June 19 City Council Meeting

In a very open forum with sound ideas on a variety of measures, Thursday night's city council meeting ran a little longer and hotter (the AC wasn't working) than usual. But presenters and council members braved the elements to complete another ambitious agenda Click Here to View the Agenda.

Eugene Lowe led the invocation. Consent items were unanimously approved.
First item on the agenda was a contract with the BWR engineering firm for civil engineering services and planning management, which was approved unanimously. Next, BWR proposed a project to prepare a new comprehensive master plan in an anticipated year-long project. The city approved a measure for an updated comprehensive plan.

Effective Environmental presented their plan for a new corporate facility off Malloy Bridge Road at Roberts with a 25,000 square foot indoor HAZMAT storage warehouse and 6,000 square foot office space. Effective Environmental conducts HAZMAT cleanup operations and would enhance the area's HAZMAT response capabilities. No discussion raised the issue of how much outdoor storage of HAZMAT waste was anticipated at the facility.

Chief Wells introduced the next agenda item regarding wi-fi access for the city and the residents. A number of discussion points were raised by Councilman Lowe and others about the speed and vulnerability of the network for city use. Past history of problems using the city's water tower for wireless antennae was mentioned. The provider said basic service at $20 a month would include up to 1.5MB down load bandwidth. The proposal was unanimously accepted.

Public Hearing on community development block grant funding was almost uneventful, providing more a forum for council discussion than public comment. In the end, the majority of funds ($130,000) were allocated to road improvements and the remainder allocated to water department projects - (on comment that improvements to Cottonwood Creek Park for sports facilities would require city water services).

Employee Insurance Open Enrollment was re-awarded to the existing provider by unanimous consent. New Rates were closely in line with the previous year.

In the final open session item, Ciy Secretary Crystol Birdwell was reaffirmed as the designated Public Information Officer for the City of Wilmer by unanimous consent.

The meeting then convened in executive session to consider hiring two full time employees in the fire department and library. Executive Session lasted longer than we anticipated, but we expect the working AC unit may have promoted a more congenial atmosphere for the participants.

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EDITORIAL: In Defense of Our Publication

In response to our recent report of possible litigation from the City of Wilmer, the public and some syndication partners have expressed their support both financially and with professional referrals.

Comments on the blog have been quite supportive of our reporting. Comments from some citizens via telephone question our motives and methods as "nit picking". Our position remains that complete compliance with existing laws (statutes, codes, rules and ordinances) is the absolute minimal standard of ethical conduct for public officials and reiterate our pledge to report any and all occurrences that do not meet this minimal requirement. We continue to hope that one day our city will adopt a more rigorous standard of ethical conduct which includes avoiding the potential appearance of possible impropriety.

As we stand accused of misreporting this event, there are a number of facts in support of our article (Click Here to View) we hope our readers find relevant or informative:

The City of Wilmer and Dallas County have entered into a lease and maintenance agreement for the Cottonwood Creek Nature Preserve and Park which states:

"VII. The City shall perform and exercise all rights, duties, functions and services in compliance with all applicable Federal, State, and local laws and regulations."

Dallas County Code Chapter 50 governs Parks and Open Space areas:
Section 50-62 The park and open space administrator shall:
(13) Review and approve special access permits

Section 50-110 The county park and open space program shall be operated in accordance with all applicable state, federal, county and municipal rules, laws, policies ad procedures. (Ord. No. 99-2136)

Section 50-201 in no instance shall unauthorized motor vehicles, other than powered wheel chairs, be allowed onto county park/preserve property except within designated parking areas.

Section 50-201 (3) all special use requests for activities lasting no more than three days will be reviewed by the administrator.

Section 50-201 (4) Users whose special requests are approved by the county will be required to sign a use agreement prior to such use specifying among other things
a. the user will compensate the county for any damage...
b. when the use is for commercial purposes, the user will obtain a $1,000,000 liability/personal injury policy payable to the county; and
c.1. organizations desiring to rent a preserve for a function shall pay $250 per day or any part of a day;

Section 50-201 (5) Depending upon the proposed use, the county may require on-site security for appropriate crowd control and for the enforcement of provisions of this article.

Section 50-201 (6) The county reserves the right to deny any request for use of a county preserve which, in its opinion, may disrupt or hamper normal activity, offend public visitors, or endanger the preserve's natural integrity.

Section 50-201 (7) No alcoholic beverages or other intoxicants are allowed within a county preserve.

Section 50-241 Special use activities, which include, but are not limited to. the posting of signs, the exclusive use of a county preserve, or the use of a preserve in a manner that is different from which it was originally intended, and which will be conducted in a county preserve located within or managed by a municipality, shall be governed by these policies and by the policies of the municipality in which it is located.

Section 50-242 The county shall be notified of all income from the special use of a preserve located within and managed by a municipality. Such uses, which may include, but not be limited to, movie, television, or film use, and the fees charged for allowing such uses to occur must be approved in advance by the county. All such income is to be set aside by the city and county for future development and/or maintenance of the preserve.

Our article maintains that the required notification and approval of the special use permits were not applied for in advance, that funds were not committed to the county, that no special use agreement was received by the county and that no indemnification liability policy was received by the county, no use fee of $250 was collected and reported to the county. These facts were substantiated by the County prior to our publication.

Given these facts, we are left with the quandary of what aroused Mayor Hudson's ire. Perhaps it was the tone of our article and our characterization of the event as a "secret" "lobbying event" or "influence pedaling". About the same time the City of Wilmer came into existence, the "Hoosier poet" James Whitcomb Riley, wrote:
"When I see a bird that walks like a duck and swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, I call that bird a duck."

Although we have yet to hear from City Attorney Bob Hager regarding any pending litigation, we have expressed our desire via email to avoid the court system and resolve whatever issues were raised by our reports. We continue to prepare to defend our first amendment rights against the spectre of official repression.

By now you may have noticed we have added a PayPal link for online donations to our legal defense fund. Please note these are not tax deductible. Presently, we have no other way of accepting monetary support and keeping an accurate accounting. If you'd like to express your non-monetary support (or not, please feel free to click on the comments link at the bottom of any posting and let us (and each other) know what you think. Thank you for continuing to engage our publication.
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MAYOR INTENDS TO SUE PUBLISHER

In a surprise visit to our location, Mayor Don Hudson arrived at approximately 11:00 this morning to announce his intention to have the City Attorney pursue a lawsuit against Wilmer Public Citizen for our June 11 article "Developer Hosts Party for City Employees & Politicos" Click Here to view the article

Mayor Don Hudson arrived at Wilmer Public Citizen today to announce his intention to sue this publisher for inaccuracies and erroneous facts in our reporting of the invitation-only party held by Xebec Realty Partners in Cottonwood Valley Nature Preserve and Park on Saturday. The mayor said his remarks were on the record and that he intended to eliminate our use of the word "Wilmer" in our reporting. He also said that he intended to press litigation every time the word Wilmer was used in our publication. City Attorney Bob Hager could not be reached for comment.

As he was leaving the premises, the mayor was asked directly if he had any interest in correcting or revising the allegedly erroneous material published previously. He stated that he would leave the matter of what the errors were up to the City Attorney to resolve. In short, the mayor does not seem to be interested in resolving reporting errors - only to press forward with litigation. Our implicit offer to correct or revise the reporting issues was rejected.

We anticipate some changes in the format of our publication, specifically we are in the process of establishing a "Legal Defense Fund" using Paypal and will furnish a link for donations to this fund. As our publication is syndicated by a number of online news services, we would hope that some assistance becomes available from other "defenders of the First Amendment".

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Cleaning Up Wilmer's Drug Trafficking

Wilmer Police Department, Tuesday June 10, executed a search warrant in the 300 block of Cedar Street resulting in six arrests and recovery of what was believed to be marijuana and crack cocaine. Click Here to view the actual press release.

According to a press release issued Wednesday by the Wilmer Police Department, six suspects were taken into custody on vaious charges as the result of executing a search warrant at a known drug house located in the 300 block of Cedar Street. Three minor children present at the location were referred to TX Child Protective Services. CPS has not yet been able to confirm that they have custodial care of the children, due to privacy issues.

Interestingly, during the search, one of the suspect's cell phone rang and yet another suspect arrived to purchase drugs by bicycle. That suspect was also taken into custody by Wilmer PD officers for public intoxication.

To quote the release, "The Wilmer Police Department is committed to the effort of cleaning up illegal drugs in their city." Readers may recall Mayor Don Hudson's May 22 remarks "to clean up drugs and bootleggers in Wilmer". Click Here to view our previous coverage.
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Developer Hosts Party for City Employees & Politicos

Xebec Realty Partners, the developer of over 90 acres West of Summers off Belt Line Road currently seeking annexation and zoning changes by the City of Wilmer, hosted an invitation only (i.e. "secret") party in Cottonwood Valley Nature Park for City Employees, Elected officials, Appointees and their families. Wilmer Public Citizen is investigating the details of this event using the Texas Public Information Act.

Xebec Realty Partners (http://xebecrealty.com contact Ronny Guerrero, Partner via telephone at (972)836-8023 fax (972)836-8033 or email mailto:ronnyg@xebecllc.com) was unavailable to comment or return our telephone inquiries before press time. Xebec CEO Randy Kendrick was also unavailable to take our call, but his personal assistant indicated he was not iclined to give interviews to the press.

Our Public Information Request has so far revealed that all city employees, elected and appointed officers and their families were invited. We have obtained supplementary information that several members of the general public were invited that do not hold any position with the City. We are told that printed invitations had not been given to employees prior to the event and had been destroyed Monday.

According to sources with Dallas County, a city containing a county park acts as the manager for that facility and handles lease and rental arrangements for the facilities. The county provides park facilities for the public benefit - but does allow cities to lease the facilities for private parties. According to county rules, alcoholic beverages are not allowed at park facilities. The prohibition extends to private events unless the City provides on duty police to ensure the event is not opened to the general public.

According to our investigation, no such lease was prepared by the city nor were any funds or deposits required from Xebec Realty Partners to sponsor the event. At press time, the City of Wilmer had not made any lease/rental agreements or copies of financial transactions available for review.

Tuesday (June 10) all traces of the party had been removed from the grounds of the Forest Preserve and Park, with the exception that the gates to the facility were left open. County policy prohibits motorized vehicles of any kind within the gated nature facility, although clear tire tracks were observable inside the facility. According to sources Wednesday, Dallas County Sheriffs officers had the facility open seeking to capture two stray horses inside the facility.

A partial list of attendees includes Mayor Don Hudson, City Secretary Crystol Birdwell, Councilman Matt Leal, Councilwoman Marlena Hagen, Councilwoman Tiny Lange, and Councilman Eugene Lowe. We are attempting to determine from the Texas Secretary of State if a quorum of governing body officials at a city sponsored "lobbying' event constitutes a violation of the Texas Open Meetings Act. The Dallas County District Attorney's office refused to respond to our telephone inquiries regarding the potential ramifications (if any) for this type of influence pedaling.

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EDITORIAL: Reporters and News Sources

An editorial about News and Reporters is a bit unusual for a big city print publication. But in a small town, with few sources and almost daily contacts, the rules of the game may be quite "different".

If one were to read the Associated Press Style Manual (42nd edition, 2007), there are forty-two pages of "Media Law Briefing" regarding liability, libel, slander, and damages. While the manual doesn't offer step-by-step instructions or firm guidelines on specific topics, it does a great job of generally presenting these issues from a journalist's perspective.

In a small town, there are necessarily a very small number of sources of news worthy information - and a limitless supply of gossip, innuendo and local legend (usually in the form of "colorful" historical depictions). Separating the news from the folklore can be challenging at times, especially when it comes to historical events. So the tendency is to heavily rely on a few reputable, reliable sources that have access to information on a regular basis.

One tendency that develops over time, is for the source to assume a privileged status with a reporter by invoking the phrase "this is off the record". In the AP Style Manual, there are detailed several levels of "privileged" source material and each one carries with it an enforceable contract between source and reporter. The privilege is never given lightly by the reporter and the source should not proceed without express consent from the reporter. "Express consent" means that the reporter must agree to the privilege in every instance - that consent cannot be implied or assumed. Otherwise, there is no basis for tort or recovery of damages for harm in relating the information. The best example is in a "whistle blower" scenario, where the source of information needs to be kept confidential to avoid retaliation and perhaps loss of livelihood. The information may be reported and acted upon as long as the source of the information remains completely confidential. If the stakes are high enough as in a criminal investigation, the information itself may need to be kept confidential to avoid compromising the source's physical safety. Sometimes, the reporter can use the "edited" information to protect specific details while getting the story out and protecting source confidentiality.

What's the the difference in reporting the news? Interviews can be hostile or cordial and may usually go in both directions over the course of time. Sources that handle a reporter's inquiries with "no comment" are particularly subject to being presented in the least complimentary terms by reporters. Names are named, contact information may be reported, research can be presented without additional verification - and generally, more negative conclusions are drawn.

Contrasted with the cordial source, some details might be omitted or glossed over to reduce the public exposure of the source. For example, it's one thing to attribute an act or quote to "a local realtor" and quite another to report "Mr. John Xxx, of Y realty company, located at 123 Z Street, telephone 123-456-7890". Obviously, there's a huge difference in perception of the source's culpability in the reader's mind when reporting these types of details.

And of course, different individuals - public figures or just plain folks - should have different considerations in speaking to journalists. A public figure has little recourse to criticism, it's part of the cost of being a public figure. So the public figure always needs to weigh the risk of giving information versus appearing to hide the information. It wasn't the "BJ" that got Bill Clinton impeached, it was the cover up that caused the real problems. Politicians and public servants have a tendency to want to "cover their a**es" with a convenient lie rather than a privileged communication due to the balance they feel is necessary between credibility, deniability and responsibility in performing their public duties.

On the other hand, the private individual "John Doe" doesn't really have the same concerns, since generally their acts do not occur in the public forum. There's no reason to talk to a reporter if one doesn't want to go on record. Of course, many private individuals are firm in their beliefs and opinions and don't care who knows it - so they deal freely with reporters. Most others don't mind relating information, they just don't want to be quoted (or named).

Then there are those folks who just don't know how to act - newbies and amateurs in the public light. These tend to be private folks who are temporarily thrust into the public forum by some affiliation or association. Sure, you can use my name in your advertising - that sort of thing. Depending on the circumstances, these folks have assumed roles that are by nature or statute "public" - yet they feel it is only their personal business. For example, going on public record by forming a regulated committee/organization or engaging in political advocacy mandates certain public reporting requirements and de facto transforms an individual into a public figure.

Which brings us to the reporter's "feel" for sources and the credibility of their statements. The reporter is always in a position to evaluate not only the information, but the presentation. If the reporter doesn't feel he's getting the straight story due to the source's body language, eye contact, or demeanor - chances are the source will be more thoroughly investigated. If something doesn't "smell right" to the guy collecting the information, you can expect he'll be "nosing around" in your business. While complete disclosure isn't necessarily required, candor in presentation makes a huge difference. "No comment" or ignoring the reporter might change the story to examine you (the source) more thoroughly. Telling the reporter why you have no comment, or that you'd prefer not to answer because of possible retaliation makes a big difference. A little honesty goes a long way towards making interactions with the press more in your favor. Trust me o this one!
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June 5 City Council Meeting

The extensive twenty five item agenda lead to an unusually long meeting - with a few surprises for the citizens in attendance. Internet Explorer users click here to view the agenda.


Mayor Don called the meeting to order at 7:30PM, Eugene Low gave the invocation, and the consent items were approved without discussion. City Attorney Bob Hager announced that at about 7:10PM Officer Tony Shaw withdrew his appeal of termination by Chief Wells and eliminated the first two agenda items.

A public hearing on a 50% 10 year tax abatement on Sunridge Business Park property on the North side of Pleasant Run Road drew only one question: the planned building improvement value is $27 million. The hearing was closed and the measure was passed.

Matias Leal presented a proposal to purchase new Tasers for the Wilmer PD, which drew some discussion among council members. The measure was approved to purchase two Tasers with maintenance contracts.

The creation of a southern sector planning group consisting of representatives from Lancaster, Hutchins, Wilmer, Dallas, NTCOG, and Dallas County was tabled after several minutes of discussion. The proposed Atmos Gas rate increase was rejected with no discussion. In these two instances, Mayor Hudson broke with parliamentary procedure rules by directing the motion in the first case (Tiny Lange had first moved to reject the NTCOG plan) and recommending that the council reject the Atmos rate increase.

A Planning and Zoning Commission of five members and two alternates was approved consisting of Bertha King, Victor Pena, Stan Bell, Dennis Vandygriff, and Rolando Leal. Roy Wickliffe and Ron Miles were the approved alternates. Eugene Lowe nominated Windy Johnson (Mayor Hudson's daughter) to the commission, but was told by Mayor Hudson that she could not serve.

Matias Leal was unanimously approved as the only nominee for Mayor Pro Tem.

The hiring of a consulting firm to recruit a new City Administrator was approved in the night's only 3-2 split vote, with Eugene Lowe and Dean Rolison voting against the measure.

All other measures were approved unanimously and without discussion. All five proposed hirings were approved after the executive session. The meeting adjourned at approximately 9:00PM.
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City Council to Meet Thursday June 5

The next city council meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 5 at 7:30PM. It is an extremely full agenda including the selection of a mayor pro tem and a planning and zoning commission.


Internet Explorer users Click here to view the agenda document file.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF WILMER WILL MEET AT 7:30 P.M. ON THE 5TH DAY OF JUNE, 2008, IN THE REGULAR MEETING PLACE AT 101 DAVIDSON PLAZA, WILMER, TEXAS, FOR THE PURPOSE OF CONSIDERING THE FOLLOWING:

AGENDA TOPICS:
CALL TO ORDER:
INVOCATION:
CONSENT ITEMS: OPEN INVOICE REPORT
DISCUSSION ITEMS:

A. REVIEW AND CONSIDER REQUEST OF TONY SHAW’S REQUEST FOR AN OPEN HEARING OF HIS APPEAL OF TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT BY CHIEF WELLS, WHEREBY INVOLKING SECTION 551.074(B) OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE.

B. ANY ACTION AS NECESSARY AS A RESULT OF THE OPEN HEARING.

C. OPEN PUBLIC HEARING REGARDING ORDINANCE NO. 08-0505-A, PROVIDING ELIGIBILITY OF THE ZONE FOR COMMERCIAL INDUSTRIAL TAX ABATEMENT; CONTAINING FINDINGS THAT THE AREA QUALIFIES TO BE DESIGNATED AS A 50% TAX ABATEMENT REINVESTMENT ZONE AND THE IMPROVEMENTS SOUGHT ARE FEASIBLE AND PRACTICABLE.

D. CLOSE PUBLIC HEARING REGARDING ORDINANCE NO. 08-0505-A, PROVIDING ELIGIBILITY OF THE ZONE FOR COMMERCIAL INDUSTRIAL TAX ABATEMENT; CONTAINING FINDINGS THAT THE AREA QUALIFIES TO BE DESIGNATED AS A 50% TAX ABATEMENT REINVESTMENT ZONE AND THE IMPROVEMENTS SOUGHT ARE FEASIBLE AND PRACTICABLE.

E. REVIEW AND CONSIDER ORDINANCE NO. 08-0505-A, PROVIDING ELIGIBILITY OF THE ZONE FOR COMMERCIAL INDUSTRIAL TAX ABATEMENT; CONTAINING FINDINGS THAT THE AREA QUALIFIES TO BE DESIGNATED AS A 50% TAX ABATEMENT REINVESTMENT ZONE AND THE IMPROVEMENTS SOUGHT ARE FEASIBLE AND PRACTICABLE, WITH ACTION AS NECESSARY.

F. REVIEW AND CONSIDER DRAINAGE ISSUE ON THE SPEC BUILDING REGARDING PROPERTY TO BE OWNED BY INDUSTRIAL WORKS ON THE NORTHEAST SIDE OF PLEASANT RUN ROAD, WITH ACTION AS NECESSARY.

G. REVIEW AND CONSIDER AS PRESENTED BY A.Z. DRONES, WITH ATMOS ENERGY AN ORDINANCE NO. 08-0505-B, AMENDING THE EXISTING GAS FRANCHISE BETWEEN THE CITY AND ATMOS ENERGY CORPORATION TO PROVIDE FOR A DIFFERENT CONSIDERATION: PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE; PROVIDING FOR ACCEPTANCE BY ATMOS ENERGY CORPORATION; AND FINDING AND DETERMING THAT THE MEETING AT THIS ORDINANCE IS PASSED IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AS REQUIRED BY LAW, WITH ACTION AS NECESSARY.

H. REVIEW AND CONSIDER PURCHASE OF THREE (3) TASERS FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, WITH ACTION AS NECESSARY.

I. REVIEW AND CONSIDER APPOINTMENTS FOR THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION FOR FIVE (5) MEMBERS AND TWO (2) ALTERNATES, WITH ACTION AS NECESSARY.

J. REVIEW AND CONSIDER APPOINTMENT OF A MAYOR PRO-TEM, WITH ACTION AS NECESSARY.

K. REVIEW AND CONSIDER RESOLUTION FOR NEW SIGNATURE CARDS ON ALL CITY BANK ACCOUNTS AND CERTIFICATES OF DEPOSITS, WITH ACTION AS NECESSARY.

L. REVIEW AND CONSIDER PURCHASE OF BACKGROUND CHECKING SOFTWARE TO BE USED FOR HIRING PURPOSES AT CITY HALL, WITH ACTION AS NECESSARY.

M. REVIEW AND CONSIDER PURCHASING PARTS FOR THE WATER AND SEWER DEPARTMENT FOR DURING REGULAR AND AFTER HOURS EMERGENCIES IN THE AMOUNT OF $5,032.74, WITH ACTION AS NECESSARY.

N. REVIEW AND CONSIDER SCHEDULING A 4 HOUR SATURDAY WORKSHOP BETWEEN THE MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBERS AND DEPARTMENT SUPERVISORS, WITH ACTION AS NECESSARY.

O. REVIEW AND CONSIDER INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS AND NEIGHBORING CITIES REGARDING SOUTHERN DALLAS COUNTY LOGISTICS PROJECT, WITH ACTION AS NECESSARY.

P. REVIEW AND CONSIDER PURCHASE OF A NEW 2008 F-250 FORD GAS PICK-UP TRUCK IN THE AMOUNT OF $22,800.00, WITH ACTION AS NECESSARY.

Q. REVIEW AND CONSIDER PURSUING HIRING A CONSULTING FIRM TO SEARCH FOR A NEW CITY ADMINISTRATOR, WITH ACTION AS NECESSARY.

R. REVIEW AND CONSIDERATION OF APPOINTMENT OF MAYOR PRO-TEM, WITH ACTION AS NECESSARY.

S. EXECUTIVE SESSION: PURSUANT TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 551.074, (A) (1): PERSONNEL: TO DELIBERATE THE TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT APPOINTMENT, EVALUATION, REASSIGNMENT, DUTIES, DISCIPLINE OR DISMISSAL OF AN EMPLOYEE: HIRING OF NEW EMT/FIRE FIGHTER: KEITH BALES.

T. EXECUTIVE SESSION: PURSUANT TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 551.074, (A) (1): PERSONNEL: TO DELIBERATE THE TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT APPOINTMENT, EVALUATION, REASSIGNMENT, DUTIES, DISCIPLINE OR DISMISSAL OF AN EMPLOYEE: HIRING OF NEW WATER DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEE: ROY KENDRICK.

U. EXECUTIVE SESSION: PURSUANT TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 551.074, (A) (1): PERSONNEL: TO DELIBERATE THE TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT APPOINTMENT, EVALUATION, REASSIGNMENT, DUTIES, DISCIPLINE OR DISMISSAL OF AN EMPLOYEE: HIRING OF NEW WATER DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEE: DANIEL CAMEHL.

V. EXECUTIVE SESSION: PURSUANT TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 551.074, (A) (1): PERSONNEL: TO DELIBERATE THE TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT APPOINTMENT, EVALUATION, REASSIGNMENT, DUTIES, DISCIPLINE OR DISMISSAL OF AN EMPLOYEE: HIRING OF NEW COURT CLERK EMPLOYEE: NALLELI BRIONES.

W. EXECUTIVE SESSION: PURSUANT TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 551.074, (A) (1): PERSONNEL: TO DELIBERATE THE TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT APPOINTMENT, EVALUATION, REASSIGNMENT, DUTIES, DISCIPLINE OR DISMISSAL OF AN EMPLOYEE: HIRING OF NEW POLICE OFFICER: BRET LORD.

X. ANY ACTION AS NECESSARY AS A RESULT OF THE EXECUTIVE SESSIONS.

Y. ADJOURNMENT.

I, CRYSTOL BIRDWELL, HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THE FOREGOING NOTICE WAS POSTED ON THE BULLETIN BOARD OF THE CITY OF WILMER CITY HALL ON THIS THE 2ND DAY OF JUNE, 2008 AT 7:30 P.M.



CRYSTOL BIRDWELL, CITY SECRETARY

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Big Money & Liquor

Wilmer Public Citizen has concluded our investigative series Secrets and Lies - Lies and Secrets, a convoluted tale of big money and dubious politics.


We have been informed that some citizens and local government officials are in the process of objecting to the recent local option liquor election in Wilmer. We don't know any of the details - only that a nnumber of people are concerned about the methods used to secure this ballot measure. We hear that some Dallas County officials are looking into this, but we have no confirmation of that.

In more recent news, the Dallas County Election Department has "certified" a similar ballot measure for the City of Irving in November, after defeats at the polls in two previous elections. As reported, over eleven thousand signaures were certified to place the measure on the November ballot in Irving.

Wilmer's chances of reversing these election results seem remote - perhaps the people of Irving can be more proactive. Given all that we've uncovered, it seeems highly unlikely that the results for the City of Irving will be less controversial than what we've experienced in Wilmer. At least they have time to participate in the process before the final results are in.
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Local Option Liquor Election - Part 3

Secrets and Lies - Lies and Secrets Part 3
The final part of our three part investigative series outlines actions within the Dallas County Elections Department and lists a reference compendium of all our sources and research materials for this series on the May 10 local liquor option election.

The diagram below hopefully illustrates some of the relationships between parties involved in Wilmer's May 10 local option election uncovered in our first two parts of the series.
"Connections" in the Wilmer local option election for liquor sales May 10.


Dallas County Election Department performance has been disappointingly slow since we were required to file a formal public information (open records) request which must be serviced by the Dallas County District Attorney's Civil Division Office. For the most part, the Election Department's customer service by on site staff has been exemplary. In fact, our campaign finance inquiries and our voter registration inquiries (March 2008) were handled promptly in a single visit in person. The Dallas Morning News informs us that their requests are typically handled promptly by Election Department officials with little more than a phone call to the director - usually resulting in a fax on the same day. Wilmer Public Citizen is required to be much more assertive in pressing our requests for information.

Wilmer Public Citizen's Public Information Request to the Dallas County Election Department regarding the petition application to place the local alcohol sales proposition on the ballot had been referred to the District Attorney's Office for processing on April 24 - in plenty of time before the election. Tandi Smith of the Election Department says she sent our request via interoffice mail to an attorney in the DA Civil Division, but that individual no longer worked there. The request was not processed before the election, instead taking until May 20 before we were allowed access to the documents. Obviously our open records request was mishandled, but we can not determine whether it was the DA Civil Division or the Election Department responsible for the delay in processing. Open record requests with Dallas County are usually sent to the secretary of the DA Civil Division who then assigns an attorney to work the request. By statute, government entities are allowed ten business days to comply with open records requests under the Texas Public Information Act.

We were informed that ten valid signatures are required with an application to request authorization to circulate a ballot measure petition for a local option liquor election. Our research revealed no references in the election codes to substantiate this. However, we are informed that of the 29 signatures presented on the application to circulate the petition, less than ten were properly validated registered resident voters in the City of Wilmer. One source on the Wilmer City Council stated that only 8 of the required 10 verifiable signatures were properly affixed to the petition application. One confidential source indicated that City Secretary Crystol Birdwell was not permitted to disqualify the application.

Our research indicates that the actual petition for a local option election (referendum) requires 35% of the total number of voters that voted in the immediately prior governors election in order to be placed on the ballot. Dallas County Election Department informs us that 120 signatures were required for a successful petition for a local option election in Wilmer. We were also informed by Toni Pippin-Poole that the Election Department was "not obligated to certify every signature" on a petition and was permitted by statute to use random statistical sampling. The Election Department was not forthcoming with any information regarding sampling sizes or techniques, but did indicate that once the required number of signatures was achieved, no further certification processing was required. In general, random sampling is not valid for small populations of responses less than one thousand (the total population was only 120 required signatures). Further, our contact at the Election Department misinformed us about the random sampling requirements: it is permissible to use the technique under statutes ONLY if there are no written objections to the sampling method.

We have also been informed by Tandi Smith at the Dallas County Election Department that two applications were separately submitted for both Wilmer and Hutchins jurisdictions. However, we were not permitted to view the application information for Hutchins when we met with Ms. Smith to inspect the information because it was not included in our written open records request. In fact, Ms. Smith refused to provide any other information other than what was specifically detailed in our open records requests, stating she was "not permitted" to allow our access to the information.

Upon examination of copies of the documents viewed as a result of our Open Records request, there appear to be an unusually large number of signatures that are erroneous, invalid, or unverifiable on the LOE petition application, as well as on the petition itself. The number of invalid signatures on the petition application and the irregularity in handling our open records requests raises serious questions as to the validity of the certification process within the Dallas County Elections Department. We were informed that the certification process is run through the computer and the results are indisputable. We were also informed that local precinct level election officials have no input to the process of certifying petitions for local option elections. Dallas County Elections Department certified the results without consulting city or precinct election officials.

Our research uncovered that the Dallas County Election Department actually printed notice of the petition circulation the day before a campaign treasurer had been designated. While under Texas statute, there is no definitive process for creating a PAC, typically the declaration of a campaign treasurer is the first event that declares a PAC, unless registered with the Secretary of State's office. Wilmer & Hutchins Citizens for Better Business (WHCBB) has not been registered with any entity other than the Dallas County Election department at the state, federal or local level. Evidently, the Dallas County Election Department acts on petition requests with nothing more than a verbal declaration that a committee exists.

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We understand why businesses might want to expand their operations by promoting alcohol sales in Wilmer, but we fail to understand the reasoning behind their methods. Is it likely a citizens group is going to band together politically to promote alcohol sales to increase revenue for the city? Businesses lobbying to increase their markets makes perfect sense, we just don't understand the furtive manner. What's to hide: big business wants your money and so does your local political subdivision. Why create "Wilmer & Hutchins Citizens for Better Business" just to push campaign funding and expenses? Did the special purpose PAC start out as a paid focus group? Did the individuals involved in the PAC receive some remuneration as yet unreported? Is the Dallas County Election Department working for the citizens of Dallas County or the lobbyists and special interests? These questions are beyond the scope of our investigative series, but we are including our research references so that perhaps these questions can be taken up by other, more financially endowed investigators.

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UPDATES AND REFERENCES

Updates to previously published information:

* The Distilled Spirits Council contributed an additional $5,125 reported on the May 2 finance report, increasing their total contribution to $17,625, for a total pre-election campaign income of $44,000 (or about $15 for every man, woman and child in Wilmer).

* "Vote Yes for Wet" signs sent to John Eggen were paid for by a Dallas real estate broker with long standing property interests in Wilmer and surrounding areas as a private individual contribution not related to the activities of the Wilmer & Hutchins Citizens for Better Business (WHCBB) Political Action Committee.

Web Document Sources for this Series:

Full color marketing brochure mailed to Wilmer residents in April
Please click here to view.


Texas Petition Strategies "Press Kit"
Press Release
Please click here to view.

Marketing Presentation
Please click here to view.

TPS Election Results
Please click here to view.


Other Research References for this Series:

Political Action Committee:

Wilmer & Hutchins Citizens for Better Business
Judy Pennington, Treasurer (214) 541-8066
216 Wilmer-Heights Dr. Wilmer, TX 75172
Note: Former Treasurer Jan-March 2008
Annette Perez (469) 583-4726
212 Wilmer-Heights Dr. Wilmer, TX 75172
WEB SITE: http://www.WHWins.com
This domain was registered on April 16, 2008 and hosted by http://www.GoDaddy.com registered to Hutch White 673 Roseberry Buda, TX 78610 phone: (512) 538-4420
eMail: hwhite1@austin.rr.com
At the time the pre-election campaign advertising flyer was delivered, the website http://www.WHWins.com was not operational but was soon activated with the same graphics as seen on the "Vote for Proposition 1" signs placed by Texas Petition Strategies. Obviously the advertising flyers, campaign signs and web site have been provided by Texas Petition Strategies, Inc. (NOTE: John Hatch resides in Buda, Texas)

Lobbyists and Consultants for the local option election:

Texas Petition Strategies, Inc.
John Hatch (Austin) and Sissy Day (Arlington)
WEB SITE: http://www.texaspetitions.com
It seems that John Hatch, in addition to being listed as the owner of Texas Petition Strategies, is or was also the "Government Affairs" contact for Hard Count, Inc.
Much of the verbiage contained in the advertising flyer was also present on the http//hardcountinc.com web site at the time of our research. So it seems there is yet another professional lobbyist affiliation working with these folks.

Hard Count, Inc.
Austin, TX 78748, phone: 512-280-6423, fax: 512-280-0707
WEB SITE: http://hardcountinc.com
John Hatch "Government Affairs"
eMail:JohnHatch@hardcountinc.com

Further, these groups both are connected to another web site http;//honorourvote.com that is working against the Dallas County Commissioners' decision not to permit alcohol sales in Dallas County Precinct 3 after a local option election had allegedly been successful. The following information is copied directly from their web site:
"Copyright 2007. This website is paid for by the Dallas Area Residents for Retail Change (DARRC) which is a state required special purpose political action committee supporting the beer and wine election in Dallas County. HonorOurVote.com is controlled by DARRC and all contributions and expenditures associated with DARRC and HonorOurVote.com will be reported as required by Texas Ethics Laws. Political Contributions are not deductible for income tax purposes. Corporate and personal contributions are legal by Texas law. Dallas Area Residents for Retail Change Attn: HonorOurVote.com 203 Lake Ridge Village-- Box 221 Dallas, TX 75238"

Financial Backers of the Local Option Election:

TRI GAZ INC.
103 S. I-45 Wilmer, Texas 75172
Phone: (972) 441-3747 Fax: (972) 525-6908
President: Zouheir (aka Zack or Zachary) Kassem CELL: (214) 632 2777
Vice President Wadjen Al-Zoubi (aka Joe Zoubi) CELL: (214) 693 4759
eMail: joe@tri-gaz.com
NOTE: http://tri-gaz.com is not an active web site

Distilled Spirits Council
1250 Eye Street, NW, Suite 400
Washington, D.C. 20005
(202) 628-3544
The National Trade Association Representing Producers and Marketers of America's Favorite Brands of Distilled Spirits

Victron Energy
Ali Sharaf President / Owner
105 YMCA Dr Waxahachie, TX 75165
Phone:(469) 517-2000

901 Ferris Ave Waxahachie, TX , 75165-2555
Phone: (972) 938-3920 Fax: (972) 937-0271

Commercial Vendors:
Valentine Direct Marketing
Ed Valentine, President
5415 Maple Avenue Dallas, TX
These people supplied the postal permit for the campaign advertising mailer.

Potential Connections:

An interesting connection was discovered through web research between Victron Energy and Historymaker Homes via a commercial real estate broker Kelly Harris http://www.kharco.com/KSH1%20RESUME.pdf

Kelly S Harris
WEB SITE: http://www.kharco.com
Phone: (972) 842-3884 Fax: (972) 842-3885 eMail: kharco@aol.com
Texas Brokers License No. 0332-614

Mr. Bryan Mitchell
CEO of Historymaker Homes
6815 Manhattan Blvd., Suite 400
Ft. Worth, Texas 76120
Phone: (817) 429-8008

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New Wilmer Boundary Map

The City of Wilmer has published a new map of boundaries, Click here to view

Map of Wilmer City boundaries as of April 2008.
Click here to view

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Comment Guidelines

Wilmer politics are anything but politik or polite but lately there's a vengeful air in the blog comments - so it's time for some guidelines!


Let's get reasonable about publishing standards:

* No profanity or prayer - all comments are moderated (require approval before publishing)

* We won't publish reported third-party quotes as attributable to third parties unless verified with the alleged source of the quote

* Anonymous postings are accepted - "handles" (like "Admin") may be subject to some restrictions so as not to confuse our readers

* It is preferable NOT to post comments in all capital letters - please be judicious in the use of punctuation!!!!! (not like this)

* All content reflects the authors' opinions, Wilmer Public Citizen bears no responsibility for potentially objectionable content and will work diligently to service requests regarding inaccurate or objectionable content

* We allow all comments that follow these simple guidelines and we WELCOME civil comments (not required).
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Local Option Liquor Election - Part 2

Secrets and Lies - Lies and Secrets. Part 2 of Wilmer Public Citizen's investigative report explores the companies and connections behind the proposition to approve package liquor sales in Wilmer on May 10. If you missed Part 1 of the series click here to read Secrets and Lies - Lies and Secrets Part 1. We will also update elements of our story which may have changed since Part 1 was originally published.


The great thing about a multi-part series from an editorial perspective, is that you can allow time for the story to unfold from a variety of news sources.
Click here to view the Dallas Morning News Article following up Part 1 of our series. As it turns out, there's nothing "news worthy" about business as usual for big money lobbying groups - only its' financial impact on a small target community like Wilmer.

Financial impact? Final pre-election campaign funding documents revealed one additional contribution of $5,125 from the Distilled Spirits Council was passed through the Wilmer & Hutchins Citizens for Better Business (WHCBB) political action committee to Texas Petition Strategies, Inc. (TPS), bringing the total to $44,000 in support of the ballot initiative. That investment figures roughly $15 per capita which includes every man woman and child in Wilmer) - or more than three times the per capita income (303%) in Wilmer.

Texas Petition Strategies, Inc. "Damage Control"

After Part 1 of our series was published, John Hatch of Texas Petition Strategies, Inc.(TPS) responded to our previous inquiries in an email. Mr. Hatch included updated pre-election financial disclosure statements, and provided a "press kit" for our research. After the election, Hatch granted a lengthy telephone interview to this reporter in response to our follow-up inquiry.

The TPS "press kit" included a press release, marketing presentation/bios of the company's principals, election results of their efforts, and two campaign finance reports through May 2, 2008. The Dallas Morning News article (referenced above) was based partly on this press release and interviews with TPS principal John Hatch and Campaign Treasurer Judy Pennington of "Wilmer & Hutchins Citizens for Better Business" (WHCBB).

Hatch discussed his background and initial work with the city of Buda where he lives just south of Austin. From a strategic perspective, Hatch promotes the idea of local option elections by precinct or justice-of-the-peace district as opposed to individual municipalities. Local option elections can authorize alcohol sales within a city but only as far as the boundaries existing at the time of the local option election. If a city is experiencing growth, it makes more sense to push local options in the county or precinct prior to working within an individual city. Once the county/precinct is "wet" the cities within these areas can be targeted for local option elections, and as they grow, new elections would not be required. The Wilmer scenario follows this model as local option election has already been passed in Dallas County Precinct 3, but has not been implemented by the county commissioners (more on this in Part 3).

The TPS marketing literature can be somewhat misleading if interpreted that "Client Cities" refer to the actual governing body of a political subdivision, rather than the Cities in which their clients conduct business. TPS made it clear that their services are not marketed to political subdivisions' governing bodies.

Hatch's primary concern in managing LOE campaigns is to combat the influence of extra-jurisdictional business interests to quash ballot measures, and spent a great deal of time relating how Dallas liquor retailers had financed opposition initiatives in Lancaster and Anna elections. He stated that the campaign flyer sent to Wilmer residents was designed as a "preemptive strike" against such outside opposition.

TPS has enough success with local option elections to get clients mostly by referrals. Hatch has significant experience speaking to civic and business groups promoting the ideas of local option elections and has been successful enough in getting these ititiatives passed to have earned a distinguished reputation in the area.

Mr. Hatch stated that he was approached by Zouheir Kassem of Tri-Gaz and Ali Sharaf of Victron Energy after having met them at a Fort Worth business social. As convenience store owners in the Wilmer & Hutchins areas, they were interested in increasing revenues and enlisted TPS to get the measure on the ballot. When it was apparent that all package liquor sales would be targeted, Hatch contacted the Distilled Spirits Council for additional funding.

According to Hatch, Kassem and Sharaf furnished all the information to establish the WHCBB political action committee. Campaign Treasurer Judy Pennington as well as all the referenced individuals in the advertising flyer mailed to Wilmer residents were names supplied by Kassem and Sharaf. Hatch says he worked closely with Pennington but did not have contact with the other WHCBB members. Hatch did not comment on the web site mentioned in the campaign flyer (http://www.WHWins.com), but we note that the site is registered to a "Hutch White" in the same town where Hatch resides: Buda, Texas.

We have discovered many variations and misquotes between the TPS written Press Release and the WHCBB campaign flyer. By comparison, these two documents look like amateur "cut and paste" jobs because they obviously were not "proofed or edited". According to our research, none of the folks quoted in Hutchins admit to supporting the proposition or making any statements. Comments attributed in the campaign flyer to "Tommy Nail, Hutchins" are quoted as coming from the mouth of Judy Pennington in the Press Release - except that "we have major grocery store chains in Carthage" in the Tommy Nail quote was changed to "we don't have any grocery stores in Wilmer-Hutchins" for the Pennington quote in the Press Release. Comments from "Jerry Griggs and Judy Pennington" in the campaign flyer are attributed to "Tanya Nail of Hutchins" in the Press Release. And comments from "Patricia Nail, Hutchins" in the campaign flyer are attributed to Jerry Griggs of Wilmer in the Press Release Additional Press Release quotes from Judy Pennington and Jerry Griggs were generic and not mentioned in the campaign flyer materials, but having interviewed Ms. Pennington personally, this reporter is skeptical.

When asked how the quotes in his campaign advertising flyer were attributed, Mr. Hatch acknowledged that he received a list of names from the principal contributors (Kassem and Sharaf). In our interview, Hatch was noncommittal about the differences to whom the quotes were attributed in his press release and in the marketing flyer.

Our research indicates that Tanya Nail of Hutchins had also been employed by the Sonic/Exxon at I45 & Belt Line in Wilmer. However, Ms. Nail's parents, quoted in the marketing flyer (Patricia Nail and Tommy Nail) deny that they supported the measure, stated that they voted against the measure, and gave no permission for their names to be used in campaign advertising literature. We have been unable to determine if Jerry Griggs, Miguel Briones and Natalia Briones of Wilmer had given permission for their names to be used in the advertising. Natalia Briones' signature appears on the list of petition signers, but not on the application to circulate the petition.

It is never obvious whom the intended audience for TPS' marketing materials may be - but the reader is left with the firm impression that various city governments have commissioned TPS to pass these initiatives. While their success rates are detailed in an "election results" document, one is easily misled to believe again, that cities were the customers of TPS. According to Hatch and our investigations, cities and other governing bodies are barred from participating in political activities and using public monies. It appears that TPS markets their services to "appropriate" business venues in a target jurisdiction and the WHCBB Press Release states that "The group is supported by local citizens and business owners".

But is it really? We can't verify that Ali Sharaf (Victron Energy) and Zouheir Kassem (Tri Gaz) are actually citizens. Victron Energy is based in Waxahachie. Tri Gaz has six different corporations in different locations (including one in Oklahoma), but Kassem lives in Dallas - Wadjen Al-Zoubi, vice president lives in Sunnyvale. We have a semantic problem referring to these non-Wilmer resident individuals as "local business owners". We have determined that Judy Pennington is a citizen, but not a registered voter (perhaps due to serious legal problems in her background).

Texas statutes impose no restrictions on qualifications for Campaign Treasurer, unlike petition signers and applicants for petitions. A Campaign Treasurer need not be a citizen, registered voter, legal resident (or even human for that matter) as long as the required reports are completed and filed in a timely manner with a signature. Campaign Treasurer Judy Pennington's signature does not appear on either the petition or the application, nor does her name appear on the list of registered voters for the Wilmer precinct.

Look for the wrapup in Part 3 of our series "Secrets and Lies - Lies and Secrets" coming this weekend.
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Post-Election Changes at City Hall

There are a few changes in the works at City Hall following the May 10 elections. From what we've heard so far, all of the changes are in a positive direction.

(Former) City Administrator Thom Lauer was terminated from city employment on Monday, May 19. According to the Ellis County Press, Lauer was told his "services are no longer needed".Click her to view the full ECP story. No plans to recruit a new City Administrator have been disclosed at this time. Assistant City Administrator Bobby Jo Martinez will be taking on Lauer's responsibilities in the interim. (ED NOTE: Lauer's dismissal is the best news we've reported on City Hall since Mr. Lauer's rehiring last year.)

Mayor Don Hudson, in an interview this morning, expressed his commitment to reduce crime in Wilmer. He is working through the Wilmer PD to "clean up the drug houses and bootleggers in town". Hudson also said that he wants the city government to be more open and honest with citizens - "a more friendly City Hall".

The Planning and Zoning Committee Public Hearing on the voluntary annexation of 95+ acres scheduled for tonight (May 22) at 7:00PM will most likely be cancelled and need to be rescheduled if a quorum cannot be seated. The tract of land is North of Belt Line between Summers and Mason, just west of "downtown" Wilmer. Readers planning to attend the meeting may want to confirm with City Hall before attending.

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Local Election Results *UPDATED*

With 100% of the precincts reporting, we feel fairly confident our election results are accurate. According to the Dallas Morning News, a runoff election for mayor and the one year council term is required - the results stand as reported.

Local Option Election FOR 173 51.3% AGAINST 164 48.66%

Mayor Don Hudson 169 48.29%
Mayor Teresa Bain 156 44.57%
Mayor Brian Sliter 25 7.14%

CITY COUNCIL
2 Year Term Tiny Lange 145 22.41
2 Year Term Matias Leal 126 19.47
2 Year Term Billy Wickliffe 106 16.38
2 Year Term James Jistel 101 15.61
2 Year Term Dennis Vandygriff 91 14.06
2 Year Term Vicky Vandygriff 78 12.06


1 Yr Term Marlena Hagen 126 38.18%
1 Yr Term Mary Evans 113 34.24%
1 Yr Term Stan Bell 91 27.58%


Can't wait for next year's races!
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No Endorsement for Mayor

Mayor Don Hudson put out another campaign mailing that arrived in many area mail boxes today - this time with an article printed from Wilmer Public Citizen. THIS IS NOT AN ENDORSEMENT!

Wilmer Public Citizen has not gone on record endorsing any candidate for public office - certainly not the mayor's race. We had no idea the Hudson campaign planned to use an article from our news service to wrap their message. It's too bad they didn't at least get the web site address in the mailer...

For the record, Wilmer Public Citizen is making no recommendation on the mayor's race. Although we must admit that there are No Signs for our picks in the other races.
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More Campaign Literature

Two new pieces of campaign literature happened my way this past week. John Eggen mailed a letter to voters and an anonymous campaign letter was received via fax.
John Eggen's letter can be viewed by clicking here to view.

Anonymous posted this campaign letter in support of various candidates (and blasting some others) - Click Here to View Page 1
- Click Here to View Page 2.

We are still seeking an alleged bilingual letter aimed at hispanic voters and residents which was rumored to have circulated last week. If you received a bilingual letter about voting, please fax it (toll free) to 877-725-1853 or email a copy to reporter@wilmercitizen.info.

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Council to Meet at 6:30PM Tonight

he Wilmer City Council meeting scheduled for this evening May 8, 2008 will begin at 6:30PM to accommodate two open hearings on annexation issues.

The City will also consider potential regulations for convenience stores selling beer and wine with the local option liquor election on the May 10 ballot.
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Channel 11 - Candidate Confusion

Jay Gormley of Channel 11 news (CBS) returned to Wilmer to uncover more controversy in the mayor's race on Thursday, May 1. Replay the video - click here!

The story opened with a statement by John Eggen that Wilmer's elections were "cut-throat, evil, dirty and vindictive" to set the tone of Gormley's report.

Gormley's story mostly restated their original coverage of Brian Sliter's candidacy, with a few unanticipated twists to the story. Gormley interviewed Crystol Birdwell about Sliter's withdrawal from the race and displayed the copy of Sliter's notarized withdrawal letter taped to the voting room door.

Supposedly Gormley received an email relating a controversy over incumbent Don Hudson's home adddress and arrived with camera crew to verify the location of Hudson's property. Mayor Hudson appeared on camera at his #6 Belmont home during the broadcast, blaming his critics for the controversy.

Gormley then moved on to the issue of Teresa Bain's application for a place on the ballot and the errors reported in this publication on March 25, 2008. Bain was not available for comment on camera or via telephone during the broadcast.

Our take on the reporter's summary: We may not have a viable horse in the mayor's race, but it was still going to be a tight contest.
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A City Wide Garage Sale will be held this Saturday, May 3, 2008 at various locations! Read more!