Wichita Falls Roundabout Art & Fort Worth Boondoggle Roundabout Art

Today whilst riding around Sikes Lake I saw a new art installation has been installed in the center of what one might characterize as some sort of traffic roundabout, located at the northwest side of the Wichita Falls Museum and Arts Center.

That would be the art installation we are talking about which you see here, looming over my bike parked in a bike parking stall.

Some of the WF Art Center's art installations have plaques installed nearby which name the work of art and who it was who created it.

Such was not currently the case with this new installation.

I can not help but wonder how much this work of art cost.

Likely not nearly as much as the art installation installed years ago in Fort Worth at the center of a still unfinished traffic roundabout which is part of the HUGE mess of uncompleted construction blighting a large area of Fort Worth courtesy of the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision, more commonly known as America's Biggest Boondoggle.

The homage to an aluminum trash can had been blighting the Fort Worth landscape for years before I finally got around to seeing it in person, back in 2018. Photos do not do justice to how absurd this thing looks when one sees it directly. I blogged about seeing this in Fort Worth Drive By America's Biggest Boondoggle Embarrassment.

Years ago the Boondoggle's Visionaries brought Fort Worth wonders such as an urban wakeboard venue, called Cowtown Wakepark, which was the first of the Boondoggle's visions to fail.

And then around the time Cowtown Wakepark was in obvious failure mode the Boondoggle brought to Fort Worth Rockin' the River Inner Tubing in the polluted Trinity River, located at an imaginary pavilion with an imaginary music venue across from an imaginary island, floating only when the e.coli level was low enough.

Even more ridiculous than Cowtown Wakepark and Rockin' the Polluted River is an absurd art installation installed at the center of that aforementioned still unfinished traffic roundabout.

This homage to an aluminum trash can was foisted on the Fort Worth public years ago.

If I remember right, this was installed even before that embarrassing TNT exploding ceremony celebrating the start of construction of three simple little bridges.

Two of those bridges, still not built, years later, are a short distance from the un-finished, un-landscaped roundabout eyesore with its homage to an aluminum trash can, or what some have seen as a giant cheese grater.

The Boondoggle paid almost a million bucks for this work of art.

Why?

Why was money spent on this years ago, spent before construction began on the related road and bridge work?

Why?

From what source did the funds come to pay for this?

The Boondoggle has been starved for funds. Hence begging for federal dollars which are being denied. Hence a bogus fraudulently worded ballot measure to try and secure funds.

Where is the accounting for the almost million bucks spent on this homage to an aluminum trash can? Is it part of the bridge building funds? The White Settlement Road re-build funds?

Who made the decision to spend money on this work of art and have it installed, years before the roadwork it was intended to beautify was any where  nearfruition?

Who benefited from the almost million bucks spent on this? Who associated with the Boondoggle is a crony of whoever benefited? Friend of J.D. Granger? Friend of his mother? Friend of Jim Oliver? Cousin of Mike Moncrief? Ex-boyfriend of Betsy Price?

Who?

And Why?

Inquiring minds really want to know....

Hank Frank & Spencer Jack's Dad's Want Me To Know Seattle Is Skinny & Dying

Friday night my phone made its incoming text message noise. When I found where the noise was coming from I saw the text message was from Hank Frank's dad, also known as my Favorite Nephew Joey.

I tapped the message link to quickly see Joey had texted me a link to a YouTube video.

Clicking on the link to the video I assumed I was about to see a video of baby Hank Frank being cute.

I was erroneous.

The YouTube video was one I had already had myself pointed to, multiple times. But had yet to watch. The video is a KOMO TV production where "KOMO's Eric Johnson explores the impact the drug and homelessness problem is having on our city and possible solutions in Seattle is Dying."

And then Saturday night Hank Frank's uncle, who is also Spencer Jack's dad, and my Favorite Nephew Jason, emailed me another Seattle related link.

This one to a Seattle Post-Intelligencer article titled Seattle is one of the skinniest metro areas in the fattest country in the world.

I have no idea why my Washington based nephews are suddenly flooding me with Seattle input.

The homeless problem in Seattle is a shocker. I remember way back in August of 2008 being in downtown Seattle, at an event in Pioneer Square, when I found myself looking for parking and came upon the homeless encampment under the I-5 freeway.

I believe that homeless encampment under the freeway in downtown Seattle is no longer there. I may be wrong.

In August of 2017 I found myself back in Seattle, being slowly driven north on I-5, as there was no option other than go slow. This allowed a long look at the huge homeless encampment along I-5 as it passes through downtown Seattle.

I was shocked.

It was a Dystopian scene. Something you might have seen in a movie made in 1999 showing a bleak Seattle, twenty years in the future.

All the west coast boom towns have a bad homeless problem to various degrees. A result of the boomtowns attracting a lot of people hoping to find their futures there, and then discovering it not easy to find a place to live.

I may be over simplifying.

You can watch the Seattle is Dying YouTube video at the end of this blog post.

As for that Seattle P-I article about Seattle being skinny.

Well.

When I moved to Texas one of the elements of culture shock was suddenly being where way more people were way bigger than I was used to seeing. And I do not mean being bigger in the being taller sense of the bigger word.

I remember driving back to Washington summer of 2001 for mom and dad's 50th. It was in Colorado I first noticed it seeming like the people were smaller. And then in Oregon I went in a Walmart in Ontario and was struck by how much smaller the people looked.

And then in February of 2004 I flew to Seattle, was picked up at Sea-Tac and before my final destination was brought to downtown Seattle to a gallery in Pioneer Square where I uttered the memorable utterance "The people here look like they've had the air let out of them".

So conditioned was I, by then, to the plus sized Texas norm which I had become accustomed to seeing, that skinny people looked alien to me, seeing so many of them.

Now when I am in Tacoma I do see more plus-sized sorts of the type I see in Texas. Maybe that is because so many people from all over America are stationed in nearby Fort Lewis. Or some other explanation.

Anyway, below is that afore promised Seattle is Dying YouTube video...

Sunday Spring Biking Lucy Park Finding Six Flags Still Flying Over Texas

What with today being the first Sunday of the 2019 version of the season known as Spring, and what with a blue sky sun warming the outer world to almost a balmy temperature, I decided to slather on sunscreen and use my motorized means of motion to roll to Lucy Park so as to have a bike ride on my non-motorized means of motion.

A lot of people were similarly motivated. A crowd was all over Wichita Falls, making for slow rolling as I pedaled past one of the most scenic artificial waterfalls I have ever seen.

Wichita Falls, what waterfall, not the town, is not in Lucy Park. Wichita Falls, the waterfall, is accessed via the Circle Trail, which circles over a bridge past the waterfall.

After checking out the Wichita Falls waterfall I circled back to Lucy Park, eventually exiting the paved trail to a non-paved trail which eventually took me to the location you see above.

You can not tell it from the photo, but between my bike's handlebars, and that building with a lot of flags, the Wichita River runs. And today the Wichita River was running a lot of water. Rain must have fallen whilst I was in Arizona.

That building is one of the Texas Travel Information Centers one comes upon driving across Texas.

Hence all those flags. When I first noticed the flags I saw only five. I think the brisk wind rendered one of the flags unfurled. I took several  zoomed photos of the flags, thinking I would make mention of there only being five displayed, assuming the Confederate flag must have been removed, rendering Five Flags Over Texas, rather than the expected Six Flags Over Texas.

But, when I got the photos off the phone I saw all Six Flags Over Texas were still waving over this Texas Travel Information Center.

Since it is a fact that for a brief time Texas decided to be on the wrong side of history and ceased being one of the states of the United States of America to become one of the Confederate States of America, and thus for a short time the Confederate flag flew over Texas, and even though homages to the Confederate era are considered by many to be an embarrassing outdated offensive relic, it would seem to me that it would be real dumb to pretend that there have not been Six Flags Over Texas.

That and the name of that theme park in Arlington would sound wrong if called Five Flags Over Texas...

No Artist Rendering Fort Worth's Pitiful Panther Island Bridges

No, what you are seeing here is not an artist's rendering of what one of Fort Worth's Panther Island bridges will look like if they ever become something someone can see, some distant day in the future.

What you see here is one of the spans of the Deception Pass Bridge, connecting two actual islands, crossing a small island, between the two larger islands, with those three islands being Fidalgo Island, Pass Island and Whidbey Island.

This photo appeared to me in Facebook, via former Skagit Valley Girl, Tess Sakuma, with the photo captioned "Tonight's moon and Venus over Deception Pass Bridge." With the photo credit going to Rakan AlDuaij Photography.

The Deception Pass Bridge is an actual iconic, signature bridge, as described in the Wikipedia article about Deception Pass Bridge "The bridge is a commonly photographed landmark of the Puget Sound region."

As you can see, unlike Fort Worth's pitiful little bridges being built over dry land (low bridges which, according to artist's renderings, look like freeway overpasses, yet promoted as somehow being unique signature bridges of the becoming iconic Fort Worth images) Deception Pass Bridge was built over actual water.

Actual water which is deep and which during extreme tidal ebbs flows so strongly ships are not able to navigate against the rushing tide.

Ironically, those Fort Worth bridges are in the process of becoming an iconic ironic signature symbol representing what a messed up, corruptly run town Fort Worth has become.

I almost forgot to mention. Fort Worth's pitiful Panther Island bridges began construction way back in 2014, with a four year construction timeline. That construction timeline has now been stretched into the next decade.

While construction of Deception Pass Bridge began in August of 1934 and was completed in less than a year, on July 31, 1935.

I have blogged about the Deception Pass Bridge a few times on my Washington blog...

Deception Pass Bridge Connecting Whidbey Island with Fidalgo Island

Washington's Deception Pass Bridge Took A Deceptively Short Time To Build

July 31 Deception Pass Bridge 75th Anniversary Celebration Picnic

Can you imagine, at some point in time in the next century, the 75th Anniversary Celebration of Fort Worth's pitiful Panther Island Bridges?

No?

Me either.

When will the sheep of Fort Worth stampede and demand the shut down of the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision, more commonly known as America's Biggest Boondoggle?

How much longer can this embarrassing mess continue blighting what could be a reasonably okay town if responsible adults with common sense somehow took over and booted the crooks and charlatans, including one local congresswoman's ineptly unqualified son?

One would think just the bizarre inability to build three simple little bridges part of what has become America's Biggest Boondoggle would put a stop to the nonsense before more money gets flushed down the river....

Star-Telegram Propaganda Claims Fort Worth Is All In On Panther Island Boondoggle

What you see here is a photo which appeared yesterday in an article in the online version of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

The title of the article?

As Fort Worth is all-in on Panther Island, what are our odds on this billion-dollar bet?

At the start of this new year I had said to someone that I was done making mock of Fort Worth's pitiful excuse for a newspaper and the way it does not cover the civic disaster which used to be known as the Trinity River Vision.

But then suddenly there was some hope among some that this pitiful excuse for a newspaper was finally acting as one. This optimism was due to multiple articles about Fort Worth's embarrassing Vision which has become America's Biggest Boondoggle. Also known as the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision.

Or Ma Granger's retirement plan for her favorite son, J.D.

With people thinking the Star-Telegram was finally doing some honest reporting about The Boondoggle I felt compelled to point out that these articles were all the same lame propaganda nonsense the Star-Telegram has been spewing this entire century whilst The Boondoggle has been boondoggling along.

Let's just look at those three simple little bridges The Boondoggle has been trying to build over dry land for over four years, connecting the Fort Worth mainland to an imaginary island.

In none of these "new" Star-Telegram articles have you read any information as to why this simple bridge building project has been a construction eyesore and traffic impediment for so long. Is it a funding issue? Is it an engineering issue? What is the problem?

And now yesterday's new piece of embarrassing dumb Star-Telegram propaganda.

Just the title is blatant propaganda.

Neither Fort Worth (or America) is "all in on Panther Island".

I'm sure the article author thought they were being extremely clever with the first paragraph...

Long before I listened to talk of Panther Island, I watched Gilligan’s Island extensively. I’m now an expert on fabricated islands.

Comparing Fort Worth's embarrassment to one of the most embarrassingly dumb shows in TV history seems apt.

And then there is the next paragraph...

I’ve listened to the pros and cons of Fort Worth’s Panther Island project since arriving here last October. For a lot of it, I’ve felt a little like Gilligan — who, when caught in the middle of two other people’s argument, would alternatively take both sides.

The author has been in Fort Worth for six months and now feels informed enough to share insights?

A couple paragraphs deeper into the article...

The $1.16 billion plan to cut a bypass channel for the Trinity River north of downtown to reduce the chance of catastrophic flooding would also, as a happy byproduct, create an 800-acre, ripe-for-development man-made island surrounded by riverfront and crossed by canals.

The author has only been observing for six months, so let me be the first to tell this person the fact that that bypass channel has nothing to do with reducing the chance of catastrophic flooding. Catastrophic flooding has been prevented in the area in question for well over a half century, ever since levees were constructed to prevent such a thing.

However, other areas of Fort Worth, and Tarrant County, are subject to catastrophic flooding, with those potential catastrophes not addressed.

And then we have the following gem of blatant propaganda...

Supporters are supremely confident in the project, in vast public support for it as expressed in a $250 million 2018 bond election, and in the prospect of roughly half the money coming from Washington, D.C.

Vast public support? That 2018 bond election was a May election, held when few vote. With the wording on the ballot measure thought by many to be criminally fraudulent, invalidating the election results.

And then this bit of idiocy...

And let’s face it: They need to pull it off. Desperately. With more than $300 million expended, three massive bridges in the works and hundreds of thousands of tons of dirt turned, treated and hauled, if the Panther Island project were a poker game, Fort Worth has already gone all-in.

The Boondoggle needs to continue because thousands of tons of dirt have supposedly been turned? And three massive bridges are in the works? Massive? The Golden Gate Bridge is massive. and built in less than four years over actual deep, fast moving water. Anyone with any measure of common sense knows when something being constructed is massive. These three bridge are not massive. They look like freeway overpasses.

Read the article to read the latest J.D. Granger ridiculous misinformation quotes, followed by the following paragraph...

When you listen to Granger and Trinity River director of communications Matt Oliver — as some 150,000 have, in presentations over the past dozen years — other flood control measures sound inadequate.

Really? 150,000? Those presentations must have been at those public meetings The Boondoggle claims have taken place where citizens supposedly requested dozens upon dozens of imaginary amenities, which The Boondoggle has added to the boondoggle. I have yet to hear from anyone who has been to a meeting where public input has been solicited, including people who live on the bluff which overlooks the mess which has become America's Biggest Boondoggle.

And then this following propaganda gem...

And look what the project has already done. It’s remediated some 82 environmental sites, removing 380,000 tons of hazardous material from soil that once was home to foundries, a refinery, auto scrap yard, a battery reclamation center, a Styrofoam plant and a police firing range.

Really? 82 environmental sites remediated? 380,000 tons of hazardous material removed? Can the Star-Telegram please identify for us those 82 sites? And we are curious where those 380,000 tons of hazardous material were moved to.

The article author seems really taken with J.D. Granger...

It’s also intriguing to watch Granger’s excitement at the mere prospect of repurposing vintage bricks, removed from the Stockyards area and otherwise headed for scrap, to one day line walkways on Panther Island.

Yeah, I can imagine it is really intriguing to watch Granger get excited about removing bricks from the Stockyards to be used to line walkways. Where are these bricks currently stored, one can not help but wonder?

Awhile back I thought it might be fun to compile all the stupid stuff J.D. Granger has been quoted as saying.

But I have yet to go to the bother of doing so.

I remember my favorite is when J.D. Granger claimed he beamed like a madman whilst floating incognito at one of The Boondoggle's Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube Floats in the polluted Trinity River, so pleased to hear person after person singing the praises of the brilliance which has caused so many to take an e.coli bath.

I wondered at the time what Granger's incognito disguise was. A wig? Groucho glasses with mustache?

Most articles in the Star-Telegram are lucky if they generate any reader comments. This morning I checked on this As Fort Worth is all-in on Panther Island, what are our odds on this billion-dollar bet? article and there are already three quite apropos comments...

Patrick Sheppard

Only time will tell! I still think if we, the citizens of Fort Worth, aren’t willing to foot the bill then it is a boondoggle! I’ve always wondered about “conservative” Fort Worth wanting the federal government to pay for something for us instead of paying for it ourselves! Seems like we love to hate the federal government until we want something from them. 😉

Graeme Cowan

What a waste of monies. I don't buy into the flood threat. The Panther Island idea has missed its timing with all the other new residential and retail developments advancing in the past few years. Also, what is the timing of reopening White Settlement Road? Really...!!!???

Chris Serrano

I am over this project already it such a cluster f**k...& was from the beginning. Let Kay Granger & her son & Betsy Price flip the bill on their screw-up. Federal funding will never come to this project cause when they came to Betsy she couldn't produce any receipts for the project. It wasn't a surprise that Betsy wanted an audit folks. All they had to do was build along the Trinity. I've never been more ashamed of my city like I am now.

_______________

And there you have it. One more chapter in an ongoing perplexing embarrassment in a town without a real newspaper...

Back In Texas With Apache Tears From Grandpa Jake

I made it back to Texas last night, well before midnight.

Previously, due to various delay issues, midnight turned out to be the time my pickup-er needed to arrive to pick me up.

But last night all went well, lift off was right on time, arrival in Wichita Falls seemed to arrive quicker than usual.

And the pilot did not get lost on the large Sheppard Air Force Base  landing zone.

And so when we landed, unexpectedly early, I called my pickup-er so the pickup would not arrive way too late. I was barely out of the terminal when I was happy to see my transport arrive.

What does any of that have to do with BETO?

Well.

Whilst in Arizona it was soon apparent my little brother, Jake, also known as Spencer Jack and Frank Hank's grandpa, was in a productive creative phase.

The first example of this was the Little Library Jake made for Aunt Jackie. We mentioned this previously in Uncle Jake Builds Little Library In Chandler Arizona.

On my last visit to Arizona, back in October, Jake showed us where he hunts for Apache Tears.

Apache Tears are black obsidian agate like rocks hidden inside a coating of perlite rock. Jake harvests a load of perlite rock, releases the Apache Tears, runs them through a rock polisher and adds them to his HUGE Apache Tear collection.

Since that visit last October Jake has found a way to re-purpose the Apache Tears.

At the top, that is an Apache Tear refrigerator magnet holding up the BETO FOR SENATE sign on my refrigerator.

Jake also figured out how to turn Apache Tears into cabinet knobs. Below is one of the pairs of Apache Tear cabinet knobs I brought back from Arizona, still in their packaging.

A load of Apache Tear products is one of many reasons I was overloaded on the return trip, and why I left some stuff behind at Miss Daisy's.

This morning I replaced my kitchen cabinet knobs with the Arizona Apache Tear knobs from Jake.

Now, the above photo of the pair of installed Apache Tear cabinet knobs makes it appear they are both quite different in size, and that my cabinet knobs are not level. Both appearances are erroneous. The knobs are level, and whilst all are slightly different, making each one one of a kind, they are all similarly sized.

And this kitchen upgrade looks real good...

Miss Daisy Driving To Maricopa McDonald's Before Sending Me Back To Texas

I am now back in Texas, at DFW International Airport, which I think is in Grapevine, not either Dallas or Fort Worth.

I have a couple hours before I get on the final flight of the night.

Today began with Miss Daisy making a delicious breakfast of cinnamon rolls, yogurt, chicken soup, oranges from the front yard Daisy Tree, and a lot of coffee.

By mid morning Miss Daisy's substitute drove us to a medical complex in Mesa where Miss Daisy had a follow up procedure following the procedure she had last Tuesday, which is why I have been in Arizona, providing pseudo professional medical care for Miss Daisy.

With a few hours to kill before it was time to deliver me to Sky Harbor Airport Miss Daisy directed her temporary driver to drive to Maricopa to the Ak-Chin Casino Resort prior to visiting Penny at our favorite Maricopa McDonald's.

Above you are seeing Miss Daisy rolling through a sculpture garden which is part of the impressive Ak-Chin landscaping.

We were in the casino only long enough to secure this week's special gift given to those who regularly support the Ak-Chin money raising efforts.

I did not want a repeat of over eating at the McDonald's buffet, so I only had a fish sandwich, double cheeseburger, coke, chicken tenders, and a small fries, with the small fries being the cutting back part.

I am sort of looking forward to being back at my home location. The past two weeks have been exhausting. Fun at times. But exhausting.

I left some clothes behind at Miss Daisy's this time, due to my travel bags being overstuffed with new stuff.

But, I really don't see myself returning soon to make use of those clothes I left behind...

Ruby & David Grant Grandma Daisy A St. Patrick's Day Pinch Pardon

Well, yesterday was a super festive St. Patrick's Day with Miss Daisy, here in Arizona. We joined the celebrations at more than one Costco, along with driving by at least one Finn McCool's in full Shamrocks in Guinness Irish mode.

Whatever that means.

Mid afternoon on America's favorite Irish holiday I found myself in a text message frenzy with multiple siblings, along with non-siblings in Texas.

Among the text messengers was David, Theo and Ruby's Mama Michele.

Grandma Daisy had me text the message that if David, Theo and Ruby were not adequately dressed in green that we would like pinch punishments to be administered.

This seemed just a tad hypocritical on Miss Daisy's part, since she was wearing absolutely zero anything green. But, no counter message came from Tacoma regarding our level of green here in Arizona.

A followup message from Tacoma said that Theo was not currently at their home location, and that one of the trio was totally in green, and that the green one was not the one we would probably guess to be all green.

We guessed that the redhead leprechaun David was who we might guess was all green but that it was Ruby who was the all green one.

Soon it was confirmed we had guessed correctly.

We requested photo documentation before totally granting the pinch pardon.

The photo above soon arrived. We could see Ruby was totally green, though later it was determined her shoes were not properly green. But, David's green claim appeared weak. Grandma Daisy and I texted that unless David amped up his level of green we were going to have to insist he be pinched.

Almost immediately the following photo arrived. And so we granted David a pinch pardon.

Soon after granted the pinch pardon to David and Ruby, Miss Daisy and I got an old-fashioned phone call from Ruby and David. Grandma Daisy's lack of appropriate green was discussed. I asked Ruby and David if I should pinch Grandma Daisy.

Both said do not pinch Grandma.

And so there was no pinching of Miss Daisy yesterday on our exciting St. Patrick's Sunday in sunny Arizona...

Driving Miss Daisy To St. Patrick's Day Poolside Computing

What you see here is my post swim St. Patrick's Day Sunday morning attempt to take what I feebly thought to be an imaginative photo of my current internet wi-fi connected computer, with the view I was seeing also on the computer screen.

But, I had lighting issues my limited photography skills were unable to overcome.

Even with those serious lighting issues, I rather enjoy my current temporary computing location.

Which I am able to enjoy when I am successfully able to get away from Miss Daisy.

However, sometimes I am left with no choice but to take Miss Daisy with me in the Daisy Mobile. Or roll her here on her non-motorized locomotion device.

After today I have one full day remaining in Arizona, and then fly out of here on Tuesday, getting back to my home location around midnight.

I am hoping there will be no flight vexations on the Tuesday return flight of the sort which vexed the arrival flight.

This current Arizona visit is likely my last for a long time. At least that is my current thinking. I really do not think my delicate constitution could take another two weeks of this engaging type stimulation without an extremely long recuperation, and maybe therapy of some sort....

Answers Needed From C.B. Team

Back earlier in the year I received an email from someone I eventually ended up identifying as Deep Moat II.

Deep Moat II sent me some info about someone running for the Tarrant Regional Water District Board, info she felt people needed to know about, so as to know who he is and to whom he is connected.

The name of the guy in question is Charles "C.B." Team.

I blogged about what Deep Moat II had to tell me, mostly about the appalling abuse of the perfectly legitimate legal tool known as eminent domain, as regarding those with whom C.B. Team is associated.

A day or two ago C.B. Team commented, at length, in response to that blog post.

I shared C.B. Team's comments with a few people associated with the current TRWD Board Election. Those people asked me to ask C.B. Team why he opted to not run in the last TRWD Board Election, when he was expected to.

And who influenced him to run this time? Specific names would be useful.

And what is C.B. Team's position regarding the ongoing Granger Scandal, and the other nepotism corruption issues associated with the TRWD?

Multiple inquiring minds would really like to know.

But, as our inquiring minds eagerly await answers, below is the referenced comment from C.B. Team...

Charles "C.B." Team has left a new comment on your post "Deep Moat II Concerned CB Team Not Fit For TRWD Board":

Hi Durango. This is C.B. Nice to meet you. I want to clarify a few things from your blog post. 

I have never been a party to, or represented a client in any eminent domain cases. My company has never represented a client in eminent domain proceedings. I do not take the issue of eminent domain lightly as I have spent my career as a REALTOR standing up for private property rights at the local, state, and national level. I have become very familiar with the eminent domain process because the person, Vic Tinsley, I acquired my company from in 2013 is the most experienced special commissioner in the State of Texas. This means that he has been determined to be a real property expert by State of Texas Judges and then appointed to hear and then decide both sides of eminent domain proceedings in Special Commissioner Hearings. Special Commissioners do not represent either party and are NOT the condemning authority. I have had the opportunity to sit in on these hearings in order to better understand the process and witness first hand what the property owner has to endure during the long and tedious process. 

I am not a politician. This is my first run at public office. I'm just a business owner that saw a need on the TRWD board for fresh energy and someone with real estate and business knowledge to help get us out of the predicament in which we currently find ourselves. I'm committed to responsible and transparent oversight and I figured commenting here directly would be the most transparent approach to tackling these errors. Feel free to reach out to me any time.