This is gonna take some ‘spalainin’ for you folks from foreign states, but I’ll try to keep it short.

We have two Republicans who are pondering running for sheriff in my county.  The incumbent is retiring so it’s an open office.  It’s going to be a fun race because I’m 5 foot 3 and both of these guys – Craig Brady and Troy Nehls – are shorter than I am and none at all prettier.  But, they both talk real big. It took Brady something like 20 years to get his degree from the UofH Downtown, which ain’t like the real UofH at all, and Nehls has a degree from Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University.  Neither is a rocket scientist.

Craig Brady is currently the Chief Deputy at the Sheriff’s Office and Troy Nehls is a Constable.

Which brings us to today’s events.

Texas has some propositions on our November ballot.  Proposition #10 is basically mop-up business.  Texas moved our filing deadlines to be on the ballot back a full month.  We have a law in Texas that says certain elected officials have to resign their current office if they announce their intent to run  for another office more than a full calendar year before they would take office for the new job.  I have no idea why that’s the law but it is.

So, since we moved the filing deadline back a month for this election, Proposition #10 would change the wording to “one year and 30 days.”  This would allow current officeholders to file for another office without resigning the office they hold for a full year just to run for another one.

I don’t know anybody who is against it.  Until now.

The Texas Highway Department, under the Lady Bird Johnson Beautification Act, will not allow candidates for office to put out their signs until 90 days before the election, even on private property.  Brady didn’t think this law applied to him because he’s … well, he’s Craig Brady, dammit.

So, he spent two weekends having his friends put his butt ugly signs all over the county.  And when the Texas Highway Department informed him that the State of Texas doesn’t have a Craig Brady Exception Rule, even unofficially, Brady had to spend two more weekends taking them all down.

Now Nehls ain’t a rocket scientist but he apparently knows one.  He realized there was an election 90 days away so he had the wherewithal to print up these signs:

If you look carefully, it does not say to vote for Troy Nehls.  It says to vote for Prop 10.  It does, however, have his name prominently displayed and sends you to his website.  It’s legal.  It’s smart.  And I laughed when I saw it.  He beat the system and you gotta give him credit for that.

So …… monkey see, monkey do.  A week or so later, these show up.

First off, I know I’ve written before that Brady’s signs are do danged ugly that your clothes wrinkle when you walk by them.  This one looks like a parrot threw up.

Second off, Prop #10 is going to pass by at least 70% because there’s no downside to it other than the fact that it would keep Craig Brady from having an opponent.  People outside of this county, and a mess of folks in the county, frankly don’t give a big bear’s butt about that.  So when it passes real big, and it will, Nehls looks like a winner and Brady looks like a loser.

Monkey see, monkey do, monkey don’t think this stuff through.

Whoever is selling Brady these signs can come to work for me selling ice to Eskimos.

I love local politics.  And this race promises to be more fun than pony rides in heaven.