Does Fort Worth Need Trash Pandas Or Sod Poodles Playing Baseball?

It does grow old, even for me, making mock of something I read in Fort Worth's pitiful little newspaper, the Star-Telegram.

This time the subject was Fort Worth's storied baseball ballpark, LaGrave Field, and Fort Worth's equally storied baseball team, the Fort Worth Cats.

Need I mention I am being sarcastic with the use of that "storied" word, which I saw used at least once when reading today's  What will it take to make the Fort Worth Cats a home run? Not baseball article?

Let's read through this article together, copying out some choice bits for your reading amusement...

Baseball won’t save the Fort Worth Cats or LaGrave Field. Experts in minor league sports branding say a team can stack the roster with former Major League Baseball names or young talent looking to make their mark with home runs, but that likely won’t sell tickets. Instead, a resurrected Cats team should focus on entertainment and definitely not be something they’re not: The Rangers.

Okay.

So, apparently there are minor league sports branding experts. And those experts do not think baseball will save Fort Worth's baseball ballpark. So, if the Fort Worth Cats are brought back to life they need to focus on being entertaining, and not focus on something like baseball, which the Texas Rangers are already focusing on, a few miles to the east, in Arlington, in the same county as Fort Worth, with the Rangers playing in a beautiful ballpark, soon to be replaced by an even better ballpark.

You are probably wondering what is this entertainment these minor league sports branding experts are recommending. Well, one of those experts used another town's ballpark entertainment as an example for Fort Worth...

The focus isn’t baseball. It’s family fun, he said. People pay for the sideline antics. Among the circus-like performances: A character called “Coach,” the epitome of the high school P.E. teacher cliché, clad in short shorts and constantly doing calisthenics. Rather than a ketchup, mustard and relish race, fans have donned ears, nose and throat costumes to race around the park. The gags are kid-friendly with jokes that parents enjoy too, he said. “The biggest complaint in baseball these days is how long it lasts,” he said. “You’re not going to complain about a three hour movie if you’re entertained. That’s what we do in the ballpark.”

Oh yes, I see the value in consulting these minor league sports branding experts. What fun that will be, being entertained at the revived LaGrave Field whilst being bored by baseball. I would love to spend three hours watching a "Coach" character goofing around in short shorts whilst doing push ups. What a fun time that will be in Fort Worth, with fans donning ears, nose and throat costumes to race around the park. People will be coming from all over the world to see this.

And then there is this...

Scott Berry, a former Cats executive, hopes his Save LaGrave Foundation can pump new life into the decaying LaGrave Field with the Cats as the cornerstone. This week the foundation reached a 10-year agreement with Tarrant Regional Water District that secures the field for baseball and not redevelopment for the time being.

My eldest cousin is Scott Barry. He used to report regarding baseball for the Seattle Times. But, I think this Scott in the Star-Telegram article is not my cousin, due to the last name being spelled slightly different.

Anyway, isn't it interesting how an article in the Star-Telegram just casually mentions that to play baseball in LaGrave Field one needs to reach an agreement with the TRWD.

But, the Star-Telegram does not tell its readers in this article that the TRWD did not control that piece of land back in the previous era of LaGrave Field being in operation mode. The land was then owned by a friend of TRWD Board Member, Jim Lane, named Carl Bell.

Carl Bell filed for bankruptcy in 2012.

Jim Lane then finagled financial shenanigans which resulted in the TRWD buying Bell's land for millions of dollars. I think the sum was $22 million, if I remember right. And this then somehow resulted in the nearby opening of the world's first drive-in movie theater of the 21st century, the Coyote Drive-in.  How this drive-in escaped the fate of getting the infamous Panther Island label is not known.

Why it is considered okay for an agency responsible for flood control and providing water owns a baseball ballpark is a mystery. Perhaps this is yet one more example of what is known locally as The Fort Worth Way. Which has come to mean, to many, a corrupt crony controlled way of operating a town.

Back to the article...

Brandiose recommends clubs, even those with a history, start with a naming competition. It sounds quaint, but getting the community involved at the onset is crucial, he said. And he recommends clubs abandon traditional names like Lions, Eagles or anything vaguely associated with the Majors. This process birthed teams like the Rocket City Trash Pandas, a Double A minor team in Alabama or Amarillo’s Sod Poodles. These names are something that can’t be ignored, appeal to kids and foster a storyline, Klein said.

Oh yes, I can see why this is why this ballpark has failed repeatedly. It's all about the name. Cats. What a terrible name. Who would want to watch Cats play baseball? Yes, Trash Pandas or Sod Poodles. Now that would be get me in a ballpark, no matter how boring the baseball playing might be.

Well,  read the entire What will it take to make the Fort Worth Cats a home run? Not baseball article to get the full dose of this latest Star-Telegram goofiness, while we end this by starting that community baseball team naming competition.

How about the Fort Worth Goofballs? Or the Fort Worth Crony Crackpots? Or the Fort Worth Outhouse Keepers? Geez, the best name just came to me, instantly obviously the perfect name...

The Fort Worth Boondogglers...

Mary Kelleher & Gary Moates Must Win May 4 TRWD Board Election

Last night I listened to a town meeting sort of event where Tarrant Regional Water District board candidates, Mary Kelleher and Gary Moates, answered a few questions from citizens concerned about all the issues associated with the TRWD, including America's Biggest Boondoggle, also known as the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision.

Many aspects of the TRWD's mismanagement were addressed, in addition to the central Trinity River Vision Boondoggle issue.

Listening to the candidates responses it seems clear that among the things they would like to see changed is the employment of TRWD General Manager, Jim Oliver, and TRVA Executive Director, J.D. Granger, with both needing to be removed for multiple reasons.

The TRWD incumbents up for re-election are once again Jim Lane and Marty Leonard. The last time a TRWD board election featured this pair the voting results were part of what brought about the supposedly biggest election fraud investigation in Texas state history.

The election fraud in that particular election seemed obvious for multiple reasons. Such as in the previous TRWD board election Mary Kelleher was elected with the then biggest vote total in TRWD election history. In the following election, if two opponents succeeded in booting Jim Lane and Marty Leonard, then Mary Kelleher would have had two allies on the TRWD board, and thus would no longer be thwarted in bringing about big changes, such as opening the books, transparency, and questioning issues of nepotism, such as the employment of J.D. Granger and relatives of Jim Oliver.

Hence, the TRWD insiders had multiple reasons to resort to any means available to insure they did not lose control of the TRWD board.

Hence, the alleged election fraud.

Now, it clearly sounds ridiculous to allege something like election fraud to explain losing an election. Usually those making such claims make absurd assertions, such as illegal aliens voted.

But, in the TRWD board election in question there were multiple red flags. Such as Lane and Leonard received more votes than Mary Kelleher did in the previous record breaking election.

Lane and Leonard needed to get more votes than Kelleher received, to insure that the challengers did not also get a Kelleher vote level, and thus win the election, booting Lane and Leonard.

That election, which re-elected Lane and Leonard the last time, also had a statistically absurd high level of absentee ballots, which was one of the triggers raising suspicion, in addition to the unlikely vote totals.

Nothing of substance came from that biggest election fraud investigation in Texas history. If I remember right one low level worker was charged with something.

Clearly multiple levels of Texas government had reason to not strongly pursue a fraudulent low level election, what with this happening in a Republican district under the sway of congresswoman Kay Granger, whose son, J.D., was installed in that TRVA Executive Director job for which it is now painfully, pitifully obvious he was not qualified.

And now, once again, Jim Lane and Marty Leonard are up for re-election. And this time, unlike the last time, they face strong opponents in Mary Kelleher and Gary Moates. And this time the stakes are even higher for Jim Oliver and J.D. Granger.

And J.D.'s mother.

If Jim Oliver loses control of the TRWD board there will be multiple consequences.

If whoever committed the election fraud previously, and who succeeded in doing so, why would they not attempt to do so again, what with the stakes being much higher?

May 4 is going to be an interesting day...

Are Fort Worth Feral Cats Restoring LaGrave Field?

I first saw reference made to that which you see here this morning via Facebook.

My reaction to the question asked in this Fort Worth Star-Telegram headline was to wonder why.

As in why would any sane entity want to restore this rundown ballpark one more time? I have seen this ballpark already restored once since I have been observing that special American town of Fort Worth.

Years ago I made a webpage showing what I was appalled to see when I visited this imaginary jewel of a ballpark, in a town of over 800,000. That revival did not last long, and now, in 2019, this pitiful ruin of a ballpark is now located on that equally pitiful imaginary landmark known as Panther Island.

Now, I am aware there are locals who are baseball fanatics who loved watching their hometown Fort Worth Cats play baseball in this pitiful ballpark in a league of teams located in small towns a fraction of the size of Fort Worth.

But, really, this decrepit rundown ballpark is not worthy of any town with pretensions of being a Big City. even before LaGrave Field once again became a rundown eyesore it should have embarrassed locals to have it as their "professional" ballpark.

And then we mix in all the financial shenanigans associated with LaGrave Field. This Are the Fort Worth Cats coming back to a restored LaGrave Field? article does not detail any of those shenanigans of the past.

But, the article does make mention of present day shenanigans. Such as in the following...

The Fort Worth Cats could be coming back to the ballpark north of downtown. Jim Lane, a Tarrant Regional Water District Board member, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram Tuesday he expected the board to vote on a contract next week that would bring back the team and restore the stadium.
“Hopefully we’ll be approving a contract to bring the Cats back,” Lane said.

Few other details were available Tuesday afternoon. Water district spokesman Chad Lorance said nothing definitive had been set for the meeting.

The water district agreed to swap the property with the previous owners, Houston-based Panther Acquisition Partners, last July.

Read the entire article for all the land swap shenanigan details.

Now, my memory may not remember all the details, but was not TRWD board member, Jim Lane, instrumental in a previous multi-million dollar deal which helped rescue one of his friends from the bankrupt financial straits he was in as a result of the previous LaGrave Cats failure? And didn't that TRWD deal result in some of that LaGrave land turning into the world's first drive-in movie theater of the 21st century, located adjacent to the now defunct LaGrave Field?

And then there was that more recent TRWD land swap, referenced in this Star-Telegram article, where land currently under Trinity River levees was swapped for other land, all assessed in the millions.

By what criteria is this property value assessed? What with this property all located in the industrial wasteland location of the imaginary island, which likely will never be developed to any higher quality level than what we currently see, unless somehow the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision finally becomes managed in an effective, responsible, timely, properly engineered fashion.

And why is the Tarrant Regional Water District involved in all this property speculation? Let alone having anything to do with reviving an old baseball park...

Let's Set The Crooked TRWD Record Straight

A day or two or three ago the offices of Elsie Hotpepper sent me an email with the subject line....

WILL THIS NONSENSE EVER END?

The only nonsense in the email was an attached PDF file which turned out to be a scanned image of a recent paid political advertisement in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, paid for by Jim Lane and Marty Leonard.

What?

I thought to myself.

Those two are running for the TRWD board again? After the last time? Which supposedly resulted in the biggest election fraud investigation in Texas state history?

How is that investigation going? Apparently no where.

So I read through this advertisement, and quickly saw it could be more accurately characterized as blatant propaganda of the sort regularly spewed by the Tarrant Regional Water District and its ne'er do well step-child, the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision, more usually referred to as America's Biggest Boondoggle.

We were able to convert most of the PDF file to a format able to be copied. Thus, for illuminating purposes, we will copy all of which we were able to re-format below.

The paid political ad reads like a defensive bout of excuse making trying to spin an alternative reality regarding the TRWD's Boondoggle.

Such as you will read that early in this century a community wide task force was supposedly launched to address the outdated Trinity River levee system (which has prevented flooding in the zone in question ever since the leveees were installed in the 1950s).

The paid political propaganda claims that construction of a bigger levee system had been considered, and rejected, because those supposed new levees would need to be ten feet higher and would require taking 150 of additional condemned land on each side of the river.

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. I'm sure that was a realistic proposal, way back when this century started. And, that it would have been a travesty to condemn all that land. Uh, how many acres of property were taken from the 100s of property owners, whose property was taken via the abusing eminent domain method by the Boondoggle which ensued after the rejection of the supposed raise the existing levees option?

So, if this flood control upgrade was so vital, way back when this century began, how come now, almost two decades later, nothing has been done about this dire threat? Apparently the threat was not all that dire, hence the slow motion ongoing Boondoggle.

This paid political propaganda advertisement tries to make the case that the public is misinformed about all which has been accomplished by the TRWD and its TRVA step-child.

The public is not misinformed.

The public drives by the Boondoggle daily, seeing three bridges stuck in slow motion construction for years, trying to connect the Fort Worth mainland to an imaginary island.  The propaganda tries to excuse the bridge part of the boondoggle by bringing up the actual signature bridges that have actually been built in Dallas over the actual Trinity River. Real bridges serving a real purpose.

The propaganda about the Dallas bridges did not successfully convert.

The J.D. Granger part of the ongoing Trinity River Vision Boondoggle Scandal is not addressed in this paid political advertisement.

I suppose to address the J.D. problem is to acknowledge the problem exists. The supposed upcoming forensic audit investigation of America's Biggest Boondoggle is sort of referenced in this propaganda. But no attempt is made to explain the inept management of the project due to its lack of a qualified project engineer executively directing the project such is the case in normal, non corrupt, zero nepotism, public works projects.

Anyway, below is what we were able to convert into readable text from Jim Lane and Marty Leonard's Paid Political Propaganda Advertisement...

2001: TRANSFORMING RIVER FROM FLOOD FOE TO COMMUNITY FRIEND In 2001, the City of Fort Worth partnered with Streams & Valleys Inc., Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD), Tarrant County, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to launch a community-wide task force to address our outdated Trinity River flood control levee system (designed a half century ago). The task force's five goals were straightforward:

1. Flood protection along the river
2. Environmental clean-up
3. Matching flood control federal funding
4. Improved public access to the river
5. Responsible river corridor development

The 7-member TRVA Board meets monthly and is comprised of two board members each from TRWD, City of Fort Worth, and Tarrant County plus a board member representative from the nonprofit Streams & Valleys organization. The TRVA Board selects its own Executive Director and all staff members of TRVA are shared employees of TRWD. Additionally, City of Fort Worth staff members participate on all TRVA committees. TRWD has also provided an interest-free $200 million loan (from its mineral royalty reserve) to the TIF District so local matching funds would be available to immediately start the project.

BIGGER LEVEES OR BYPASS CHANNEL Previously, construction of a bigger levee system (i.e., a bigger ditch for flood waters) along the river corridor had been considered. But the proposed bigger levees would have had to be 10 feet higher - requiring another 150 feet of condemned land on each side of the river. This would have negatively impacted neighborhoods and businesses on the west side and north side of downtown. It would have also negated years of hard work by the community to make the Trinity River corridor more accessible to the public.

2003-2004: TIF DISTRICT CREATED & FEDERAL FUNDING AUTHORIZED To finance the new Trinity River flood control plan, the City, County and TRWD all agreed in 2003 to participate in a Tax Increment.

2006: TRVA CREATED TO COORDINATE LOCAL GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBILITIES To pull it all together, TRWD formed the Trinity River Vision Authority (TRVA) in 2006. Under TRVA's umbrella management, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the local government partners each do their assigned work on the flood control components of the project:

2009: GATEWAY PARK EXTENSION In 2009, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and local government partners improved the project design by relocating overflow flood waters from populated areas west and north of downtown to non-populated areas in the Gateway Park corridor. This expanded the project's flood control protective reach to over 2,400 acres. It also expanded local efforts for environmental restoration which have resulted in the removal of 383,000 tons of toxic and contaminated soil from old industrial sites along the river. This in turn opened up Gateway Park for broader community use and enjoyment.

After more than 200 community input meetings and careful study — the United States Army Corps of Engineers, TRWD, City of Fort Worth, Tarrant County, and Streams & Valleys Inc. jointly rejected the bigger levees proposal and instead endorsed building a new 1.5-mile river bypass channel as the best flood control solution. This launched the Panther Island/Trinity River Vision project (also initially referred to as the “Central City Project” by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers).

FEDERAL-STATE MATCH FUNDING To clear up some misstatements about the project's federal funding status - on October 3, 2018, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a statement clarifying that the Panther Island/ Trinity River Vision project is “authorized” and "eligible” to receive matching federal funding. In fact, as mentioned above, this project has been authorized by two Presidents and two different sessions of Congress (2004 and 2016) and has already received roughly $108 million in matching state-federal funds.

Again, 100% of the project's authorized matching federal funding goes to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for construction of the flood control component of the project. Much of this work will be in the final bypass channel construction phase of the project. As such, not all federal funding is needed now. Still, our local governmental partners are working jointly with our Texas congressional delegation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to be.

THE REST OF THE STORY We hope you find this overview helpful. Our community is using matching local-state-federal funding for the flood control component of this project, while using local funding to responsibly reconnect our community to its river. To paraphrase the late radio commentator Paul Harvey—“Now you know the rest of the story.”

REVIEW & AUDITS ARE STANDARD PROCEDURE For efficiency and transparency, the current programmatic review underway by the TRVA Board is welcomed. This is a very large multi-year infrastructure project involving both federal and state agencies, and several local entities. Currently, review is provided monthly by the TRVA Board and its operational budget is audited annually by third party CPA firms. Additionally, a total of 9 independent economic studies/financing plans have been performed on the project including a new TIF District revenue projection study which will be completed in early 2019.

A final word about TRWD 
There are some other things to note about TRWD's operational track record. In addition to flood protection, we are responsible for supplying the raw water which is then treated by cities for most Tarrant County families. We take this responsibility seriously and are consistently recognized as one of the best water supply districts in Texas. are well known, the two lakes we built in East Texas (Cedar Creek and Richland-Chambers) are arguably the most essential as they supply 85% of TRWD's water supply to Tarrant County.

We mention this not to brag, but to note that some of the recent press and public comments about TRWD are neither accurate nor in context to the talents and accomplishments of its dedicated women and men. You can rest assured, TRWD works hard and we take our responsibilities seriously.

Paid Political Ad by Jim Lane Campaign & Marty Leonard 
PAID ADVERTISEMENT 

Wondering Why Jim Lane Is So Worried About A Trinity River Vision Forensic Audit

Two days ago I saw that which you see here on the front page of the online version of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

A day later the article had disappeared from the front page and it took some looking before I found it again.

The article details a current issue in Fort Worth which one would think would remain front page worthy and also worthy of a continuing series of articles of the investigative journalism sort.

The article is about the latest chapter in the ongoing scandal which has become America's Biggest Boondoggle, also known as the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision.

You can read this article by going to Tarrant water district tells Panther Island to consider review of project, that is, unless the Star-Telegram has now totally removed the article.

Recently America's Biggest Boondoggle has seemed to have reached a tipping point where some Fort Worth officials, of the mayor of the town sort, realize something is dire wrong with how the Trinity River Vision is being seen, or not seen, what with the slow motion way the pseudo public works project has dawdled along for most of this century.

Now, let's go through this article from the Star-Telegram and point out a thing or two...

The first paragraph---

Facing questions about the oversight of Panther Island — a $1.16 billion flood control project with development potential that failed to receive federal funding this fiscal year — the Tarrant Regional Water District’s board of directors Tuesday recommended an independent review.

Facing questions? What questions? Why are those questions not detailed? Oversight? Does this mean the questions being asked have to do with the Boondoggle's inept executive directing, which many blame for the Trinity River Vision debacle. With the oversight entity in mind being TRVA Executive Director, J.D. Granger. He being the unqualified to oversee such a project son of Fort Worth Congresswoman, Kay Granger?

A $1.16 billion flood control project with development potential? So, now the Star-Telegram is changing how this project has been described from the start, that being as a "Flood Control and Economic Development Plan".

Flood control? Where there has been no flood for well over a half century, due to levees already in place, which have done the job they were intended to do. Whilst other areas of Fort Worth regularly flood due to extremely incompetent urban planning.

And now the Star-Telegram characterizes the "Economic Development" part of this plan to only being development potential? Apparently the Star-Telegram is starting to realize there is little potential the industrial wasteland at the heart of the imaginary island will ever amount to anything economically viable.

Jim Lane is one of the Tarrant Regional Water District board members. He and fellow board member, Marty Leonard, were the beneficiaries of the inflated vote totals which suspiciously re-elected the pair to the board, in the election fraud which triggered the biggest investigation of such fraud in Texas state history.

Some suspected the TRWD board majority was willing to go to any length needed to keep control of the TRWD board and deny then fellow board member, Mary Kelleher, two allies which could force the board to open the books to the public so as to see where the money has gone and who benefited from that money.

So, it is likely there are a number of reasons Jim Lane was so feisty, as reported in the Tarrant water district tells Panther Island to consider review of project article, about the multiple calls for some sort of forensic audit of the Trinity River Vision project and the management of the Trinity River Vision.

If memory serves correctly Jim Lane has been involved in multiple TRWD/TRVA shenanigans involving financial transactions.

Such as Jim Lane orchestrating the bail out of a friend. Something to do with the failed La Grave ballpark operation. Jim Lane's finagling over this resulted in millions of dollars changing hands somehow resulting in the world's first new drive-in movie theater of the 21st century. Oddly named Coyote rather than Panther Island, which seems to be the preferred label slapped on anything associated with that which has become America's Biggest Boondoggle.

Is Jim Lane worried about what an audit would reveal about multiple shady deals?

Worried about what an audit might reveal about how the TRWD and TRVA abused eminent domain to take property in the area where the Boondoggles's pitiful bridges have been being slowly built for years? With the victims of the eminent domain abuse not made whole, having to fight losing court battles against a corrupt Tarrant County system?

Is Jim Lane worried an audit would reveal how much money has been spent on Boondoggle propaganda, such as the ridiculous quarterly mailers detailing each three months lack of progress?

Or the money spent on all the Boondoggle's ridiculous signage?

Or all the Boondoggle's ridiculous websites?

Or on all the Boondoggle's ridiculous 'entertainment' features, such as the inner tube rockin' the polluted river floats, the subway maintenance shed turned into a beer hall, the ice rink, the embarrassing artwork, or the failed wakeboard park?

None of which has anything to do with flood control.

When will this nutty madness end, inquiring minds would really like to know...

Why Bother Voting In Tarrant Regional Water District Board Election?

On May 6, 2017 voting will take place in the Tarrant Regional Water District to elect, or re-elect TRWD Board Members.

Mary Kelleher is running for re-election.

If I were still in the TRWD voting area I would vote for Mary Kelleher.

Or maybe I wouldn't.

Why wouldn't I?

In the last TRWD Board Election the results were so obviously fraudulent that they eventually triggered the biggest voting fraud investigation in Texas history, targeting what may be the most corrupt county in Texas.

Tarrant County.

I have blogged about Tarrant County Election Fraud a number of times....

Evidence Corrupt Tarrant County Political Machine Steals Elections

Tarrant Regional Water District Board Election Fraud

Is The TRWD-Gate Scandal About To Blow Wide Open?

A Noble Look At Probable Election Fraud In The Recent TRWD Board Election

It was the rather obviously fraudulent election results in the last TRWD Board Election which triggered the biggest election  fraud investigation in Texas history.

In that TRWD board election Marty Leonard and Jim Lane were re-elected with a record vote total, topping  the previous record, which was achieved by Mary Kelleher the first time she was elected to the TRWD Board.

Two years ago, Marty Leonard and Jim Lane defeated Craig Bickley and Miki Von Luckner by something like 10,000 votes.

Previously, 10,000 votes was about the number needed to win election to the TRWD Board.

Included in all those extra votes, which re-elected Marty Leonard and Jim Lane, were around 10,000 absentee ballots.

That many absentee ballots is what raised the Election Fraud Red Flag.

I do not know the current status of the supposed state investigation of Tarrant County Election Fraud.

I do not know why anyone, including Mary Kelleher, would go to the bother of running until this Election Fraud question was settled.

I also do not understand how it is that Marty Leonard and Jim Lane have not loudly demanded a resolution to the allegations that they were re-elected fraudulently.

I also do not understand why Marty Leonard and Jim Lane are still TRWD Board Members, as in why they have not, you know, due to their highly ethical  consciences, resigned, whilst demanding a full investigation into how they managed to acquire those thousands of absentee ballots...

Is The TRWD-Gate Scandal About To Blow Wide Open?

Last week, on August 24, 2016, to be precise, I blogged about Tarrant Regional Water District Board Election Fraud.

In that blogging I blogged about the rather bizarre fact that nothing had been done about the rather obvious electoral fraud which occurred in the last TRWD Board Election, where Marty Leonard and Jim Lane were re-elected in a HUGE landslide, breaking Mary Kelleher's previous TRWD Board Election record by around 10,000 votes.

10,000 votes in an election which did not attract a large number of voters, and yet this election somehow generated around 10,000 absentee ballots, which, apparently, coincidentally, was about the same number of votes Leonard and Lane landslided to victory with.

Yet I detected no verbalization of outrage in what passes for the Tarrant County press and media. No editorial in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram calling for an investigation. Nary a peep in Fort Worth Weekly, Nothing about the unseemly election results in the Fort Worth Business Press, which had endorsed one of those trying to unseat Leonard and Lane, that being Craig Bickley.

Two days after blogging about me being perplexed by the TRWD electoral fraud I was informed that finally something, supposedly is being done about this miscarriage of electoral justice.

I first learned of this on August 26, 2016 via the Star-Telegraph. Please note that is Star-Telegraph, not Star-Telegram.

Above is a partial screen cap of the Star-Telegraph blog post titled Attorney General’s Office Investigating Voter Fraud in Tarrant County.

An entity about which I know nothing, called Empower Texans, is apparently behind the effort to ferret out the corruption in elections in Tarrant County.

You can read the Empower Texans post about the Tarrant County Electoral Fraud in AG Investigating Voting Abnormalities in Tarrant County Elections.

As you can see, via the screen cap from the Star-Telegraph, the official in charge of the Tarrant County Election Office admits to knowing there were abnormalities related to mail-in ballots.

Now, unless I missed it, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram has not informed its readers that Tarrant County is being investigated for Electoral Fraud. Would one not think that this is news the local population might want to know about?

It's like there is a Watergate type cover up of a worse crime than Watergate, with no local Woodward and Bernstein, journalizing for no local newspaper, following the money to find out how it happened that thousands of absentee ballots came in to play in the last TRWD Board Election.

Who has the most to lose if control of the TRWD Board is lost to the good ol' boy and girl network which runs Fort Worth and its environs in what is known as the Fort Worth Way?

It is all very perplexing.

Leonard & Lane's TRWD Toilet Ad Has Me Asking Have They No Sense Of Decency?

Can not a day go by without fresh propaganda from the TRWD board incumbents, Leonard and Lane, falling out of my mailbox?

And why is all the L & L propaganda so one note? And information lite?

As opposed to the TRWD incumbent's opposition, Craig Bickley and Michele Von Luckner's, reach out to the voters, with B & VL coming across like human beings who are trying to communicate with words which makes sense, not senseless, shameless propaganda sloppily trying to manipulate and monger fear.

Today's L & L mailer screams VOTE SATURDAY so voter apathy does not  flush our future water.

Methinks it has been voter apathy which has had the TRWD Board in its current corrupt state due to the voters not electing anyone, who represents the people, rather than the local special interests, until the last TRWD Board Election when Mary Kelleher got elected with the most votes ever in a TRWD Board Election.

Today's L & L mailer is warning voters that if you don't vote this Saturday, we're likely to get our future drinking water from here, With here being the toilet to the right of the warning in the mailer.

Does this type fearmongering strike you as responsible discourse coming  from public officials wanting you to re-elect them?

No?

Me neither.

The TRWD incumbent's propaganda reminds me of something that happened 60 years ago, but seems like only yesterday, when irresponsible fearmongering by a corrupt politician named Joe McCarthy led to Senate hearings which captured the attention of America to a television level which had not happened before.

The most famous moment of those hearings came from a man, Joseph Welch, who had had his fill of Joe McCarthy, and uttered words which I will slightly paraphrase to render applicable to today and the TRWD incumbent's propaganda.....

Leonard and Lane, may we not drop this? Let us not assassinate character any further. Leonard and Lane, you have done enough damage. Have you two no sense of decency? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?

The Senate chamber erupted in cheers, along with TV viewers across America.

I suspect a similar cheering reaction will be happening in the Tarrant Region soon after 8 this coming Saturday evening.....

A Double Dose Of TRWD Boondoggle Propaganda In My Mailbox Today

Earlier today after I was told a Trinity River Vision Boondoggle Spring Update was arriving in voter's mailboxes today, I blogged about the incoming propaganda in Just In Time For The TRWD Board Election America's Biggest Boondoggle Sends Voters An Update.

So, it did not surprise me to open my mailbox this afternoon to find the expected propaganda from America's Biggest Boondoggle.

It also did not surprise me, too much, to find another piece of related junk mail, that being yet one more tacky attack ad full of lies, innuendo and exaggeration from TRWD incumbent's Leonard and Lane.

I tossed the junk mail on the floor and took the photo you see above, with The Boondoggle's self-aggrandizing piece of propaganda puffery, on top, conveniently covering Jim Lane's face, and some of his lies, such as repeating one more time that Monty Bennett moved bodies to his East Texas property to block the TRWD pipeline. This version has the WWII veteran being dug up in Oklahoma.

The hard copy version of The Boondoggle's Spring Update seems pretty much to match the web version, with maybe a little extra propaganda thrown into the hard copy.

I don't remember the web version repeating Boondoggle propaganda from previous "Updates", such as where the hard copy tells us what the Trinity River Vision will do, things like enhancing the river corridor with over 90 user-requested projects on the Trinity River.

That over 90 user-requested projects propaganda has amused me every time I have read it, whether at The Boondoggle's propaganda installation in the East Regional Library, or on The Boondoggle's massive installation of sign propaganda in Gateway Park, or the many times I've read about the over 90 user-requested projects in The Boondoggle's multiple updates.

Who were these users and how did they make these requests?

Has there ever been any other public works project in America which has produced so many updates over so many years with so little accomplished?

Today's mailer from the TRWD incumbent's must have already been in the pipeline, unable to be stopped, what with the previous TRWD incumbent's mailers backfiring on them and causing them to be the widespread object of ridicule for the blatant cheap shots and ham-handed easily countered lies.

Truth has a way of trumping lies, eventually....

The Truth Literally Beats The Leonard & Lane Lies

That which you see here is a paid political advertisement that showed up in my email a few minutes ago. This is only the upper part of the ad. It was in PDF format, and, well, it worked best to cut off the lower part.

As you can see this ad is informing us that the choice is clear in the TRWD Board election, an election whose results we will know on Saturday.

My polling seems to indicate a landslide win for Craig Bickley and Michele Hojnaki Von Luckner because I have yet to talk to anyone who is voting for Leonard or Lane.

Also in the email, which delivered the above ad, was a letter which asks why the aforementioned Leonard and Lane are stooping to such absurd lies about Bickley and Von Luckner and Monty Bennett.  We touched on that subject in a previous blogging titled Marty Leonard & Jim Lane Are TRWD Puppets Of Dallas Billionaires.

The Leonard and Lane hyperbolic lies are a bit embarrassing. Easily refuted with the truth. And I think, from what I've heard, a lot of people are disgusted with the TRWD incumbents and their sleazy ad tactics, hence that toss the bums out feeling that permeates the current Tarrant Region air.

Anyway, below is the letter refuting the Leonard Lane Lies in its entirety.....

WHY ARE THE INCUMBENT WATER BOARD MEMBERS STOOPING TO SUCH LIES ABOUT MICHELE VON LUCKNER, CRAIG BICKLEY AND THEIR FRIEND MONTY BENNETT?

THEY DON’T WANT YOU TO KNOW HOW HONEST AND COMMITTED TO DOING THE RIGHT THING THEY ARE!

Michele is a loving mom and wife.   Married for 19 years, she and her husband Dave have two children. When the recession hit in 2008, both Michele and Dave lost their jobs.  All but one of their creditors worked with them, helping them to pay off their debts over time under mutually-agreed upon installments.  That one creditor filed suit and refused to mediate. The judge was angry but the law did not allow him to dismiss the lawsuit.  He did, however, lower the interest due and set a reasonable payment schedule.

In yet another effort to discredit Michele, the opponents are trying to confuse voters about her last name. Michele’s maiden name is Polish, Hojnaki.  Her married name is Von Luckner, just that simple.  Like so many people in today’s world, she always seemed to run out of time and never got to the polls to vote on local issues.  That is until now, when flooding from the Trinity River is threatening her home and those of her neighbors.  Now she is involved and wants to right the wrongs of the Tarrant Regional Water District.

Craig Bickley is an engineer, husband and father.  Even though he owns property in the Water District, he cannot vote in this election because his homestead is outside the district’s lines.   Yet, he pays water district taxes and knows water is precious.  He is running  for election to the board because of his strong convictions and his commitment to do the right thing.

Both Michele and Craig are being criticized for having a campaign relationship with a person who has an “arrest” on his record; not a “conviction or even a plea bargain agreement.”  The truth is the campaign treasurer for a PAC that has contributed to their campaigns was “arrested” when he was in college at a party, years and years ago, but he was never charged with anything.

Monty Bennett is protecting his mother and the family’s East Texas farm from TRWD’s heavy-handed use of eminent domain.  He established a cemetery for his family on that land.  And, he honored a request of a friend to bury the ashes of a war veteran and relative there.  That’s the simple truth.

Elsie Hotpepper Sent Me A Big Message From Monty Bennett About Jim Lane's Lies

Earlier this afternoon in a blogging about my dad getting a pacemaker today I said the following....

So, what had been a lemon turned into lemonade and now I now know how to look at those little things Elsie Hotpepper sends to my phone. The most recent instance of that had me pathetically trying to figure out what Elsie sent me by using a magnifying glass, which did not magnify enough to make readable.

I am guessing Elsie Hotpepper read the above, because shortly after I hit the publish button on the blogging, what you see here arrived in my email from Elsie Hotpepper, only this time it was not too small to read, this time it was so BIG it overfilled by big computer screen.

I then shrunk it to the size you see here.

Anyway. if you have not read Monty Bennett's factual response to Jim Lane's despicable slander claiming Monty Bennett was burying World War II veterans on his property to block the TRWD pipeline, well, read it here.

And then go vote for anyone other than Marty Leonard and Jim Lane, preferably voting for Craig Bickley and Michele Von Luckner.

Saw No Snakes Rolling With The Indian Ghosts Before Voting For Leonard & Lane Tomorrow

I took my handlebars to Arlington today to roll my wheels with the Indian Ghosts who haunt the Village Creek Natural Historical Area.

That would make it the Village Creek, formerly blue, Bayou that my handlebars are looking at.

Years ago, early this century, or maybe late in the previous century, when I first saw this location the overlook was made of wood, the bayou was a big open pond.

It was in that big open pond that I saw my first collection of water moccasins slithering in Texas water. I asked a couple guys what they were looking at, they told me water moccasins. I had no way to know if they knew what they were talking about.

The snakes I saw slithering that day may have been simple ordinary harmless water snakes of some sort. But, seeing those snakes that day and being told they were water moccasins, well, it made me very wary of Texas water, a wariness that has expanded since from just a simple snake fear.

There were a lot of people at Village Creek enjoying this balmy Sunday in Texas. Mostly walkers, some dog walkers, a few bikers, one skateboarder.

One pair of the walkers appeared to be a bit elderly. I thought to myself that I hoped I was still out and about on a Sunny Sunday if I get to be that elderly.

That then had me thinking about Fort Worth's Mayor, Betsy Price. I may not like the bad political behavior of Betsy Price, but I do like how she is a big advocate of bike riding. I hope if I get to be as old as Betsy Price I am still riding a bike.

Yesterday I was on the Tandy Hills at the same time I was riding with the Indian Ghosts today. On the Tandy Hills I only saw one other person.

On all sides of the Tandy Hills, except the north side, the Tandy Hills are adjacent to residences. There are no walking distance residences near the Village Creek Natural Historical Area parking lot.

So, why are the Tandy Hills so lonely, most of the time? The Village Creek Natural Historical Area is in Arlington. The Tandy Hills Natural Area is in Fort Worth. Do Fort Worth people just not like their natural areas as much as Arlington people like their natural areas?

Arlington does seem a bit more sports minded than Fort Worth, what with having an NFL team and a MLB team playing in town, while I don't think Fort Worth has any professional sports teams calling the town home, not even an extremely minor league baseball team calls Fort Worth home anymore.

Is Fort Worth the biggest city in America without any major league team of any sport calling the town home?

Anyway, I had myself a mighty fine time rolling my wheels today, except for the fact that everywhere I drive I see the landscape littered with election signs. I'm so confused now by all the signs and mailers in my mail when I go to vote tomorrow I likely will be only voting for two candidates on the ballot.

Marty Leonard and Jim Lane.

Because I have a flawless record of never voting for anyone who wins, except for the last TRWD Board Election when I voted for Mary Kelleher and she won with the most votes in TRWD election history.

Maybe I should re-think who I am voting for and vote for Craig Bickley and Michele Von Luckner and hope that a miracle strikes twice.....

Time To Pull The Curtain Back On Some More TRWD Propaganda Before Monty Bennett Comes To Fort Worth Tonight

I tell you this TRWD Chinatown Board Election is exhausting. This morning it was a despicable full page Jim Lane attack ad in the Star-Telegram. This afternoon it was another poster size Jim Lane/Marty Leonard attack ad in my mailbox.

The attack ad in my mailbox shared some of the same propaganda as this morning's newspaper attack ad, that being the accusation that Monty Bennett was digging up and re-burying veterans, and others, in his fake, pipeline blocking cemetery.

However, the TRWD incumbent's attack ad in my mailbox outdoes the despicability of this morning's Star-Telegram ad.

Before I get to saying anything more about this afternoon's despicable attack ad, just as I was getting ready to take a photo of it, due to it being too big to fit on my scanner, my phone rang with an un-recognized 817 number. I answered to find myself being told that the evil Dallas businessman, that nefarious bogeyman puppeteer, Monty Bennett, will be in Fort Worth in a couple hours, attending the Fort Worth Business Press TRWD Board Election Forum  at 5:30 pm at the Central Library  in downtown Fort Worth, 500 W. Third St. (corner of Third and Lamar, two blocks from the Tarrant County Courthouse).

I have also been told that Jim Lane has chickened out of attending this forum. Student that I am of psychology, it surprises me not that Lane would not want to face those against whom he has launched today's despicable attacks. It is a symptom of Little Man Syndrome to be all brave bluster when one is a safe distance from the tall object of ones faux brave bluster.

Now back to the piece of despicability I found in my mailbox. One quarter of the huge mailing is taken up with BIG white text in front of a red curtain saying "It's time to pull the curtain back on Dallas businessman Monty Bennett and his puppet slate of Water Board candidates".

When we pull back the curtain, or open the poster, we see the depiction of Monty Bennett you see above, being the evil Dallas puppeteer.

And what is that 'truth' behind the curtain?

Well, it is truly shocking stuff, way more shocking than Jim Lane funneling millions of TRWD money to his bankrupt friend.

I shall translate the shocking revelations to be closer to the truth than the TRWD propagandist's muckraking.

For instance Michele Von Luckner was recently ordered to pay an overdue, disputed bill. Von Luckner has someone working on her campaign who once changed his name and was once arrested for something like jaywalking in San Angelo. This highly suspect person is the treasurer of a PAC. Von Luckner has never voted in a Tarrant County election and has been known to use her maiden name (shouldn't she be doing hard time for this?). Von Luckner's political consultant is Monty Bennett's business partner. (Now that really is shocking, I know I'm shocked. Aren't you?)

And then there is the nefarious Craig Bickley. You can tell just by looking at his menacing face that he is probably up to no good.

Well, get ready to be shocked. Bickley can not vote for himself. And he also is involved with someone who changed his name to hide his criminal past in San Angelo. (methinks San Angelo must be a hotbed of crime) This criminal also is a treasurer in a PAC. (I wonder if this is the same bad man that is on the notorious Von Luckner campaign?) Bickley's political consultant is also Monty Bennett's business partner. (I tell you it is a vast criminal conspiracy)

And the most shocking of the TRWD incumbent's behind the curtain Bickley revelations? Craig Bickley failed to win a previous race in a Republican primary. And not only that, for this current TRWD election Bickley baldfacedly declared that his residence was outside of the extremely gerrymandered TRWD voting district.

Craig Bickley failed to win a previous race? Only one? How many times has Jim Lane lost a race? I think the only time he's ever won is election to the TRWD board. If I am remembering right Jim Lane has lost mayor, city council, congressional, senate and dog catcher races.

So, yes, Craig Bickley is way behind Jim Lane in number of races lost.

Will Fort Worth's SWAT team be on site to deal with the evil Dallas businessman coming to town? What with it being so widely known that Monty Bennett is behind a vast conspiracy to take over Fort Worth's water supply I suspect a massive police presence will be in play.....

How Despicable Is The TRWD's Cowboy Napoleon Jim Lane?

A few minutes ago someone from the TRWD incumbent's side, who is disgusted with the TRWD incumbent's low blow campaign, emailed photos of TRWD incumbent, Jim Lane's, advertisement which appeared in today's Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

The top of the ad is that which you see here, the ad also included an equally large letter from Jim Lane, full of phony umbrage and propaganda twisting of the truth.

Shortly ago I hiked up to Albertsons hoping to acquire this week's Fort Worth Weekly and see the sleazy Jim Lane ad myself.

Well, no FW Weekly yet, and apparently the Cowboy Napoleon ad is not in Star-Telegram editions sent to the east side of town. That or I missed it, which seems as if it would be hard to do, what with it appearing to be a full page ad.

At the bottom of the top part of the ad I can make out it says "An open letter from U.S. Army Veteran and Tarrant Regional Water District Board Member, Jim Lane". Below is the letter....

In the letter the Cowboy Napoleon is full of outrage over the alleged "ruthless" relocation of a World War II veteran and an elderly woman.

Of Monty Bennett, Lane despicably spews "How despicable of you to hunt for dead bodies to bury in the path of the pipeline!"

I have been told that Monty Bennett provided a burial location for a WWII veteran with whom Mr. Bennett was acquainted and who Mr. Bennett knew had no funds for a proper burial.

And regarding the burial of the WWII veteran the despicable Jim Lane says, "And how dishonest of you to do this AFTER receiving formal notice of the water pipeline crossing an uninhabited portion of your weekend ranch. You used those dead bodies only as "props" in your failed injunction to stop the water pipeline."

Lane huffs and puffs that Monty Bennett has committed some sort of cowardly act for which he needs to apologize, saying...

"So, Mr. Bennett, I am asking you and your well-financed slate of candidates (Mr. Bickley and Ms. Von Luckner) to publicly apologize, and to pledge to the voters in the Tarrant Regional Water District to never disrespect our veterans again."

Lane ends his letter by saying of his apology demand that "It is the right thing to do."

Sincerely,
Jim Lane
Vietnam Veteran

Okay, Mr. Lane, I think what actually is the right thing to do is for you to apologize to Monty Bennett, Mr.Bickley and Ms. Von Luckner for your slanderous despicable desperate attack ad. I think Craig Bickley should bring this up at first opportunity at tonight's Fort Worth Business Press TRWD Election Forum in the downtown Fort Worth Central Library.

And does anyone know in what capacity Jim Lane served in Vietnam? I have seen Jim Lane in person a couple times. It is not easy to picture him in uniform. I guess army uniforms must come in all sizes....

The TRWD Secret Swimmin' Hole Needs A Thorough Voter's Purge

This morning in my email I found the above editorial cartoon by Michael H. Price, published in the Fort Worth Business Press at some point during the 2006 TRWD board election which saw Jim Lane elected to the money dispensing position he has now held for 9 years.

Near as I can tell this particular editorial cartoon depicts TRWD water board candidates lamenting that they were no longer able to operate in secret, with their crystal clear Trinity River swimming hole now known to the great masses of unwashed Fort Worth voters yearning to swim clean.

I was thinking about that crystal clear Trinity River this morning, well, more accurately, I was thinking about the nasty un-clear Trinity River this morning.

Last week after I blogged Watching Fort Worth's Cowboy Napoleon Get Waterlooed By Craig Bickley & Michele Von Luckner a comment caused me to ask Is It Time To Pull The Mismanaged Plug On America's Biggest Boondoggle?

In that Plug the Plug on the Boondoggle blogging I made mention of what Craig Bickley had said that set off the Cowboy Napoleon's embarrassing tirade, with part of what Craig Bickley said being....

"They are trying to get people to get into a nasty river. Why don't you clean up the river first?"

Good question. Why is there not a concentrated effort to clean up the Trinity River? When rain falls in copious amounts, as it has lately, why does so much litter end up floating in the Trinity River? All the creeks I have contact with which flow into the Trinity River are littered messes when water runs high.

Village Creek, Fosdick Creek, Tandy Creek, all with astonishing amounts of litter getting flushed into the Trinity. There must be dozens upon dozens of other creeks flowing with the same littered mess.

Why?

From whence I came, Western Washington, there are several rivers which flow out of the Cascades into Puget Sound, the Nooksack, Skagit, Snoqualmie, Puyallup, Nisqually, Snohomish, Green, others I am not remembering. In flood mode I do not ever remember seeing masses of litter getting flushed into Puget Sound. I do remember seeing a lot of logs in the rivers, and one year, a house floating down the swollen Snohomish.

Does all that Trinity River litter end up in the Gulf? Creating a litter plume, ending up on Gulf beaches?

As for the other type of Trinity River pollution, of the e.coli don't eat the fish sort, where does that pollution enter the river? Are Lakes Benbrook, Worth and Eagle Mountain polluted with elevated e.coli and other bacterias? Or does that bad stuff enter the water after it leaves those reservoirs?

Back in the 1960s Puget Sound and other Washington bodies of water, such as Lake Washington, were badly polluted. One could not swim in Lake Washington or eat the salmon one caught there. Then the voters in the Puget Sound counties voted to clean up the water with new treatment plants, with the result being a clean Puget Sound and edible salmon and swimmers frolicking in Lake Washington.

Has there been any similar type effort to clean up the Trinity River before polluted, littered water reaches the Gulf of Mexico?

If not, why not?

If not, is it not the Tarrant Regional Water District which is responsible for the sorry quality level of the water in the Trinity River as it passes through Fort Worth?

Which brings us back to that question Craig Bickley asked "Why don't you clean up the river first?"

This Morning My Mailbox Contained A Tale Of Corruption Along With Some TRWD Corruption

An early Sunday morning, pre-swim, opening of my mailbox rendered what I think I would characterize as serendipitous irony.

A letter from Mary Kelleher, with the envelope boldly in red letting me know that what was inside the envelope was "A Tale of Corruption Told From an Insider's Perspective..."

Also in the mailbox was yet one more poster-sized propaganda mailing from the TRWD incumbents and their mouthpieces, Betsy Price and Mike Moncrief.

In Mary Kelleher's Tale of Corruption she cautions...

VOTER BEWARE 
Now please be forewarned. You can expect to hear some outlandish attacks from people in authority like Mayor Betsy Price, Mike Moncrief, and Kay Granger. I implore you to hold to the facts. You will be told Dallas businessman Monty Bennett of Dallas is trying to steal Fort Worth’s water. NOT TRUE! Monty Bennett is a wealthy businessman who lives in Dallas but he also owns property in Fort Worth and east Texas. Monty is one of many victims of TRWD’s abuse of eminent domain; he just happens to have the financial resources to fight against this abuse.

So, in my mail today I get a warning from Mary Kelleher warning me about the TRWD propaganda which was also in my mailbox.

This latest TRWD propaganda confirms the shamelessness of these ethically challenged miscreants who somehow, in Fort Worth, are seen as legit authority figures.

These Fort Worth authority figures, Betsy and Mike, who Mary warned you about, in this latest propaganda, after their boilerplate attack against the evil Dallas businessman, are quoted saying "Don't be misled by false attacks...."

Oh, the irony.

You really should heed that false attacks warning from Betsy and Mike, but take it as some sort of Freudian slip, where their tortured consciences are warning you not to be misled by their false attacks.

Basically the TRWD incumbents can not run on their record, because that record includes way too many instances of corruption, so they are running against a Dallas Bogeyman, believing, apparently, that Fort Worth voters are stupid and are irrationally paranoid about anything coming from Dallas.

On the reverse side of the propaganda where Betsy and Mike warned us to not be misled by false attacks are their own false attacks (and propaganda) under the Orwellian heading of 6 GOOD REASONS to keep Marty Leonard and Jim Lane PROTECTING OUR LOCAL WATER.

The false attacks (and propaganda) from Betsy and Mike....

Claiming 99% of the money for Marty and Jim's three opponents comes from either the Dallas Businessman Monty Bennett or from outside of Texas.

Not true.

Claiming Bennett has been involved in 7 lawsuits against the TRWD, and to date has lost all of his lawsuits in court.

Where else would one lose a lawsuit? And, not all the cases have been decided. This is what is known as deceptive propaganda. Note that no mention is made of the ongoing Henderson County Grand Jury investigation into TRWD wrongdoing

Claiming Marty and Jim have ensured we have water for Fort Worth and Tarrant County families.

Really? How have these two ensured we have water?

Claiming Marty and Jim have been strong taxpayer watchdogs.

Yes, strong taxpayer watchdogs, if by that one means that these two watched millions of taxpayer dollars get wasted trying to use the courts to take water from Oklahoma. Didn't Marty go along with Jim's taking millions of TRWD taxpayer's dollars to rescue a bankrupt friend by paying way above market value for the bankrupt friend's land on which the world's first drive-in movie theater of the 21st century was built?

Marty and Jim have saved taxpayers millions of dollars through conservation education which has resulted in 104 BILLION gallons of water saved between 2007 and 2013.

The above is so ridiculous I sort of don't know if anything needs to be said to point out the ridiculousness.

Marty and Jim have helped our water board partner with nonprofit groups to expand community use of Gateway Park, Trinity Trails system and Eagle Mountain Park.

How have Marty and Jim helped the water board partner with nonprofit groups in a way which affected Gateway Park? Or the Trinity Trails? I've not been to Eagle Mountain Park. Does that park have modern restroom facilities, with running water? And no outhouses? Marty and Jim's TRWD Boondoggle, currently calling itself Panther Island, for years has had a massive sign installation at Gateway Park touting all the wonders that their cataract clouded vision would bring to Gateway Park, none of which has come to fruition.

But, the signs are nice.

As for that letter from Mary Kelleher which contained the warning about outlandish TRWD incumbent attacks, well turns out I had already read that letter, back on April 15, when it arrived in my email in PDF form.

I blogged about the letter from Mary Kelleher in a blogging titled From The Desk Of Mary Kelleher Why We Need To Elect Bickley & Von Luckner.

Click the link and read the letter, if you want to read a straightforward account about the TRWD from someone who has experienced the corruption up close and very personal.

And don't forget to vote. Early voting begins tomorrow, April 27.......

Twisted Star-Telegram Editorial Endorses Lane & Leonard For Not Doing Things The Right Way

What you are looking at here is a screen cap of the "Keep Lane, Leonard for water district" headline in a bizarre endorsement editorial in Fort Worth's Pravda, also known as the Star-Telegram.

The entire editorial is senseless, but even before you get to that senselessness, the headline and sub-headline are equally senseless.

Endorse Lane and Leonard for re-election, while at the same time saying change is needed because the TRWD does not always do things the right way?

Not the right way? Like when Jim Lane finagled a TRWD rescue for his bankrupt friend by getting the TRWD to pay far above market value for the bankrupt friend's land on which the world's first drive-in movie theater of the 21st century was built?

Of course the Star-Telegram follows the 7th Street Gang's party line by bringing up the Dallas businessman bogeyman, while doing so very hypocritically. In the editorial we read the following paragraph....

Countering the big-dollar financial support for their challengers, Leonard and Lane are backed by a political action committee that had raised almost $500,000 as of early April from well-known Dallas and Fort Worth business leaders including Ed Bass, Ross Perot Jr. and Alice Walton.

Followed a few paragraphs later by this....

More than 97 percent of their financing, a total of almost $100,000 in the first report April 9, is from Dallas hotel executive Monty Bennett, who is also suing TRWD to redirect the pipeline while campaigning against what he calls a “heavy-handed” agency.

So, in the Star-Telegram's corrupt way of looking at the local world it is okay for the TRWD incumbents to get over a half million dollars from Dallas businessmen who have vested interests in keeping the TRWD's crony capitalism un-disturbed. While it is somehow an outrage that a Fort Worth hotel owner, who also does business in Dallas, and who does not want the TRWD to take some of his land, has donated less than 100,000 dollars to the TRWD opponent's campaign.

And let me add that that 97 percent figure the Star-Telegram cites is deceptive. Why not cite the most recent financial report, instead of the first one? Because the percentage would no longer be 97, due to the flood of donations from the fed up public to the Bickley/Von Luckner campaign.

And then there is this editorial gem...

Lane and Leonard also want to continue work on Panther Island, a different $900-million-plus downtown project repairing worn-out levees while adding retail shops, restaurants and apartments on the river’s north bank.

It amuses me how the locals who follow the party line, like sheep, jumped right on board with the ridiculous Panther Island new name for The Boondoggle. One would have thought they learned their lesson after their Sundance Square embarrassment, where for decades Fort Worth's few out of town tourists were confused as to where the square was that the Sundance Square signs pointed to. Usually a helpful local would point to the big parking lots, where, ironically, an actually square was finally built, goofily named Sundance Square Plaza.

And now we have Panther Island, where there is no island, where that which is referred to as an island will only be somewhat surrounded by water only if a ditch is dug to divert some Trinity River water under three little bridges currently being built in slow motion over dry land.

The Star-Telegram thinks Lane and Leonard want to continue working on the imaginary island? Does the Star-Telegram not hold the TRWD board at all responsible for the fact that the Trinity River Uptown Central City Panther Island Vision has become America's Biggest Boondoggle? With very little to show for well over a decade of boondoggling?

And then there is this shoddy cheap shot...

Both Bickley and Von Luckner question project spending and describe TRWD as secretive and crony-riddled. But neither seems familiar with basic state and regional water plans or prepared for the board’s primary task.

Really? Upon what does the Star-Telegram base claiming that Bickley and Von Lucker are unfamiliar with basic state and regional water plans and are not prepared for the board's primary task?

Oh, I forget to mention the stupidest item in that paragraph about Panther Island....

"Panther Island, a different $900-million-plus downtown project repairing worn-out levees."

Worn out levees? This is the first time I have read that those levees which have kept the downtown Fort Worth zone flood-free, for well over half a century, as being worn out.  Exactly in what way does the Star-Telegram think those massive levees are worn out?

And then the Star-Telegram ends its endorsement editorial with....

With their legacy of community leadership, they are best-positioned to help reshape a more responsive board. The Star-Telegram Editorial Board recommends Jim Lane and Martha “Marty” Leonard for the Tarrant Regional Water District board.

Their legacy of community leadership? That legacy is what should get them fired by the voters, and not endorsed by Fort Worth's sad excuse for a local newspaper.

Community leadership? Leading Fort Worth to the distinction of currently hosting America's Biggest Boondoggle?

They are best positioned to help shape a more responsive board? They have been on that un-responsive board the entire time it has been un-responsive. In other words they are responsible for the board being un-responsive.

Legacy? Like the legacy of finagling shady deals using taxpayer funds to rescue a bankrupt friend?

I don't know how the Star-Telegram editorial board can spew this nonsense without being embarrassed by it. 

Watch Fort Worth's Cowboy Napoleon Get Waterlooed By Craig Bickley & Michele Von Luckner

What you are looking at here is the five candidates running for a position on the Tarrant Regional Water District board, at a recent forum, debate type of public meeting.

The man holding the microphone is Jim Lane, also known as the Cowboy Napoleon. To the left of the Cowboy Napoleon is Marty Leonard.

The Cowboy Napoleon and Marty Leonard are the TRWD board incumbents. That would make candidates Craig Bickley, Michele Von Luckner and an Annis, whose first name I am not remembering right now, on the other side of Jim Lane.

Below you can watch a YouTube video of this forum. The video is filmed in what I think is known as the cinéma vérité style. That or it was recorded using a phone.

The video is about 48 minutes long. There is a sort of Mayberry RFD feel to it. Mayberry RFD was America's #1 sitcom back in the late 1960s. Mayberry RFD was part of what were known as the CBS rural hayseed comedies, all of which were cancelled early in the 70s when CBS decided to become more urban.

I digress.

However, regarding Mayberry RFD, that first came to my mind when I heard the charming southern twang of Marty Leonard, followed by the Cowboy Napoleon's twang. With the other three sounding more urban, with no twang.

The moderator of this forum seemed just a bit inept. The questions also seemed just a bit inept, for the most part.

However, at about 37 minutes into the video Craig Bickley gets a bit pointed about the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle and a couple other points.

Craig Bickley getting pointed was followed by the Cowboy Napoleon sounding just a bit nuts. I don't know if this moment would be the Cowboy Napoleon's Waterloo if it were to be widely seen. I have also been told this was not the first time Jim Lane has come across as a bit wackydoodle at one of these type events.

During his goofy rant, while attacking the bonafides of Craig Bickley, Jim Lane actually said that the TRWD has won every award in the nation.

What?

Every award in the nation? The Oscar for Best Boondoggle? The Emmy for Best Beer Party? The Grammy for Best Music Festival?

The only award I can think of that has gotten national recognition for the TRWD is having the TRWD's Trinity River Vision Panther Island Uptown Central City Project widely known as America's Biggest Boondoggle.

At another point in Jim Lane's rant he opined that if Craig Bickley actually lived in Fort Worth he might be aware of the thousands of people floating in the Trinity River on Thursday nights.

The Cowboy Napoleon thinks thousands of people float in the Trinity River on Thursday nights? Has he actually been to one of J.D. Granger's Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube Floats?

After Jim Lane finished with his embarrassing rant, which included ranting the boilerplate TRWD incumbent's evil Dallas businessman, Monty Bennett, TRWD takeover plot accusation, Craig Bickley and Michele Von Luckner retorted rather well.

One would have thought they were the lawyers in the room.

If Jim Lane and Marty Leonard and their crony co-horts truly believe the Trinity River is a good thing to immerse people in, why don't they lead by example and join those thousands of imaginary river dunkers when Rockin' the River starts up again in a couple months?

Anyway, for your voting enlightenment, the aforementioned YouTube video....

Embarrassingly Idiotic TRWD Election Propaganda Finally Showed Up In My Mailbox

This morning, finally, some of the more than a half million dollars non-evil Dallas businessmen have funneled to the re-election campaigns of TRWD board incumbents, Jim Lane and Marty Leonard, showed up in my mailbox.

Showed up in the form of a slick poster-sized piece of embarrassing propaganda, which I had already seen in other forms, but never face to face in all its demented glory.

The poster was too big for my scanner, so I laid it on the floor so as to snap a picture.

No, that is not my hand appearing to have an unseemly hold on a shaft of water.

I assume that hand represents the evil hand of the evil Dallas businessman, Monty Bennett, and his nefarious plot to take over Fort Worth and its vulnerable water supply.

Are these unscrupulous TRWD incumbents actually going to continue to run on this embarrassing Stop the Dallas businessman idiocy?

Either these TRWD incumbents and their campaign advisers are incredibly stupid and actually believe this is a legit accusation to be making.

Or these TRWD incumbents think the voters or so stupid they will buy in to this idiotic scare tactic.

Maybe it is a combo of both.

Isn't it interesting that the TRWD incumbent's propaganda makes no mention of the wonders their management has brought to the Fort Worth, Tarrant County and North Texas water and flood control needs?

No mention is made of the millions of dollars wasted trying to use the courts to take water from Oklahoma, wasted til the Supreme Court told the TRWD to knock it off.

No mention made of the current Biggest Boondoggle in America, boondoggling along now for well over a decade, with little to show for the money spent.

Well, there are those three little bridges supposedly currently under construction, due to be ready to carry traffic from the mainland to an imaginary island in about four years.

I can't imagine why the TRWD incumbents don't trumpet all that the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle has accomplished.

Why isn't TRWD incumbent, Jim Lane, sharing with the voters how he helped finagle spending almost $20 million of taxpayer TRWD money to buy a chunk of land from a bankrupt friend? Land valued at far less than what the TRWD paid for it.

Land on which then was built the world's first drive-in movie theater of the 21st century.

How is that Coyote Drive-In working out? About as successful as the TRWD/TRV Boondoggle's world premiere urban wakeboard park?

I know the TRWD election is stacked in favor of the good ol' boy and girl network who run Fort Worth in what is known as the Fort Worth Way.

Just the bizarre gerrymandering determining what areas in the "district" get to actually vote is yet one more symptom of the corruption which is the TRWD. Why would not all the voters who live in areas which buy their water from the TRWD get to vote in a TRWD  election? How did this bizarre usurpation of voter's rights come to be? Why is it allowed to continue?

So much is so perplexing about Texas. I should blog about a conversation I had with a Washingtonian who was perplexed about the TRWD Scandals, after reading about it on my blog, and filtering it through his Washington sensibility, where the local water utility is totally non-controversial, does not involve itself in economic development, does not abuse eminent domain to take property, does not own private hunting preserves, does not build slow motion bridges over nothing or organize inner tube float beer parties in the totally un-polluted Skagit River.

I told the Washingtonian he had no concept of how twisted the government is in Texas, that it is way worse than the really embarrassing stuff that gets national attention.

I asked the Washingtonian what he thought the Texas Railroad Commission did.

Uh, regulate the state's railroads?

Yeah, that's what a logical person might think, said I, but logic and the way things are done in Texas often are not in the same room.....

The Complex Imaginary Dallas Plot To Take Control Of Fort Worth & Tarrant County

Some eye opening, jaw dropping J.D. Granger information fell into my lap yesterday. I figured I would blog about the J.D. Granger material today. But then I found myself needing to make a fix to almost 400 webpages, so I will be postponing sharing the eye opening, jaw dropping J.D. Granger information til I get done with the webpage fixing.

However, this morning in the midst of doing that webpage fixing a blog comment arrived which I thought to be share worthy in its inadvertent amusing embarrassing imbicilicness, to coin a new word that needed coining to describe much of what I witness at my current location on the planet.

The blog comment....

Ed Jackson has left a new comment on your post "More TRWD Election Propaganda Lies From Jim Lane, Marty Leonard, Betsy Price & Mike Moncrief": 

Monty Bennett does have a horse in this TRWD race. It is at least an eminent domain issue about a ranch he owns. Mr. Bennett is not a resident of Tarrant County, nor is he a customer of the TRWD. He does what a lot of Dallas business people do, attempt to gain control of Fort Worth and Tarrant County by filling political positions with people who will owe favors to him, and to the democrat party. 

The facts are Marty Leonard and Jim Lane have been on the TRWD Board for some 10 years, and vast improvements to access water and manage resources have been made in that 10 years. Mayor Betsy Price is a great Mayor, and Mike Moncrief was a good Mayor. Both have lead Fort Worth to prosperity in most areas of the city. 

Mr. Bennett, OTOH, also tried to gain control of the TRWD back in 2013. when the other 3 board members were up for reelection. He got one candidate to win, Mary Kelleher, who has no engineering. business, or legal background. She is a school psychologist, a worthy background, but not a qualification to manage and plan a water district. If Mr. Bennett gets his two candidates onto the TRWD Board in this election, he will control the board. Have you noticed his two 2015 candidates have not listed any qualifications, except for "former president of the Tarrant County democrat party"?

After these last 6 years, I don't want any democrat running anything, much less than something that costs billions of dollars and affects millions of people. 

The current make up of the TRWD Board is 2 engineers, 1 Lawyer, 1 small business owner (that understands water use and conservation because they are golf courses), and 1 school psychologist. Let's not put two more political hacks on the board. 

______________________________________

A business owner who understands conservation and water use because they are golf courses? That sounds like Charlton Heston exclaiming Soylent Green is People.

Is Marty Leonard the owner of the golf courses being referred to?

Monty Bennett has a horse in this race, because it is an eminent domain issue about a ranch he owns?

Does this Jackson guy even know what eminent domain is? Or that the issue as it pertains to Monty Bennett is he feels the way the TRWD has gone about trying to take his property is what is known as eminent domain abuse? Or that Monty Bennett is not alone as a property owner believing himself to be a victim of what they believe to be eminent domain abuse by the TRWD? Ask the business owners whose property was taken for the TRWD's Trinity River Vision Boondoggle's ditch and little bridges being built in slow motion over dry land to connect to an imaginary island, what they think of the TRWD's use of eminent domain.

What does it have to do with anything that Monty Bennett is not a resident of Tarrant County? He owns two hotels in downtown Fort Worth. If he was a resident of one of those hotels would it change anything to do with his fight to keep the TRWD off his property?

I am fairly certain Monty Bennett is a customer of the TRWD. Unless he somehow pipes water to his Fort Worth hotels via a pipeline from Dallas.

A lot of Dallas business people try to gain control of Fort Worth and Tarrant County? Really? And who would they be and why would they want to control Fort Worth and Tarrant County? A messianic dream of modernizing the town and pulling it into the current century?

A Dallas football team owner moved his team to a new football stadium in Tarrant County. Was that the result of an evil Dallas businessman's evil plotting to take over Tarrant County?

Mary Kelleher has no engineering background? And so she is not qualified to manage a water district? Remind me again what exactly J.D. Granger's qualifications were to manage a water redevelopment project? J.D. Granger has been paid over $110,000 a year for almost 10 years to ramrod what is currently the biggest boodoggle in America.

Craig Bickley and Michele Von Luckner are political hacks? Implying also that Mary Kelleher is a political hack?

I tell you, the TRWD Scandal is the weirdest Alice Through the Looking Glass thing I have ever observed up close.

A backwards Looking Glass where right is wrong, wrong is right, qualified is unqualified, unqualified is qualified, smart is stupid, stupid is smart, world class is no class, no class is world class, public good is public bad.

And taking four years to build three little bridges over dry land saves money and makes engineering sense....

UPDATE: On Facebook TRWD board candidate, Craig Bickley, had the following to say about the above comments from Ed Jackson....

Craig Bickley likes this.

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  Craig Bickley For the record (to your commenter), the former director of the Democratic party mentioned is the 5th candidate, not Michele or I. He seems like a nice person, but got a very late start, and hasn't gained much traction. He would be great to watch in two years. Also, I have an engineering degree from Texas A&M and have been in the field of engineering and project/personnel management for over 15 years...