Woodard Posts Truth About TRWD President's Dallas Cover Up

Way back last month, on April 22, I blogged a blogging titled More Local Control Over Fort Worth Star-Telegram Hit Pieces in which I referenced a guest editorial in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram supposedly written by retiring TRWD Board President, Vic Henderson.

This Star-Telegram guest editorial was a hit piece of wanton propaganda attacking TRWD Board Member, Mary Kelleher.

As soon as I read the aforementioned hit piece I messaged someone who would know the answer to ask if someone was going to write a fact based counter-editorial to counterpoint Vic Henderson's shameful hit piece.

I was told that a counter-hit piece had been written and submitted to the Star-Telegram, with publication expected last Sunday. However, publication of the counter-hit piece did not happen. The Star-Telegram claimed the counter-hit piece could not be published because it had been written by Blake Woodard who happens to serve as the campaign treasurer for Mary Kelleher's re-election campaign.

Apparently, when it suits their biased interests, the Star-Telegram can pretend to have high minded journalistic ethics.

Somehow publishing a hit piece full of lies and innuendo, written by retiring TRWD Board President, Vic Henderson, is okey-dokey okay in the Star-Telegram's murky ethics world, but publishing an editorial counter-opinion  is not okey-dokey okay, when written by the campaign treasurer of a TRWD Board Incumbent.

Well, the Fort Worth Business Press has a different set of journalistic ethics than the Star-Telegram and yesterday published a lengthy opinion piece by Blake Woodard which spoke the truth to Vic Henderson's slander and lies.

Go to Water Board election: Blake Woodard's letter to voters to read Blake Woodard's "letter" in its entirety.

Following are a few choice paragraphs from the "letter"....

So if the other four TRWD directors are the ones helping Dallas tap into our lakes, why are Henderson and Moncrief telling us that re-electing Mary Kelleher will jeopardize control of Fort Worth’s water? Of course it’s a nonsensical statement, as Mary is but one of five directors. The other four still can win every vote 4-1. When the expensive mailers hit your mailbox, let logic guide your reading.

I think Henderson and Moncrief are telling you that Mary is a threat to Fort Worth water, because they can’t stand having an outsider in their exclusive club. Mary Kelleher is your candidate. She is our only sunlight on a shadowy government body with a long history of backroom, good-ol’ boy behavior. Let me be clear that I am not speaking of the dedicated TRWD employees who operate the lakes and pipelines and take care of the district’s daily business.

You may be familiar with some of the legendary TRWD management shenanigans, which are beyond the scope of this letter. The local media cannot keep an eye on these guys constantly. Mary Kelleher’s eyes are your eyes. Mary is you.

If we fail to re-elect Mary, we have lost our seat at the table of a Board whose other four directors all are recruited by the same people, funded by the same people, and influenced by the same people. The only way we can retain one seat at the table is if we vote in droves this TRWD election. The special interests will vote. Will you?

More Local Control Over Fort Worth Star-Telegram Hit Pieces

Yesterday I opined that in my opinion the Fort Worth Way was in dire need of a RICO racketeering investigation. The day before yesterday I blogged about an aspect of that racketeering problem in a blog post about America's Biggest Boondoggle's new marketing manager.

The blog post about the new marketing manager generated an example of the racketeering mindset from someone whose name is Unknown...

Unknown has left a new comment on your post "What Will America's Biggest Boondoggle's New Marketing Manager Manage":

Really dude? Honestly WTF is your problem really? Get over yourself. Or how about you move on back to good ole DC and leave Ft Worth alone? We like it just fine! 

Aunt Kay won't let me  move back to DC. Aunt Kay insists I stay in the Fort Worth area to keep a watchful eye on cousin J.D.

It must be a comfort to Unknown to be able to speak for all the people of Fort Worth, people who Unknown thinks like Fort Worth just fine. Yet somehow over the years I have come into contact with many lifelong natives of Fort Worth who are totally disgusted with their town and the corrupt Fort Worth Way's inept shenanigans, such as that which has become America's Biggest Boondoggle, or little  things, like being unable to "fix" the park in downtown Fort Worth dedicated to Fort Worth's heritage, Or a big thing, like becoming the world's biggest experiment in urban fracking.

And then, last night the most recent example I have seen of the Fort Worth Way's racketeering. A guest editorial opinion piece from the soon to be ex-board president of the Tarrant Regional Water District, Vic Henderson, with this opinion editorial being an irresponsible slanderous hit piece attacking fellow board member, the up for re-election, Mary Kelleher.

You can read this embarrassing propaganda hit piece by going to Our local water board should have local control.

I am not going to detail all the bits of misinformation, out right lies and slander. See how many you can find yourself if you can tolerate making it through the entire editorial.

The reason behind this hit piece is the fact that the TRWD board must be kept under the control of the existing cadre of TRWD conspirators. Any means possible are used to keep control.

The fraudulent  results of the most recent  TRWD board election is what set off the biggest  election fraud investigation in Texas history, due to wanton vote harvesting using bogus absentee ballots. In the previous TRWD board  election  Marty Leonard and Jim Lane were re-elected with a record breaking vote count, around 10,000 more votes than any previous TRWD board election.

And around 10,000 of those votes were absentee ballots. That is approximately half the votes. Hence the obvious fraud and the followup ongoing investigation.

Marty Leonard and Jim Lane have retained their position on the TRWD Board, despite the obvious fraud. Mary Leonard and Jim Lane are solidly in the Gang which runs Fort Worth in what is known as the Fort Worth Way.  As is incumbent  Jack Stevens.

Jack Stevens and Marty Leonard are basically puppets, voting the way they are told to vote. Jim Lane is less of a puppet, but plays along because it is useful for him to do so, what with being on the TRWD Board has allowed Jim Lane to be helpful to his friends, like the guy who was having some money woes with La Grave Field, so Jim Lane finagled to have the TRWD buy property from the beleagured ballpark owner and helped turn that property into the world's first drive-in movie theater of the 21st century.

Have I mentioned the dire need for a federal RICO investigation into all the shady corruption in Fort Worth?

The possible election of non-puppets to the TRWD Board, joining non-puppet, Mary Kelleher, presents such a threat to so many that pretty much all levels of corruption are resorted to.

As in election fraud, slander, editorials full of lies and disinformation, propaganda filled mailers.

Because, the bottom line here is the racketeering likely is at the criminal conspiracy level, You know the type thing people go to jail for with huge fines.

Now do you get the motivation behind the bad behavior of the TRWD Board's majority members? And the higher up employees of the TRWD?

Basically they know if they lose control of the TRWD Board, the jig is up....

The Raw Galling Hypopcritical Hubris Of TRWD Propaganda Is Appalling

Yesterday in a blogging titled More TRWD Election Propaganda Lies From Jim Lane, Marty Leonard, Betsy Price & Mike Moncrief I mentioned an article in the Fort Worth Business Press titled Monty Bennett: Businessman, water district activist about which I said I might have more to say later.

Later would be now, a day later.

Judging from the TRWD incumbent's campaign propaganda the main thrust of their argument for re-election is so as to prevent the takeover of Fort Worth's water by an evil Dallas businessman named Monty Bennett.

Ever since I have been at my Fort Worth location in Texas I have been puzzled by the way some of the Fort Worth locals demonize Dallas. From the start of my puzzlement I have assumed the demonizing comes from Fort Worth's, well, inferiority complex. What with Dallas and Fort Worth being sort of twin sisters, with the one sister, Dallas, sort of being the star of the family, both due to notoriety, due to being the scene of the 20th century's most shocking assassination, and later due to being the setting for what was for several years the world's most popular TV show, which led to Dallas having a skyline recognized world-wide, whilst nothing in Fort Worth is recognized world-wide. But, more than any of that, Dallas is just more of an impressive, world class city than Fort Worth is, or likely will ever be.

Hence the attachment of "Dallas" to "businessman" thus turning a businessman into someone to be feared who is up to no good, when in reality Monty Bennett is simply a successful businessman who does business in Texas, including Dallas, including Fort Worth, where he owns two downtown hotels.

But, it holds no traction for the TRWD propaganda spewers to assert that a Texas businessman is trying to take over Fort Worth's water. Or to assert a Fort Worth businessman is trying to take over Fort Worth's water. Or to assert that an American businessman is trying to take over Fort Worth's water.

No. For the sake of propaganda, the TRWD has to demonize a "Dallas" businessman.

Read the Fort Worth Business Press article and you will learn Monty Bennett is simply a man trying to protect his property from TRWD eminent domain abuse, who in doing so found himself confronted by a corrupt board which did not deal in an above board, transparent, ethical manner.

In all my years prior to moving to Texas I had never witnessed eminent domain being used, let alone abused, to take private property. Since I have been in the Eminent Domain Abuse Capital of the World, Tarrant County, I have lost track of the number of outrageous instances of eminent domain abuse.

Northeast Mall needs more parking space? Abuse eminent domain to take people's homes. Now bankrupt Radio Shack needs land for a new corporate headquarters? Abuse eminent domain to boot people from a public housing project. Jerry Jones wants a new football stadium? Abuse eminent domain to take dozens of houses, businesses and displace well over a thousand people.

Those a just a few examples.

Somehow places in America, like Seattle, for instance, or my old home zone of Mount Vernon, are able to build public works projects where, when land is needed, fairly negotiate with the owners to buy their property. Seattle managed to build a new baseball park, football stadium and exhibition hall without using, let alone abusing, eminent domain. And that is in a densely developed area of downtown Seattle, unlike the area Jerry Jones, and his co-horts in eminent domain abuse, took to build a football stadium.

So, Monty Bennett has used his constitution given rights as an American citizen to defend his property from the TRWD's plans. He tried to work with them, for a solution, to no avail.

One paragraph from the FW Business Press article really irritated me....

“Monty Bennett is a Dallas businessman who is spending millions of dollars falsely attacking the Tarrant Regional Water District in an effort to take control of our local water supply,” said TRWD board President Vic Henderson. “He has filed numerous lawsuits against the district, wasting more than $1 million in TWRD taxpayer and ratepayer dollars.”

First off, Mr. Bennett is not attacking the TRWD. He is defending his property from the TRWD. Second off, it is Mr. Bennett's right to defend himself via the courts. Third off, had the TRWD dealt with Mr. Bennett openly and honestly, the TRWD would not have found itself needing to defend itself in court.

But, more than any of that, this Henderson guy complains that Mr. Bennett has caused the TRWD to waste over $1 million? How many millions did the TRWD board waste on its idiotic attempt to take water from Oklahoma? How many millions has the TRWD board wasted on the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle?

I must leave for a followup blogging what I have to say about the TRWD incumbent's embarrassingly hypocritical accusations about Mr. Bennett financing the campaigns of TRWD candidates, Craig Bickley and Michele Von Luckner.

I tell you, the sheer raw galling hypopcritical hubris of these people is just appalling......

Today Mary Kelleher Received The Badge Of Honor Of A TRWD Board Censure While Censuring The Board Herself

Yesterday I blogged that Tomorrow Mary Kelleher May Receive The High Honor Of Being Censured By The Ethically Challenged Tarrant Regional Water District Board.

Well, today is yesterday's tomorrow and today, Tuesday, April 29, 2014, the TRWD Board voted to censure fellow board member, Mary Kelleher.

At one point in the meeting Mary Kelleher said she would "wear the censure like a badge of honor."

When Mary said that she would wear the censure like a badge of honor the scene you see part of above, erupted, with Mary's supporters standing and cheering.

I do not know how long the video of this meeting will be viewable. I suspect it may disappear when Mary's fellow board members realize how bad this meeting makes them look. Bad and out of touch with reality. And downright ineptly stupid.

Currently you can view the video of today's meeting, via the TRWD website, by going here.

Sitting at the TRWD Board table, that you see above, is Vic Henderson at the head of the table. To the right of Henderson, clutching her pearls, is Marty Leonard. Mary is next to Marty. Directly across from Mary is Jim Lane. I think that is Hal Stevens between Lane and Henderson. Apparently Hal Stevens is limited to 10 words per meeting.

He is cropped off in the video screencap above, but to the left of Jim Lane, also across from Mary, is Mary's arch nemesis, the notorious Jim Oliver.

What with what was said about Jim Oliver at this meeting I was thinking to myself what in the world does this man have on these people that keeps him from being fired? Jim Oliver won't give Mary a key to the building? While Vic Henderson hems and haws about how he can't tell Jim Oliver what to do?

Was Vic Henderson able to comprehend that  people were laughing at him and the ridiculously ironic things he was saying at times? At one point Henderson threatened to clear the room when the guffawing got going real good. Someone shouted "Good luck with that", implying that Henderson and his co-horts were outnumbered. To which Henderson threatened "It can be done."

I wish the crowd would have been more vocal and more disruptive. This was the first actual real good protest I have witnessed since I have been in mostly protest-free Texas, a place where there seems to me to be so much to protest about.

My favorite moment was when Mary basically censured the board with a litany of their extremely questionable actions. Mary brought up nepotism, cronyism, other isms I'm forgetting and most memorably Mary brought up an illicit liaison between a high ranking TRWD employee and a lower ranking TRWD employee, saying this as she sat a couple feet from Jim Oliver.

I wish I could remember exactly what it was Mary said when she got to the illicit liaison part of her censuring of the TRWD Board.

While watching this absurd meeting a couple times it was reminding me of a Simpson's episode. With Mary being Lisa Simpson, you know, wise beyond her years Lisa Simpson, usually smarter than any of the adults in the room, being totally flummoxed by the utter ridiculousness of what she is dealing with.

Sticking with the TV theme, watching this absurd meeting also reminded me of watching Dallas. The drawling Texas accents, particularly Vic Henderson's, combined with the sort of evil undertone of the Board's shenanigans, well, it seemed like J.R. Ewing would have felt right at home, and not just because of the condoning of illicit liaisons.

Listening to some of the nonsense, like going on and on like Mary had committed some sort of crime at a Fort Worth City Council meeting had me thinking Alice in Wonderland Through the Looking Glass, where right is wrong, up is down, stupid is smart, yes is no.

And where, in Vic Henderson's imagination, Mary is surrounded by special shirts. Yes, that's right, Henderson accused Mary of attending the city council meeting with a gang of special shirts.

Seriously, Fort Worth, can't we do better than have buffoons like this conducting public business?

I wish there was a printed transcript so I could exactly repeat what Mary said about her fellow board member's need to resign due to their multiple incompetencies and questionable antics. This may have come in the part of the meeting where Mary answered the various charges against her, charges like costing the district money. Mary then counted off a long list of various ways the TRWD Board had wasted public money. Like millions spent on a lawsuit trying to get water from Oklahoma.

Or planting peas at their private game reserve.

One more thing.

I think I may have fallen in love with Mary Kelleher today. I know I'm smitten. If you watch the video you will get why, there's just something about Mary.....

J.D. Granger Confuses Smear With Fear In Well Financed TRWD B-N-K Campaign

This morning's Fort Worth Star-Telegram has an article about the TRWD Board election that managed to slightly annoy me.

The article that managed to slightly annoy me is titled, Big money is pouring into the race for Tarrant Regional Water District board.

One of the board incumbents, running for re-election, Vic Henderson, claims the water quality of the Trinity River is much improved from when he began serving on the board in the 1980s, saying, “I know what that river was like. It’s very different than it used to be.”

The Trinity River is different than it used to be? Well, now that totally settles the quality of the water issue.

Apparently the TRWD Board and J.D. Granger are stunned regarding the large amount of money that has been raised by their opponents, particularly John Basham.

J.D. Granger claims "we did not expect a race at all." In that same paragraph I learned that not only is J.D. the executive director of the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle, he is also the development director for the Tarrant Regional Water District.

Also from J.D....

“And all of a sudden, four or five mailers hit the street. I’ve never seen anything close to this much money spent on a water district election."

As a result, the incumbents are suddenly playing catch-up, and the district “is staring at a well-funded smear campaign.”

As opposed to the incumbents underfunded smear campaign?

The Star-Telegram neglects to mention the fact that the TRWD Board is being sued for over 300 violations of the Texas Open Meetings law.

Speaking of which,  does anyone have the public record of the Open Meeting the TRWD Board held when they discussed why it was a good idea to give the unqualified, un-experienced, J.D. Granger the job of TRV Boondoggle executive director?

The TRWD Board people have been in brouhaha mode over having the fact that they bought a helicopter brought to the attention of the voting public.

The following 2 paragraphs in the Star-Telegram article particularly vexed me...

TRWD Helicopter

Jim Lane, who serves on the water board and is a candidate in the District 2 Fort Worth City Council race, told the Star-Telegram Thursday that Basham’s mailings are spreading lies suggesting that the district bought a multimillion-dollar helicopter. The mailer showed a large helicopter with leather interior.

The $440,000 helicopter owned by the water district does not boast any leather seats. It is used to fly over and inspect pipelines and facilities that are not easy to reach on roads.

I have received all the B-N-K mailings. I have seen no photo of a large helicopter in any of the B-N-K mailings. I have seen a photo of part of the interior of a helicopter in one of the B-N-K mailings. No where have I seen a claim made that the TRWD bought a multi-million dollar helicopter. I have read mention made of leather seats. And that the TRWD Board uses their helicopter to fly to a private deer hunting location.

I thought it odd that Jim Lane was all adamant about the leather seats, but made no mention of the deer hunting.

Look at the picture above, which I took from the controversial campaign mailer that the TRWD Board spent your tax dollars on, and see if you think that those seats look like they may be leather covered.

I  find Jim Lane's explaining that the almost half a million dollar helicopter is needed to inspect pipelines and facilities without road access to be troubling.

Has the TRWD always had a helicopter, all the way back to its inception? One must assume so, what with those hard to get to pipelines needing to be inspected.

So, the TRWD Board spent almost a half a million dollars to buy the helicopter. How much is spent on fuel each year? How much is a pilot paid?

Here's what I'm thinking. Would it not be a wiser use of taxpayer money to invest that half million dollars in some interest generating instrument, and then use the interest on that investment to hire a couple people to walk the sections of pipeline that one can not drive to? I am sure there are a lot of currently unemployed people who would love the job of hiking to inspect pipelines.

After all, we learned in the notorious Betsy Price TRWD Water Protection Team mailer that the Tarrant Regional Water District provides wise and conservative stewardship of our tax dollars....

The hubris gives me a headache.