Fort Worth's #1 Boondoggle & Haltom City's #1 Bully

Monday morning of this week in Texas is starting off nice, pleasant temperatures, blue sky, no fist fights with my bedroom wall in the middle of the night.

Really, can't get much better than that.

And the Fort Worth Star-Telegram had 2 good letters in its Letters to the Editor section this morning. I makes for an additional oomph to the start of a good week when Monday has 2 good letters to read.

In the first, Clyde Picht, well known Fort Worth activist with an active conscience and common sense about everyone's favorite Fort Worth Boondoggle. In the second letter, Ray Ecklund takes Chesapeake Energy to task for its overbearing behavior in Haltom City. Haltom City, also known as The Flood Capital of Texas.

First Clyde, followed by Ray.........

Hometown boondoggle

LOL (laugh out loud) as those who text would text. Mitchell Schnurman ( Star-Telegram, March 20) took a swipe at Keller for its financial unraveling due to an expensive public-private economic development and a TIF (tax increment financing) district that is falling short.

A few choice quotes from Schnurman's column: The "taxpayers never expected to be on the hook for anything," "... more public-private partnerships fail to live up to their billing ...," "brick-lined streets, bike and walking trails, a small lake and a sprinkling of public art" and "... TIFs across Texas that have not performed as they expected to."

Hello Mitch! Walk up the street a few blocks and view the landscape that some would like to turn into Trinity Uptown. Everything wrong in Keller will be wrong in spades with Trinity Uptown. Some of those deficiencies are already apparent. Like how a $320 million project now will cost almost $1 billion.

Having seen Congress in action lately, we aren't likely to get enough money for a brick sidewalk unless it's renamed Trinity ACORN.

So come home, Mitchell, and let Keller stew in its own juice. Write about our homegrown boondoggle that has gone from bad to worse and is going to get a lot worse yet.

-- Clyde Picht, Fort Worth

Shame on Chesapeake

Tuesday, we were given a political rally by a multibillion-dollar corporation trying to run over our hometown. Chesapeake spared no expense. They would have us believe that Haltom City's elected leaders were slowing their company's grand scheme to make us all rich. We should storm City Hall on Chesapeake's behalf.

"If they don't vote right, vote them out," Chesapeake Vice President Julie Wilson said. Chesapeake should be able to do as they please.

They presented themselves as benevolent big brothers just trying to help individuals. What an insult. They acted like we were poor, uneducated and uncaring about our city. They expect Haltom City residents will take a few small potential dollars to overthrow our government. They want us to think that our elected leaders -- our neighbors whom we chose to lead us -- suddenly do not have our best interest at heart.

I don't like bullies. This is my hometown. Don't forget it!

-- Ray Ecklund, Haltom City