The Swamp – Carol A. Spencer

Stuck between a rock and a hard place

HD-17 House member Stan Gerdes has been a constant supporter of former House Speaker Dade Phelan and now his think-alike Dustin Burrows. Both either got, or are attempting to get, elected as House Speaker by courting a majority Democrat vote.

Republicans will control the Texas House with 88 of 150 members. Last session, the Paxton-impeachers (including Gerdes) and those who worked to stall Republican legislative priorities had the Speakership. The Phelan Speakership was obtained with Democrat votes in a House with a similar party split: 86R, 64D.

Burrows, with Gerdes support, seeks to do the same thing in 2025. If he can get those 64 Dems to back him, he only needs 12 Republicans to win the Speakership. But, by rule, Republicans are committed to vote for the Caucus choice. If they don’t, what a slap to Republicans who worked hard for them.

Don’t believe any text messages or comments saying Burrows does not support Democrat chairs. He says he’ll support the members making the rules. But if a majority of Dems vote for him as speaker, they will also vote for rules that give them chairmanships. So, Burrows can waffle all he wants in his commentary about rules, but the bottom line is that if we get a speaker elected with more Democrat votes than Republican votes, we’ll have Dem chairs, thwarting the will of Republicans across Texas.

Gerdes appeared in all the lists of supporting votes for Dade Phelan until Phelan dropped out. (His mentor, Rick Perry, was hired as an advisor to Dade Phelan in September.) Then Gerdes’ name appeared in all the support lists for replacement Dustin Burrows. Gerdes was one of the “walk-outs” on December 7 when Burrows didn’t win the Republican caucus vote to be the next speaker. He has yet to state his support for the choice of the Republican caucus: David Cook.

Rumor has it that Gerdes (with Perry support) is eyeing higher office.

Congressman Michael Cloud co-signed a letter stating “We urge you to stand with the Texas House Republican Majority and support the Texas House Republican Caucus nominee for Speaker.”

Gov Abbott (who endorsed Gerdes for re-election based on his pro-school choice vote) recently posted on X “I worked this entire year to elect conservative candidates who will pass conservative laws, including school choice. To achieve that goal we need a Texas House Speaker chosen by a majority of Republicans in accordance with the Republican Caucus Rules.”

TexasGOP Chairman Abraham George has called for all House Republicans to support the choice of the Caucus. And, on Saturday, the Bastrop County CEC will meet to decide if they’ll sign on to a letter urging House Republicans to support the will of the Caucus, a letter already signed by over 100 GOP Chairs.

So, does Gerdes heed the advice of conservative Michael Cloud and support the will of the Republican caucus and Republican voters, or does he support Democrat chairs? Does Gerdes heed the advice of Gov Abbott and support the will of the Republican caucus and Republican voters, or does he support Democrat chairs? Does Gerdes support the voices of his constituents and the GOP, or does he support Democrats in power? Will Gerdes stay loyal to Perry and those who join with Democrats to thwart the will of Republican voters?

It seems Stan Gerdes has put himself between a rock and a hard place. We’ll see where his loyalty lies on January 14.

Don’t be Fooled

The current attack on Bastrop City Councilwoman Cheryl Lee is nothing more than retribution and payback. Her City Council opponents say the concerns raised in her 42-page detailed memo aren’t worth investigating. Instead, they wanted to limit her access to information and want her off the Council.

Retribution. Retribution is common in the political world. This attack on Councilwoman Cheryl Lee is nothing more than retribution for her support of ending the vicious attack on Mayor Nelson. It’s retribution for her call for the shenanigans to end and a return to the business of the City and its residents.

Payback. Payback is common in the political world. If citizens didn’t know it existed before, the lawfare thrown at President Trump is proof positive. Take on the establishment, those who want power and control, and as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said, they have “six ways from Sunday at getting back at you.” That’s true for not only the intelligence community, but politicos and their funders / supporters.

Cheryl Lee and I are in opposite political parties. But, the first time I heard her speak (it was about the wastewater treatment project), I knew she knew her stuff and spoke from a position of being well informed. You see, I was a councilwoman and mayor of a town that had been under a 20 year sewer ban, one that built a 4-phase, 1400 home, sewer project, and dealt with all the issues associated with that. It was quite obvious that Cheryl Lee does her homework.

To the public: Don’t be fooled. From my experience, when council members vociferously attack other council members, it’s a sign of either corruption or of ignorance. Far too often, elected officials just go with whatever the city administration has to say, not wanting to do the detailed homework necessary to do their jobs and cast informed votes. Less often, they are actually part of the game and don’t want anyone around who might be looking into the details of complex transactions.

Administrators work for the Council. Thus, it is the Council’s job to be sure they are doing what they’re supposed to do, ensuring contracts are properly scoped and administered, bills are properly paid, employees and contractors are fully qualified for their work, contracts aren’t thrown to unqualified friends, and projects come in on time and as budgeted. If Council people aren’t asking informed and detailed questions, how can they possibly claim to represent the people who elected them?

Cheryl Lee should be thanked, not vilified, for her work and effective representation. Beware those who do otherwise.

The Emperor 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:

The staff report is undated, however the supporting census information for this line item 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 10/24 agenda on 10/20, the date the Texas non-profit was formed.
October 20, 2023: Texas Secretary of State records show the non-profit was formed effective October 20, 2023 with Mel Cooper as one of 3 directors.
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.

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.”

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.

Stolen Valor

I’m frankly surprised that this video hasn’t been scrubbed by YouTube. Until then, it’s well worth watching. Command Sergeant Major Thomas Behrends, the Command Sergeant Major who took Tim Walz’ place when he abruptly retired, tells the story how that happened.

And, he shows the actual military record showing Walz did not retire as a Command Sergeant Major, but rather an E8 Master Sergeant. Claiming otherwise is “Stolen Valor”.

Heck, why not just claim he retired as head of the Joint Chiefs? He quit when it came time to serve in Iraq. No matter how many years he put in prior to that, when the chips were down, he ran and hid.