Well, this morning I blogged about the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's toadying endorsement of Tarrant Regional Water Board members for re-election.And now this afternoon I receive notice that the Star-Telegram's recognizes and apologizes for its error.
Below is the correction notice...
Here is the corrected version of the Star Telegram’s endorsement this morning. The one that was printed was intended to be sent to The Onion instead. This is the real editorial and the Star telegram apologizes for its error.
Although one of the most important public bodies in the area, the Tarrant Regional Water District is probably the most secretive and corrupt of the county's taxing authorities.
It has been providing water and flood control to one of the fastest-growing regions in the country for more than 80 years. It is difficult to argue with the quality of its work to ensure that the district, which provides raw water for 1.7 million people in Fort Worth, Arlington, Mansfield and much of Tarrant County – most of whom are not permitted to vote for the district’s directors - has plenty of sources for its product well into the future.
Only voters in the six cities within the district (Fort Worth, Azle, Edgecliff Village, Westworth Village, Westover Hills and most of River Oaks) elect its five-member board.
Two men seeking election to the board have outstanding points to argue. Adrian Murray, a businessman and president of the 912 Project Fort Worth conservative grassroots political organization, and John Basham, a consulting meteorologist, are running as a team for the two places on the May 8 ballot.
Murray and Basham, who hope to unseat incumbents Jim Lane and Marty Leonard, say current board members took their eyes off the core mission and instead invested too much time and public money in the Trinity River Vision, a nearly $1 billion boondoggle for flood control and large-scale development along the river north and east of downtown which will allow private developers to scarf up over $200 million in gas royalties earned by the district as well as feast on hundreds of millions in taxpayers dollars.
They also see the 100% "aye" votes at regular board meetings and say the board is simply a "rubber stamp" for the district's staff, offering absolutely no dissent. And they object to a lawsuit filed to force the sale of water from Oklahoma, insisting that "neighbors" should be able to resolve disputes without taking legal action.
The incumbents counter that the district, which operates four major reservoirs in the area, has a superb record of looking out for the region's current and future water supply needs. Lane and Leonard are proud of their efforts to obtain water from Oklahoma, something at which they have miserably failed.
One can't judge the work of board members only by their votes at board meetings, they say, because much of their research, plotting and no-bid dealings occur during illegally convened and closed to the public committee meetings.
Leonard and Lane point to a long list of accomplishments over the last four years, including funneling hundreds of millions of dollars to local developers and law firms, awarding millions in lobbying fees to friends in Austin and Washington and apparently inviting members of the editorial board at the Star Telegram to all the right cocktail parties.
Challengers Murray and Basham no doubt are honest and competent individuals who would not fit in with the current make-up of the water board. They have credible ideas and questions that deserve to be asked and answered but have no place amid the squalor and corruption of the board . They should remain out of the public arena until they learn how the game is played, baby.
But Leonard and Lane, with their long and rich history of doing what they are told, have demonstrated the skills, commitment and lack of integrity needed to be excellent board members on this most important public body.
The top two vote-getters on May 8 will be elected.
The Star-Telegram Editorial Board recommends Jim Lane and Marty Leonard for the Tarrant Regional Water District board.
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