|
|
|
|
Site Index:
Home "A constitution is not the act of a government, but of a people constituting
a government; and government without a constitution is power without a right.
All power exercised over a nation, must have some beginning. It must be either
delegated, or assumed. There are not other sources. All delegated power is trust,
and all assumed power is usurpation. Time does not alter the nature and quality of
either." |
Ethics - City Charter ViolationsOur Mayor and Council members Johnson, Welch, Whitson and Lewis violate the provisions of the City Charter regularly. One example is a $75 payment that they receive every month as a car allowance. Article V, Section 1 of the Charter clearly states: The municipal government of the City shall consist of a City Council composed of a Mayor and seven (7) Councilpersons. Said Mayor and Council shall be elected from the City at large by the qualified voters of the City. The pay of the Mayor and City Council shall be limited to fifty dollars ($50.00) per meeting attended, plus any actual expenses supported in writing which shall have been presented to the City Council and received approval. A meeting shall be any meeting where a full council is called to attend. It shall not include committee meetings. The "car allowance" circumvents the Charter's requirement that expenses be documented and that the Council vote to approve them. Since no documentation is currently required to receive this money, there is nothing to show that any expenses have actually been incurred. Thus, the money is simply pocket change for the Council members to spend on satellite TV, greens fees at the golf course or anything else they want to spend it on. Some might say this is not a big deal so who cares? Well, why not make it $150 per month or $500? If the rules don't matter, then the sky is the limit. Nancy Bielik and Jo Cox are the only two Council members that I know of who are currently abiding by the Charter and refusing to accept the money. Suzy Compton may also be an exception but this is unconfirmed. The rest of the incumbents have been taking the money in violation of the Charter. There are also more serious Charter violations that have occurred which should have caused the Mayor and offending Council members to be removed from office immediately. They are aware of the rules but they simply ignore them. Further, they are angered when their infractions are exposed to the public and they blame others instead of themselves. Most citizens are unaware of the infractions so the perpetrators have been able to get away with it thus far. Article V, Section 2 states: Each of the seven Councilmen and Mayor shall, on the date of the election, be at least twenty-one (21) years of age, a citizen of the United States of America and a registered, qualified voter of the State of Texas; shall reside and shall have resided for at least one year preceding the election at which he is a candidate, within the corporate limits of North Richland Hills; and shall not be in arrears in the payment of any taxes or other liability due the City, or be disqualified by reason of any provision of any other section of this Charter. A member of the Council ceasing to possess any of the qualifications specified in this section, or any other sections of this Charter, or convicted of a felony before or while in office, shall immediately forfeit his office. The Mayor's business, J.L. Steel, failed to pay property taxes due to Tarrant County and the City of NRH for more than two years before the delinquency was discovered by a citizen and brought to public attention1. Former Council member, Scott Turnage, was delinquent on his business taxes as well2, although he was fortunate in that his taxes were due to a neighboring city and not to NRH.Do you see a pattern here? We're not talking about being a few days late paying the water bill. This is much more serious. The very people who create the taxes that you and I have to pay, evade them, at least until they are caught and forced to comply with the law. This is a glaring double standard that should require no further explanation nor should these people remain insulated from the consequences of their actions. Trevino and Turnage are part of the tightly knit, exclusive club that runs our city. They actively support and are supported by the incumbents in this year's City Council election. If you favor this type of behavior, vote for the incumbents and the status quo. If not, you need to vote for the open, honest and responsive government that the challengers are pledged to work for. NRH should not be the "City of Choice" for dishonest politicians.
Bibliography 1 - "Mayor will be taxed in Tarrant", Fort Worth Star-Telegram -- March 25, 2004
|
|
Web Template by |
www.kerrywest.org © 2005 Pol. Adv. paid for by Kerry West |
