carol@stormzero.com – Carol A. Spencer

The Emporer Has No Clothes

Today, Mel Cooper who serves as chairman, treasurer, and person calling the shots at Bastrop County Conservatives, sent out an email to his list asking people to show up at the Bastrop City Council meeting tonight.

Emperor has no clothes Why? He says it’s to “demonstrate what kind of leaders and citizens we want in our public offices”. Is it that, or is there more to the story?

Among the list of alleged accomplishments of the city manager was that she “Maintained flat tax rates, the only jurisdiction in the county to do so, while other areas raised theirs.”

Tax Rates. Politicians point to tax rates all the time saying they lowered them or kept them stable. Pointless. Of course the tax rate will be stable or lower in a city growing like Bastrop. More and more dollars pour in as more and more buildings are built and taxed.

SPENDING is the key. I note that Cooper didn’t comment about spending. It doesn’t fit his narrative.

So what about double-digit raises? Paying a temporary employee the equivalent of a 6 figure salary. Spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a witch hunt against a duly-elected city official. Having the authority to spend up to $50,000 on any given item without Council oversight and approval. Accepting waivers from the City Council to buy a house outside the city limits when the City Charter demands living within those limits (a charter provision just reinforced by a public vote in November).

I note Cooper’s email mentions none of those.

It makes sense, though, that he comes to his Council buddies and Carillo’s, defense. After all, they voted to donate $25,000 to Cooper’s pet project last year, the “Festival de la Cultura”. And, it seems Carillo and crew went out of their way to make that happen. Here’s the timeline:

October 19, 2023: Texas Secretary of State records show the non-profit was formed effective October 20, 2023 with Mel Cooper as one of 3 directors.
The staff report is undated, however the supporting census information was created 10/19/2023.
October 19, 2023: Sylvia Carillo’s staff report says “Festival de la Cultura” is a 501(c)(3) under Federal IRS guidelines. The application for 501(c)(3) status had not even been filed with the IRS on this date.
October 20, 2023: City Council agendas go live the Friday before a meeting, meaning the $25,000 donation was already on the agenda on this date, the date the Texas non-profit was formed.
October 24, 2023: The agenda item itself, and the agenda item presentation at the meeting, were by Sylvia Carillo, the same City Manager now so strongly supported by Mel Cooper.
October 24, 2023: The $25,000 taxpayer funded donation was approved by the Bastrop City Council. Cynthia Meyer made the motion. John Kirkland seconded it. It was unanimously approved. (Mayor Nelson does not have a vote.)
April 27 & 28, 2024: Festival de la Cultura was held at Mayfest Park in the City of Bastrop
July 1, 2024: The IRS approval letter was issued and posted online a full two months after the April 2024 event. Approval was retroactive to October 23, 2023.
The organization is required to file 990s with the IRS. They are due 5 1/2 months after the fiscal year end date. If Festival de la Cultura has a fiscal year that ends on December 31, 990s were due on May 15, 2024. No 990s have been filed. They’re late.
Minutes on subsequent agendas at the City of Bastrop show no discussion items regarding the Festival or the expenditure of these tax monies.
March 5, 2024 – Cultural Arts Commission meeting – no minutes online
April 2, 2024 – Cultural Arts Commission meeting – no minutes online
May 7, 2024 – Cultural Arts Commission meeting – “Approximately 5,000 attendees. Attendance was lower due to weather.”
These are the only comments in City minutes. No financial accounting anywhere.

Councilwoman Cynthia Meyer very pointedly stated at a Council meeting that she would watch every single dollar of taxpayer monies spent by the City. And, that is, after all, the job of City Manager Carillo.

The emperor has no clothes.

Freedom Released

A lot more than re-electing Donald Trump happened as a result of Tuesday’s election. Freedom was released! You can feel it, hear it, see it in just two days.

I’ve been out and about in Bastrop, keeping my Trump “Fight. Fight. Fight.” hood cover on my car and still wearing my Trump gear. No one whispered their like of my shirt or car decoration. In fact, they were forthright, open, smiling, chatting, and acknowledging out loud their support of Trump. They openly acknowledged their feeling that we finally have our country back. They seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief that they can express opinions again with out fear of being cancelled, of being fired, of being denigrated… in just two days.

Donald J. Trump was right every time he said “They’re coming after you. I’m just standing in their way.” And, “They want to silence me because I will never let them silence you.” And, now, there he stands strongly and proudly with plans to prevent them from silencing us…. in just two days.

The proof will be “in the pudding”, as they say. Personnel matters. Who he chooses to make this happen at the Executive level of government matters. But surrounding himself with Elon Musk who proved his commitment to open discourse with his purchase and privatization of Twitter, with RFK Jr who proved his commitment to a healthy population, is a good start. Putting strong people in place who are committed to the job they’re about to do is critical to the success of this administration, and to our freedom, now released.

The Way it Should Be

Yesterday, November 2, 2024, just 3 days before Election Day, we held another one of our pop-up rallies. We had already done them in Smithville and Elgin, so it was Bastrop’s turn. Where else but the beautiful and iconic Bastrop Bridge? We met at 9 and started our flag waving.

Shortly thereafter, we were greeted by a Bastrop police officer who told us that (1) we needed a permit if more than 4 or 5 of us were going to stand in one place, and (2) we needed to stay on the protected side of the barrier. Not being our first pop-up on this very bridge, we knew we did not need a permit (it’s a public sidewalk) and we also knew we could not block that sidewalk and could not venture into the road. After some discussion, everything was settled and we resumed our flag waving to very receptive passers-by.

About an hour later, a huge number of Democrats arrived, probably 50 – 70. Most ventured down to the other end of the bridge. A few decided to surround us by staying where we were. The attempt to intimidate was, frankly, funny. There were only 8 of us.

Pretty much everyone was pleasant. We exchanged “good mornings” and our joy at the cloudy day versus the hot sun burning down on us. A few were obnoxious as they passed us by, made snide comments, but we just ignored them and kept waving our flags.

The vehicle response was tremendous. Just like at our other pop-ups, the ratio of thumbs up to thumbs down was probably 50 to 1.

Sign in the road Later in the morning, after taking a much needed break, we drove across the bridge. People in the road There was a huge campaign sign and multiple people in the breakdown lane and probably 15+ sitting on the barrier swinging their legs on the traffic side. Very, very dangerous. Had anyone slipped, they’d have fallen into traffic. Had those been our folks, I would have immediately told them they needed to be out of the road and behind the barrier. But they weren’t. So, yes, I admit it, I called the police to ensure everyone’s safety. The police arrived and politely asked everyone to be behind the barrier and safety returned.

Republicans and Democrats CAN get along! But, apparently, someone wants to stir the pot. Someone has started rumors that there was some altercation between the Dems and the Republicans. Fake news. Just not true.

For me personally, I have many friends and family members who are Democrats. In fact, this summer one of my favorite Dems attended the Trump rally in Wilkes-Barre PA with me. We had a blast.

Yesterday was one of the best examples of how people can support the candidate(s) of their choice and do it in one location. Again, my opinion, but I like seeing people out and active, not sitting at home and doing nothing but complain. Perhaps the photo at left will help everyone remember that we’re all Americans first and foremost. Thanks to everyone for a wonderful day!

VOTE

Texas offers a lot of opportunities to vote. We have early voting for 2 weeks. Of course, we have election day voting. We have mail-in voting for those over 65 and out of county or state during the election season. We have overseas voting for both military and ex-pats. And, for those who cannot get into the polling place safely, we have curbside voting.

There are no excuses for not voting.

It’s a simple thing to do: express your opinion. Most of us do that at every opportunity. So why don’t people vote? Some think it doesn’t matter, but we’ve seen slim margins in so many races lately, it’s hard to believe people still think their vote doesn’t count.

I think that it’s just that people get busy with their every day lives and forget. I heard just a few days ago that 20% of those who say they’re going to vote on Election Day itself, don’t vote.

So, I got a voter registration list for my precinct. I sorted it by those who voted in the 2020 or 2024 GOP primary. Here in Texas, the list of daily voters is published on the Secretary of State’s website. So, I printed the primary voter list and, if they voted already, I crossed them off the list.

I sent a post card to each voter reminding them to early vote.

Results? Just shy of 50% of those people voted in the next 3 days.

Today, those who still haven’t voted are getting another card to remind them that Tuesday is their last chance.

Let’s hope this works to get out the vote. The future of our country is determined by those who vote. If you stay home because politics isn’t your “thing” or you’re disgusted with the tone of discourse, you have no right to complain if things don’t go the way you had hoped. VOTE!

Arrogance is Divisive and Damaging

What’s with political organizations that refuse to work with other political organizations? I’ve been involved in the political world since 1987, 37 years. I’ve been president of multiple organizations. I’ve been an elected official. I’ve been an elected Party official in 2 states.

I’ve never seen so many ego driven, divisive, arrogant, political leaders in all those years as I see today. I’ve never seen so-called “leaders” who flat out refuse to talk to or work with other Party organizations, who publicly denigrate elected officials. Even for defeated candidates, it’s important not to “burn bridges”, but “burning bridges” seems to be the norm now.

We must work together. We must talk with each other. We must respect each other’s organizations and how they operate. We must acknowledge our differences and strive to find common goals. We are stronger together.

One would think that as conservatives, we would do that. But what happens when the arrogance of certain leaders just flat out refuses to do so? Apparently, they don’t realize they are hurting themselves, their organizations, and our GOP candidates.

Put your egos aside people. If you can’t, you don’t belong in leadership of any kind, especially in the political world.

Remember “United We Stand. Divided We Fall.”

Sloppy Government

I’m shocked at the sloppiness in how the City of Bastrop conducts business. And, sloppy government = closed government. Is the sloppiness just incompetence or is it purposefully being used to confuse the public and deter their participation?

I started watching the City of Bastrop Council machinations when three of them (a voting majority) started down the path of demanding the mayor’s resignation, accusing him of all manner of wrong-doing.

Though more than 20 years ago, I remember very vividly when my political opponents manipulated people, angry about a state-mandated housing development, to demand my resignation. In my case, it made good press, but they couldn’t even muster the signatures on a petition. And, the woman who so vociferously pontificated at that meeting ended up the one in trouble. She was a Board of Education member and failed to note that she was not representing them when she spoke. She was formally reprimanded.

So this attack on Lyle really piqued my interest. For the most part, I know the players and who is connected with whom in the political world. I have a pretty good idea who is seeking power and control. Most people don’t see the back story so they’re easy to sway with twisted allegations of misuse of funds.

I have read every investigative report. I’ve done my own research into the organization involved. I attended hearings and Council meetings about the massive Gateway development and rezoning requested. I’ve read agenda packets, including the details of ordinances and contracts. I was at the Ethics hearing. I watched the Charter Commission meetings. I’ve watched Council meetings online, sometimes multiple times. I’ve written a couple of letters to the Council and testified at public hearings.

I could write an entire chapter of a book, full of examples of sloppy government. But, let’s take the most recent one: getting Charter changes to the November ballot for public vote.

To get something to the ballot, the final step is the Council passing an ordinance calling for an election, including the specific verbiage and details of when and where the election will be held. If the Council wishes for the County to run the election in conjunction with the other elections it runs, the City Council must sign a contract with the County.

For the November election, the statutory deadline for all of that to be approved was August 19, 2024. The Council called a Special meeting that very day. Nothing like waiting to the last minute. Sloppy.

Ordinances must have a first reading and a second reading before adoption. Agendas must be published online no later than 72 hours before a meeting. The public must be given the opportunity to speak on ordinances.

How can the public do that if the ordinance isn’t presented until the meeting itself? See August 19 agenda, item 3B staff report, “Ordinance language will be presented at the meeting on Monday.” Sloppy.

Not the first time I’ve seen this language on a staff report included in a City of Bastrop Council agenda.

Sloppy or purposeful? How can the public comment on an ordinance for FINAL adoption that it hasn’t seen? Why doesn’t the Council demand that agenda items are ready for Friday presentation to the public? And, shouldn’t the Council want time to read through that which it’s voting on a few days later?

Item 3A on August 19 was about putting Charter changes on the November 5 ballot. The dates/times/locations for the election were all wrong. What’s to say the language in the 3B ordinance, not yet written, wouldn’t also be wrong? Turns out, it was.

I pointed this out to a Council member. Not one word about it from the dais during the meeting. In fact, a review of the video and minutes from the August 19 meeting show that the Council never actually took a vote to call an election for the work of the Charter commission. They never even discussed the ordinance. They only discussed each Charter change. Thus, they missed the statutory deadline for calling an election. Sloppy.

But, who cares about a silly ordinance being correct and passed on time? Fast forward to the August 28 meeting.

The Council “ratified” a re-written ordinance, one completely different from the August 19 ordinance. And, guess what? Yes, again the dates/times/locations of early voting were wrong. And, again, I notified them of the errors, this time, in writing to the entire Council.

Yet, no discussion from the dais of correcting that information. If they fixed it before the vote, how would the public know? We wouldn’t, and we don’t. If they didn’t fix it before the vote, so what? Who cares what an ordinance says?

The City Secretary’s excuse? Locations change so we’re adding a note that they change. While that’s true, the correct data had been on BastropVotes.org for weeks. Whoever wrote this ordinance took the 15 election day polling places and erroneously put them in the ordinance as the early voting locations. Sloppy.

Did any official review the ordinance, any Council member, the City attorney, the City Manager, the City Secretary? Anyone? No, it took a member of the public to point it out. Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy.

This Council needs to get its act together. It needs to pay more attention to detail. It needs to acknowledge that members of the public aren’t there to watch a movie, but are there to participate in their government.

This Council needs to remember that the point of the Texas Open Meetings Act is so government “of the people, by the people, and for the people” functions in favor of citizens, not highly-paid managers and their cronies. It’s their job to protect and enforce open government, not allow it through accidental or intended sloppiness to function in darkness.

Power and Control

Let’s be clear. I don’t live in the City of Bastrop. I can’t vote on City matters. City elections are non-partisan so there aren’t primaries where my positions in Republican politics would come into play.

But, I did spend ten years in elected office: six on a Town Council and four as the Mayor of a town of 16,000 people under a strong mayor, weak council form of government. So, I know how the game is played.

People who live in the City of Bastrop should rise up in anger at what’s happening in their City. A voting majority of the City Council can meet in private according to their current charter.

That voting majority is trying its hardest to keep that power, to be able to decide issues away from the public view, to run government in private. This is completely opposite of government “of the people, for the people and by the people”.

Frankly, who do they think they are? Do they think that they are smarter or more privileged than any other resident of the City of Bastrop? Who said they had all the ideas? How did they learn what they could and couldn’t do as Council members? Were they born with this knowledge and others weren’t?

First, they came after Mayor Nelson. He had an affair. Not good, but not illegal, and not a rationale for overturning the will of the voters. John Kirkland said citizens asked him if there was a way to recall the mayor, yet the petition submitted has 96% of the signatures collected by 3 Council members, a former Council member, and their families. No one has any idea what people were told at the door when asked to sign this petition, but my guess is it wasn’t that an audit and investigation found no wrongdoing on the part of the Mayor. I’ll bet they didn’t tell people that the mayor had the legal right to keep his private cell phone data private. Did they tell people that there was no subpoena for that cell phone data? One would think if there was a criminal investigation into the Mayor that his private cell phone would have been subpoenaed.

From this former mayor’s perspective, this is an attempt to get rid of Mayor Nelson and install a mayor of their choice and one they can control.

Now, they’re going after the City attorney. Monday night’s Special meeting now includes an Executive Session “to discuss the duties of the City Attorney.” My guess is he won’t play ball with them, won’t support their shenanigans, won’t muddy the legal waters to give them the power they so desperately desire.

I’ve seen this movie before. If the citizens of the City of Bastrop don’t pay attention, get involved and stop this, they’ll end up living in a city they don’t like and they don’t recognize.