With early voting starting Monday, May 16, thousands of GOP voters just received attack mailers from Perry Poodle, Stan Gerdes, on Bastrop County Judge Paul Pape in the RED HOT Republican Runoff for Texas House District 17 -- Bastrop, Burleson, Caldwell, Lee, and Milam counties -- home of the Central Texas water wars.
Do we detect a bit of desperation as they dump money behind claims they make up?
Early Voting • May 16-20, Election Day • Tuesday May 24
Tomorrow, just as early voting starts in this race, we get to see the 8-day campaign finance reports. We might just see if the Speaker of the House, Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont), paid for Gerdes' fake news mailer. (We previously reported the long line of Austin and DC lobbyists listed in Gerdes' campaign finance reports for the March primary here in "Rick Perry's Poodle."
What is it with these "P" guys -- Perry, Phelan and Perry's Poodle, Stan and their intervention into HD 17? Neither Phelan nor Perry live in HD17, and Stan moved in 3 years ago. Shortly thereafter, Perry helped Gerdes get a seat on the Smithville City Council.
Are these guys after our groundwater and the plans to use it for billions to be made in the buildout of Central Texas?
Is it the Energy Transfer connection?
The pilfering Rick Perry, immediately following his exit from the Trump Administration, joined the Energy Transfer board (January 2020). Energy Transfer has become infamous as the largest profiteer ($2.4 billion) off the grid collapse last year. Energy Transfers' PAC donated to Stan Gerdes.
Speaker Phelan refused to take up the bi-partisan bill that handily passed the Texas Senate, calling for a modest clawback of some the $54 billion in profits made during the grid collapse. ERCOT's famous failure to cutback on the price-gouging is here in Forbes.
Gerdes' fake news starts with the claim that he is a"former Trump official." Truth is, he was Perry's scheduler!
Gerdes must think we're easily herded cows.
Here's the big test for Republican voters.
By throwing the "L" word -- Liberal -- around so liberally (sorry, we couldn't resist), might it be that Gerdes and his high roller hit team who are rendering themselves to be the jackasses?
For example, they attack Pape for falsely claiming to lower property taxes. He has never claimed that. Bastrop County Judge Paul Pape led the Bastrop County Commissioners Court to lower the county property tax rate (from 62 cents to 52 cents) during Pape's first nine years in office. This kept property taxes from skyrocketing as appraisals hit the roof.
Here's some truth about property taxes. The legislature must reform property taxes and do more than nibble around the edges. We're going to need someone with the brains, a heart and political independence to take that bull by the horns. That ain't jackass Gerdes. It is Paul Pape who lives here and gives here.
Remember, whoever the GOP nominee is, he will face a Democrat in November, Madeline Eden. We know Pape won't do what Gerdes did -- repeatedly claim to be too busy to attend ANY forums with his opponent. (Photo by Linda Curtis for Independent Texans.)
Who's Funding Pape?
We love that Paul Pape is funding his campaign out of his own pocket and with local donors. His funding independence, along with his family history (having lost their farm due to the over pumping of the Ogallala aquifer in West Texas) enables him to make good his pledge to fight alongside us for an audit and cutback of the Vista Ridge water pipeline and to take on other bread and butter issues like property taxes. Both issues are deeply impacting our local economies, so we need to get this race right, folks!
Will GOP voters buy Gerdes' horse pucky? There's only one thing in rural Texas that beats big money. It is neighbors talking to neighbors.
Longtime independent and co-founder of Independent Texans PAC, Linda Curtis, said,
"I got on my high-horse with Paul Pape when I told all my friends, I quote 'over my dead body will Rick Perry take my house district. I'm not ready to go yet' So, put your boots on, friends, and volunteer to kick some.'"
Join us on horseback or on the backs of our pickups at the Lee County Fair, volunteer at our booth, May 20-21 and reach your neighbors! Call us, email us or send a smoke signal, y'all.
PS Truth Test Flunks Gerdes' Claims: Such as -- Pape "strongly supported Black Lives Matter." This a laughable attack on the US and Texas Constitutions. Is Gerdes suggesting the Judge disrespect the rights of all to peacefully protest and petition the government for redress of grievances? Moreover, Pape never called for any monuments to be "torn down".
Learn more about Vista Ridge on "The Big Squeeze TX Water" page at the League of Independent Voters.
For past news on this race, visit out News section.