Campaign Finance - Fraud?

Billy Wickliffe, Theresa Bain, James Jistel, and Mary Evans have commingled campaign finances and enlisted City employees in publishing and mailing a campaign letter to select groups of Wilmer residents. Wickliffe was overheard implicating City Administrator Thom Lauer as the author of the "Paid Political Advertisement" campaign flyer.
Read the full color flyer online - click here.

In a blatant and bold usage of city personnel, funds and materials for personal campaigning, Billy Wickliffe et al have published a campaign flyer (in full color) imploring voters to "Stick with the familiar team and Keep the Train Rolling". It's time we the residents and citizens of Wilmer "derail" this runaway train of corrupt influence from our community.

How can these four candidates legally and ethically publish a campaign flyer under existing statutes requiring a filing of a campaign finance treasurer/manager? How can we the taxpayers of Wilmer stand for using public staff and funds for such purposes?

This group claims credit for a lower (property) tax rate while creating astronomical deficits and shortfalls in the city budget. To offset the lower property tax rate, most residents will see huge increases in property appraisal values due to the escalating commercial property values. DCAD has a policy of taxing property at it's "best and highest use" value. This means you can expect your land to be appraised at commercial property values - your taxes will increase drastically unless you have a homestead exemption and put up a fight to ensure your property is covered by the exemption. Let's not forget that the voters approved a one cent increase in sales taxes last year as well.

Among other things, this "crew" is claiming credit for bringing Dallas Water into Wilmer. While Mike Rader's Wilmer Water District provides a connection to Dallas Water Utilities via Hutchins, the general populace is not served by this supply. Sources within the City Hall indicate that only a small group of residents in the vicinity of the old high school on Millers Ferry receive Dallas water, and the city loses money on every gallon by charging insufficient funds to recover the high cost of this service. The group also claims lower rates for water and sewer but has budgeted $1.40 loss for every $1 of water revenue. Of course, Mike Rader's Sunridge Business Park benefits from the connection to Dallas Water, but no residents are served by this connection. Sources inside the Water Department indicate that the connection wasn't finalized because funds were not provided for a compensating pressure valve and the Dallas service line pressure would "blow" the much lower pressure Wilmer water lines without such a device.

The claims of our prospects for the future are equally absurd:
"New Restaurants" - Wilmer doesn't support the one full service restaurant we have in town, while the fast food businesses saturate the corner of I45 and Belt Line.
"New Grocery Stores" - the city council has stated that without more rooftops, additional retail cannot be sustained.
"New Hotel" - there is a sign on the southbound I45 access road at the Belt Line exit, but we have found no plans, proposals or financing for such development.
"More Jobs" - with all the development we are experiencing the only "new job" for Wilmer residents seems to be the rehire of Thom Lauer as City Administrator.
"More paid firefighters and police" - the council hasn't kept up with the attrition (resignations) of paid fire and police forces and has made a great deal of hoopla about our volunteer-amateur uncertified firemen and their new facilities.