Two Fort Worth Leader's TRWD Board Election Voter Advisory

To the Taxpayers and Voters in Tarrant Regional Water District:

Most of you are aware that Saturday, there is an election for two seats on the Water Board, and three persons are challenging the two incumbents.

When Don Woodard, a prominent Fort Worth Democrat, and Steve Hollern, a former Republican County Chairman, agree on this matter, you know it is a bi-partisan issue.

Here are some facts:

• The race is about water – returning the TRWD’s focus to it.

• The race is not about five Dallas billionaires supporting the incumbents. And it is not about a wealthy East Texas landowner supporting some challengers.

• The race is about crony capitalism. It is about taxpayers funding infrastructure so developers can build without having to provide the infrastructure normally required of them.

• The race is about the Water Board loaning around $250,000,000 (million) to the Trinity River Vision (TRV) because the TRV is not and will not be self supporting without taxpayer funds. In fact, the tax increment financing district supporting the TRV had to be extended from 15 to 40 years to provide needed funding.

• The race is about spending almost $1 billion for economic development when our roads and local infrastructure are sorely in need of those dollars for repairs and expansion.

The Water Board’s initial charter called for flood control and water supply for the needs of our community. But in 2005, State Rep. Charlie Geren snuck a bill through the Legislature that empowered the TRWD to engage in economic development, condemn private property, borrow money, loan money, and own business property. As a result, water rates have continued to rise while valuable taxpayer dollars are being diverted to build a restaurant (awarded to an operator in a no-bid contract) and engage in other commercial activities that are not related to flood control or water supply.

Actually, the proposed TRV bypass channel will create flooding issues that require holding ponds to prevent downriver flooding.

For these and many other reasons, we support the election of Craig Bickley and Michele Von Luckner. Please make an effort to get to the polls and cast your vote for these two outstanding individuals who have pledged to return the Water Board to its original mission.

Maverick Mary Kelleher In FWBP Article About Vile TRWD News Release Lies

Yesterday I learned of the latest bad behavior of the TRWD desperadoes so desperate to keep control of the TRWD Board in the Star-Telegram, I mean, Star-Telegraph, in a blog post titled Did the TRWD Just Lie to Voters?? Again??

Is that propaganda mouthpiece for the 7th Street Gang, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, telling its readers about the TRWD press release that brought about the latest clash?

Likely not.

Though I have been told that the Star-Telegram's Bud Kennedy mentioned the TRWD news release lie on Facebook.

The Fort Worth Business Press told  its readers about the TRWD's misleading news release in Water board, challengers clash over news release.

Part of the controversy over this TRWD press release is that the Lane and Leonard incumbents are quoted, rendering this news release a piece of unethical campaign propaganda.

When I read the FWBP article I copied three paragraphs which addressed the incumbent quote controversy...

Lorance told Fort Worth Business Press that the decision to quote Lane and Leonard was a matter of convenience.

“As far as Marty and Jim being quoted, Vic (Henderson) and Jack (Stevens) were not available,” Lorance wrote in an email to the Business Press. “In fact, Marty was at the office for a committee meeting when the release was being prepared.”

Maverick board member Mary Kelleher said Lorance did not attempt to contact her.

I know for absolute fact that Mary Kelleher was available to be contacted yesterday. Which renders the TRWD spokesperson's contrary claim one more TRWD lie.

I was going to mention that Mary Kelleher being a Maverick part of the FWBP article, but someone beat me to commenting on that, on Facebook....

John Spivey

55 mins ·

The vile TRWD resorts to lies, phony PR releases (quoting only incumbents in the race), sending out taxpayer funded glossy 'reports' (really, campaign brochures) ONLY TO ELIGIBLE VOTERS in the district. Upside: New nickname for Mary Kelleher emerges from this article: "Maverick". You are Maverick, from this point forward, Mary! VOTE Craig Bickley and Michele Von Luckner! You can/should vote for BOTH!

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What I was going to say about referring to Mary Kelleher as a Maverick is that doing so is a rather telling commentary as to what is wrong with the current TRWD Board.

The one person on the board who is an actual public servant, not a crony of the 7th Street Gang, not a member of the Fort Worth oligarchy, is a Maverick in the TRWD herd of five, where four of the five are not public servants, but instead serve moneyed cronies who benefit from having them do the TRWD's business the Fort Worth Way.

If two more actual Public Servant Representatives of the People types join Mary Kelleher on the TRWD Board will Mary Kelleher still need to be a Maverick?

What with the People then having majority control of the board....

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.....

An Elsie Hotpepper Directed Covert Document Delivery Operation Followed By A Big Snake Meeting

This morning Elsie Hotpepper tasked me with a covert operation.

Yesterday I came into possession of a document which others have been wanting to get their hands on.

Elsie Hotpepper directed me to place the document in a brown paper bag, then proceed east on Randol Mill Road til I came to a forest of TRWD campaign signs across from the notorious River Bottom Bar, where Elsie semi-regularly sings karaoke on Saturday nights.

Elsie told me to locate a black box hidden amongst the forest of campaign signs, then stick the brown paper  bag, containing the document, into the box.

Upon completion of the covert operation Elsie instructed me to text "Mission Completed" to her location. I did as instructed and soon received a "Thank You" confirmation.

I then continued on my way to Arlington to complete some other tasks, eventually ending up at the Village Creek Natural Historical Area to walk with the Indian Ghosts and see the patch of pink evening primroses you see above.

Pink evening primroses were the first Texas wildflowers I saw, years ago, late in the last century, driving towards the D/FW zone from Amarillo, the big patches of delicate looking pink flowers were something I'd not seen before, alongside a highway.

Walking with the Indian Ghosts today I came upon my first snake encounter of the year.

This big bad boy was slithering creekside at the southern dam bridge crossing Village Creek, near the now green, formerly blue, Blue Bayou, where years ago I had my first water moccasin encounter.

Menacing cloud action, and wind, had me thinking I would get rained on whilst in the Village Creek area, but I stayed dry. This morning some  big drops plopped  on me in the pool.

Day after day the prediction is for rain and thunderstorms, but it has missed my location, for the most  part. I suspect the respite from thunder booming and downpours will soon end....

A Message From Craig Bickley About Saturday's TRWD Board Election

This morning there were a couple emails telling me I had once again been "tagged" in Facebook. I think I have accurately deduced that being tagged means your Facebook name has been mentioned in a Facebook post.

This time the "tagging" was in a long list of others who were also "tagged" asking us who got "tagged" to share that which you see here, and the message included with the picture.

The message is from the tallest guy in the photo, Craig Bickley, who, knock on wood, I suspect on Saturday will break Mary Kelleher's record for most votes in a TRWD board election.

I believe I was supposed to share this on Facebook, but since a lot of other people were already doing that I figured I'd share Craig Bickley's message in this venue....

Here in the last few days of the campaign, leading up to election day, I want to thank our many volunteers and supporters for all of their hard work. None of this would be possible without you. I have watched in amusement as the highly paid "astroturf" supporters hired by the other side sit in a chair for 6 hours under a shade tree, not talking to a single voter. Or show up an hour before the polls close, stay for 16 minutes, and then leave. Or in some cases, just telling voters to vote for us! This is what happens when you don't have real support.

I've noticed that apparently the incumbents are winning the vote among vacant lots and medians because that is where you find all of their signs. To those of you that have proudly displayed our signs in front of your house, on your personal property (so many that we had to make 3 follow up orders), Michele and I thank you. Know that we will fight tooth and nail to end eminent domain abuse so that you never have to worry about a water district taking that property in order to turn it into an entertainment venue.

The water district will now be YOUR water district. Not one controlled by a small group of cronies seeking to use your tax dollars to reward their friends and family members. You will be invited to ALL meetings. We will make them accessible. We will come to you and your community to address issues that concern you. We won't create loopholes in the open meetings act or hire a team of lawyers to swat away your information requests. We will put the focus on the future of this great county, and the future of your kids, and their kids.

The tide is turning. The people have had enough. And your support is making it happen. You have a chance to be part of a historic election with record turnout. We thank you for sweating in a hot parking lot spreading the message. We thank you for cutting through the panicked, desperate, mud-slinging by the opposition, with the strings being pulled by a consultant who receives $1.5M of your money from the water district as a kickback. We thank you for knocking on doors, making phone calls, showing up to candidate forums (even when the incumbents back out), for writing letters to the newspaper. All of these things you do add up, and on Saturday night we have a chance to hammer the message home.

Please share this status on your Facebook. Tag every friend you know that lives in the voting area. And then if you have already voted, add a comment of support like "I voted for Craig and Michele to clean up the water district!". If you haven't voted, then vote first thing Saturday morning (before the rain) and then come back and post your message. If you need help finding your polling location, let us know.

With your help. We win.

Thank you so much,
Craig Bickley

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....

Just In Time For The TRWD Board Election America's Biggest Boondoggle Sends Voters An Update

A few minutes ago I got a text message telling me that in today's mail people are getting the hard copy version of the TRINITY RIVER VISION UPDATE SPRING 2015.

A person inside The Boondoggle emailed me the link to the web version last week.

Click the link to see for yourself the web version of this slick propaganda production.

Just a couple days before the TRWD Board Election the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle sends this to voters?

How is this not some sort of election ethics campaign violation?

With so little accomplished in all the years The Boondoggle has been boondoggling why do they send out any UPDATES? Let alone quarterly updates.

How much did this piece of propaganda cost? Just the web version had to have cost a lot.

In Seattle there are currently several public works projects underway, which dwarf The Boondoggle in scope and cost. Does the Seattle Big Bertha Alaskan Way Viaduct tunnel project send out quarterly updates to the voters? Does the 520 Floating Bridge Project send out quarterly updates to the voters? Does the Seattle Link Project currently under construction send out quarterly updates to the voters?

Why would Fort Worth's infamous Boondoggle send out quarterly updates to voters when those voters have never been allowed to vote on The Boondoggle?

Unlike Fort Worth's infamous Boondoggle, the Seattle projects are well engineered, fully funded and well underway.Well, there is that hiccup with the world's biggest tunnel boring machine.

Let's  look at the list of items covered in The Boondoggle's Spring Quarter Update...

• PROGRESS COMING TO GATEWAY & RIVERSIDE PARKS
• GATEWAY PARK EAST AND GATEWAY PARK WEST
• THE CONSTRUCTION ZONE
• PANTHER ISLAND ICE HAS A SUCCESSFUL SECOND SEASON
• MY CITY, MY TRINITY PHOTO EXHIBIT
• PANTHER ISLAND PAVILION 2015 EVENTS
• A FEW FUN NEW THINGS TO POINT OUT AT TRWD
• PANTHER ISLAND WINS URBAN LAND INSTITUTE'S BIG IDEA AWARD
• CLEAR FORK URBAN ANGLERS
• FUNCTIONS, FACES AND PLACES AROUND TOWN

Wow. Progress is coming to a couple parks.

The construction zone referred to, I assume, is the three simple little bridges being built over dry land, in slow motion, connecting the mainland to an imaginary island.

Panther Island Ice had another successful skating season. Imagine that. Important info to share with the voters.

The photo exhibit refers to that photo show The Boondoggle put on to show propaganda photos of the Trinity after being embarrassed by an Amon Carter Museum exhibit of realistic photos of the Trinity.

A listing of Panther Island Pavilion Events for the year. Yes, I can see where that needed to be sent to voters.

A few fun things to point out at TRWD? What? The restaurant business is going good? The fools they made of themselves censuring Mary Kelleher?

I blogged about the bogus-ness of that BIG IDEA AWARD back when The Boondoggle first false bragged about it in a blogging titled The TRVA Panther Island Boondoggle Wins A Boondoggle Of An Award.

How come there is no mention in The Boondoggle's Update of the world's premiere urban wakeboard park?

How come there is mention made of the ice rink, but not of the world's first  drive-in movie theater of the 21st century, which is where the ice rink is located?

How come there is mention made of something called a 'modern roundabout" but no mention made of the construction project timeline of those three bridges being built in slow motion?

One more question.

If on September 9 Craig Bickley and Michele Von Luckner get elected to the TRWD Board, which would then have actual public servants in the majority, will things like wasting money on absurd propaganda productions like The Boondoggle's quarterly updates be shut down?

Texas Walmarts May Be On The Verge Of Being Taken Over By ISIS And The United States

Yesterday, on Facebook, I saw a quote from something called politics.blog.statesman.com that amused me...

"Texas, it appears you are on the verge of being taken over by either ISIS or the United States of America."

Why is the above an either or type proposition? Couldn't Texas be taken over by both entities?

The new governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, so far appears to be much more wackydoodle than his two predecessors.

Apparently Abbott plans to send the Texas State Guard, whatever that is, to monitor a military exercise called something like Jade Helm.

From what I understand this Jade Helm military operation is a regularly scheduled thing.

But, this year, for some reason, supposedly Greg Abbott thinks this may be a nefarious plot of Obama's to declare martial law with a federal takeover of Texas.

I am a little unclear as to why Greg Abbott, or anyone else would think the federal government would want to take Texas. Isn't Texas already part of the United States of America? Didn't the federal government sort of take over Texas a long time ago, back when Texas was annexed into the U.S.?

There is also a lot of concern that federal military operations are already underway, digging tunnels  under Texas Walmarts with those tunnels leading to massive detention camps. I guess the plan must be to lure shoppers into the Walmarts with some super bargains, and then somehow trick the shoppers into the tunnels.

Walmart has denied that their stores are being tunneled under by the U.S. military. What else would they say? Yes, it's true, we are in cahoots with the Obama federal takeover of Texas.

To err on the side of caution, I plan to stay out of Walmart til this crisis blows over.

As for ISIS.

Well, it would appear that ISIS is already doing its bad deeds in Texas, what with last weekend's attack in the Dallas suburb of Garland.

ISIS has been in the Fort Worth Stockyards as long as I have been in Texas, calling itself New ISIS, as you can see  above.

How come Greg Abbott has not yet ordered the Texas State Guard to monitor this possible Texas ISIS headquarters in Fort Worth?

How come when a bad thing comes to America it often comes to Texas first, usually to Dallas, or a Dallas suburb? Just a few months ago Dallas had America's first Ebola fatality, sending much of America, and the news, into an irrational panic. And now this first ISIS attack in America takes place in Texas, in the Dallas suburb of Garland.

What's next? I shudder to wonder.....

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.

Dear Ol' Dad Cleared To Leave Hospital With Pacemaker Installed

That's my dear ol' dad, this morning, after getting the all clear to get out of the hospital, post pacemaker installation.

The message which came with this photo, in addition to the part about getting the all clear, said they were just waiting on paperwork.

That was an hour, or longer, ago.

I suspect by now pa and ma are back home. Or at a McDonald's, if dad's feeling up to it.

No word yet on whether the pacemaker has my dad back being his usual perky self.