Hot September day, free ice cream advertised for weeks in local papers, large convention center rented, and an opportunity to meet CondoGate superstar Gene Seaman.
Any guess on how many people show up?
If you answer is around 15 people then you are right!
Seaman had a 'ice cream social (if you don't know what that is ask your grandparents) at the Paws and Taw Convention Center in Fulton, TX yesterday and almost no one showed up. My God, I could flag down more people off the street than that.
After being on the front cover of the Caller Times threedifferentdays for illegally claiming two homestead exemptions and laundering campaign contributions through your wife, who can blame people for not showing up. Seaman will want to blame everyone (including his wife) for this scandal. However, let's be clear, the only person to blame for this is Gene Seaman himself.
He claims to be a land developer so he cannot plead ignorance to homestead laws. He's been in the Lege for almost ten years so he cannot plead ignorance to knowing that you CANNOT use campaign contributions for personal enrichment.
Incompetent or Corrupt or Both. You decide.
Let's see what people in the Coastal Bend are saying today:
Bad sign I remember the time when Clayton Williams refused to shake Ann Richards' hand and made the statement that women "should lay back and enjoy" a rape. My first thought was: "He just lost the election," which he did.
Rep. Gene Seaman's contention that his payment of $44,000 to his wife and the "misunderstanding" about the double-dipping on the homestead exception was his wife's fault gave me the same feeling. He just lost his re-election bid.
He is probably not too concerned, since he stated a few days ago that "for the $600 a month he gets as a state representative he might as well go back to selling insurance." If that's what he wants to do, I am sure Juan Garcia can accommodate him.
Just a suggestion to future male politicians, if you doing something illegal or crooked, own up to it and don't throw your wife under the bus. It makes you look like a coward and crappy husband.
CondoGate superstar, Gene Seaman, attended the Dedication Ceremony for the Global War of Terrorism Monument in Corpus Christi yesterday. The Keynote speaker was Gov. Rick Perry (yes, he did use this speech to slip in campaign language, pathetic - bleh).
Seaman slinked around the event like he was the unpopular kid who came to prom without a date. While everyone was chatting with their neighbor, no one came by to even say boo.
Seaman was not even allowed to sit on the stage with Gov. Hairball. Perry barely looked in his direction. He sat the entire event with no one within a seat of him. It was like he was carrying Ebola or leprosy. Actually, I think it was the Perry staffers who kept him away from the Gov. It looked like they were ready to tackle him if he came near Perry. Instructions: Keep him out of my hair. To add insult to injury, while local dignitaries and special guests were being recognized by name (city council, active military, police chief, deputy police chief, cub scout leaders), Seaman was not acknowledged even though he was sitting in the front row. Literally in the front row. Dead center.
Burn.
I don't blame Ricky for distancing himself. His poll numbers are looking worse and worse. Last thing the Gov. needs is to be involved in a TAX EVASION SCANDAL. He's got a plenty of scandals. Go CHRIS GO! Pssst, hey Eugene... take the hint... there is no value in being anywhere near you...you are now officially a liability.
At the unveiling, Gene Seaman stood around the monument waiting for someone to invite him into the pictures. No takers. Guess you can always go home to your wife.
Being caught cheating on your taxes & funneling campaigin contributions back to yourself: 10,000 votes
Having to repay back taxes you owe to the county for restitution: thousands of dollars
Blaming the entire scandal on your wife: Priceless.
Two simple rules: 1) Texas law forbids using campaign contribution for personal enrichment like buying yourself a condo. 2) You can only claim one (1) homestead tax exemption. To claim more than one is illegal.
Real World Rule #1: Unless you like sleeping on the couch, don’t throw you wife under the bus for something you did.
In an ever expanding scandal where Legislators are being caught funneling campaign contribution back into their accounts through their spouses, current representative for HD 32, Gene Seaman (R-Corpus Christi) is finding himself at the center of the storm.
FACT PATTERN 1: The "Rent to Own" Scheme
Gene Seaman’s wife, Ellen Seaman, bought a condo with cash on Town Lake in Austin in 1999. She has a front company called Austin Land Co. This front company is not registered with the Secretary of State thereby hiding the true owner(s) of this property. Gene Seaman has paid over $126,000 from campaign contributions to pay his wife rent and condo dues through Austin Land Co. Austin Land Co. mailing address is the condo’s address (guess that make dropping off “rent” easy).
If you weren’t doing anything wrong, why would Seaman go through all the trouble to hide that his wife was receiving a monthly check from the campaign fund? So who gets the blame for this? The wife, of course. From an early report from Texas Weekly “he puts the blame squarely on the candidates wife: ‘Ellen owns the property, she made an honest mistake and was totally unaware of it until you raised the question. This is not a Gene Seaman mistake’” Nice. I can see it now, “Honey, while you are out can you pick up some more Ensure and…. take the fall for my total lack of moral center and integrity.”
I am sure that the Insurance PACs that have given him almost $300,000 do not have a problem giving for his mortgage and ultimately to his personal checking account. However, I have real trouble believing that Joe-Donor likes to think of his contribution should go to paying for the mortgage on Seaman’s luxury condo on the lake.
I have a question for the taxman. If Seaman sells the condo, will he report the sale as income since he’s pouring campaign contributions into the equity of the condo or he will play dumb, not pay taxes by saying it non-taxable event. Does Seaman depreciate the value the condo since they claim its a rental property? I thought it was a homestead?
