Raising Campaign Cash: Houston City Elections. Update 1

July 12, 2019

It is official. Tony Buzbee plans to use his personal wealth to buy a Mayoral race. Much like Texas Representative out of Galveston “Money” Mays Middleton who spent over $2 Million of his own money to buy his seat, Buzbee has now donated a total of $7,500,000 to his campaign. $7,500,000.

Hopefully he will become like his other republican buddy, Kathaleen Wall who spent over $6,000,000 and lost in the primary. Buzbee is trying to be another Trump. He is loud, politically ignorant, rich, and an asshole. Just. Like. Trump.

Michael Kubosh has reported raising only $43,000 with a $276,000 outstanding loan. $10,000 came from the FireFighters PAC.

CANDIDATE COH Raised Spent
MAYOR
Sylvester Turner (inc)
Kendall Baker
Derrick Broze
Dwight Boykins
Tony Buzbee $5,140,725 $5,500,000 $1,814,754
Anton Dowls
Naoufal Houjami
Bill King
Sue Lovell
Demetria Smith
CONTROLLER
Chris Brown (inc)
Amparo Gasca
District E
Dave Martin (inc)
Sam Cleveland
Ryan Lee
Position 1
Mike Knox (inc)
Michelle Bonton
Joe McElligott (withdrawn)
Georgia Provost
Raj Salhotra
Position 2
David Robinson (inc)
Willie Davis
Emily Detoto
Position 3
Michael Kubosh (inc) $122,870 $43,875 $20,319
Janaeya Carmouche
Marcel McClinton
William Dave Martin (withdrawn)
Goku Sankar
Position 4
Amanda Edwards (inc)
Christel Bastida
Tiko Hausman
Ericka McCrutcheon
Position 5
Sallie Alcorn
Brad Batteau
Paul Bishop (withdrawn)
Jamaal Boone
Catherine Flowers
Ralph Garcia
Marvin McNeese
Giang Nguyen
Letitia Plummer 
Sonia Rivera
Ashton Woods

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Posted by johncoby

Raising Campaign Cash: Houston City Elections. Part I

July 3, 2019

Campaign finance reports for Houston City Council candidates will be available soon. They are due by July 15th and most will wait till that day to make them available online. Some will issue press releases to show their strength. Others who are not viable will simply wait till the due date.

Watch this blog. I will be focusing on the race for Mayor, Comptroller, District E and the At Large seats. I will post Part II as soon as the following status changes:

CANDIDATE COH Raised Spent
MAYOR
Sylvester Turner (inc)
Kendall Baker
Derrick Broze
Dwight Boykins
Tony Buzbee
Anton Dowls
Naoufal Houjami
Bill King
Sue Lovell
Demetria Smith
CONTROLLER
Chris Brown (inc)
Amparo Gasca
District E
Dave Martin (inc)
Sam Cleveland
Ryan Lee
Position 1
Mike Knox (inc)
Michelle Bonton
Joe McElligott (withdrawn)
Georgia Provost
Raj Salhotra
Position 2
David Robinson (inc)
Willie Davis
Emily Detoto
Position 3
Michael Kubosh (inc)
Janaeya Carmouche
Marcel McClinton
William Dave Martin (withdrawn)
Goku Sankar
Position 4
Amanda Edwards (inc)
Christel Bastida
Tiko Hausman
Ericka McCrutcheon
Position 5
Sallie Alcorn
Brad Batteau
Paul Bishop (withdrawn)
Jamaal Boone
Catherine Flowers
Ralph Garcia
Marvin McNeese
Giang Nguyen
Letitia Plummer 
Sonia Rivera
Ashton Woods

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Posted by johncoby

It you can't follow the law: Bill King

June 24, 2019

This isn’t Bill King’s first rodeo.

Bill King ran for Mayor of Houston 4 years ago. You would think his campaign would know that the “Political Advertisement Paid for by” requirement applies to all candidates. King’s campaign was in the neighborhood putting out door hangers without the necessary disclosure requirement. King might want to review the following section of Title 15 Election Code:

Sec. 255.001. Required Disclosure on Political Advertising
(a) A person may not knowingly cause to be published, distributed, or broadcast political advertising containing express advocacy that does not indicate in the advertising:
    (1) that it is political advertising; and
    (2) the full name of: 
      (A) the person who paid for the political advertising;
      (B) the political committee authorizing the political advertising; or
      (C) the candidate or specific-purpose committee supporting the candidate, if the political advertising is authorized by the candidate.


If you can’t follow the laws yourself, how can we trust you to make the laws for us?

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Posted by johncoby

Spending Campaign Cash: Stan and Gail Stanart

June 10, 2019

In the words of Hank Hill: That boy ain’t right.

Stan Stanart was defeated by Diane Trautman in the Blue Wave of November of 2018. Stanart had a problem with doing his job, running the elections, as Harris County Clerk. He also had a problem with his campaign spending.

Stanart’s wife, Gail, was his treasurer. She was also a candidate for Texas House District 126 in the Republican primary. She lost in March of 2018. She loaned her campaign $20,000 and used her campaign donations to repay a portion of it. That isn’t unusual.

After Stanart lost to Trautman Stan used his campaign cash to repay his own loan of $20,000. That
too isn’t unusual but on December 27, 2018 he donated $17,795.38 to his wife’s now defunct campaign which she used to repay the balance of her $20,000 loan. This payment was made 2 months after the 2018 mid term elections and a full 9 months after his wife lost in the primary. Instead of using that $17,795.38 he received from his supporters to try to win, he held onto the money in order to pay a loan that would have benefited himself.

It looks illegal. It smells illegal but it may not be illegal. Texas has lenient laws concerning campaign donations and loans. This donation/loan payment to himself seems pretty strange. He basically used her defunct campaign to launder his campaign donations in order to repay his wife’s loan which probably went back into his/their checking account.

Stanart couldn’t keep his unused donations but he could donate to his wife’s non-existent campaign and pay off her loan. It’s as if he took $17,795.38 from his donors. And that is illegal.

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Posted by johncoby

HCDE Trustee Michael Wolfe censured over sexual allegations

May 6, 2019

Leave it to a dick. From an email from Harris County Department of Education Trustee Eric Dick:

Harris County Department of Education’s board voted to censure Trustee Michael Wolfe over sexual harassment allegations hours after a state district judge denied his request for a temporary restraining order.

Dick has been a dick about this issue for months. He and Wolfe have had a fallout with a lot of finger pointing and allegations. The investigation recommended that Wolfe and Dick should not be involved in screening applicants for employment and should not be on a committee together. Both are like children in an adult Department working for children. In a previous email Dick said:

The investigation clearly shows that Mike Wolfe is a pervert. He should resign immediately. If he refuses, I beg the County Attorney to file a law suit to remove him. It is unacceptable to serve as an elected official when you sexually harassed someone.” – Eric Dick

The investigation he is referring to was filed by Dick against Wolfe and the recommendations included comments against Dick:

The process of hiring the Executive Assistant was tainted by Messrs. Dick and Wolfe. Transparency was sacrificed in the cause of political cronyism. The testing/ranking process was turned into a sham. The way Messrs. Dick and Wolfe, in particular, pushed their less-qualified friends and allies into running for the job of Board Secretary opened HCDE up to charges of favoritism and bias, caused employees to lose faith, and rendered the process arbitrary.

These allegations are serious and should be investigated by the Harris County Public Integrity Office. Wolfe and Dick do not deserve to be on the board.






									


				

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Do you still think you are a "Conservative"?

				April 22, 2019



				

					


The republic party used to be filled with conservatives until the extreme far right followed trump and pushed them out. The party is now filled with racists, liars, white supremecists and just plain rotten aholes. These are truly horrible people.


Many conservatives are wondering if they really are conservative anymore. Here is a little help for you, Ask yourself if you support the republic party on the following issues:




    

  • Russia didn’t interfered in the 2016 elections even after the Special Counsel and the United States Intelligence community says they did and continue to do so
    • 

  • Mocking a disabled American
    • 

  • Bragging about grabbing women by the p****
    • 

  • Calling political opponents names like a 8 year old
    • 

  • Lying over and over and over again to the American people
    • 

  • Claiming Mexico will pay for the wall
    • 

  • Putting children in cages
    • 

  • Separating children from their parents
    • 

  • Blaming others for the ills of the country
    • 

  • Alienating our allies
    • 

  • Creating a $1 Trillion deficit
    • 

  • Adding $2 Trillion to the debt
    • 

  • Turning a blind eye to the killing and dismembering of a journalist
    • 

  • Calling African nations shitholes
    • 

  • Calling Americans the “Enemy of the State”
    • 

  • Disgracing a former Vietnam Veteran even after his death
    • 

  • Bowing to Vladamir Putin in Helsinki
    • 

  • Bowing to dictator Kim Jung Un 
    • 



If you think any of this is appropriate for the leader of the United States of America, then you are NOT a Conservative. You are a Republican.

									


				

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The Larry, Curly, and Moe of Harris County Department of Education

				March 25, 2019



				

					


Oh. My. Gosh. Sexual harassment has hit the Harris County Department of Education (HCDE) with Larry, Curly, and Moe of the Republican Party leading the way. After reading the investigation report concerning the issue both Trustees Eric Dick and Mike Wolfe should be removed from the HCDE immediately.

Who is Larry, Curly, and Moe?
Mike Wolfe is a board member of HCDE. He was accused of sexual harassment and retaliation. The board voted to start an investigation concerning the allegations and has since completed and provided this report to the Board.

Eric Dick is also a board member. He ratted out Wolfe. The title of the investigation is “Investigation of Allegations Made by Trustee Eric Dick Against Trustee Mike Wolfe Harris County Department of Education”. In a recent email he has called Wolfe a  pervert and has called for his resignation. After reading the entire report I could not find any language that suggested he is a pervert.


The investigation clearly shows that Mike Wolfe is a pervert. He should resign immediately. If he refuses, I beg the County Attorney to file a law suit to remove him. It is unacceptable to serve as an elected official when you sexually harassed someone.” – Eric Dick


Jared Woodfill was the Chair of the Harris County Republican Party. He is representing Mike Wolfe. Woodfill’s offices were raided due to allegations of money laundering and theft. According to the Houston Chronicle:


Former Harris County Republican Party Chairman Jared Woodfill is being investigated on theft and money laundering allegations, accused of misappropriating funds of at least two of his law firm’s clients, according to an affidavit by the Harris County District Attorney’s office.


And what did they do?


According to the investigation report Eric Dick introduced Jane Doe to Wolfe who later applied for a job at HCDE. Eric later made allegations that Wolfe sexually harassed Jone Doe then retaliated against her when she refused to go out on a date with him. The investigation stated “while Mr. Dick is pleasant and chatty, he is prone to irony and drama.” (LOL) which is an understatement. Dick was also implicated in this report with recommendations to never be on a hiring committee or a committee with Wolfe in the future. Dick was also one of three members who selected possible employees that had much less experience than others who were qualified. From the report:


All the Board members confirm this: Messrs. Dick and Wolfe “got two” of their friends or “hand-picked” committee favorites and they all made the final seven, despite not having being the top seven in the objective criteria. One of Mr. Dick’s “picks” was Jane Doe. One of Mr. Wolfe’s picks was Melissa Smith, the eventual hire. Both Ms. Doe and  Ms. Smith would not have even made the group of 17 if judged initially on their scores.


This in itself should disqualify Messrs [sp?] Wolfe, and Dick from serving on the HCDE Board. As the report summarized:


The process of hiring the Executive Assistant was tainted by Messrs. Dick and Wolfe. Transparency was sacrificed in the cause of political cronyism. The testing/ranking process was turned into a sham. The way Messrs. Dick and Wolfe, in particular, pushed their less-qualified friends and allies into running for the job of Board Secretary opened HCDE up to charges of favoritism and bias, caused employees to lose faith, and rendered the process arbitrary.


Dick and Wolfe had a falling out after a number of votes did not go Dick’s way. They have since been at odds. The investigator goes as far as to recommend Dick and Wolfe never serve on a committee together adding to the disfunction of the entire Board. The report has disturbing allegations against Wolfe concerning Jane Doe, enough that he should be removed from office.


And Jared Woodfill? He is defending Wolfe and in-between the petty feud between Dick and Wolfe and threatening a lawsuit if the Board votes to censure Wolfe. 


Mr. Wolfe made a baseless claim that Ms. Doe sleeps around to pay her rent, during this investigation. When challenged to give a basis for this disparagement, he was unable to do so. He also makes non-credible claims of Ms. Doe “stalking” him.












									


				

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TX AG Ken Paxton's wife to repay $2.6 Million loan in legislation

				February 21, 2019



				

					


No Place but Texas. Again.


Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s wife ran for the Texas Senate in 2018 winning her race with the help of her husband’s donors. From Loaning Campaign Cash: Angela Paxton.


Angela Paxton is the wife of our current Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton, who is mired in a felony trial due to security fraud. Paxton (Ken) has loaned $2.6 Million to his wife’s campaign for Senator District 8 and has guaranteed the loan with his campaign account. $2 Million has a 3.6% interest rate while the $500,000 loan has an 8.5% rate. The latest loan from Paxton’s (Ken’s) campaign is for $100,000 with a rate of 8% but does not have a guarantor. 



Now that she has taken her place in the Senate Angela has filed a bill that would protect her husband and others for violating the trust of those who ask for your money to invest. And why shouldn’t she? She owes her donors $2.6 Million many of them probably looking for protection so they will not be indicted like her husband was for shady investment deals. From the Texas Tribune:


Sen. Angela Paxton files bill that would allow her husband, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, to issue exemptions from securities regulations 


Billed as a consumer-protection effort, the proposal would allow approved individuals to serve as investment advisers without registering with the state board — a felony under Texas law that Ken Paxton was charged with in 2015.





This is just what we need at this point, less regulation of those who take your money to invest, much like Ken Paxton did. Texas is known for their saying “No Place but Texas” which includes shady investment deals, and shady spouses.

									


				

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Why do you have to be a dick about everything? Harris County GOP

				January 28, 2019



				

					
The Chair of the Harris County Republican Party (HCRaP), Paul Simpson, has joined the “Why do you have to be a dick about everything” club standing with Congressman Louie Gohmert, Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller, former County Clerk Stan Stanart, and Trump. Simpson used the Holocaust Remembrance Day to make an offensive political statement with a post on the official  county Facebook page.






Within an hour of posting this, Simpson has edited out the “Leftists kills” comment and will soon deleted the entire post, as he should. Update: the post has now been deleted.




Last November Simpson guided his party to an epic loss, losing every County election except for one. Instead of using the time to understand why his party lost, Simpson takes the time to write offensive Facebook posts.


I just do not understand why he has to be a dick about everything.

									


				

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Loaning even more Campaign Cash: David Mayes Middleton

				January 16, 2019



				

					


David Mayes Middleton won his election in 2018 for Texas House District 23 in the Galveston area. He raised $3.2 Million, with $2.4 Million coming from his own pocket. He won 56-43. His opponent raised $4000.


According to his last ethics report Middleton raised $137,000 including $125,000 of his own money, plus another $500,000 loan. He has a Cash On Hand balance of about $481,000. His loan to his own campaign was made after the election in November.


He has spent $2.3 Million on a race that should have cost about $500,000 if it was competitive. It wasn’t. The Democrat on the ballot raised just $4000 and had no serious campaign. The $2.3 Million included $782,000 on salaries, $671,000 on consulting services,  and $698,141 on advertising.


His expenses for salaries included over 20 individuals with salaries ranging from $137,000 to $18,000. The $782,000 in salaries included the following:


Berry Communications $137,000
Willi Luthy $62,000
Michael Jenkins $56,000
Ryan Caruso $52,000
Eric Romero $50,000
Kyle Diamond $48,000
Josh Lyrock $43,000
John Maurer $40,000
Kara Rose $35,000
Trevor Harris $27,000
Tylene Wilcox $23,000
January Arnold $18,000


It makes little cents to have so many individuals on the payroll for a campaign like this. Add this to the huge amounts of advertising and consulting services and it looks like a money laundering operation. Why would anyone pay over $3 Million for a race that required a little more than putting your name on the ballot? It just doesn’t make any cents. Gov Greg Abbott endorsed Middleton as well as Kathleen Wall who invested $6 Million of her own money to lose in the primary.

									


				

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