Slacking Off
Campers, I am very involved in a city election in my beautiful small town of Richmond, Texas. It is a historic town where Stephen F Austin brought families to farm along the Brazos River. Since then we’ve seen Jane Long, Mirabeau Lamar, and Carrie Nation even tore up a bar here.
The small town is mostly on non-taxable land – government buildings, churches, and the historical buildings for the county are here. Because of that, our taxes are higher than surrounding cities but we have several large parks, a beautiful baseball complex on the river banks, walking trails, several historic homes you can tour, and hundred year old oak trees. It’s worth it.
We are 27% white, 59% Hispanic, and 13% African American. Until a month ago, we lived in peace and harmony. We had elections for a mayor and two city council members but they were friendly affairs. Until now …
Our mayor is my friend Evalyn Moore. She is a rancher, rice farmer, and business woman. She is generous, kind, and smart. She has given far, far more to this community than she has taken out.
A Republican political consultant decided he wanted to be mayor. He took on Mayor Moore. That’s fine – we live in a democracy. However, like other Republicans, he just couldn’t wait to start a smear campaign. Bless his heart, he ain’t terribly bright so when he sent out a slam piece on her from something called “The GOP PAC” he thought he was hiding behind the PAC and could disclaim it was from him. But, almost pathetically, he used one of his own post office boxes for the PAC’s address. Yeah, like that takes Sherlock Holmes to trace.
Here’s the slam piece in PDF format.
Mayor Moore’s sin? She has contributed more than $24,000 to “liberal causes.” Including Barack Obama.
So, her opponent wants to bring the politics of personal destruction to our small, beautiful town. He learned at the feet of the masters: he’s a big Tom DeLay supporter and is all buddy-buddy with the former political director at Enron.
I left the name and address on the mailer on purpose. Jesse Torres, who is running for city counsel, said I could. It came to his house. He’s not one of the contestants that is endorsed in the piece.
The election is May 10th and we’re into early voting now. Today was one of the few completely gorgeous days we’ve had in a while so I went block walking for Mayor Moore and Jess. I knew you’d want me to.
It’s supposed to rain tomorrow so I’ll be back.
Read the pdf piece. Once again, the RWNJ’s cannot tell the difference between an elected office holder and a land developer. Mayor Moore sounds exactly like the kind of person anyone can approach with a complaint about a big ass pot hole in front of their house and a crew will be out fixing it in 30 minutes. The RWNJ would probably throw a staffer at her and the usual word salad would be thank you for letting us know we will get back to you about this and vote for (fill in the blank) cuz he will really develop this town with new businesses (malls that would destroy the local mom and pop shops) that will pay off for everybody. That kind of crap is known as can’t for even one millisecond get over himself. Not a good type for the mayor of a small town of genuine historicity where everybody knows everybody. My hat is off to you, JJ, as you do the block walking thing. That is exactly what is needed, not the shlock this other guy is spewing.
1Tip of the hat to all the wonderful Texas women, Juanita Jean! Mayor Moore, LT Gov Van de Putte, Gov Davis with you, four good women doing what’s best for Texas.
Nevada and Texas seriously need to develop a treaty to cure the problem of NV having all the crazy women politicians, while TX has the wacko-bird men politicians. Can’t we find them a Paradise to share together? Like maybe the Marshall Islands. Don’t tell them that Castle Bravo isn’t a residence just waiting for them to make themselves at home.
2How do you get a list of someone’s political donations, with amounts and dates? That would creep me out.
Best of luck to the good folks of Richmond TX who had the sense to elect Evalyn Moore in the first place.
3I may be wrong, but I think you can get lists of anyone’s political donations because that is public info.
Re Mayor Moore and Lt. Gov Van de Putte, I guess all we need is a link so we can donate.
4OldMayfly, there’s http://www.emilyslist.org/ for all the great women candidates.
Leticia’s page with a contribute option at the top right. http://www.leticiavandeputte.com/
Mayor Moore slipped my internet radar, but am sure someone at the The World’s Most Dangerous Beauty Salon, Inc. can provide you a link.
5JJ–Been missing you today, but so happy to know you were out there turning Texas blue instead of suffering at the whims of the internet gods!
6I live very near you, Juanita, but I can’t vote in Richmond city elections. I admit that when Evalyn Moore became mayor, I thought it was just a patronage job because her late husband had been mayor for a bazillion years (I am only exaggerating slightly). But I’m glad to hear from you that she is an actual Good Person and somewhat liberal as well, God knows there are few enough of us around these parts.
7You rock!
8Jill Ann, cute isn’t it, when good women such as Mayor Moore are attacked, when the facts show she is doing a fantastic job.
Then we have the idiot Sonny wife abusing and drug abusing Bono who skis into a tree and the GOP loves them some Mary Bono into into office.
Palm smack into reality. Imaginary ice cream cone to the forehead to understand the RW sociopaths.
Students or Occupy sitting peacefully to make a point, GOP bad, while Bundy lawless, gun threatening million dollar raunchy welfare queen rancher cheats are good?
Thanks for a new idea, Jill Ann. Maybe LE should do the Bundy nuts with an aerial bombardment of pepper spray.
9Ground game wins elections.
10You go, JJ, setting a great example.
Everybody else: if you don’t have a primary you can vote in, find a candidate you like elsewhere, get hold of that campaign, and ask if you can phone bank for them. Here, we’ve got 4 running for the honor of taking on–and out–our right wing Governor. E-day is 5/20.
Those of us Salon patrons residing in foreign states are sending good vibes your way Miz Juanita Jean.
11JJ, I wonder if Her Honor’s opponent has ever read the local rules, regs, laws, ordnances on free and fair elections in the city/county. Most people who jump into politics via free falling from bungee cords are totally unaware that such rules exist. It could be that the opponent has already broken at least one rule in the book that would disqualify him. And Rhea, there are websites where one can find out about donations at the local, state and even national level. If I recall correctly, one of them is even called Follow The Money.
12Good luck with the upcoming election in Richmond. Austin doesn’t vote til November. I was doing data entry last night for a Battleground Texas phone bank in my neighborhood.
Broken toe on one foot. Ankle that hurts to walk on on the foot. Block walking’s out right now, but I’m still not too messed up to do data entry on my new laptop.
13JJ…..Since you think so highly of your Mayor, I’m gonna guess she’s probably not only smart, good at her job, but a good Democrat as well. Otherwise, I doubt you would be block walking yesterday.
So, the guy who sent out the mailer? Who did he think she would contribute to: Libertarians, or maybe the Green Party?
Most people would pay….. whatever ….. to have the quality of life you describe. On the other hand, a lot of folks, in the bigger cities think if it’s not generating revenue..i.e. making somebody money…. it should be bulldozed in favor of a parking lot. But that’s another story.
Good Luck to you, to Richmond, and Mayor Moore. Keep us in the loop on what happens. Please.
14Good luck to Mayor Moore and the town of Richmond, Texas. And kudos to you for doing the hard but necessary work to get your candidate elected. I hope the rest of the citizens of Richmond have the sense to keep a good thing going.
15Gillen campaign flyer!
http://www.garygillen.com/aboutus.html
16Aha, so upon reading further I see that it’s Gary Gillen running against Evalyn Moore for mayor of Richmond. Gillen is an exterminator by trade. What is it about our neighborhood and Republican exterminators???? For those who don’t recall, our former Congresscritter, Tom Delay, was also an exterminator before he began consorting with a different type of vermin and became House Majority Leader.
17I think this mayoral candidate broke Texas election law if there is not in fact a “GOP PAC” registered at his post office box there.
18Oh. Emm. Gee. Fred Farklestone, I clicked your link. Gillen looks like the lovechild of Mitch McConnell and John Boehner. I can’t un-see that!
19Seriously, donating to the Democratic Party is condemned for funding a liberal cause? Good lord, I thought that only happened next door, over here in Wharton County.
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