Leander City Council Race - What Candidate Finance Reports Show

Leander City Council Race - What Candidate Finance Reports Actually Show
(Hint:  There is more to Leander elections than Andy Pitts.)

Remember the movie "Ground Hog Day" with Bill Murray where the main character wakes up only to find that he is repeating the same day over and over?  Yesterday I felt that way about the Leander City Council election.

With the first week of Early Voting for the 2019 city council positions complete, the Hill Country News issued what could be described as a "hit piece" against some of the candidates in the Leander and Cedar Park elections using some of the same narrative used in the 2018 election.

In both cities candidates fall into two informal groups or slates.  In Leander the challengers are endorsed by recently elected mayor Troy Hill and are seen as part of the 2018 changing of the guard that also elected Christine Sederquist and Marci Cannon.  Kathryn Pantalion-Parker, Chris Czernek, and Jason Shaw are running with the endorsement of current Leander mayor Troy Hill.  Jason Shaw has also received the endorsement of the Williamson County Republican Leaders organization, and Parker has received the endorsement of prominent Williamson County Republicans including Commissioner Cynthia Long and former Texas House Representative Tony Dale.

The Hill Country News article titled "Big money dominating local city council races", dated April 27, 2019, revived a theme from the 2018 mayoral campaign that accused the city council of being bought by Leander citizen Andy Pitts through the Texas Stronger PAC and other outside money.  Travis Outrider researched those claims during the 2018 runoff election and found that while Texas Stronger PAC made a significant financial contribution to Hill, his opponent Villareal had received twice as much money as Hill with less than Hill's amount coming from Leander citizens.  You could perhaps describe the claims as "fake news" or at least a campaign claim that did not hold up to facts and worthy of Pinocchio.   (Reference:  https://travis-outrider.blogspot.com/2018/05/.)

Based on research of the campaign finance documents available publicly on the city website, it appears we have another day but the same song. (Trivia:  "I Got You Babe" by Sonny and Cher plagued Murray.)  The facts show that although Texas Stronger did make significant contribution to those three candidates, they each received more donations from Leander citizens than their opponents.  In fact all three received more contributions than their opponents even without the Texas Strong PAC donation.  Apparently Pitts makes a great boogie man in campaign opposition pieces, but analysis shows that the three candidates he supports would be beating their opponents in donations in both dollars and citizen support without him.

Here is the breakdown of campaign contributions as currently posted on the city webpage. (Reference:  https://www.leandertx.gov/citysecretary/page/elections2019)

Place	Candidate	Total contributions	Leander contributions
1	Parker*	$  9,570.00	10
1	Lantrip	$  2,325.04	2
3	Shaw*	$  9,415.04	10
3	Ross	$  646.00	2
5	Seiler	$  5,306.50	8
5	Czernek*	$  10,005.00	12

* Received $3000 from Texas Stronger PAC according to finance reports filed.

City Council Endorsements

City Council Endorsements
(UPDATE:  April 28 with new endorsements)

The Williamson County Republican Leadership group met on March 25, 2019, and made the following endorsements for municipal elections in Williamson County.

• Rene Flores for Round Rock City Council Place 2
• Jason Shaw for Leander City Council Place 3
• Tim Kelly for Cedar Park City Council Place 1
• Hulyne Christopher for Cedar Park City Council Place 3
• Rodney Robinson for Cedar Park City Council Place 5

Leander Mayor Troy Hill also recently endorsed the following candidates:

• Kathryn Pantalion-Parker for Leander City Council Place 1
• Jason Shaw for Leander City Council Place 3
• Chris Czernek for Leander City Council Place 5

Kathryn Pantalion-Parker has also been endorsed by Williamson County Commissioner Cynthia Long and former Texas House Representative Tony Dale.

Municipal elections are on May 4, and Early Voting will run April 22-30.

Leander ISD Board of Trustees Endorsements 2018

Travis Outrider is endorsing the following candidates for Leander ISD Board of Trustees in the November 2018 election:

Place 1 - Trish Bode
Place 2 - Sharyn LaCombe
Place 6 - Aaron Johnson
Place 7 - Elexis Grimes

Beto is No Bueno

O'Rourke Vs. Cruz on the Issues
(Revised 8/29/18 regarding nicknames, 9/20/18 DWI details)

Congressman Robert Francis "Beto" O'Rourke is getting lots of praise from the Democrat-friendly media and Hollywood liberals.  A review of their positions on the issues, however, shows that Senator Ted Cruz represents Texas voters and values far better than O'Rourke.  Given that Texas continues to proudly wear the name "red state" it is curious how the race is even close considering that Cruz solidly represents conservative Republican values while O'Rourke leans left of Pelosi.

Second Amendment

Senator Cruz is a staunch defender of Second Amendment rights earning him an A+ lifetime rating from the NRA.  On the opposite end of the spectrum is Robert O'Rourke who received an F rating from the NRA.  O'Rourke has stated that he does not believe semi automatic rifles, including the popular AR-15, should be owned by civilians.

Taxes

O'Rourke voted against the tax reform package passed into law in 2017.  Senator Cruz supported the tax plan.  The tax cuts doubled the child tax credit, doubled the standard deduction, exempted most from estate taxes, and reduced the tax rates for all Americans.  The cuts also brought the corporate tax rate down from one of the highest at 35% to a globally competitive rate of 21% thereby encouraging American business growth and investment.

Pro-Life vs Pro-Abortion

Cruz opposes tax payer funding of Planned Parenthood and is strongly pro-life.  He often states, "Without life there is no liberty."  O'Rourke on the other hand has a 100% score from Planned Parenthood and NARAL for his strong support for abortion "rights" and tax funding of abortion clinics.

Sanctuary Cities

O'Rourke supports "sanctuary" cities and counties that refuse to work with federal immigration officials thereby releasing criminal illegal aliens back into Texas communities.  He stated that he is open to abolishing ICE, and he has joined other left wing Democrats in a call to decriminalize illegal border crossings.  Cruz believes in the rule of law and legal immigration.  Cruz's father was a legal immigrant to the US from Cuba.

Border Security

O'Rourke has opposed additional spending on both border personnel and physical barriers.  He has repeatedly stated for years that the borders are secure enough.  He even criticized Nancy Pelosi for putting any funds for border security in the last budget.  Cruz strongly supports securing the US borders.

Judges and Supreme Court

Cruz supports the appointment of federal judges and Supreme Court justices that have records of faithfully applying the law instead of legislating from the bench.  Cruz supported Justice Gorsuch's appointment to the Supreme Court, and he will approve Judge Kavanaugh if the vote is brought before him.  O'Rourke will oppose Republican judicial nominations if he is elected.

Healthcare

Cruz has led the fight to repeal Obamacare.  He continues to work to repeal it and address health care costs through market based solutions.  O'Rourke likes Bernie Sander's idea of putting everyone on Medicare.  A recent study by George Mason University discusses the cost of such a system.  Conservative estimates are that it would require more than a doubling of the current taxes collected in the US and that is based on a seemingly unlikely assumption that providers will continue to provide services at substantially lower payment.  The study concludes:  "M4A would markedly increase the demand for healthcare services while simultaneously cutting payments to provid­ers by more than 40 percent, reducing payments to levels that are lower on average than providers’ current costs of providing care. It cannot be known how much providers will react to these losses by reducing the availabil­ity of existing health services, the quality of such services, or both."  (https://www.mercatus.org/publications/federal-fiscal-policy/costs-national-single-payer-healthcare-system)

President Trump

O'Rourke stated that he will vote to impeach President Trump if elected because he believes the evidence is already clear.  There's little doubt that he would join Democrat efforts to reverse the President's tax plan, regulation rollbacks, and trade deals.  After a rough start to their relationship, Cruz has effectively worked with President Trump to move Republican priorities forward in the Senate.

Israel

Cruz stands with Israel.  O'Rourke is one of the Congressional members who boycotted Netanyahu's speech in 2015 to Congress, and he was one of only eight House members to vote against funding for Israel's Iron Dome defense system.

Education

Cruz supports education choice for parents and their children.  In 2017 he successfully added an amendment to allow pre-tax contributions to 529 plans to be used for K-12 tuition expenses.  O'Rourke opposes any tax dollars or credits being used outside the Public School system.

Latin Heritage

O'Rourke is Irish-American, son of Patrick and Melissa O'Rourke.  He is not Hispanic, although he tried unsuccessfully to join the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.  Cruz's father, Rafael B. Cruz, is an immigrant from Cuba; therefore, Senator Rafael Edward "Ted" Cruz is Latino.

Nicknames

Cruz's childhood nickname given by his father was "Felito", but he dropped the nickname when he was 13 due to bullying according to a 2015 interview and used his middle name instead.  O'Rourke attributes the nickname "Beto" as a common nickname for Robert in his hometown of El Paso.  He tweeted a photo in early 2018 showing a young Robert with Beto across the front of a white sweater, and Beto is the name he used in his punk rock band, who released the El Paso Pussycats album, as well as on the El Paso ballot in 2005.  During college at Columbia on the east coast, O'Rourke's name appears in publications as Rob and Robert.  

Arrest Records

O'Rourke was arrested for DWI and for burglary in the 1990's.  Senator Cruz has not been arrested.  In August 2018 new details about O'Rourke's DWI surfaced.  According to police reports not only was O'Rourke driving at a high speed while intoxicated, but he crashed into another vehicle and then attempted to flee the scene.

Religious Liberty

Senator Cruz defends the First Amendment right to religious liberty. As Texas Solicitor General he successfully defended the Ten Commandments monument on the Capitol grounds.   O'Rourke during his time as an El Paso councilman scolded a local parish priest for opposing same sex marriage benefits.  O'Rourke citied the Catholic Church's sex abuse scandal and views regarding contraceptives as grounds for dismissal of the clergyman's concerns.

6 Things SD 14 delegates need to know about Laura Pressley

6 Things to Know About Laura Pressley

By Carla Birk, Travis County Republican activist

Dr. Laura Pressley is running to be the SD 14 SREC representative of the Republican Party of Texas.  Here are some important things for RPT convention delegates to know.

1.        Prior to 2016 Pressley was affiliated with the Democrat Party and related groups

•  Voted in the Democrat Primary in 2008, 2012, 2014
•  Donated to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and others
• Donated to Capital Area Democratic Women in 2014 
• Attended the Texas Democratic Women's convention in 2012 (ActBlue donation)
• Donated to Moveon.org
• Donated to the Democratic National Committee
• Donated to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
• Had a campaign treasurer who was a 2016 delegate to the Democratic National Convention
• Joined the Republican Party in 2016 amidst her failing legal battle to vigorously fundraise for herself, sow distrust in electronic voting systems, and promote paper based solutions (causes she was already involved in with leftist groups prior to 2016.)

In 2014 TCRP posted city candidates’ voting records on its website showing Pressley’s Democrat voting history:  https://sites.google.com/site/travisgop/archives/austin-city-council-voting-history. 

In 2016 a skeptical Republican investigated Pressley’s background and posted research about it:  -- http://www.texastrashtalk.com/2016/07/fact-checking-dr-laura-pressleys-texas.html?m=1.

2.       Electronic vote tampering is the latest of many conspiracy theories promoted by Pressley.  Days prior to the 2014 election The Austin Chronicle ran a report about Pressley’s unusual views on “9/11 Truth”, fluoride in the water supply, and smart meters.  The article caused the Austin American Statesman to withdraw its endorsement of her.  A 2014 KUT post discusses it here with links to the original story and videos of Pressley:  http://kut.org/post/district-4-council-candidate-laura-pressleys-views-include-911-conspiracy.  

(Pressley’s ally and candidate for SD 14 SREC male representative Lynn Foster is a fellow “9/11 Truther”.  In 2016 Foster voiced support for Robert Morrow at a Central Texas Republican Assembly meeting shortly after Morrow was elected as TCRP Chairman and opposed a resolution calling on the TCRP Executive Committee to limit Morrow's powers.  Robert Morrow is best known as the promoter of political conspiracy theories including the role of LBJ in the Kennedy assassination and many other salacious claims regarding prominent politicians.)

3.      Pressley has been aggressively fundraising with Republican audiences, who are predisposed to distrust the Democrat-run Travis County Elections Division.  She has significant financial incentives to promote her views.  As of late 2016 Pressley’s legal fees were estimated at $215,000 according to an article in the Austin American Statesman.  The fees include a $100,000 penalty against Pressley and her attorney for pursuing unfounded claims.   Articles discussing Pressley’s loses and sanctions can be seen at the following:  http://www.statesman.com/news/local/new-details-laura-pressley-appeals-2014-election-challenge-texas-supreme-court/sZ98yhqxjgIPsPblJeFKOL/ and http://www.mystatesman.com/news/local/judge-rules-against-austin-city-council-candidate-laura-pressley/bE5MiRSGdIWwFdC14P11wK/#ba303460.3594764.735795.

4.       Both the lower court and appellate court found Pressley’s claims of election violations to be unfounded.  The three judge panel of Justices Goodwin, Fields, and Puryear (all Republicans) upheld the lower court ruling at the Third Court of Appeals stating:

 “Pressley repeatedly filed unsupported and untrue claims of voter disenfranchisement, election and recount irregularities and mistakes, and criminal violations by election officials. The trial court was within its discretion to sanction Pressley for repeatedly pleading these unsupported and untrue claims.”

“To bolster her contest, Pressley repeatedly filed unsupported allegations of voter disenfranchisement, election irregularities and mistakes, and criminal misconduct by election officials. Even after a manual recount and audit confirmed the absence of any problems, Pressley still repeatedly pleaded otherwise. The trial court was within its discretion in awarding Chapter 10 sanctions against Pressley and her lawyer for doing so.”

Quotation source document:  http://www.search.txcourts.gov/SearchMedia.aspx?MediaVersionID=c2bb1232-af9a-411d-889a-86cfd0cd931a&coa=cossup&DT=BRIEFS&MediaID=19db2fc5-3729-4bcd-b355-6f16c52c942a

5.       Pressley’s case at the Texas Supreme Court only addresses a very, narrow issue regarding “numbered ballots” for electronic voting.  No court has found merit in her claims that results were altered.  The Texas Association of Counties issued a brief in May 2018 siding with her opponent, Gregorio Casar.  Pressley has been granted several extensions.  Information about the case can be found here:  http://www.search.txcourts.gov/Case.aspx?cn=17-0052&coa=cossup.    

6.       Since 2016 Pressley has been pushing hard for the Republican Party of Texas to adopt the paper ballot agenda.  Travis County is already in the process of implementing a paper based ballot system for 2019.  She is not leading a fight against the Democrats, but rather drawing Republicans over to the Democrats’ position.  According to a 2016 article by a True The Vote activist, Pressley has close ties with VoteRescue, a group that was founded in 2005 in Austin with a mission to return to paper balloting.  The founder and members of VoteRescue donated to Pressley’s campaign, served on her recount team, and donated to her lawsuit.  In a 2014 interview her attorney indicated ties to VoteRescue dating back to 2006.   To read more about VoteRescue, related leftist groups, and its connections to Pressley’s campaign and lawsuits see the last section of the article here:  http://www.texastrashtalk.com/2016/07/fact-checking-dr-laura-pressleys-texas.html?m=1 

 About the author:  Carla Birk is a Republican activist in Travis County.  She served three terms as a precinct chairman.  She worked as the Primary Elections Assistant Administrator for Travis County Republican Party in 2012, 2016, and 2018 where she has recruited and spoken with hundreds of election workers about their experiences.  She has served for almost ten years in every election work position including precinct election judge, poll watcher, Early Voting Ballot Board (EVBB) member, and TCRP’s Alternate Presiding Judge at EVBB and the Central Receiving Station.  She served in two terms training precinct chairs in election work and organizing.  She is a current member of NW Austin Republican Women (a TFRW club), North Austin Republicans, and Central Texas Republican Assembly.  She has helped with many GOTV campaigns including TCRP HD 48 lead for Dan Neil, the Cruz Crew, and currently Abbott U.  She was a member of the RPT  S.T.A.T. team in the 2017 legislative session. 

No Paybacks for Villarreal?

The runoff race for Leander mayor is in full swing, and the campaigns are taking their best swings at each other.  Team Vic has been running ads on Facebook.  One of the claims is that Vic Villarreal won't owe any paybacks or favors to anyone for campaign contributions unlike his opponent.  This claim deserves a closer look since Villarreal has received over $20,000 in contributions compared to Troy Hill who has received about half as much according to the most recent campaign finance reports found on the city's website. (See https://www.leandertx.gov/citysecretary/page/elections2018 for the reports.)

Here is a summary of the candidates' contributions reported with a few breakdowns  by  contributor's city, contributor type (PAC or not), and contributor's area of interest.

Villarreal			Hill
TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS	$  21,880.00	100%	TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS	$  11,351.00	100%
PACs (Builders/Developers)	$    2,100.00	10%	PACs (Pro-business)	$    5,401.00	48%
Contribution categories:			Contribution categories:
Real Estate & Development	$  19,550.00	89%	Real Estate & Development	$    3,250.00	29%
Financing	$        500.00	2%	Financing	$                 -	0%
Other	$    1,450.00	7%	Other	$    2,100.00	18%
Unknown	$        630.00	3%	Unknown (cash and in-kind)	$    6,001.00	53%
Leander contributors	$    3,300.00	15%	Leander contributors	$    3,750.00	33%

One thing appears certain.  Leander is expected to grow, and those in the business of development are showing their interest in the mayor's race through significant contributions.  Villarreal has received almost $20,000 in contributions that trace to individuals, businesses, trusts, or PACs with a financial interest in the city's future development.  The category includes developers, civil engineers, real estate attorneys, city consultants, home builders, construction, and realtors.  That's 89% of his contributions. 

Villarreal currently has received less contributions from people or businesses who call Leander home with $3,300 as compared to $3,750 for Troy Hill. 

The Villarreal PAC money of $2,100 is from builders and developers.  Hill has about half of his contributions ($5,000 cash plus in-kind donations) from the Texas Stronger PAC based out of Georgetown.  The PAC describes itself as pro-business.  Much has been claimed about Hill's relationship with Andy Pitts; however, at this time Pitts does not appear on the finance reports of Hill's campaign nor the Texas Stronger PAC reports found on the Texas Ethics Commission website.  As many citizens note, the problem with PACs is the delay in transparency for pop-up ones such as this.  The most recent filing for the PAC lists a contributor with real estate interests.  Time will tell.

Both candidates are getting sizeable donations from contributors with financial interests in Leander's growth.  Villarreal is getting much more money so you might say they are betting on Team Vic.  As for Team Vic's claim that he'll be no-strings-attached Mayor Villarreal, I'd rate the claim as doubtful.  It would be refreshing to see lots of regular citizens giving financial support to the campaigns, but that is not the case for either candidate.

Below is the full detail of the contributors (names withheld although those can be found on the campaign finance reports at the Leander City website).

VILLARREAL CAMPAIGN FINANCE REPORT - CONTRIBUTORS

City	Amount	Occupation	Employer	Notes
Austin	$        500.00	Attorney	McCall,Parkhurts,Horton	Public finance
Richardson	$        250.00	Consulting - Engineering/Architecture/Planning	PAC
Cedar Park	$        250.00		Trust	works for JL Powers:  "He has specialized in public/private ventures", " Kaplan is well versed in planning and development issues"
Austin	$    1,000.00	Land Developer	Self
Austin	$    1,000.00	Land Developer	PAC
Austin	$    2,000.00	(websearch: Developer)	Trust	"Tynberg LLC currently is involved in an urban development project in Leander, TX, which is located just minutes north of Austin, TX along the 183A Toll Road."
Dallas	$        100.00	Engineer (Civil)	Schnabel Engineers	"We provide specialized expertise and design for geotechnical, dam, and tunnel engineering projects across the United States and worldwide. "
Dallas	$        100.00	Engineer (Civil)	Schnabel Engineers	"We provide specialized expertise and design for geotechnical, dam, and tunnel engineering projects across the United States and worldwide. "
Cedar Park	$        200.00	Business Consultant - public sector projects	J. L. Powers	"Mitch works as a Senior Consultant for J.L. Powers and Associates, advising clients on gaining access to public sector projects, strategic planning, public-private partnerships,"
Liberty Hill	$        100.00	Consultant	Self	Retired Leander ISD Superintendent
Austin	$        250.00	Business Owner - Civil Engineering	K. Friese and Associates	"civil engineering consulting services to our public sector clients"
Leander	$        100.00	Business executive	unknown
Buda	$        100.00	Manager - Civil Engineering	CobbFendley	Civil Engineering
Austin	$        100.00	Admin	unknown
Pflugerville	$        200.00	Teacher	Pflugerville ISD
Ft. Worth	$        300.00	Developers	PAC
Wimberly	$        100.00	Planning Consultant	XBlink
Pagosa Springs, CO	$        500.00	Retired Engineer
McGregor	$        250.00	Engineers (Civil)	Walker Partners	Civil Engineering
Austin	$    1,000.00	Developer	Self
Austin	$        250.00	Construction	American Constructors
Driftwood	$        250.00	COO (Civil Engineering)	Walker Partners	Civil Engineering
Austin	$        100.00	Attorney (Developers)	GDHM	"practice includes representing developers, investors, and companies in the acquisition, disposition, leasing, development and entitlement of improved and raw land."
Round Rock	$        350.00	unknown	unknown
Austin	$        100.00	Architect	Page
Austin	$        250.00	Attorney	Armbrust & Brown	"represents clients before city and county governmental entities in land-use and business matters"
Austin	$        100.00	Real estate	Cresent Communities
Austin	$        100.00	Real estate	self
Austin	$        100.00	Business owner	self (web search:  Founder, Smart City Policy Group)	"He currently serves as Founder of Smart City Policy Group, a government and public solutions firm working to help cities and states create effective regulations for the Sharing Economy, the Gig Economy - known as the New Economy."
Austin	$        250.00	Attorney (web search:  real estate attorney)	Metcalfe, Wolff, Stewart,Williams
Austin	$        250.00	Attorney	Metcalfe, Wolff, Stewart,Williams
Austin	$        250.00	Attorney	Metcalfe, Wolff, Stewart,Williams
Austin	$        250.00	Attorney	Metcalfe, Wolff, Stewart,Williams
Austin	$        250.00	unknown	unknown	"The Novy Company is a full service medical/professional commercial real estate firm established in Austin Texas by founder Brian Novy."
Austin	$        300.00	Developers	PAC
Dallas	$    1,500.00	Principal	Stantec	Real estate development
Dallas	$    1,500.00	Principal	Catlyn Capital	"Catlyn Capital Corp. operates as a real estate investment company."
Dallas	$    1,500.00	Real estate	Catlyn Capital	"Catlyn Capital Corp. operates as a real estate investment company."
Dallas	$    1,500.00	Real estate	Catlyn Capital	"Catlyn Capital Corp. operates as a real estate investment company."
Austin	$        200.00	Commercial Real estate	ARA Newmark
Leander	$    3,000.00	Developer	MPE Realty
Cedar Park	$        100.00	business owner	Mary Henderson associates
Leander	$        200.00	unknown	unknown
Austin	$        250.00	Commercial Real estate	unknown
Leander	$        250.00	Builder	Giddens Homes
Austin	$        250.00	Home builders	PAC

HILL CAMPAIGN FINANCE REPORT - CONTRIBUTORS

City	Amount	Occupation	Employer	Notes
Leander	$   2,000.00	CIO	HP
Leander	$       300.00	Realtor
Georgetown	$       500.00	Realtor
Austin	$       500.00	Realtor
Cedar Park	$       100.00	Realtor
Leander	$       500.00	Realtor
Georgetown	$       401.00		PAC	IN KIND
Georgetown	$   5,000.00		PAC	support pro-business minded candidates in Leander
Leander	$       150.00			Planning/Dev
Leander	$       250.00
Leander	$       100.00	Handy man	self
Austin	$   1,000.00			Land Developer
Leander	$       100.00	contractor	self
Leander	$       150.00
Lakeway	$       100.00	attorney		real estate
Leander	$       100.00
Leander	$       100.00