Bay Area Houston

Well we all knew it was coming. And it came.

Peter Lauzon the Unqualified For Office (UFO) candidate for trustee has accepted a large donation from the Defend Texas Liberty PAC an extreme fair right PAC that has been fielding candidates against moderate Republicans, including Greg Abbott (if you can call him moderate). From the Texas Tribune:

In the Texas House, the biggest intraparty attack on Republican leadership came from the Defend Texas Liberty PAC, led by former state Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford. Backed by hard-right donors like Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks, West Texas oil tycoons, the group spent at least $5.2 million from January onward.

Dunn and Wilks were featured in a CNN Investigation. They have contributed over $30 Million to promote gun for all and extreme far right candidates in the Republican primary. They have also contributed to extreme UFOs running for school board.

Lauzon raised a total of $7278 with $5000 from this PAC, $2000 from his own pocket, and $278 from 2 donors in the area.

I’ve said it in the past and I will say it again:

We do not need partisan politics to continue to infect our school board. CCISD is one of the best districts in the state. Our Trustees have challenges just to keep up with the constant pressure put on them concerning school funding and ridiculous mandates on our teachers, administrators, and students. They do not have time for Lauzon’s and Bowen’s political bullshit.

NOTE: Glencora Rodgers also received a donation from the Defend Texas Liberty PAC. She returned it.

CCISD elections will be held on May 6. Campaign finance reports will be due April 6, 30 days before the election and April 28, 8 days before the election. The reports will be available on the CCISD Election Page in pdf form.

The April 6 report will be the first report to gauge the strength of the candidates. Usually a few thousand dollars will be needed to run for Trustee but over the last few elections outside partisan money has flooded the district. When reviewing the reports look for the following:

• Large contributions from individuals, PACs, or political parties from outside of the district. Local elections should be about local issues funded by local individuals. Watch for any candidate who depends on this outside help especially from partisan organizations.
• Large contributions from the candidate in the form of a loan or donation. In Texas there is no limit to the amount of donations or loans. Current Trustee, Scott Bowen, loaned himself $20,000 to win with less than 50% of the vote. Many times a candidate will jump start their campaign with a personal loan, but $20,000? That is just obscene.
• Also look at the expenditures. Look for money spent on outside consultants. These are usually for mailer services. Lately candidates have paid for block walkers instead of using volunteers or family members.
• Look at in-kind donations. In-kind donations are services provided on behalf of the campaign in lieu of money. For instance someone could pay for food for an event and report it as an in-kind donation.
• All donations in any form should be disclosed but some are hard to find. For instance the Harris County Republican Party sent out a mailer for Scott Bowen but it is difficult to find the report describing the details of the expenditure.

Here are some websites for more information:

CCISD Election Page Candidates financial reports and filings
Bay Area Houston. Candidate websites, Facebook pages, etc
Texas Ethics Commission schedule for reports Campaign finance report schedules
Texas Ethics Commission Campaign finance website

Maybe the moderators of the various debates would consider asking these questions to the candidates.

The parents, students, and teachers are lucky to have a very impressive School Board to represent them in educational matters. Most of them are truly dedicated to making CCISD a shining example of how a school board can maintain and improve education for those entering the workforce or moving on to a college degree.

Unfortunately over the last coupe of elections special interest, partisan politics, and unlimited outside campaign funds have been introduced into our elections resulting in electing UFOs (Unqualified For Office) and bringing chaos into the board. Our district has survived this attack so far and has rejected extreme candidates in the last two elections but it continues in the election of 2023. With that in mind I think these are very valid questions to ask candidates running for the CCISD School Board:

Will you accept the results of the election after certification? The only answer should be YES or NO not YES or NO (unless I win) In the last two elections the losing candidates requested recounts, demanded investigations, and one actually sued the winning candidate to force a new election. (it was eventually withdrawn) There hasn’t been one single credible bit of evidence of voting irregularities in any local election, so will you accept the results of the election or should we expect you to whine like a little bitch if you lose?

Why are you running? If you are running against an incumbent tell us what drove you to challenge him/her. What is the School Board lacking that made you wake up one morning and say “I’m running for the school board!”. All candidates should make it very clear why they are running for an unpaid job that will take time and effort.

Will you accept out of district money? In the last election thousands of dollars came from a partisan organization into a losing effort to win a seat on the board. In one race $8000 was spent. In another $20,000 plus the partisan organization’s contribution in mailers. Will you be accepting support in money or resources from partisan organizations, PACs, out of district donors, or special interests?

Have you ever been a member of a political organization. If so what positions did you hold and how will that help you in school board matters? Participation in a political organization should not be a disqualifying attribute but it should be made clear to the voters. Many former board members have been associated with political organizations but they did not wear it on their shoulders and they have successfully represented the district and not party politics.

If you win and serve your term what will you want to have accomplished? Looking ahead, and looking back, what would be your shining achievement serving on the school board. What would you consider as your specific major accomplish?

What educational qualifications do you bring to the board? Have you participated in school board committee? Do you have an education background as a teacher, administrator, or employee of the school district. Have you participated in school activities with your kids?

We have a couple of good races coming up in May. Contact info, websites, etc will be provided soon. If you have other questions that should be asked please send them and I will update this post.

It’s really not that hard.

Pictured to the left is Eric Dick, former Harris County Department of Education Trustee. Dick violated the laws governing campaign finance reporting. After a 2 year investigation he was fined $30,000 and referred to the Texas Bar. If you are running for CCISD Trustee, or are a Treasurer for a candidate, don’t be a Dick. (you can read about Dick here)

In the last election two candidates spent a very large sum of money in their race for Trustee. Scott Bowen spent $20,000, 5 times more than his opponent and did not receive over 50% of the vote. Misty Dawson spent $8000 and lost. These totals do not included the money spent by Harris County Republican Party, which is believed to be $14,000.

Reporting campaign donations and expenditures should be easy especially in a school board race. Unfortunately with the unlimited special interest money coming from the extreme right wing of the Republican Party it can become complicated and ripe for an ethics complaint. Here are some tips to help you avoid having an ethics violation filed against you and your treasurer.

• Report donations and expenditures correctly. It really is easy. Follow the instructions of the Ethics Committee. Include the amount, the name of the donor/recipient, address. Don’t hide donations. Don’t hide expenditures. You will get caught.
• Don’t use your donations for personal items. When caught you may have to pay a fine as well as return the money to your campaign. Your donors money is for your campaign not for lunch or your trip to Heartbreakers. (Local State Representative John Davis spent $1500 of his donors money on a pair of cowboy boots. He eventually was fined and had to return the money to his campaign.)
• Don’t lie. (I know this is hard for some of you) Do not falsify your campaign finance report. Do not lie about the origins of donations. You will be caught. When a complaint is filed against you, don’t lie to the Commission.
• In all literature include the “Political Ad paid for by …….”. This is required in all literature. Simply tell who paid for the mailer or door hanger or who paid for your paid block walkers.
• Be careful of using kids in your literature. If you are going to pose with kids you might want to get their parents permission. That may not be a violation of campaign finance laws but it might end up in a civil court or a well deserved butt kicking.

The Texas Ethics Commission has a number of guides to help you file your reports, run your campaign legally, and keep your and your treasurer from paying fines. Remember, don’t be a Dick.