bad. The Ugly.

March 6, 2024

Let’s start with The Ugly

The Ugly.
What the living hell is happening to the white, male, Democratic Judges in Harris County? The purge continued with the loss of Judge Mike Englehart and Judge Robert Schaffer and I do mean “loss”. The losers are the citizens of Harris County who demand Judges who follow the law, do their fuckin job, and are fair to all parties. That is what Englehart and Schaffer brought to the courtroom. Why would anyone challenge them and why would anyone vote for their opponents? This is ugly. Real ugly. And stupid.

There is more ugly. After leaving the Mayoral race when Sheila Jackson Lee entered, Amanda Edwards endorsed Lee and ran for her congressional race. After being wiped out in the election Lee reentered her congressional race and won last night. Amanda lost and the Democratic Party has probably lost her as a candidate in the future. I wouldn’t blame her. The Party that wants young, talented, candidates to run for office didn’t vote for the young and very talented candidate. She lost.

The Bad.
With 6 candidates in the race to replace Senator Whitmire Representative Jarvis Johnson will be in a runoff with Molly Cook. This is bad only because Johnson is the best of the bunch and shouldn’t be in a runoff. Representative Harold Dutton won. Representative Shawn Thierry will be in a runoff for her seat. Her opponent received 49.79% of the vote while Ashton Woods caused the runoff with 5% of the vote. That is bad. Judge Ursula Hall won. That’s bad too.

The Good.
There is a lot of good that came last night. Sean Teare defeated District Attorney Kim Ogg by a wide margin. The good she has done for Harris County was all wiped out by her pettiness. Let’s thank her for her service and move forward. Senator out of Arizona, Kristen Sinema will not seek reelection. Yeah! The Democratic Socialist Pervez Agwan running against Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher was wiped out by 60 points. Favorites Christian Menefee, Ed Gonzales, Jerry Garcia, and Judge Delgado will all move on to the general.

On to the general.

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Posted by johncoby

Keller ISD Update: Emails show who knew what and when

March 5, 2024

This is going to get much worse……

Email obtained via an open records request (not by me) show that the Patriot Mobile Trustees Sandi Walker, Micah Young, and Joni Smith were notified about the Dutch film crew and was in communication with them. A Facebook post explains it in depth.

The poster asks some very valid questions like who else knew about this? What devices were used to conduct KISD business? Are any of them personal devices? From the emails it sure seems like all of them received the email from the Dutch crew then went silent choosing to conduct their business on their personal account.

I believe it was made very clear that if you use your personal device for official business then you could possibly be in violation of the open records laws if you delete them. I do not believe a person filing a grievance would be able to obtain any records, but I bet if a lawsuit is filed these records will have to be produced.

The emails clearly show the filming was political in nature. They contacted Walker and Smith and Walker forward it to Young asking for comments. The crew said:

Trustee Walker, who has since resigned, responded with:

There is going to be a lot of sunshine being shoved up someones back end in the near future. Trustees who had any prior knowledge of this need to come out, come clean, and then resign.

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League City Personal Finance Statements are now available

March 5, 2024

But they are not online.

The Republicans in Austin required elected officials in cities with a population of over 100,000 to file a Personal Finance Statement. The PFS for League City officials are now available. The city secretary is responsible for their storage and can be obtained by filing an open records request. If interested you can view Mayor Long’s statement and Mayor Pro Tem Hick’s statement here. Believe me, it’s boring.

After looking at what they are required to disclose I have to wonder why anyone would object to disclosing the information. You are required to identify who you are employed by but not how much you make. You have to identify investment assets such as mutual funds and how much they are worth if sold, up to $47,000. You are NOT required to list your financial stability such as your debts, bankruptcies, or liens against your property. You can see the entire list below.

Hick’s and Long’s PFS can’t be any more different. Hicks reported having been employed with TNM LLC out of Henrietta New York as a Projects Manager. He has a lot, I’m assuming that is his home, but the value is not listed. That’s it.

Long’s PFS is a bit more detailed. He has a job with Allianz Insurance Services, a home, many different investments such as mutual funds and interests in a number of business entities.

The purpose for a PFS is to provide transparency to the voters and residents. Elected officials should recuse themselves if they have a conflict with a proposed expenditure in the city and their investments. You would like to know if an elected official is voting to provide a contract to a company they own or one they have a significant interest in. It isn’t rocket science. It isn’t all that intrusive.

Here is what is required to disclose in a PFS. This list is from Hick’s PFS:

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Who is funding the Mexican MAGAt in Deer Park?

March 4, 2024

That’s Bianca Gracia meeting with Enrique Tarrio, head of the Proud Boys and Stewart Rhodes head of the Oath Keepers the day before the Jan 6 riot. Tarrio and Rhodes were convicted of seditious conspiracy against the United States by a unanimous vote by a jury. They are each serving over 20 years in prison.

Gracia is running for the Texas House against State Representative “Little Baby” Briscoe Cain, of Deer Park, pictured below with his mom and younger siblings. Cain was one of those republicans who voted to impeach Ken Paxton and has little if any accomplishments to brag about but as the Houston Chronicle has said:

We’re no fans of state Rep. Briscoe Cain and his botched attempt to lead the passage of a voter suppression bill, but we’ll take his buffoonery and occasional principled stand over the far edges of extremism. 

So who is funding Gracia? Since filing Gracia has raised over $173,000 which is nothing to sneeze at. $105,000 came from those giving $5,000 or more. Patrick Byrne of Utah and former CEO of Overstock, gave her $25,000. Over $100,000 came from out of state. Only $11,000 came from within Deer Park.

You can see her top donor below.

Contributor NameAmountCityState
Byrne ,Patrick25,000.00Park CityUT
Ebarb ,Travis12,000.00las vegasNV
Fromme ,Kellye10,000.00HudsonWI
The Trafalgar Group LLC8,500.00WilmingtonDE
Defiant Projects5,000.00ConroeTX
Moore ,Danny5,000.00Cripple CreekCO
Jackson ,Larry5,000.00CrosbyTX
Paolini ,Vivian5,000.00Deer ParkTX
Garza ,Lazaro5,000.00HebbronvilleTX
Pinedo ,Socorro5,000.00HesperiaCA
Elswick ,Roger5,000.00HoustonTX
Ebarb ,Travis5,000.00las vegasNV
Integrated Digital Strategies 5,000.00OrlandoFL
Integrated Digital Strategies 5,000.00OrlandoFL

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Posted by johncoby

Raising Campaign Cash: CCISD Elections

March 4, 2024

CCISD Trustee elections for District 4 will be held on May 4, 2024. Candidates should raise money from within the district and refuse all PAC money.

Over the last couple of years school districts across the State have been flooded with out of district, special interest, PAC money. It used to be a school board election would cost about $2000 and a few signs. That has changed. In Keller ISD Patriot Mobile PAC spent $150,000 to elect three white wing MAGAts to the board. One has since resigned and one will soon. CCISD has had it’s own infusion of PAC money.

In 2023 Defend Texas Liberty, a PAC that has since become irrelevant due to their association with a known white supremacist, financed Peter Lauzon’s campaign with a $5000 donation. They attempted to donate to another candidate but she refused their donation. They donated $2000 to Trustee Scott Bowen who has refused to return it. Harris County Republican Party has also donated by sending out mailers.

School Board elections should be about three things and three things only, Students, Teachers, and Parents. Nothing else. This years election should be local. Candidates should pledge the following:

  • Will not accept PAC money
  • Will not accept out of district donations
  • Will not accept in-kind donations from partisan organizations
  • Will not self finance their campaigns

Trustee Jeff Larson and Albert Wittliff should both take this pledge. Raise money from within the district, from your neighbors, parents and teachers. Out of district influence must stop. This is our school district. We do not need meddling from white supremacist organizations or any political organizations in our elections.

You can find campaign finance reports for both candidates at the CCISD Elections webpage. Both candidates start the campaign with little or no funds. First reports are due April 5.

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Posted by johncoby

Billionaire meddling in Harris County DA race

March 1, 2024

Finally! Both sides are doing it. Sort of.

Harris County DA Kim Ogg has criticized her primary challenger for taking support from the republican boogey man, George Soros. Before all you republican bed wetters start whining like a bunch of little bitches, just remember your own two billionaires, Timothy Dunn and Farris Wilks, have pumped nearly $4 Million into primary races in just the last two months. So, yes, both sides are doing it. Sort of.

The Texas Justice and Public Safety PAC since 2018 has raised over $8 Million. $7.8 Million was donated by George Soros. The PAC has spent $9,717,012 with $1.6 Million spent in support of DA candidate Sean Teare. That is a HUGE amount to be spending in a DA race, but before all you Democratic bed wetters start whining just remember Soros spent $500,000 to get Ogg elected in 2016. Soros has since soured on Ogg and is looking for the next far left “progressive”. I think we will be disappointed once Teare is elected.

Teare isn’t the only DAs race Soros is supporting. He gave to candidates in Travis, Bexar, Dallas, Tarrant, and Fort Bend. I wonder if he will continue contributing during the general election.

CandidateAmountCounty
Joe Gonzales$2,500,000Bexar
Sean Teare$1,600,000Harris
John Creuzot$962,000Dallas
Albert Roberts$788,139Tarrant
Brian Middleton$623,000Fort Bend
Jose Garza$525,821Travis

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Posted by johncoby

Keller ISD School Board meeting recap

February 29, 2024

It wasn’t nice. WFAA has a recap.

The cameras never showed the crowd but it sounded like it was big. And loud. You can view the public address section here starting at about 1:13:20 into the meeting. It runs for about 2 hours. Over 800 people were watching online.

The President of the Board made a statement at 1:02:00 about the Dutch film crew incident followed by Trustee Micah Young. Young claimed he was invited to participate by the Trustee who arranged the filming. He checked in at the front desk and not once questioned if the crew had a security clearance to be there, had permission from parents to film kids, or had permission to be there from the board. He knows the answers to these questions. The Board was never made aware of the film crew. He is on the board. He should have known this was wrong. He should have declined the invitation. He claims he didn’t know students were going to be filmed BUT HE KNEW THE FILM CREW WAS THERE. I bet he did know it was wrong but participated anyway.

An investigation is ongoing. I am sure there will be grievances filed then lawsuits. Lots of parents gave excellent 2 minute speeches as well as students and teachers. Some discussed the Dutch crew incident, the Motel 6 being built close to a school, and a play, The Laramie Project — a play about the aftermath of the 1998 murder of a gay student in Wyoming, that was cancelled by the Board. Some talked about all three. Many ended with “Hate is not a KISD value”. Only 2 people spoke in support of the board. There were multiple police present.

This isn’t over. I expect Young to resign in hopes that will satisfy the angry parents and stop any legal action against him.

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Posted by johncoby

Raising Campaign Cash: Jimmy Fullen Feb 26 report

February 29, 2024

Lots of donations…..from just a few people.

In his report, dated February 26, Fullen raised $181,570, spent $159,757, has $78,469 Cash On Hand, and has loans totaling $71,559.

His $100,000 personal loan has been removed with no evidence of it actually being loaned to his campaign or paid.

Of the $181,570 $159,059 came from 9 donors. You can view his entire report here. Below are his top donors:

Donations
DonorAmountLocation
Sullivan Bothers$10,000Galveston
Jerry Caoon$5,000Houston
Bret Griffin$5,000Houston
Kevin Teichman$5,000Friendswood
Russell Ybarra$8,000Houston
Mayes Middleton$5,000Galveston
Tilman Fertita$25,000Houston
Mark Henry$24,500Galveston
$87,500
Loans
Mark Henry$24,059
Jimmy Fullen$47,500
$71,559

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Posted by johncoby

Wild Keller ISD Board meeting expected tonight!

February 29, 2024

The first board meeting for Keller Independent School Board after the filming incident at a high school is schedule for 5:00 PM Feb 29 (tonight). It is expected to be wild.

Parents are not happy with the board, specifically Trustee Micah Young, who escorted a foreign, right wing, extreme, evangelical film crew through the school, filming students without consent from their parents. School board Trustee Sandi Walker organized the event and resigned immediately once outed. Trustee Young’s Facebook post apologizing for the incident has been flooded by hundreds of parents calling for him to resign.

NOTE TO SPEAKERS: Those wishing to address the Board during the Audience with Individuals portion of the agenda can do so by filling out the online sign-up form. Individuals may not sign up in person at the time of the meeting. To provide staff with sufficient time to organize a report of speakers for the presiding officer, the deadline to submit your request to speak is noon on the day of the meeting. Please click here to access the online sign-up form.    

You can watch the meeting here.

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Posted by johncoby

Update on the white supremacist PAC spending

February 27, 2024

They are still around.

I recently wrote about the two Texas billionaires, Timothy Dunn and Farris Wilks, who funded Defend Texas Liberty. DFT leadership was caught having a long meeting with Nick Fuentes, a known white supremacist. The backlash was brutal with calls for elected officials and candidates, including CCISD Trustee Scott Bowen, to return their contributions. The leader of DTL was fired and he changed his company’s name. DTL’s donations have dried up.

Dunn and Farris worked quickly to defund DTL and start up a new PAC called Texans United for a Conservative Majority PAC. It was formed in late 2023 and has raised, sort of, a couple of million. So far they have raised $3,928,000 with $3,740,000 coming from Wilks and Dunn and $188,000 coming from a few wannabes.

They have spent $3,300,162 trying to influence the republican primary. Here are the candidates they are supporting and the amounts they are contributing. This list includes Katrina Pierson the Trump kiss ass and Shelley Luther who lost in 2020 and 2022. She was the hairdresser, who violated the COVID restrictions, turned politician. David Covey is challenging Speaker of the House Dade Phelan. Brent Money has already lost a special election.

CandidateAmountChallenging
Andy Hopper$230,000 Lynn Stucky
David Covey$225,000 Dade Phelan
Kyle Biedermann$150,000 Dwain Handley
Mitch Little$145,000 Kronda Thimesch
David Lowe$125,000 Stephanie Klick
Katrina Pierson$115,000 Dennis London
Shelley Luther$110,000 Reggie Smith
Brent Money$85,000 Open Seat (Lost)
Marc LaHood$85,000 Shekhar sinha
Matt Morgan$50,000 Jacey Jetton
John T Perez$50,000 Mano Deayala
Wes Virdell$50,000 Open Seat
Wernick$25,000 Morgan Meyer
Helen Kerwin$15,000
Cheryl Bean$10,000 Open Seat
Joe McDaniel$10,000 
Tom Glass$10,000 
Hillary Hickland$5,000 
Janis Holt$5,000 
Stormy Bradley$5,000 
Liz Case$2,500 

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Posted by johncoby

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