Radical Right is Not Always Right

The leadership of the radical extreme right of right Burleson Texas Patriot Tea Party is a threat to the City of Burleson.They have infiltrated the Burleson Chamber of Commerce and now they want city government. The BISD school board is next. They had the Johnson County Commissioners for several years as well as the Johnson County Emergency Services District. The common name in all of these is Keith Kelly. His surrogate on the Commissioners Court is Jerry Stringer.

That's right. I've named it and I've committed to it. Am I being negative? No, I don't think so - I think I'm being Paul Revere.  I'm naming names; getting them out in the light.

 What makes me think that anyone cares for what I say? Well, its not so much that I think people care about what I say, but that someone is willing to stand up and say it. Oh, many think it; and many believe it. It's just many don't want to interrupt their serenity to say it. To say it means you have to wear it daily. A lot of people don't want to have that aura around them every day. They are just not made that way. However, there are a few of us around that will take on the task.

 We don't really know each other but we have kindred spirits  I guess. The willingness, no, the necessity, to take a stand and say what needs to be said even at personal peril, is innate, either born there or inserted by some experience in our past.

I know this is a very myopic conversation that I am having, and I know that speaking out carries a price and it makes people wonder why I would do this. For attention? For notoriety? Not for either one of these.  The only thing that I can honestly say about my motivation is "for right". I think if terms of a "plumb line". That line that divides right and wrong and it is immovable. A person's opinion has to be measured by that line, not by what one decides for himself. To hold differing opinions is a basic right as an American. It's when the opinion gets supported by a lie that the line is crossed. That is what has happened in this case.

Larry Pool ran for office on a lie. Yes, a lie about debt and percentage of industry growth, property taxes, the opportunity fund, the building standards, and yes, pretty much everything he listed as a platform. Others campaigning for other positions have used the federal housing issue, as well. Had Mr. Pool indicated that he just didn't like debt, and took it on as a philosophical issue of just debt and the use of it to grow; that would have been fine. Of course, the counter of that would have been that he would have preferred to tell businesses to go away because we didn't want to provide roads, water lines, sewer service, fire protection, police protection, etc... He would have had to have been the anti-growth candidate. I'm sure there are some citizens that would support that agenda. However, Mr. Pool and his campaign advisers didn't want that. They wanted to have the growth and attack the idea of the debt as it was the only way to unseat a popular and successful incumbent.

Because the Mayor, council, City Manager and staff had used debt responsibility to grow the city and had plenty of independent sources providing accolades to that fact, Mr. Pool and his advisor, Keith Kelly, had to obfuscate that fact. So, in the Keith Kelly Handbook on how to mold a conservative message*, he did what he normally does; he lies. He took real numbers and offered them up out of context. Grab a popular mantra - no new debt- which has been on the national scene (for good reason) and bring it to our town and apply it to the debt of an exploding city which is like comparing apples to oranges. Mayor Shetter has explained the differences on his website to anyone that is truly interested in the truth! * Taken from Kelly's biography on the Texas Patriot Tea Party website

Interesting thing about people in power, they can't hear anything that counters what they want to believe. It's a mob mentality when you are in power. For years, liberals were criticized by conservatives for refusing to listen to conservative voices and "be their own man" urged to reject the "party line", etc... So, now it is the same with the conservative movement; act just like the liberals acted - tow the party line, refuse to think for yourself, stay united, threaten and defame and defeat the enemy. Then it becomes personal, Every perceived slight that a citizen might have experienced, become a black mark on the Mayor. Interesting that the Mayor only casts a vote when there is a tie. How does the council escape criticism? Mr. Pool was on the council for an entire year and there is no evidence that he ever attempted to do the things that he now says he wants to do as Mayor. He went along, reaping the perceived glory of being a councilman including celebrating and hold the balloons during the opening of the BRiCK.

I've been told Mr. Kelly is a true "Patriot". He digs for the truth and holds people accountable. However, I believes he takes the truth and finds ways to cover it up; substituting a  lie, even in the face of irrefutable evidence to the contrary such as in the matter of the Burleson Opportunity Fund. Despite there being a video showing exactly what Mayor Shetter said the day that he discussed the initiative with extreme passion and excitement, Kelly puts out an email that says that Mayor Shetter promised to provide every kindergarten child in Burleson a four year education from the economic development fund. It is simply not true. So, Mayor Shetter has had to take action to give as many citizens as possible the opportunity to see the video in order to show that Kelly is untruthful.

There were many such example of his lies and misrepresentations* in his email. However, how many people have already voted not knowing that or not having the opportunity to know about the lies. Well, that is exactly what Kelly's campaign method depends on. Last minute tactics designed to fool his own backers. * Please read the previous post on the Opportunity Fund on this blog as it is entirely Mayor Shetters response to Kelly's and the "We the People" accusations against Mayor Shetter and the BOF.

One last thing. Many consider my blog and my posts mean, negative, derogatory, slanderous, etc... That is their choice. Make no mistake however, they are mine thoughts and statements alone. They are my opinions and/or they can be backed up. Mayor Shetter doesn't control what I say and doesn't suggest what I should say. I have never asked him what I should say.

 Actually, Mayor Shetter is nothing like me. I'd make a terrible Mayor. Mayor Shetter, I've come to find, is a very humble man. It's hard for him to come out and ask you to even vote for him. I've watched him, and I've listen to him and he loves Burleson. He wants to serve. It is HIS passion. I'm proud to stand up for him. Not just for who he is, not just because he wants to be Mayor but because we need Mayor Shetter to continue his leadership for the betterment of Burleson.

Please vote for Ken Shetter, Ronnie Johnson, Matt Aiken and for school board, Beverly Volkman-
Powell.

Just sayin'
Ann

Please read other posts below for more information about this campaign.

The Truth About the Burleson Opportunity Fund

BREAKING NEWS!!

Today, instead of referring you to a link, I thought I would let Mayor Shetter have his say on the blog. These are all his words in response to the email sent out by Keith Kelly and the Robo calls by Rob Orr. If you want to go to Ken's website, it's www.kenshetter.com

Mayor Shetter's response to Keith Kelly and "We the People PAC" -

In a not-so-shocking turn of events, some of my opponent’s principal supporters-- Keith Kelly, the Texas Patriots Tea Party and their political action committee--have launched an eleventh-hour attack, trying to influence the outcome of this election by attacking the Burleson Opportunity Fund (the BOF).
In the way of background, the BOF is a program developed through a partnership between the City of Burleson, Hill College and Burleson ISD to offer scholarships to graduating Burleson seniors to attend Hill College at Burleson. The program is designed to promote higher education and economic development.
In an email distributed to friends of the Texas Patriots Tea Party, Keith Kelly made several inaccurate statements about the BOF, and indicated the PAC has engaged an attorney to see that “the $240,000 in questionable contributions be returned to the City of Burleson Economic Development fund and that those individuals that directed these fund transfers and those members of the Burleson Opportunity Fund board that knowingly accepted these contributions be held accountable.”
While I acknowledge there are those who might hold the opinion that contributions to the BOF are not an acceptable use of 4A economic development funds, it is important to note the decision by the 4A Board and City Council to fund the BOF contributions through 4A was made after consultation and advice from the City Attorney. There are three primary reasons it was decided 4A was the best source of funding for the BOF:

• 4A funds are to be used for economic development and job creation. There are several justifications for utilizing the BOF and promotion of higher education as an element of Burleson’s economic development and job creation strategy, among them:
  1. In its 1998-2008 Economic Development Plan, the Texas Strategic Development Planning Commission concluded that workforce development is the most important economic development issue facing the state. Quoting from the report, “To continue our state’s strong economic growth, employers must have access to a pool of skilled workers. Texas is fortunate to have a growing population, however successful competition in the global economy and its resulting economic prosperity require us to eliminate the gaps that exist between current education and occupational skills. “
  2. In remarks at the 2004 East Texas Economic Development Summit, Texas Governor Rick Perry stated, “Education and economic development are two issues that are inextricably linked. Better education leads to more job creation, job creation leads to the creation of wealth, the creation of wealth leads to more revenue and more revenue leads to better funding for education and other priorities.”
  3. The availability of educated workers is commonly near the top of the wish list in business surveys related to location and relocation decisions. Enhancing enrollment in a local college is good economic development. According to the Buxton Company, “college campuses have a huge economic impact” on the city in which they are located.
  4. Community colleges have a direct economic impact on communities through the jobs they create and the retail activity associated with a vibrant campus.
• Because the 4A fund is generated through a one-half cent sales tax, it is not only the citizens of Burleson who contribute, but also the 300,000-plus people who regularly shop, eat and do business in Burleson. Since students who graduate from Burleson schools but do not live within the city limits are eligible to receive scholarships through BOF, it is appropriate to utilize funding from a source that is not generated from citizens alone.
• While gas funds were initially used to fund the BOF, they weren’t the best long-term funding source. It is acknowledged by nearly everyone that gas funds should not be utilized for annually recurring costs because they are an unpredictable source of revenue. Among the annually-recurring sources of revenue, 4A was determined to be preferable to the general fund for the reasons outlined above.

To announce the retention of legal counsel and to demand that unpaid elected and appointed officials and volunteer board members be held accountable, amounts to political bullying. None of the individuals being threatened have ever benefited personally in any way, each have acted consistently with the advice of the City Attorney, and all participate in the BOF out of a desire to improve access to higher education and promote economic vitality in our community.
In his email, Keith Kelly badly misrepresented the history of the formation of the BOF, stating the following:

In 2007, Mayor Shetter along with his mother Beverly Volkman Powell (current BISD School Board President) along with staff from BISD, Hill College, City of Burleson and Texas Wesleyan University, formed the Burleson Opportunity Fund to provide scholarships so that Burleson students could attend Hill College for free.

In reality, my mother had absolutely nothing to do with the formation of the BOF. It was actually Richard Crummel and I who initially came up with the idea for the BOF. Of course neither of us had the power to form the BOF; we worked with the City, BISD and Hill College staffs, discussed the idea in City Council workshops and ultimately the 4A board and City Council unanimously approved creation of the BOF.
As “evidence” of his theory that 4A contributions to the BOF are inappropriate, Keith Kelly sites the opinion of Representative Rob Orr:

In 2008, State Representative Rob Orr learned that Mayor Shetter intended to make contributions to the BOF from Type A Economic Development Funds. Representative Orr informed Mayor Shetter those contributions from Economic Development funds to the BOF were not allowed under the rules so the initial contribution to the BOF by the City of Burleson was made from Oil and Gas reserves.

Of course it wasn’t “Mayor Shetter” but the City of Burleson that “intended” to make the initial contribution to the BOF from 4A funds. It is true that Representative Orr communicated his opinion that 4A funds could not be used for the BOF. Interestingly, he qualified his opinion, telling me he thought the BOF was a good program and that we should be able to utilize 4A funds, but he didn’t think it was allowed under current law. I made it very clear that the City did not agree with his opinion, but that we would fund the first year from gas revenue, then work with Representative Orr to clarify the law in the next legislative session.
When Representative Orr declined to sponsor legislation specifically authorizing use of 4A funds for the BOF, the City approached our other Representative, Chris Turner, and he agreed to do so. Contrary to what Keith Kelly wrote in his email, after representatives from the City, BISD, Hill College and the Burleson Chamber testified in front of the Local Government Ways and Means Committee in Austin, the bill was actually passed by that Committee. The only hurdle to ultimate passage of HB3956 was the Local & Consent Calendars Committee allowing it to be voted on. Unfortunately, when Representative Orr refused to give a “thumbs up”, HB3956 died in the Local & Consent Calendars Committee without ever receiving a vote.
Also, Keith Kelly references a passage in an early BOF position paper, wherein I wrote that the City would explore possibilities for dedicated sources of revenue and even specifically mentioned the possibility of seeking legislation to allow a portion of 4A funds to be used for the BOF. The simple explanation is that the paper was written before the City Attorney advised that current law would already allow the use of 4A funds for the BOF.
There are two “legal opinions” referenced by Keith Kelly, one from the Attorney General’s Office and one from the Comptroller’s Office. Neither of those state agencies has ever asked the City for a description of the Burleson Opportunity Fund and I have never seen an opinion from the Attorney General’s Office regarding the BOF (you’d think since I’m the mayor, I would know about one if it existed). Regarding the opinion from the Comptroller’s Office, Keith neglects to mention that the Comptroller’s Office made it very clear to him it did not have an opinion as to whether or not the BOF was an appropriate use of 4A funds.
Next, Keith Kelly refers to a March 21, 2012 town hall meeting I held at the Hidden Creek Golf Course grill and says I mentioned my “vision of promising every student that enters kindergarten in Burleson a guarantee that they will be able to get a free four year college education.” In this case Keith either takes bad notes or simply is not interested in telling the truth. My vision, clearly explained in that town hall meeting, is that we should adopt a “last dollar concept”, whereby federal student aid dollars would be applied toward Hill College tuition first and the BOF funds would be used to pay what is left. By doing this, we could expand the program beyond the 40 or so students we are currently able to serve—possible to sixty or seventy students, and possibly for two years instead of one. I certainly described a plan to expand the presence of higher education in Burleson to include four year and graduate degree programs, but made no mention of the BOF covering four year degrees (Watch the portion of the town hall meeting that Keith Kelly completely distorted for yourself).
Here’s what else I said at the town hall forum (that Keith didn’t relay in his email): We currently utilize less than 1/50^th of our 4A economic development revenue for the BOF. If it is appropriate to pay real estate brokers, developers, big corporations and giant retail chains millions of dollars in the name of economic development, surely it is appropriate to invest a tiny percentage of the funding we dedicate to economic development in our own human capital. Investing in higher education is one of the best things we can do for our own economic success; that is the adopted policy of this state, it has been confirmed through academic research and it is the experience of this community.
Finally, Keith was right that I mentioned a vision for kindergarteners, but once again he was wrong about what was actually said. What I said on March 21st is what I have been saying for five years: If every Burleson child knew from the day they entered kindergarten they would have access to college, how might that change their own expectations about their futures, and how might that shape the decisions they make along the way? Neither I nor anyone else has ever envisioned the BOF would pay for every Burleson child to go to college, or that it would ever apply to a four year degree. Many students will choose to leave the City to attend college, and that’s great for them. The BOF is designed to incentivize some students to stay home to earn their education, to promote higher education and economic development in Burleson, and to ease the transition from high school to college for Burleson families.
The BOF is widely recognized as an innovative way to improve the lives of children, youth, and families, and was singled out when Burleson was recognized as one of the 100 best communities for youth by the America’s Promise Alliance. How sad that members of our own community would mount such a vicious attack for purely political reasons.

Political advertisement paid for by the Ken Shetter for Mayor Campaign.

No Apologies

The Cleburne Times Review published an article examining Larry Pool and his relationship with the Silver Star bar on Sunday April 29th.  While I was not happy with their statement that documents were filed with the State of Texas indicating the sale of the bar to others (which I believe were negated by Mr. Pool's subsequent filings [ignored by the CTR]), I was happy that they talked to Calvin Rogers, who was the first to "buy" the bar from Pool. Mr. Rogers indicated that Mr. Pool was in the bar on several occasions including when bikini contests were held. It was later that the bikini contest that was highlighted in Susan Cloud's expose took place and with other owners/managers. Mr. Rogers still said that it was "illogical" that Mr. Pool would not know about what kind of entertainment went on in the bar. I agree wih Mr. Rogers.

Now, Mr. Pool wants an apology. No can do.  First, Mr. Pool was asked by Ms. Cloud for his response to what she had learned at least two weeks before she released it. He refused to respond. I even sent him a FB message asking the same thing before I share her post on my Face book page. No response. So, had he made an attempt to clarify his involvement with Silver Star to someone at that time, he might have been spared the embarrassment. He did however,  respond on his website after the information was released. The problem was the document he posted as evidence of sale to Mr. Rogers was a change in registered agent. That means nothing more than a change of address to receive mail. Additionally, he provided a County tax receipt that said his Homes-N-Land, LLC owned the property and Silver Star owned the bar. Shouldn't that bill have gone to the "owners" Well, when you check the website for Franchise tax and the Secretary of State, he is listed as the sole director and member of Silver Star Event Hall, LLC. So, if he doesn't know how to file his reports so that he isn't reflected as the sole owner, then it is his own doing that research reflected that. So, Ms.Cloud's information and my information was posted in "good faith". Had he filed documents correctly we would have known who actually owned the bar. So, no apology from me. Susan issued hers several weeks ago, in the You-Tube video entitled, "I'm Sorry" by Brenda Lee. You can watch it here. (Warning: mature pictures of bar entertainment)

Now, I'm not sure that I buy the "sold" idea due to the fact his name is still on the current corporation filings submitted over the past two years.  However, if Mr. Rogers said he 'bought" it, OK. However, Mr. Pool's contention that he had no idea about what was happening in the bar that was operated on the property he owned, well, that just just doesn't seem true. Mr. Rogers says he began bikini nights on Thursdays to increase business. Mr. Pool visited the bar and even though he can't say that Pool was there on those nights, it seems "illogical" for him to have not known about the activity. How do you not know what entertainment goes on in bars. While Rogers wasn't the "owner" of the bar at the time the images were taken of the "Cowtown Hotties" or "midget wrestling", Pool had been there prior to the new owners  and he was still the land lord. He collected money for the lease of the property. It would be completely naive to think he didn't visit the bar during this new ownership.

Another revelation from Mr. Pool was his statement that he never operated Silver Star as a bar. While he says that he originally bought the property to open an event center, his Certificate f Formation states "nightclub" as the purpose. He named his corporation "event hall", so why didn't he just say, "event hall"? Why say night club? Maybe his statement is true, but he certainly knew what Mr. Rogers was going to do with the business- use it as a bar. Why didn't he just sell the property and all?
I'm thinking this was about the time Mr. Pool decided to be the President of the Burleson Chamber of Commerce, someone would have advised him to get out of the bar business if he wanted to be seen as a conservative. So, why not sell all of it? Why not dissolve the LLC? Why let Mr. Rogers keep the name, Silver Star? Why file documents after the supposed sale to the next owners, with his name alone listed as Director and Member?  I can't answer that.  The editor of the Cleburne Times Review says it was just "paperwork" issues. If so, why does the State require your to report each year in the first place if they don't require it to be truthful. I have asked for answers to this last question from the State Comptroller's office. Can you just file anything you want to a state agency? Do you ever have to tell the truth?

So, what we are left with is a bar, opened first by Mr. Pool, sold to another man to run as a bar, with Mr. Pool as the landlord. Mr. Pool visited the bar during a time when bikini night was every Thursday. Were these bikini contests like the ones during the time that Ms. Cloud learned about? We don't know. However, it is "illogical" to think Mr. Pool didn't have a reasonable expectation of knowing that something short of "Judeo-Christian" values were being exercised there. According to Mr. Pool he "terminated the lease" of the current owners because the activity did not reflect his Christian values. Mr. Pool, they haven't reflected anyone's Christian values from the moment that you stated the purpose of the business as "nightclub". It just took being "outed" during a Mayoral campaign for it to matter to you. You just didn't get caught when you ran for the council.

Then there is the topper of it all. Mr. Pool's humility. He wants to know why anyone would want to impugn his character and integrity "after all [he] has done for the community". Exactly what is it that you have done for the community, Mr. Pool? You are a 3 year resident. Seems to me that you moved here because of the great community that was already here. Profited off of it and now, you want to destroy it.

Just sayin'

Ann Rose