the Controversial Committee Report
“We don’t raise sacred cows...we just butcher them.”
AN OPEN LETTER
to
Herbert Gears
Dear Mr. Gears:
With the May 14th election just days away, the staff of the CCR feels compelled to again ask the question that has plagued this year’s mayoral race: Why haven’t you addressed the real issues that are facing our city?
To be sure, you have spent thousands upon thousands of dollars (your campaign will probably spend $250,000 in total) on campaign materials, T-shirts, newspaper ads, web sites -- including your bogus, inaccurate, fabricated, and untruthful “slumlord lawyer” character assassination piece -- and high priced consultants. Yet, with all of these materials and slick PR pieces, you have not stated, reflected or identified your current or past position on those issues citizens are most concerned with.
Your campaign and materials appear to be geared toward the politically uneducated, those easily scared by sleazy rhetoric, or appeals to totally uninformed voters. This is almost like you believe Irving voters are not smart enough to know what is actually going on in their city. Either that, or your pricey consultants and polling data reflect you should stay away from these issues to keep from losing votes!
Shouldn’t you be informing Irving voters as to your position regarding the following?
- Do you plan to continue supporting the Entertainment Center project in its present form and cost?
- Do you believe that voters cannot connect-the-dots between the thousands upon thousands upon thousands of dollars that Billy Bob and other parties to the Entertainment Center development have made to your campaign?
- Do you know when the downtown redevelopment (currently holding the city on the hook for $33 million) by Delbert McDougal will show any progress and not just be a funnel for his land purchases, bail-outs and bank interest payments?
- Should taxpayers have any confidence that city budgets, or current and future projects are being administered with citizens needs and the general economy in mind when they witness a $1 million sidewalk being constructed in north Irving?
- How long will the low morale of the city hall staff be ignored? (No need for you to concern yourself with the firemen, since all of your Entertainment Center development-contributors are funding their PAC to campaign for you.)
- What new tax, rate or fee increase can taxpayers expect next year to be added to all those approved this past year?
- When is the review/investigation of the $4 million in questionable expenses approved by “unknown city employees” for the Entertainment Center going to be completed?
- Are you actually comfortable with jeopardizing the city’s 60/40 RAB ordinance utilizing Billy Bob’s scheme for the Entertainment Center complex?
- What factual justification can be made for a city manager being paid more than the president of the United States?
There are many other pertinent questions that should be addressed by you in this campaign. However, your campaign seems more interested in attacking Mr. Putnam and spreading misinformation than it does in allowing voters to see your actual record on these subjects. Of course, a dismal incumbent record addressing issues plaguing our city is not a proud one to run on!
While the CCR doubts that responses to any of these questions will be forthcoming, we hope that voters finally see through all the smoke and mirrors, condescending rhetoric, obscene amounts of campaign donations and expenses, and lack of factual information that has characterized your campaign to this point. And we will probably never know what private discussions resolved with the Irving Firemen’s Association to obtain their support.
It truly is a sad day in Irving politics when wealthy donors (most of whom do not even live or vote in Irving) have more influence, control and authority than the hard working voting-citizens of our city. Some how, an extremely wealthy minority group appears to be the dominant force of your campaign while Irving taxpayers and the voting public are placed in a subservient role.
Hopefully, voters will awaken and elect an honest public servant (Mr. Putnam comes to mind) and not an individual dedicated to erecting an edifice to his ego funded by all those standing is line to profit from an Entertainment Center project.
(Signed) Mark Holbrook, or Mike Howard (if you prefer)
