Happy Independence Day!
It is befitting the occasion to send you this BIG NEWS ALERT!
Today, July 4th, 2016, Independent Texans is initiating a petition drive for a recall election of the Mayor of Bastrop, Ken Kesselus, and for a charter amendment to secure Bastrop voters their right to petition, a right passed by the people of Texas over 100 years ago in a constitutional amendment for home rule.
The Bastrop City Council passed a resolution in 2015 against selling the City’s water. However, we believe there is a movement afoot by the new Council majority to take the city back to the days of the “good ol’ boys” — using the city as a conduit to drain the groundwater we share with central Texas neighbors to the financial benefit of private water interests.
Tomorrow, City of Bastrop voters will be receiving this Letter, which lays out– in detail — the reasons for initiating this petition drive. The mailer contains two petitions: a Petition for Reasonable Petition Requirements in the City of Bastrop, and a Petition to Recall Bastrop Mayor Ken Kesselus.
The petitions must be mailed back no later than Monday, July 11th or hand delivered to us. You can meet us on Tuesday, July 12th, starting at 6:30 pm at City Hall, 1131 Chestnut.
WARNING: It is at this meeting — on Tuesday the 12th — we expect Kesselus and his allies on the Council to try to place their own charter amendments on the November ballot, as follows: 1. A sneaky amendment to the city charter that would allow Council to sell your water if they can convince you to vote for it. 2. To change our term limits law for City Council to make it possible for the Mayor to run again next May. Please help us reach our goals!
If you are a voter residing in the city of Bastrop, please sign the two petitions, ask others to sign, and mail it right away, by Monday, or bring it to the City Council meeting on Tuesday. (Only city of Bastrop voters can sign but anyone can circulate the petition.)
Share these petitions – print them out or share it via email or Facebook.
Donate! We need to raise $3,000 for this effort! DONATE HERE (or see the Donate button on the right?)
Remember, the water grabs on the Simsboro aquifer formation underlying Bastrop, Lee, Milam and Burleson counties impact on our entire central Texas region and the state of Texas. We must prevent water marketers and their buddies in political office from waltzing in to the next legislative session citing Bastrop as the “model management” strategy for Texas.
Bastrop County Sludge Alert!
It was standing room only at the VFW in Rockne (VFW, thankfully, donated the hall for this meeting!) and rip-roaring debate about ‘what’s in this sludge anyway?’ Read this important update on the plan for sewage sludge in Cedar Creek, Rockne and Red Rock.
Please share this message widely and get involved, y’all.