Oh, And Tomorrow’s School Board Race Just Got Better UPDATED!
I told you last week about our school board race where the Tea Party jerks are trying to buy a school board.
I told you about Rodney Vannerson, a GOP political hack and his sister, the hot shot Republican liar -for-hire campaign consultant, and their desperate attempt to round up candidates even on the last day of filing. They got themselves some doozies, Honey. Rodney set up a Political Action Committee called the Whistle PAC and raised money from out of the district. In fact, not one penny he raised was from within the district.
Well, Ole Rodney got caught by the Richmond Police Department stealing Democratic yard signs and the one Tea Party guy currently on the school board was always lurking around the area when signs were stolen. These are not nice people, and they don’t play well with others.
So, yesterday, our local afternoon newspaper arrives with another school board front page story. It seems that one of their candidates, who has taken at least $2,500 from them, is now disavowing them. I can’t show you the whole story because you have to subscribe to read it online, but here’s a PDF of part of the story.
It’s a great story. Katheryn Kaminski, their candidate for District 1, has “disavowed” the PAC and Vannerson. Although she admits that she would not have been able to run without their money, she promises not to take any more money from them. It’s Friday. The election is tomorrow. Big heaping thanks.
Kaminski runs an after-school program in the school district. She has paid $6,000 for the right to run the program in two schools. Next year the price is going up to $53,298 for those same two schools. She says that the fact that she has to pay considerably more to the rent the school did not enter into her decision to run for the school board. Of course not.
Meanwhile, Vannerson was running around town trying to convince everybody that candidates had to take down all their signs after early voting ended last Tuesday and then put them back up on election day. Well, we need to hire somebody to walk around behind him scooping up the goofy because of course candidates do not have to take down signs for those 4 days. Personally, I think Vannerson has a very unnatural relationship with political signs.
And, come to think of it, most everything else.
And Ms. Kaminski, I would trust your disavowment a tad more if you would return their money. That money did not come from the people in this school district and you should not have taken it in the first place. Your opponent got out and raised money on her own and you should have, too. We have lost some of what is good about America because politicians take money from shady characters because that’s easy. Don’t be part of the problem.
There. I feel better.
UPDATED: You know that part where I said I feel better. I don’t. Ms. Kaminski took an additional $2,500 from Vannerson after everyone knew he was stealing signs. And, she allowed her name to be used on an email that went out this morning at 5:00 on election day with scurrilous charges, half truths, and outright lies. You lied, Ms. Kaminski. You said you disavowed yourself from the PAC but you continue to use their money and their campaign tools. Didn’t your Momma ever tell you about having your cake and eating it to?
And yes, I did notice that this email does not have the proper disclaimer as required under Texas law. Ironic, no?
Fantastic read. You had me laughing out loud and saying “Amen” to your recommendations.
I doubt that she can return the money. It’s probably all spent. I hope she at least tries because otherwise she is tainted.
I really liked your statement that people need to return to raising the money in their own districts through open means. How dearly I wish we could stop outside money from coming in from out of state. Of course, I live in the heart of darkness aka Koch country so that is often where the dark money spreads out to other states.
Thanks again for yet another great post!
1Hi KS Sunflower, Wichita is where I started out so I know. My husband and I were discussing just this morning about the Koch bros getting into local races and the consequences. I also mentioned to him about how the Kochs are working on another pet project, resegregating schools in the south. (You can google Koch bros and resegregation). Today there’s a big article in the local paper about the fight between Koch bros and the Bass family, over THE tar sands pipeline dispute. Wahoo! And keep in mind that GEORGIA PACIFIC is privately owned by the Koch bros. I wipe my hands on my clothes rather than use a Georgia Pacific paper towel. I know, symbolic only.
2This candidate just received a contract with the school district at the last board meeting. This is a conflict of interest and she should withdraw from the race. As for Vannerson, he can’t find his ass with both hands and a flashlight sooner or later you just have to accept the fact that he’s stupid.
3Rodney and Dar are a joke. Dar wasn’t lurking in the area he was riding with Rodney and they were engaging in the same activities at the time. Supposedly they named their group the whistle pac because they were going to blow the whistle on lcisd. Now that the truth is known they can do what they have always done. The girlfriends can get together every month, hold hands, pretend to be men and blow each other. Congratulations Dar you have managed to embarras your family by showing everyone what a piece of crap you really are. I bet if someone asks your wife who Dar Hakimzedeh is she’ll say “I don’t know, he might be related to my inlaws”.
4Oh good grief! I bet Vannerson takes phone messages with a crayon!
5I’m proud your paper did any reporting on school board races, and such.
I don’t think I wake up in a new world every day. But according to my local paper…. I must.
I read this morning that voting will take place today on school board members, and bond money….. lots of bond money…. to be spent by local school boards.
I think my local paper was so busy kissing up to the NRA all last week, they didn’t have anybody, or any time to cover all that “boring education stuff”.
So, folks who want to can vote today, not knowing a whole lot….. about what for. Local paper didn’t have time for it.
6Ms Kay is the only member of the tea party slate to win. Given the fact that she has rejected the Whistle PAC I doubt that she will be supporting Dar’s and Vannerson’s agenda
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