FBNow Report: Hilton Files Complaint On Arcola Mayors Financial Dealings!
Complaint Filed With DA Accuses Arcola Mayor Of Running City 'Like A Bank'
by Bob Dunn, May 10, 03:37 pm
A candidate for Arcola City Council has filed a complaint with the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s office accusing Arcola Mayor Alvin Gipson of illegally extending credit to city employees on behalf of the city. (Click title link for the entire story)--
posted by responsible_dvlpmnt at Thursday, May 11, 2006
14 Comments:
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Related background from FBNow.com:
County Pulls The Plug On Plans To Divert McKeever Road
by Bob Dunn, Feb 28, 03:51 pm
Fort Bend County Commissioners Court put the brakes on a controversial plan to divert Arcola’s McKeever Road – also known as the South Post Oak extension project.
After an executive session on Tuesday, commissioners and County Judge Bob Hebert voted unanimously to reject the realignment of McKeever Road “as proposed by Houston Southwest Airport.”
The unexpected move means several residents of Newpoint Estates – who’d been led to believe their property would be condemned for right-of-way in the road diversion project – can breathe easier.
“Their property essentially will be intact permanently,” Hebert said. “This county judge will oppose any taking of their land.”
Hebert released a letter to Jamie Griffith, president of the airport, in which he said the county “has determined that any extension of South Post Oak Boulevard, from State Highway 6 to McKeever Road, is premature at this time because no justifiable right-of-way alignment exists…”
Hebert cited intentions by Arcola City Council to retain McKeever as a city street along the proposed diversion to Highway 6; the fact that the proposed right-of-way would take more than 4 acres from four Newpoint Estate lots; and the fact that McKeever Road already existed before the airport owners built their runway.
“And that runway was knowingly built in close proximity to McKeeever Road’s right-of-way. Therefore, Houston Southwest Airport must correct any conflicts existing between its runway and McKeever Road under FAA regulations,” Hebert’s letter states.
”...If you desire to offer right-of-way for South Post Oak Boulevard in the future, we advise you that your runway needs to be adjusted to remove any FAA clearance conflicts with McKeever Road and any proposed extension of South Post Oak Boulevard,” Hebert’s letter states. Any new offer of right-of-way for a new McKeever/South Post Oak alignment “must remain wholly within property that you own, or be accompanied by documentation of the acceptance of the alignment by any other property owners losing property…”
Thus, the county is leaving the door open to realign McKeever in the future, but under restrictions that don’t include condemning private property.
The proposed realignment has drawn fire from a vocal group of Arcola residents, in part because plans originally called for diverting McKeever Road north of a drainage canal running parallel to Houston Southwest Airport property. To accomplish that, the county – or the city of Arcola – would have to acquire or condemn about 100 feet of land from four private parcels in the Newpoint Estates residential community.
Hebert said Griffith isn’t likely to be surprised by the court’s action to dump that plan, because he met with Griffith on Monday to go over the details of what the court was contemplating.
“He accepted it,” Hebert said of Griffith. “He’s not a happy camper, but he’s accepted the reality of it.”
Hebert said the county intends to rebuild McKeever, keeping it as a two-lane road on its current alignment, and adding improved shoulders on each side to improve safety.
“We’re going to have to tear it up and rebuild it,” he said. “It will be a new county road.” He estimated the work will cost about $1.5 million.
He said with the improved McKeever Road, a new road called Steep Bank Trace also will be built, which will provide access to an undeveloped portion of Sienna Plantation property.
Hebert called rebuilding McKeever a temporary solution, because added traffic eventually will require a new plan.
“In the next five or six years, we’ll have to do something,” he said. “But it ain’t going to that alignment.”
1 Tom Hilton - Feb 28, 04:56 pm
Yahoo!!
My commendations go out to County Commissioner’s Court for doing the right thing here.
Now, the airport owner needs to remove 950 feet from the west end of the runway to take McKeever Road, and the additional traffic from the new Steep Bank Trace, out of harm’s way. NOW! The FAA needs to follow their own laws and REQUIRE that this airport be brought into compliance. The safety of Fort Bend County citizens is at risk here.
All the best,
Tom Hilton
2 Chris Calvin, Ph.D. - Feb 28, 06:09 pm
Tom,
Residents of Sienna, Colony Lakes, Silver Ridge I & II, Waterbrook, Waterbrook West, Arcola Heights, Plantation Oaks, Oakwick, Oyster Creek, West Point, and especially New Point Estates, etc. all owe you a debt of gratitude for your efforts since rediscovering this was not “off the table” this past November.
A word of caution to anyone reading this. This project has been an on-again-off-again deal so it is always necessary to keep an eye on this.
I want to thank those commissioners who genuinely went with the voting public on this and did what was best for the residents and taxpayers of this area of FB county.
Stay informed and keep in touch!
*****
Dr. Calvin, Co-Chair
Committee for Responsible Development-SP Group
http://missouricitychatter.blogspot.com
responsible_dvlpmnt@yahoo.com
Missouri City, TX
3 maized&cornfused - Feb 28, 06:58 pm
Thank you all for all of your efforts to make us a safer and a better place to live. I will feel better knowing that the students a BBMS won’t have jets flying over them. I know, and you do too, that this won’t be the last of it, but can celebrate for now.
4 Matthew Feinberg - Feb 28, 08:07 pm
Great Job!.. I think Herbert got the election year jitters. Lets keep an eye on this after the election. It could pop up on us.
5 Chris Elam - Mar 1, 08:10 am
‘Hebert got the election year jitters’?
What do you base that comment on? There are only two logical reasons you could say that…
1) You believe that Bob Hebert should be worried about his opponent in November (nobody)
or 2) You needed something to say that wouldn’t come out and sound too kind about a man whom you and your buddies have been spending way too much time worrying about in recent weeks, so you quickly came up with a total non sequitur.
6 Matthew Feinberg - Mar 1, 09:10 am
For those with a limited vocab.
Main Entry: sequitur
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: a logical
conclusion from the premises; a logical consequence
Chris.. Just because Herbert eliminated his opposition with questionable tactics does not mean he does not have to worry about is constituents. Just three weeks ago Herbert was hell bent on helping getting this project approved. Now there is a sudden turn around after much pressure from community activists like Hilton and Calvin. Hilton and Calvin care more about the community and people than the politicos and their cronies. I applaud them for their efforts. I also thank Herbert for making the right choice.
Chris.. You have your own blog. If you really think that Herbert does not have to answer to anyone then you can vent there. Personally I don’t think elected officials can do what ever they want. They have to answer to the people and need to be held accountable for their decisions. Apparently there are very few people around here that feel that way.
Thanks again to the few people that blocked this pointless project. I still say we need to keep an eye on things after the election. I am not blind to think thinks can’t change.
7 Tom Hilton - Mar 1, 09:37 am
Chris,
You are correct – Hebert surely doesn’t have any election year jitters, as nobody had the cajones to run against him. (Hundreds of thousands of $ in campaign chest, incumbent, backing of EDC, etc.) As far as spending too much time worrying about Judge Hebert, let’s just say that without plain ‘ol citizens keeping an eye on politicians such as Hebert, I ASSURE you that he would not be reversing his position on this matter. By the way, McDougal is promising to create an Ethics Division in the DA’s office if elected – this is sorely needed in this County where ethics is considered a four-letter word.
All the best,
Tom Hilton
8 Chris Calvin, Ph.D. - Mar 1, 11:22 am
Matt & Tom,
I wouldn’t worry too much about the musings of the young Elam. He works for his dad in a firm that is hired to put “out the spin” for the politicians and their cronies. Hebert must apparently be one of their clients. CE becomes increasingly insignificant in the big picture. You’ll never see him carrying a sign he isn’t paid to carry.
Keep up the activism guys. I know Hebert may be worried about the bond elections coming up rather than Mr. Small whom he smeared out of the race on a ridiculous Elam rumor of an incident which took place 22 years prior.
I hope McDougal does get in and get the ethics panel established and going so the “good ole boys club” can get shook up a bit!
Yes, keep an eye on these special projects backed by the likes of Delay-Hebert-Owen (and their Houston based developer buddies).
Congrats all again!
9 Prescott E Small - Mar 1, 12:35 pm
I have to congratulate Tom Hilton, Chris Calvin and others like them in their efforts to force the County Court and Bob Hebert to do their job and represent the constituency, albeit reluctantly. I guess being dragged along kicking and screaming might be considered progress.
Jamie Griffith isn’t going to go away quiet either. Griffith and his Airport were just sacrificed. I have to bet Griffith isn’t to happy and we haven’t heard the last of him.
I have to say that although it appears the commissioners court is doing the right thing in this instance there is still a lot of room for improvement. It is reassuring to see that even Bob Hebert can Flip-Flop when hammered repeatedly with hard evidence and continuous scrutiny. Although it is a shame that it takes several years of hard scrutiny and constant vigilance to get an elected official to represent the voter.
Hebert and the other commissioners need to start returning campaign contributions from those same people that silence free speech by using SLAPP suits against their constituency. They need to stop representing out of county special interest and get to work for their real bosses – the residents of Fort Bend County.
When you take money from individuals that crush rights, mislead or defraud the public you are no better than they are. Last count there were about 230,000 pieces of evidence in Hebert’s bank account that were valued at $1.00 each. Maybe DeLay has taught him well and now Hebert realizes his price was to low?
Things to improve on:
Give back all the money from the Sienna/Johnson Developers. The same developers that use huge cash reserves and SLAPP suits to crush free speech and deplete the savings of hard working families. Crushing free speech is as un-American as you can get. These families are your constituents Bob.
The Commissioners’ Court needs to start having hearings in the evenings or on weekends so that the constituents can attend the court and still take care of their jobs and families.
Bob Hebert and the Commissioners’ Court need to press our State Legislature and the Texas Secretary of State to approve of the V6 version of the eSlate system and require printers. Then demand that the state provide enough funds to buy the correct number of voting machines and printers for the primaries as they have always been in the first place.
Bob Hebert and the other officials need to get their full disclosure documentation completed and published for everyone to see. Bob Hebert believes HB 914 “Has good intentions” but “It is a bad law.” Why is full disclosure bad? I think it was a good start. It needs to be expanded to show when a contract was “no bid” and include all elected state officials including the Legislature.
The Commissioners’ Court should establish a county wide policy of fiscal transparency and reporting that is in plain language so that the average person can understand what the reports say. That information should be readily available to any constituent in any Library, county office or on the internet.
The county should have ZERO no bid contracts. They are handling our money with complete irresponsibility and need to have competitive bids on all jobs. Bob Hebert and the Court should be demanding that the Legislature re-instate the repealed checks and balances that previously made “no bid” contracts illegal.
Emergency contracts should be pre-bid at a fixed rate of profit based on actual costs. These costs should be independently audited and severe penalties should exist for any form of abuse, including criminal prosecution.
I have heard it from several reliable sources there are republican party plans for Bob Hebert and Sugar Land Mayor David G. Wallace.
Bob Hebert has more campaign money than any County Judge in the U.S. – Why? We will see where the “republican golden boy” heads next.
10 Chris Elam - Mar 1, 01:22 pm
Dr. Calvin – Internet Imposter – ResponsibleDevelopment, whatever you call yourself…
I’m not sure where you read “spin” into that comment that was soley addressed at Feinberg. But then again, for a man who’s currently in the midst of legal proceedings over your own “spin”... perhaps you’re more qualified to talk on the subject. =)
11 Chris Calvin, Ph.D. - Mar 1, 01:58 pm
Thanks for such a deep well thought out response CE. Maybe your dad can help you touch it up a bit.
All one has to do is look at your clients list to know what you are up to.
Take care-
12 Chris Elam - Mar 1, 02:51 pm
Hey, I’m just glad that you have started attributing your own name to your comments. Best of success in all your future endeavors.
13 gogetter - Mar 2, 10:08 am
It’s great to see someone was successful with the local EDC crowd. Well done Tom, Chris, Prescott, Matt, Rosie, Anson, John and all the area residents who helped keep the pressure up on this one.
It is amazing to me how many people/voters must get involved to get any movement on the special interest boys!
Well done!
14 Tom Hilton - Mar 3, 08:22 am
Howdy,
The Judge is quoted as saying; “And that runway was knowingly built in close proximity to McKeeever Road’s right-of-way. Therefore, Houston Southwest Airport must correct any conflicts existing between its runway and McKeever Road under FAA regulations,”
I contacted the County Attorney’s office about this safety issue and they claimed that the County has no power to ensure the safety of it’s citizens using County roads. What?
Our position is that this private developer is endangering the safety of County residents using McKeever Road (the runway was built too close to the road which violates mandated safety clearances). This fact is clearly stated above by the Judge, and the County is fully aware of it. Since Griffith cannot go into Newpoint to divert McKeever, (which was the whole reason behind S. Post Oak) the only alternative is to remove 950 feet from the west end of the runway. He’s certainly not going to do it on his own – he will have to be forced to do it. Who is going to step up and enforce the law here? The FAA? Ha! The County should be taking this to the next level and ensuring that County residents are taken out of harm’s way.
I find it hard to believe that the County does not have the authority to require a private developer to take measures to ensure that his runway is not endangering the safety and welfare of the general public.
Any attorneys out there who could shed some light on this?
All the best,
Tom Hilton
15 Artemio Temo - Mar 14, 10:12 pm
Just to say a BIG THANKS to Tom Hilton, Chris Calvin, Matthew Femberg, Rosie, Anson, John and
whomever else participated with your efforts to stop this nonsense Airport expansion/Mckeever divertion. None of us want to lose our land for pennies, and we need to feel safe at home, just the way we are. Thanks again.
Artemio Temo
16 JLS - Mar 15, 07:40 am
I want to thank Rodrigo Carreon, Paul Malone & Greyling Poats for also working tirelessly on this issue.
Rodrigo especially appeared before the commission, several councils and went door-to-door on this for his neighbors in Arcola! Thanks Rodrigo and the rest! Keep your eyes on this after the bond election. It will probably come back as it has many times before.
17 Susan - Mar 15, 06:54 pm
It is super that the realignment plan failed. Congratulations.
18 Tom Hilton - Mar 16, 10:38 am
Howdy,
I went to TxDOT Aviaition a while back asking questions about the proposed 953 foot extension of the runway to the east. They denied that there was any plans to extend the runway, and that they were simply wanting for the airport to purchase the 2,000 foot section of property extending eastward for a “Safety Zone”. The plans still show the runway being extended however. Now, the consulting firm that the airport hired to negotiate land purchases is talking to people on the EAST side of FM 521 looking to acquire their homes. There were 36 properties over there that were to be condemned via the feasibility study – Griffith is still trying to make it happen.
This thing won’t go away until Arcola steps up with a Plan for their own city – right now, the Planning Commission is one man – Jamie Griffith.
Never mind that his airport is currently out of compliance with FAA safety standards, they are wanting to make it even MORE unsafe. And, our City, State, and Federal governments all have a hand in it (aka hand in the cookie jar).
All the best,
Tom Hilton
More comments from FBN:
1 consumerwise - May 10, 03:51 pm
As always we owe Mr. Hilton, as taxpayers, a debt of gratitude for keeping an eye on the local government of Arcola. It needs close watching. Good luck Tom! If you live in that area, then get out and vote out this crowd!
2 Sandra Lewis - May 10, 09:23 pm
thank you Mr. Hilton. more people should be willing to step up to the plate. No one is above the law and if you do something long enough you will get caught. The Mayor has made the campain a mud slingger. Taking comments and turning them around to make some people seem like they are biggetts.
For JK:
You Might Be a Lawyer if...
you are charging someone for reading these jokes.
you believe that a forty words' sentence is a short one.
you have a daughter named Sue and a son named Bill.
you can look at a contract and instantly tell whether it's verbal or written.
your other car is a BMW.
when you look in a mirror, you see a lawyer.
when your wife says "I love you," you cross-examine her.
Was anyone surprised by the status quo endorsements in the Bev rag? Ck the contributors on the list of district and city candidates she endorses and then look at the industry that purchases the majority of her ads.
I believe you will find that the literature on small town newspapers and ad pressure is supported in this case. JUST FOLLOW THE MONEY!
Mo City secretary questions accuracy
Dear Star News,
I must say I am flabbergasted at the information on the front page of the May 3, 2006, edition of The Fort Bend/Southwest Star, regarding the Missouri City election. It states, “Missouri City only has mayor on ballot.”
If someone had but contacted me or a staffmember in my office, we would have gladly provided accurate election information. In addition to the mayoral race in which we have two candidates -- Allen Owen and Greyling Poats, we also have two other positions on the ballot -- At Large Position 1, with candidate Jerry Wyatt, and At Large Position 2, with candidate Buddy Jimerson. Both of the At Large races are uncontested.
A simple phone call would have afforded accurate reporting on Missouri City election information.
City Secretary Patrice Fogarty
Publisher’s note: Although the headline was indeed unfortunate, we do not consider uncontested races necessary to detail. And despite repeated attempts, we were unable to get Mr. Poats to return a telephone call. I believe the story mentioned he was running. So the only people ignored were the two running uncontested races. We apologize for the inaccurate headline.
Bev Carter, publisher
______________
CRD comment: Right after this apology, Bev runs an article that even confuses voters more about the mayors race and runs endorsements of more status quo people (you know crony candidates).
"I believe the story mentioned he was running." --Carter
Actually the article didn't mention Poats. She's starting to sound like some of the people she sells ads too.
Here's a Star related letter to the editor:
Reader questions Bev’s journalism;
Bev responds
Dear Bev:
I am in the habit of reading your column on a weekly basis to keep up with the political machinations within the county. Today’s column was, however, the furthest thing I have see you do in 15 years, from anything that might be called journalism.
I understand it’s a column, and therefore is just an opinion piece, but I found it odd that you cast aspersions on Liz Mitton and then failed to tell us what alledged heinous falsehood she spread.
Your column was reduced to blatant innuendo, all in an obvious attempt to prop up Mr. Smelley’s campaign in exchange for returning your personal friend, Dr. Baitland, to her former position.
Your airing of your personal grudges in this manner is a diservice to your readers and certainly a discredit to other “Editors” and “Pubishers”.
Since you cannot report on the school board race because you too have a horse in it, perhaps it would be best if you ceased covering it.
Bev, we trusted you to be above local politics, not a player in them. We certainly cannot trust the Star for fair and accurate reporting, now can we?
Sincerely,
David R. Fucich
From FBN.com-
Dan Kerr: FBISD By The Numbers
To all those who continue to maintain that the forced resignation of Superintendent Baitland was unfounded; here are the real numbers under her watch and the prior “Old Guard,” according to Texas Education Agency Reports. Anyone who can work a computer and the Internet can get these numbers and compile them as I have done.
I must mention that I make no assumptions of cause and effect; I leave that to you, the reader. I do know that most big businesses that have similar trends will be forced to seek other leadership on both the CEO level and the board level, since the shareholders would demand as much.
Dr. Baitland began her tenure as superintendent in July of 2002. During that time, the district has seen a decrease in overall performance. Before Dr. Baitland, Dr. Don W. Hooper was at the helm from February 1995 to June 2002 when he retired. These two individuals cover the period referenced here.
Fort Bend County has seen a voter population increase from 43,000 in 1994 to 156,000 in 2004, a 360% increase, with an approximate 150% increase in just the years from 2000 to 2004. While the voting public has increased, the number of people voting in a school board election has only seen a rise of 2,400 voters in the same period. The number of voters in school board elections has remained at an average of 5,300.
As you can see from the accompanying graphs (below), while Dr. Hooper was superintendent, the number of schools that went from acceptable to higher rankings rose, while the exact opposite has occurred under Dr. Baitland’s tenure. At the same time, the number of voters that are eligible to vote in the school board race has increased dramatically, while those that actually do vote has remained constantly low.
Unfortunately, due to the low number of voter turnouts by the population, the number of special community interests becomes more of a factor. As indicated by the extreme politically motivated views held on all sides towards both sitting board members and those who are seeking the position has increased this and last year. This has resulted in a drowning effect to those average voters who seek to participate in the process.
As evidenced by a heated exchange between a board member and a candidate during Monday night’s board meeting, the real issues have taken a back seat to innuendos and outbursts. As evidenced by the letters to the editors in the local papers, dirty politics has prevailed. And, as evidenced by the wanderings of those in the blogs, personal attacks, assumptions, and baseless opinion take the place of real debate.
A school board position is neither paid nor is it cheap to get elected. As one person told me, “Why would I ever want to put myself through this again.” Truth sometimes gets trampled over in the attempt to hold onto a belief, and bent according to convenience. Truth always prevails.
As Oscar Wilde once wrote, “The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple.” And Confucius wrote, “It is man that makes truth great, not truth that makes man great.”
So, before you utter that next pithy remark, look yourself in the mirror and decide if you would like what you are fixing to say said about you or someone you cherish. If not, refrain. And remember, you have one mouth and two ears, use them in that ratio.
Thank you and God bless.
Daniel Kerr is a consultant with experience state-wide focusing on Fort Bend politics
1 Robert Cocheu - May 11, 10:49 am
Thanks Dan for the reboot on the campaign. You are correct this entire campaign has been run on rumor, fear and desperation (sometimes by both sides, but mainly from those who want a return to the Status Quo). This has clouded the issue. I will close with two items. The first is a paraphrased quote from Dr. Baitland when the bond issue failed:
“The failure of this bond issue shows that parents in this district do not care about their children”
This quote showed an arrogance beyond belief. That was the point I decided that change needed to be made in our school system.
The second item came from the Fresno Candidate Forum. Currently Burton has 90 students that are zoned to Sienna Crossing (SCE) in it’s bilingual program. This is occurring because SCE does not want to have a bilingual program in its school. My position has been this all along for 10+ years. ALL children deserve the very best education and ALL schools should have the same programs. The fact that this situation was allowed speaks to the attitude of the “old guard” of bury your head in the sand and ignore any problem.
BTW – I have been away for a while because unlike some I can’t sit on this blog to control the spin. I actually have to go out and attempt to make a living so I can continue to pay my school taxes while the administration spends it.
2 schoolwise - May 11, 11:58 am
Thank you Daniel & Robert! The data does speak volumes and needed to be shared. I have no doubts as to who to vote for (as my family has already done so). We did what any voter should do and that is find out the voting records and campaign financial backers in the races we followed. Often people in our community now e-mail us and ask who we should vote for and the answer is always the same—“I can’t tell you who to vote for, but I can tell you who not to vote for”. This simple response, with the advice above, can help get most potential disconnected taxpayers/voters more grounded in the process and help them determine for themselves who is backing and expecting from the candidates or incumbents.
Good luck and get out and vote Saturday!
Just got an email confirming that Dan Kerr has been reported to the Texas Ethics Commission and to the District Attorney for sending political email to FBISD employees at their district email addresses soliciting votes for Wayne Howard. FBISD administration seems to be reacting strongly.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
I wonder why they didn't react this strongly about the SCE principal use and distribution of campaign literature and the subsequent ethics commission complaints? Or did they but it got buried in the PR smoke?
. . . ;-)
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