Fred Blanton, candidate for NHMCCD Board position 8 and the board’s very own version of Tom Bazan has dug up another smelly tidbit. Back before the May election (that got cancelled) The board sent out a postcard that assured voters that if approved the bond proposal would not raise their tax rate. But of course as we discovered earlier the language DOES allow for a tax rate rise. Well, those postcards were paid for by the NHMCCD board with NHMCCD funds. That is electioneering and is in violation of Texas Ethics laws. According to a Texas Ethics Commission pamphlet that explains the state’s political advertising law, a taxing entity “can not spend or authorize the spending of public funding for political advertising.”
“Political advertising is a communication that advocates a particular outcome in an election,” the pamphlet reads. “This section does not apply to a communication that factually describes the purposes of a measure if the communication does not advocate passage or defeat of the measure.”
Since the postcard specifically advocated passage of the bond referendum, the board members are on the hook for it.
Now, here is where things get interesting. There were 399,819 postcards mailed district wide. 17 members of the NHMCCD board and staff participated in the mailings, they are:
John E. Pickleman, Chancellor NHMCCD
Raymon Laughter, Vice Chancellor NHMCCD
Renee Smith Byas, Vice Chancellor NHMCCD
Susan B. Wright, Executive Director of Communications NHMCCD
Martin Basaluda, Board Member NHMCCD
David S. McIver, Board Member NHMCCD
Stephanie Marquard, Board Member NHMCCD
John Fox, Board Member NHMCCD
David A. Vogt, Board Member NHMCCD
Maria Flotte O’Neil, Board Member NHMCCD
Richard Campbell, Board Member NHMCCD
Pricilla Kelly, Board Member NHMCCD
William “Randy” Bates, Board Member NHMCCD
Charles “Johann” Kohl, Manager Publications NHMCCD
Judy A Stubblefield, Executive Assistant to the Chancellor NHMCCD
Marilyn Fisher, Administrative Assistant NHMCCD
Cynthia F. Gilliam, Vice Chancellor NHMCCD
And the maximum penalty per violation is $500.00, and each postcard counts as a separate violation.
so $500 x 17 x 399,819 = $3,398,461,500
That is what I call a non-trivial sum!
Ronnie Earle, eat your heart out!
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First! This just keeps getting better and better.
Like they are going to pay up $3.4 billion!
#2, yeah well, seeing as how that completely obliterates more than a decade’s worth of budget, probably not. More than likely the amount will be reduced substantially, but it is fun to dream is it not?
That’s enough to get light rail out to the Galleria
Rorshach:
Just heard from The Villager, Letter to the Editor. They finally want to print my letter, (After THREE requests). It’s pretty much the same as BSue’s post. Had to clean it up a little and take out the sarcism before they’d post it.
Approaching geezerdom (the state of being an old geezer) has given me a special insight.
“Political corruption is most easily found around community college district politics.”
Now…how do I trademark this statement????
Or is it so well-known that trademarking is really a stupid idea???
Rorsh: Here’s the address to The Villager in case you want to write one as well! This article would be awsome! I have a feeling I will be bashed after my letter comes out! (sigh)
(281) 367-5309
jgriffin@hcnonline.com
“Political corruption is most easily found around community college district politics.”$”trade”;
Shannon
Look up on weekend open threads. Keep reading down if you’re not smart,(like me!)
Double drats…where are my glasses?
“Political corruption is most easily found around community college district politics.”&”trade”;
Shannon
“Political corruption is most easily found around community college district politics.” &”trade”;
Shannon
See what I mean? heh heh
#5 Southern
Sarcasm? What sarcasm? :0}
I resent that yesterday to them. I took out, “but it’s for the children, it’s a good thing?” Something like that. Did I mention 3 posts?
Political corruption is most easily found around community college district politics. &”trade”;
Shannon
(see if this works without the quotes…(?)
Squawk, feel free to delete my stupid posts…
I guess that quote from Shannon was already trade marked and HAL won’t allow it!
ST: it is & trade ; without the spaces. No quotes.
Was this in the required Languages of Viet. Spanish and English?
Did they spell check it?
What on earth were they thinking…. or were they not thinking.
This appears to be the “Hood-winkers” first they thought that they could get away with a 84 to 12 polling site reduction…. now what else will be uncovered?
Sure takes the heat off Slade! I guess these guys don’t like being out done. I’m a gonna do some looking…..
I’m sure they are “pooping” their pants right about now…..(assuming The District is reading this…) (wink, wink)…..
ROTFLMAO !!!!
Hi Ray!
Woof!
I still have the original postcard I received the day after early voting for the May 13th election ended. It specifically states: “If authorized, the bond will require NO INCREASE IN THE TAX RATE. For more information on the facilities master plan and proposed bond projects go to http://www.njmccd.edu/goto/electionfacts.” I tried to call that link up and here is what I got:
The page you have requested does not exist at this time. To find the page you are looking for, please visit the NHMCCD Web site http://www.nhmccd.edu
So who knows what has changed since then….. Their website seems to try to comply with the three language requirements NOW, but the postcard sure was OUT of compliance then.
I don’t trust these people are far as I could toss them……..
It’s time for some serious house cleaning! And maybe a few indictments!
sorry….above link should read
http://www.nhmccd.edu/goto/electionfacts
#17.. I still have mine too… I don’t know why, maybe I’ll frame it since it might become a collectors item! Let’s see it’s worth something like $8,500 in fine funds… maybe I could cash it in!
#18 that link is not working either…..
Do they really think we are that stupid? Housecleaning? ….. Call the Exterminators, smells like we have a roach infestation here….