the Controversial Committee Report
“We don’t raise sacred cows...we just butcher them.”
In Chief Pet Rock LaMorgese’s own words:
"I’ve been proud to work with our great Mayor and look forward to three more years."
For those fortunate enough not to be on Chief Pet Rock LaMorgese’s re-election mailing list, you probably haven’t seen his pledge to QueenB VDs fealty in a recent e-mail posting. Yes, for three years now, he has been at the queen’s beck and call, voting as she dictates and shortchanging voters in Place 6 (North Irving, Hackberry Creek area) with his blind obedience.
This verbiage of praising the queen was in addition to listing many items he had little or no direct involvement in achieving by his actions. However, isn’t this what most politicos, especially those running for re-election, do…pump up the old resumé?
As only CCR readers who live in this particular voting district will be able to cast a ballot in the upcoming city council election in Place 6, here’s a thought: This might be an opportune time to share CCR reports with those on your mailing list who seldom venture out of the gated areas.
And what about: Attend one of LaMorgese’s upcoming candidate meet and greet events, town hall session or campaign noshing to ask just how proud he really is with just these ‘tip of the iceberg’ items he followed the queen in implementing.
The items noted below were probably instigated and inspired by QueenB VD with LaMorgese hanging on to her royal robe’s train for the ride:
- Meeting with developers in Las Vegas, QueenB VD returned to the city and utilized her Pet Rocks to vote and issue a memorandum of understanding to single source developer, OliverMcMillan, for the old Texas Stadium site. And guess what? A detailed Tennis Center option appeared in their initial presentation. (The Texas Stadium site is the most valuable piece of property the city owns. A tennis center on twenty-three acres of the property would be the worse land use possible.)
- With both LaMorgese and the queen having a strong bent and interest in tennis, he voted to approve over $500,000 for the Texas Wild professional tennis events which drew very sparse crowds and did little to pump economic development funds into the city. In fact, more tickets may have been given away than actually purchased by individual attendees. This traveling tennis carnival recently left the city after failing to fulfill all the marketing hype, poured on the council, for the tax bucks received. (Of course, free box seats to all the events were available for "VIP" attendees. Photo ops were even possible.)
- Worked to circumvent the council’s ad hoc committee’s, which was appointed by the queen, recommendations by attempting to implement a total smoking ban that could cause several businesses to close. His ordinance amendment, which would meet the queen’s dictate of a total ban, failed and the revised ordinance passed (6-3) to allow eight businesses (of around 600 total) to be grandfathered with stronger restrictions than the previous ordinance the city was operating under.
As staff of the CCR considers LaMorgese’s choice of words in his mailing, one surely has to wonder how he could actually be "proud" to have served the queen in the matters noted…much less classifying her actions as "great." Really, great? (Chicanery, a lack of transparency and if an unknown number of private meetings or conversations were held, this doesn’t bode well as being ‘great’ for Open Meeting concerns.)
One should really wonder if three years of sipping the queen’s spiked Tea and eating conservative red meat might have permanently altered his brain synapses.
His actions and votes certainly lack independence of thought, consideration for what is in the best interest of the city and basically could be performed in the same manner as Geppetto pulling the marionette strings on Pinocchio.
Which leads staff of the CCR to wonder: Does LaMorgese’s nose grow at every upcoming campaign event when QueenB VD is lurking behind the curtains pulling his strings?
………………………Mark Holbrook
