August
24, 2006
Earmarks and a
Not-So-Secret Meeting
By
Jack D. McNamara
“By Invitation
Only”
Our U.S. Representative, Henry Bonilla of San Antonio, came to town
last week.
On previous visits he has met with his constituents in free-form forums
and he took a few dozen questions on any topic. Not this time, though.
Bonilla was treated to an “invitation only” luncheon at Sul Ross on
August 14, according to what appears to be a Sul Ross press release in
the August 17 Alpine Avalanche. The press release was escorted by at
least three smiling Bonilla photos in poses with local dignitaries as
well as Bonilla’s weekly column on the Avalanche editorial page.
Bonilla tells us how to “beat the heat without the high energy bills.”
We are deeply appreciative of Bonilla’s advice, however we would prefer
that he answer our questions about the “Bonilla Bypass,” a road project
in Lajitas which appears to be an “earmark.” An “earmark” is a
legislative action, an amendment to an appropriations bill which
receives no review by the Executive Branch or Congressional authorizing
committees.
The earmark system is one of the current scandals roaring in Washington
and Bonilla is reputed to be a champion earmarker by virtue of his
position on the House Appropriations Committee where he is Chair of the
Agricultural Subcommittee and a ranking member on the Defense
Subcommittee.
Critics call earmarks a “culture of corruption.” The earmarks sometimes
appear to be paybacks for campaign contributions. In a well-publicized
confrontation in May between Representative Henry Bonilla and fellow
congressman Jeff Flake, an Arizona Republican, Bonilla called Flake’s
efforts to eliminate earmarks “insanity” and implied Flake should “wise
up.”
“Everybody understands the game here,” said Bonilla. Flake certainly
does. He told the New York Times, “Logrolling reigns supreme.”
In addition to his
support from the group who met at Sul Ross and the Alpine Avalanche,
Bonilla has raised $2,279,677 as of August 2, according to the Center
for Responsive Politics. His opponents in the 23rd Congressional
District are Ciro Rodriguez, who has raised $759,022 and spent
$851,012; and Rick Bolanos, who has raised $13,061 and spent the same.
Were the several million dollars for water projects prominently
displayed in the weekly newspapers earmarks? As a matter of fact, many
of the earmarks each year are appropriations targeted for colleges and
universities in the various venues of the respective congresspersons.
During the past week we have been busy trying to correct the errors of
various regional newspapers. None of those newspapers are doing earmark
stories. Most of the media stories publish the huge campaign
contribution edge which Representative Bonilla maintains but few try to
match the contributions with earmarks.
Water research by Sul Ross is to all appearances an entirely benign
activity. But the U.S. Army is currently underfunded by $22 billion
dollars. Troops in Iraq go without body armor. The Army is enlisting
42-year-old grandmothers. The Bush Administration is destroying the
ground forces of the U.S. Bonilla is on the Defense subcommittee of a
Republican-controlled Congress which has been negligent in their
oversight of the incompetent Rumsfeld Defense Department. Money is
fungible. Appropriations which are secret earmarks to benefit campaign
contributors are wrong.
We would like to know who was in the Sul Ross meeting. We would like to
know which prominent elected Democrats were there, especially Democrats
who have not contributed to the pitifully underfunded Bolanos campaign.
Water is good but so are tanks.
A
secret meeting?
While we were on the
trail of the secret “by invitation only” meeting at Sul Ross we were
informed of yet another “secret” meeting by some members of the
Southwest Texas Municipal Gas Company board of directors.
Our information was that on or about July 14, Alpine Mayor Mickey
Clouse and Marfa Mayor David Lanman (both of whom are members of the
gas company board) met with the gas company’s auditor Shaw Skinner. The
mayors were accompanied by the city managers of the two respective
cities. No agenda was posted for the meeting.
The cities are right now involved in budget preparation. Last year
there was a substantial allocation of gas company revenues to the city
of Alpine — almost $200,000. This allocation was some surprise because
only the previous year the gas company had announced that for various
reasons there would be no allocation forthcoming for several years. Not
only was the allocation a surprise but also it was necessary to bail
out the fiscal disaster in Alpine caused by the former city manager
Karen Philippi.
Additional gas company revenues represent huge increases in gas rates
over the recent years. But additional revenues are also necessary to
maintain and repair the crumbling gas lines in the two communities.
The issue came up Monday night at the gas board meeting. Several
questions were fired at Clouse and Lanman. We do not yet know the facts
but our wide reading recently about the Texas Open Meetings Act (TOMA)
permits us to comment.
The mayors were not a quorum? No, they were not. But they got together
for something. If the “something” was to discuss the allocation of gas
company revenues it was certainly public business because it is OUR
MONEY. The gas company is public. The citizens might reasonably prefer
any surplus gas revenues be expended to repair gas lines or reduce
rates. So the meeting, especially Shaw Skinner’s contribution, should
have been in public.
Oh yes … not a quorum? We quote for you from the current TOMA.
“551.143 – (a) A
member or group of members of a governmental body commit an offense if
the member or group of members knowingly conspire to circumvent this
chapter by meeting in numbers less than a quorum for the purpose of
secret deliberations in violation of this chapter.” (Our emphasis.)
The most prominent prosecution of an errant local government official
was last May in Upshur County. The Texas Attorney General investigated,
indicted and prosecuted John Wesley Moore II for a violation of the
TOMA, Section 551.143.
Don’t worry though. The Upshur County jury acquitted.
We applaud the
members of the gas company board for discovering this infraction of
good sense and openness. Good work; that is the way it ought to be. •
(Also published by the Big Bend
Sentinel of Marfa, Texas August 24,
2006.)
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