Flood Of Conflict Of Vested Interest Dollars Pollute TRWD Incumbents Lane & Leonard's Re-Election Scheme

I saw that which you see here on Facebook this morning. It came to Facebook from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram via an article about the over half million dollars the TRWD board incumbents have collected from those with a vested interest in making sure the incumbents get re-elected and thus keep that TRWD money flowing to those with the vested interests who are financing the Lane/Leonard campaigns.

The link to the Star-Telegram's TRWD board race brings in big money from big names article seems to be working, allowing you to read all about the "big money" being funneled to the TRWD incumbents, with some of that money coming from evil Dallas, but not that evil Dallas businessman, Monty Bennett.

One of the evil Dallas businessmen funneling funds to Lane and Leonard has the familiar last name of Perot.

Why is it okay in the TRWD apologist's shady eyes for Ross Perot Jr. to donate money to support TRWD candidates, without Perot being accused of trying to take over the board, or making the donation so as to continue currying favor with the TRWD? What is Perot's vested interest?

The over half million dollars funneled to the campaigns of Jim Lane and Marty Leonard dwarf the dollars that Monty Bennett has donated to the worthy cause of electing Craig Bickley and Michele Von Luckner.

Below are some voter's comments from the Facebook TRWD Big Money posting....

2 shares

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  Bob Horton Wow! Over $550,000!

  13 hrs · Like
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  Miki Hojnacki Von Luckner Dallas money?!?! Well how dare they let those yucky, evil Dallas folks put money in this campaign. Tsk tsk... Pot calling kettle....

  13 hrs · Like · 1
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  Mary Kelleher Anyone want to guess why those 2 seats are worth so much to the people identified in the story?

  12 hrs · Like
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  Melissa McAdoo-McDougall That's exactly what I noticed Miki. Looks like the FW rich are trying to keep the rich, rich.

  12 hrs · Edited · Like
• 

  Melissa McAdoo-McDougall What ticks me off is how they mention in the article all the ritzy neighborhoods as being in the voting district and once again do not recognize the Eastside of FW. I think we need to show them how many votes the Eastside can produce and vote for Bickley and Von Luckner!

  12 hrs · Edited · Like · 2
• 

  Bob Horton Lots and lots of votes matter!

  12 hrs · Like
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  Mary Kelleher Our eastside is underestimated.....time to show the good ole boys what the eastside can do together!

  12 hrs · Like · 3
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  Norma Mascorro Keyser Why only part of River Oaks gets a vote?

  5 hrs · Like
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  Brian Henry Tell me who to vote for.

  4 hrs · Like · 1
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  Jayne Marshall So now we see who is "buying" the Board. Looks to me like the incumbents are being bought by the big Ft. Worth $$$$ !!!

The TRWD Incumbent's River Vision Is A Deceitful Foolish Boondoggle But Vote For Them Anyway

A couple hours ago Elsie Hotpepper sent me a link to some letters to the editor in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

I can not share that link because the Star-Telegram insists you be a subscriber to read their secret content. When Elsie Hotpepper wants me to read something in the Star-Telegram she sends me a "magic" link which lets me check out the Star-Telegram without being a subscriber, but if I put that same link in this blogging, it won't work. Which is what makes it an Elsie Hotpepper "magic" link.

Anyway, on to the subject of the "magic" link.

So, I really do sort of find it exhausting processing the thought processes of some people's thinking when it comes to the TRWD board and the upcoming election.

Case in point, letter #1, which I screen capped above, and copy below....

Water board election

The Trinity River project is a deceitful, wasteful boondoggle that will be a disaster if it fails and will enrich the well-connected if it succeeds, while destroying the confluence that led to the founding of Fort Worth.

I wish I could vote against its supporters, Marty Leonard and Jim Lane, in the Tarrant Regional Water Board election.

However, Monty Bennett is a Dallas businessman who, to avoid having a pipeline buried beneath his ranch, would deprive 1.7 million people of access to a vitally needed resource. He’s bankrolling Leonard’s and Lane’s principal opponents.

If they win, a private citizen will have successfully gained control of a unit of government to avoid obeying the same laws as the rest of us. That’s worse than the Trinity Mud Puddle.

I urge voters to hold their noses and vote for Leonard and Lane, even though I think they’ve behaved foolishly. The alternative is unacceptable.

— George Michael Sherry, Fort Worth

Where do I start? First off, are the TRWD propaganda-ists getting more twistedly clever with their propaganda, is that what the above letter is evidence of?

Second off the letter writer makes the case that something is amiss with the water board and verbalizes his wish that he could vote against the pair of TRWD lackeys running for re-election, Jim Lane and Marty Leonard.

And then the letter writer brings up the Dallas businessman bogeyman, Monty Bennett, claiming Bennett is bankrolling the opposition so as to deprive 1.7 million people access to a vital resource, meaning water. And that if Bennett, and his co-conspirators, win, they will have gained control of a unit of government, meaning the TRWD, and thus avoid obeying the same laws as the rest of us.

Avoid obeying the same laws as the rest of us? That does not even remotely make sense. What laws do the rest of us "avoid obeying"?

What law is Monty Bennett avoiding? Monty Bennett lives in this county called the United States of America. That country gives its citizens the right to seek redress in the court system when a citizen feels his rights are being trampled on.

If you own property and if some entity, governmental or non-governmental, tries to take or use your property, you have the right to protect your property by any legal means at your disposal.

Monty Bennett tried to work with the TRWD to find a solution. Monty Bennett suggested alternatives. The TRWD arrogantly turned a deaf ear. The TRWD brought upon itself Monty Bennett deciding to use the courts to protect his property and get a fair hearing of his grievances.

The pipeline the TRWD wants to run across Bennett's ranch connects to a reservoir which I do not believe yet exists. The pipeline/reservoir project is a cooperative enterprise with Dallas as a partner.

Yes, evil Dallas.

Which is another thing that really sickens me with this maddeningly stupid TRWD incumbent propaganda, that being the use of "Dallas" as an identifier as to what type businessman Monty Bennett is.

The fact of the matter is one could just as rightly say a Fort Worth businessman is trying to deprive access to water. Or a Texas businessman. Or an American businessman.  Monty Bennett owns property in Dallas, Fort Worth, east Texas and likely other locations in America, or the world, for all I know.

The letter writer urges voters to hold their noses and vote for Leonard and Lane, even though they have behaved foolishly.

Behaved foolishly? I'd love to have that elaborated on.

The alternative is unacceptable? It is unacceptable to elect ethical, well-educated, well respected candidates who are running on the concept that the TRWD should operate in a transparent manner responsive to the needs of those for whom they serve? And not operate as a secretive, crony club rife with backdoor dealings, nepotism and corruption?

The second letter writer is from a voice of reason, who should have been recently elected to replace Fort Worth's Queen Mother of Nepotism....

The Tarrant Regional Water District has delivered its “annual report,” a slick, taxpayer-funded mailer supporting challenged incumbents. It contains not a word on Panther Island, which consumes most of the district’s attention and resources.

It mentions incumbent Marty Leonard’s bachelor’s degree from Southern Methodist University, and bestows on incumbent Jim Lane the unique title of “secretary pro tem.”

The four status-quo members are nicely flowered. Mary Kelleher, the only director who has challenged the status quo, and who has led the charge to inject ethics and transparency into this organization, is listed simply as “director,” with no educational credentials.

With a master’s in educational psychology and certificates in advanced graduate studies, she is likely the most highly educated board member.

Three challengers – Keith Annis, Craig Bickley and Michele Von Luckner, are vying for Leonard’s and Lane’s seats. We must ensure new blood to clean up this corrupt cesspool. Study up, and vote!

— Mark Greene, Fort Worth

I have not yet received the TRWD annual report to which Mr. Greene refers. Imagine that, the annual report contains not a word about the TRWD's imaginary island. Or the little bridge taking four years to build to connect the imaginary island to the mainland.

Is the Panther Island nonsense the type TRWD foolishness the first letter writer was referring to?

I do not know why Keith Annis joined the challenge to the incumbents, after there were already two strong challengers. Having a third challenger dilutes the opposition vote, making it more likely that the incumbents might win again.

Which would not be a good outcome for the future of Fort Worth, or Fort Worth's water.....

Tandy Hill Hiking With Wildflowers Texting Germans & Bacon Hotdogs

Even though a downpour poured down a large volume of water this past Thursday at my location on the planet, I thought, despite thunderstorms being forecast, that today would be a mighty fine time to go do some hill hiking on the Tandy Hills prior to doing some treasure hunting at Town Talk.

Thursday's rain turned out to have had no muddying effect on the Tandy Hills, which resulted in the desired mighty fine hike.

Today the hills were much greener than two Saturdays ago, greener and the hills were alive with the blooming of color. One example of which you can see below.

It is always baffling to me how few locals take advantage of the Tandy Hills for some much needed nature communing on a day as nice as today.

I did come upon two women hiking. The first one was dressed colorfully, topped with a bonnet which was not blue. The second one was texting on her phone as she hiked. I howdied her and told her it was against the law to text while you hiked.

The texting woman acted panicky when I advised her regarding the texting/hiking law, apologizing for her lawbreaking in a thick German accent. I quickly tried to explain that I was joking. I hope I did not cause any sort of international incident.

I forgot to make mention of the Hoodoos, above. That collection of artistically sculpted Hoodoos was located at Hoodoo Central at the north end of the View Street trail.

On the top of Mount Tandy I came upon the beautiful, big, purple wildflower you see below.

This wildflower looked like a flower one might see being grown along with the tulips in the flower fields in my old home zone of the Skagit Valley in Washington.

Town Talk was uneventful today. I got a bag of carrots, some honey lemon yogurt, swiss cheese, a bag of whole grain bagels and bacon hotdogs. Bacon hotdogs may turn out to be problematic, but when I saw them I was hungry and the concept sounded good.

I will soon know if the bacon hotdog concept turns out to be good in reality, because they are on the lunch menu.

Is Fort Worth Weekly Suggesting Mary Kelleher Symbolically Scoops Corruption Sludge From The Trinity River?

With this week's Fort Worth Weekly I had not previously paid any attention to the artwork on this week's cover, what with my attention drawn to the TRWD typo and the article which the cover artwork apparently represents.

It was not til this morning I looked down to see Fort Worth Weekly laying on the floor to find myself wondering what is that cover artwork supposed to be telling us?

Is that redhead at the lower right supposed to be Tarrant Regional Water District board member, Mary Kelleher?

With Mary Kelleher scooping some symbolic sludge corruption from the polluted Trinity River while bundles of dollars are flushed down the river?

Or is that supposed to be a redheaded J.D. Granger scooping a handful of gold, for his personal use, from the polluted Trinity, while taxpayer dollars are flushed down the river, eventually floating under the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle's three little bridges currently being constructed to connect to an imaginary island in four years?

Anyone else wondering what this Fort Worth Weekly cover is trying to tell us?

Craig Bickley Does Not Believe In The Dallas Bogeyman But He Does Know Who The Lawn Whisperer Is

I think what you are looking at here may be an artist's rendering of last night's Fort Worth League of Neighborhoods meeting.

I learned of this meeting a few minutes ago via the Star-Telegraph blog in a blogging titled FWLNA Meeting, that being a meeting at which, apparently, TRWD board incumbent Jim Lane found himself outwitted by TRWD board candidate, Craig Bickley.

A few minutes after reading about the FWLNA meeting I was on Facebook where I saw this artistic interpretation of last night's meeting, with Jim Lane as a ranting caveman accusing Craig Bickley of not believing in the Bogeyman.

In TRWD vernacular, the Bogeyman is the Dallas businessman, Monty Bennett, who is the evil mastermind conniving to take control of Fort Worth's water in a nefariously complicated plot worthy of a James Bond movie.

In other words the TRWD incumbents are not running on their embarrassing record, they are running on the Stop The Evil Dallas Businessman From Taking Over Fort Worth time-tested campaign tactic of attacking a bogus straw man.

In Fort Worth Weekly Is J.D. Granger Exhibit A For The TRWD Prosecution Or The Defense?

On Wednesday after I got myself this week's Fort Worth Weekly I blogged about this week's cover article in a blogging titled Fort Worth Weekly Does Not Know I Am A Foe Of The TWRD.

In that blogging I made mention of an unfortunate typo on the cover and the fact that the online version of FW Weekly had not yet been updated with this week's issue, hence me being unable to make a link to the article.

Until today.

The online version of FOES v. TRWD fixed the TWRD typo. Near as I can tell no editing has been done to the online version to fix the cluttered, confused print version's shoddy quality.

I will copy a few paragraphs from the FW Weekly article. The pronoun "He" in the first sentence of that which I will copy refers to the controversial Jim Oliver, he being the man whose job it apparently is to be TRWD's stonewalling enforcer.....

"He has engaged in feisty combat with Kelleher, who is trying to access many records that the public has not been able to. Most recently, she drew Oliver’s ire during a meeting in the fall when the district’s legal budget had to be increased.

Oliver, she said, blamed her in part for the increase.

Her colleagues are likewise unamused by her repeated requests for documents that include lobbyist payments check stubs, e-mails between district officers and lobbyists, and expense reports for board members.

They suspect her, perhaps with good reason, of simply being an agent for Bennett.

“She wants copies of records so that she can take them to Monty Bennett,” Stevens said simply.

Even if the complaints to authorities and the various investigations go nowhere, the gripes are an irritant to a district that for years sailed along with nary a question as to its operation.

Their concerns have some merit.

___________________________________________

Exhibit A is J.D. Granger, son of U.S. Rep. Kay Granger and the head of the TRWD’s sister agency, the Trinity River Vision Authority, the legislatively created economic-development arm of TRWD that has been criticized for its $909 million taxpayer-funded development of the river basin.

With little experience in economic development, J.D. was named head of the TRVA out of the Tarrant County district attorney’s office with almost no public input.

Also in question are contracts with those tight with the TRWD establishment."

Now back to my pithy commentary....

So, apparently FW Weekly is buying into the TRWD's propaganda that Mary Kelleher is a pawn of Monty Bennett, that they, meaning the other board members, suspect her, perhaps with good reason, of being a Bennett agent.

The article goes on to say even if all the investigations go nowhere they are an irritant to the district.

Well, duh.

I suspect anytime anyone gets investigated for shady dealing that that investigation is an irritant.

The section above the horizontal line in the article ends with "Their concerns have some merit."

Whose concerns? The public's? The board member's other than Mary Kelleher?

Immediately after stating that someone's concerns apparently have merit there is that aforementioned horizontal line followed by "Exhibit A is J.D. Granger".

As you can see via that which I copied from the article there are only two paragraphs devoted to Exhibit A.

Is the article intending to indicate that J.D. Granger is Exhibit A of public concerns which have some merit? I have no idea.

Elsewhere in the article we are told that requests for documents mentioning J.D. Granger are the most frequent subject requested.

I have long opined if you want to get to the heart of the corruption in the TRWD you could do that quite simply by making public the record of whatever discussions took place that led to the hiring of Kay Granger's son to do a job for which he had zero qualifications.

Surely there must be a record of the various discussions that had to have taken place before the job was offered to J.D. Granger.

The record of the interview with J.D. Granger which must have taken place would seem to be extremely interesting to read.

At that meeting did J.D. share with whoever was interviewing him his vision of where his leadership of the Trinity River Vision would take the project? Did J.D. speak about his brilliant idea to have Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube Floats in the polluted Trinity River? Did J.D. speak about his brilliant idea to have those Inner Tube Floats take place at an imaginary pavilion on an imaginary island? And tout that imaginary pavilion as a world class music venue? Did J.D. share his brilliant idea to label a chunk of land, which is not an island, as Panther Island?

There must be public records of how much money has been spent on J.D. Granger's multiple junkets to multiple towns to see how those towns managed to build, on an actual project timeline, actual successful projects involving re-developing waterfront areas.

How about J. D. Granger's expense account records? Like how much has been spent on stays in a Dallas hotel whilst on some imaginary River Vision business in that evil town run by Monty Bennett?

Among the documents the TRWD and Jim Oliver are covering up by stonewalling do they include records of whatever transpired between J.D.'s mama, Kay, and the TRWD and Jim Oliver which led to the hiring of Kay's son?

How come TRWD board member, Mary Kelleher, is denied access to records of the sort I am mentioning here?

Jim Oliver is pretty much Nixonian in his stonewalling coverup.

I do not think, years ago, the TRWD board ever dreamed  its shenanigans would become a public issue, operating as they did like a private fiefdom, complete with a private hunting preserve.

I think it is pretty obvious that what is in those public documents must be rather damning and rather embarrassing. Likely with more than one smoking gun.

With Nixon it took a unanimous ruling of the Supreme Court to force him to fess up, release the tapes and reveal he'd been in on the Watergate cover-up from the start.

What will it take to get the TRWD to fess up, release the documents and reveal the extent of their shady dealings?

An election?

A Close Encounter With A Bluebonnet And A Fisherman Has Me Wondering Why Texans Tolerate Polluted Water

I had this year's first up close and personal visit with a Texas bluebonnet today whilst walking with the Indian Ghosts who haunt Arlington's Village Creek Natural Historical Area.

What a difference a couple weeks has made in North Texas. That which was previously brown has turned bright green. Leaves have returned to the trees.

The Village Creek zone is well on its way to its annual return to being jungle-like.

But, where have all the armadillos gone? Is this not the time of year when those cute critters go into fun frolic mode? Come to think of it I have not seen any armadillo roadkill this spring. Did the badly timed March freeze wreak havoc with the armadillo population?

The March freeze caused the turtle population no woes, judging by the herd of turtles today populating the Village Creek turtle log.

I was not the only human out and about enjoying the balmy weather walking with the Indian Ghosts. I came upon multiple walkers, a biker or two and one fisherman who said he releases that which he catches, due to the fish not being safe to eat.

Would one not think that if the water in your home zone was so polluted that fish living in that water were not safe to eat that some energy would be put into cleaning up the water?

I recollect a long time ago Lake Washington in Washington was badly polluted. As were parts of Puget Sound. A massive bond issue called Forward Thrust was passed which caused several things to be built, including new water treatment facilities which returned Puget Sound, Lake Washington, and other bodies of Washington water back to their original safe state. And now, in 2015, years later, salmon manage to make the trek through the Ballard Locks en route to Lake Washington, where if you managed to catch one it is perfectly safe to have yourself a salmon barbecue using that which you caught.

North Texas needs some sort of forward thinking Forward Thrust proposal to fix some of that which is in dire need of fixing on this part of the planet. If little ol' Western Washington can manage such a thing one would think big ol' North Texas could....

Fort Worth's Mayor Wants To Become Betsy Blue Rollerblading Sidewalks While Eating Less Beef

I saw that which you see here and thought "HUH".

The "HUH" was due to thinking "Blue Zone" was referring to Democrat, as in turn Fort Worth from a Red Republican dominated town to a progressive, liberal, forward thinking Blue Democrat dominated town.

The "HUH" was also due to seeing right-wing Republican Betsy Price hoping to turn Fort Worth Blue.

Turn Cow Town into Long-Living 'Blue Zone' is an article on the NBC News website. It was via a blog comment from Steve A that I learned Betsy Price wants to become Betsy Blue....

Steve A has left a new comment on your post "Pondering Thirteen Months To Build The Empire State Building Over Dry Land & Fort Worth's Bridge Boondoggle": 

Meanwhile, Betsy Price is looking to be around a LONG time so she can see the boondoggle's final completion - http://www.nbcnews.com/health/aging/texas-mayor-hopes-turn-cow-town-long-living-blue-zone-n337416 - or cancellation... 

From the NBC article some interesting Betsy Blue quotes....

Regarding a poll which ranked Fort Worth's well-being as 61st out of 189 cities Betsy said, "I believe we can substantially raise those numbers. I really do believe we can. And I think long term, 20 years out, we'll be way up in the top 50 percent or more."

Uh, at the 61st ranking, out of 189, isn't Fort Worth already in the top 50 percent?

Betsy has a history of saying things without putting a lot of thought into what she is saying. Like at the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle's TNT ceremony to explosively mark the supposed start of construction of three little bridges being built over dry land Betsy is heard, on video, uttering something like "Building over dry land is a brilliant engineering plan that will save a lot of money, with the bridges only taking four years to build, instead of the eight years it might take over water."

I may have taken a bit of poetic license with that Betsy Blue quote.

All the TRWD/TRV Boondoggle apologists making it sound like a purposeful good thing to be building those little bridges over dry land highly annoy me. There will be no water in the ditch that is supposed to go under the bridges until the Trinity River is diverted into the ditch. Any normal, properly funded public works project would be digging the ditch at the same time the bridges are being built.

Regarding Fort Worth having too many fat kids, Betsy said "Kids spend far too much time in front of screens. They eat fast food. Their diabetes rate is incredible. Estimates are this is the first generation that will live shorter. And that's really worried me as a mother, a grandmother, and as a community leader."

Live shorter? Not grow as tall?

Betsy had some useful diet advice, saying "If you're used to eating beef six days a week, maybe you eat it four days a week. Or maybe you eat four ounces instead of eight ounces. Maybe mostly you just think about what you're doing."

Yikes! Beef six days a week, cut back to four? I think it's been a couple months since I've had any beef. No wonder I"m so skinny.

The article also says part of Betsy Blue's plan to enhance Fort Worth's well-being is to add sidewalks throughout the city. There is no Betsy quote on the sidewalk subject.

Fort Worth's lack of sidewalks has been an issue with me for years. How does it happen that a big city develops with so few sidewalks? The little town I moved to Texas from, Mount Vernon, Washington, has sidewalks on pretty much every street in town. Plus paved trails that are not beside streets which can take you all over town. In Tacoma, where I spent a miserable month the summer of 2008, everywhere I walked had sidewalks on both sides of the street, usually with a grass median between the street and the sidewalk.

How does a town grow into being a big city, like Fort Worth, without adding sidewalks to all its streets?

While Betsy Blue did not directly address the lack of sidewalks issue she did get quoted making reference to something one can use to roll oneself around on sidewalks in a modern American town, saying "Let's have more life in our years. Let's be able to enjoy our children and our grandchildren and our great-grandchildren. Be able to pick them up and to dance with them—or go rollerblading if you want to."

Rollerblading if you want to? On the few narrow sidewalks in my neighborhood it would be very problematic to rollerblade on them.

That's another thing. Why are Fort Worth's few sidewalks so narrow? Shouldn't they be at least as wide as the girth of an average Fort Worther? Two average sized Fort Worthers can not pass each other on a Fort Worth sidewalk without one of those passing having to step off the sidewalk to allow the other to pass.

How many miles of sidewalks could Fort Worth install for the amount of money being slowly squandered on The Boondoggle?