(Attention all Austin-area Democrats! - promoted by Karl-Thomas Musselman)
Meet me Friday at the AFL-CIO and help three women qualify for the ballot!
There are several last minute candidates who are qualifying for the ballot by petition. Anyone in Travis and surrounding counties may sign the Court of Appeals petition. The deadline is TOMORROW (Friday) and we need 250 signatures!!
Olga Seelig is unopposed in the Democratic Primary for Third Court of Appeals Place 6 (Her district is 17 counties including Travis, Hays, Williamson, Burnet).
Candace Duvall is running of Congressional District 21.
Kathi Thomas is running for Congressional District 25.
AFL-CIO Porch, 1106 Lavaca
7:30 am to 5 pm
Just drive by, sign and be on your way.
If you want a petition to get co-workersand friends to sign, email me at Glen@glenmaxey.com . Have people sign your petition and then drop it off at the AFL-CIO by 5pm. I will notarize them on the spot.
We need your help and your signatures, please stop by!!!
(There are many lessons to be learned in this important case. It's a poignent reminder why the 3rd Court of Appeals is so important and why there are very real repercussions to some of the choices that Judge Jan Patterson was prepared to make. - promoted by Karl-Thomas Musselman)
Many of us were angered by Justice Jan Patterson's recent attempt to give the rightwingers the majority of the Third Court of Appeals. Today, a case thsy shows why this court is so important to progressives illutstrates the point for our anger at Patterson.
This week a second precedent setting case dealing with GLBT rights in regards to marriage and divorce occurred here in Travis County. Last year, a Dallas judge granted a divorce to a gay couple citing the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Monday, Judge Scott Jenkins granted the second.
Though the State of Texas does not officially recognize same-sex marriages, a Travis County judge has approved a same-sex divorce. Angelique Naylor and Sabina Daly married in Massachusetts five years ago. Naylor sought a divorce, but Daly initially wanted to "void" the marriage. The Travis County Court clerk for Judge Scott Jenkins said the divorce was approved, and not voided.
In both cases, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has jumped into the fray The Dallas case has been appealed to the the Texas Fifth Court of Appeals. Now, the Travis County case will be appealed to the Third Court of Appeals.
The attorney general's office had previously said when two people of the same sex wish to terminate their union and are in a different state, the proper legal procedure is voidance, not divorce. After the judge's decision was announced, Attorney General Greg Abbott's office has issued a petition to intervene, saying, "Texas does not recognize marriages between persons of the same sex, and the parties do not qualify for a divorce."
This is a classic case of why progressives were so outraged by 3rd Court of Appeals Judge Jan Patterson's attempt to give her seat to Rick Perry for appointment of a conservative and the Court a Republican majority. In AG Abbott's appeal of this lesbian couple's divorce, the 3rd Court will now determine this matter of law. The Court has a 3 Democrat and 3 Republican divide currently. Patterson's deal would have made the Court 4-2 Republican.
So easily, for her own personal gain, Patterson would have sold out the GLBT community of Texas. What other progressive cases would also have faced the same fate? She sold out her Democratic constituents.
So when you vote in the Democratic Primary, you can thank her by casting your vote for her opponent (Amy Clark Meachum) in her race for a District Court seat. Patterson should not be rewarded for almost stabbing us in the back.
(For those who haven't been by in Austin, this is your last chance to patronize Glen (hah) at his Obama Store on East 11th before it closes Tuesday night. - promoted by Karl-Thomas Musselman)
On Tuesday, March 21st, "The Obama Store" will close its physical location in East Austin at 1111 E 11th Street. It has been quite an experience. Come by before Tuesday to grab some memorabilia before we pack it up. Open 11 am to 7 pm!
Before the November 4th election, I really had no intention to become proprietor of a retail establishment. But as the excitement and pride in Barack Obama's historic victory settled in on election night, I wondered if that energy would continue.
The answer was waiting at about 9 am on the morning after in the person of dozens of people standing outside the Travis Count Democratic Party HQ. I had driven over to pick up my phone and some other personal things from the office. The staff had not planned to be there after a full night of celebration, but no one told the community,
When I got out of my car, I was almost mobbed by folks who wanted "stuff". And at that moment, "The Obama Store" idea was born. I found a location, called all the vendors I knew and ordered merchandise, and set up shop.
The original idea was to stay open through Christmas and the Inauguration, but we extended our lease for two additional months.
Not only was the store idea a great business proposition, but it also was an amazing venue to watch people express their happiness about the change that Barack Obama represented.
Thousands of people have been through the store. From the beginning we permitted "non-Texans" to sign our wall with their message about Obama. People representing over 40 US states and as many foreign countries have visited us.
I'll cherish the memories of elderly African American grandmothers shopping with their great grandchildren. There were hundreds of kids field buying their button or shirt about their new hero--- one who wasn't on a music stage or a sports field. And the pure joy on everyone's face when they walked through the door. How exciting to hear little kids say as they left the store, "I'm going to be President, too."
While the physical store will close, we'll continue peddling our "history" at events and festivals. Look for us at First Thursday on South Congress and other events throughout the year! You can also still visit us at www.TheObamaStoreOnline.com.
As delegate lists from the County and Senate Conventions make their way to the Texas Democratic Party, people are getting ready to compete to be the warm bodies in those highly coveted seats in Denver.
Here's the handy guide to everything you need to know.
(Glen Maxey is a BOR endorsed candidate. - promoted by Burnt Orange Report)
For political observers of Travis County, it comes as little surprise and even less of a shock that our friends at the Austin American Statesman declined to endorse me in my race for Tax Assessor Collector & Voter Registrar here. While candidates and political observers can debate the relative importance of newspaper endorsements until the cows come home (especially in a year when a boatload of the non-newspaper reading public is turning out to vote for the first time in a primary), the very least we should expect is some valid, well-reasoned commentary from the paper of record.
On that front, I think we need to clarify some issues raised in the Statesman's editorial, beginning with a large, rather obvious, factual error in the opening of their editorial.
It would not be too surprising to see a Republican make a run against Spears, 61, but none is running for the office this year.
Pardon me? You'd think the editorial writer would read the news section of their own newspaper or check out this nifty webpage on the Austin American Statesman.
You'll see there that the local Ron Paul for President chairman, former candidate for State Representative in District 50, and leader of the folks who opposed creation of the Travis County Hospital District, Don Zimmerman, is filed and running as the Republican candidate for Tax Assessor-Collector.
Instead, the challenger is a fellow Democrat, former state representative and political consultant, Glen Maxey, 55.
Well that's wrong, too. My birthday was Saturday so I'm 56. But that's an error that I won't raise too much of a fuss about.
Maxey has tried hard to explain just what it is beyond personal ambition that prompted him to run against Spears.
It's not too hard to explain if one just tried a simple check of my campaign website. There you can read about my reasons for running based upon serious concerns on Voter Registration, Collecting Delinquent Taxes, and on Voter Protection. If I was after personal ambition, I think I'd be running for something a bit more glamorous than Tax Assessor.
Maxey asserted that Spears was too harsh in seizing the homes of the poor in East Austin to satisfy unpaid taxes, but that isn't true. The foreclosures were filed largely against absentee owners.
Spears says she's not foreclosed on a single homestead in her time in office. Check out this website (it would be her office's official site).
You can look through the last year's foreclosure sales. Those who are redeemable for 24 months are those that are homesteads. I found a bunch during the last year. I don't know how Spears defines "homestead", but the law is pretty clear: You own it and reside in it to file for a homestead exemption.
A simple data match I did between the voter list and the property rolls, shows that over 5% of the folks in East Austin who own a home and are registered to vote at that same location don't have a basic homestead exemption. An activist leader would be finding out why that many folks are missing this benefit. And an active Tax Assessor would be educating them about obtaining it.
A true active leader would show up for more than 12% of the meetings since 2000 of the Travis County Appraisal District Board meetings. An active leader would be leading the conversation about what we need to do locally and at the Legislature to deal with inequities in appraisal policy.
Then he made a stink over some voter registration problems that appear now to have been resolved. It was the kind of administrative hiccup offices, public or private, occasionally experience.
A stink over some voter registration problems? It's stunning that the editorial board of the Statesman would dismiss denial of the right to vote of even a single voter, much less the thousands in question.
First, there was the purging of thousands of voters in the debacle of comparing the state voter list with the local one maintained by Spears' office. When it was discovered that many were inaccurately purged, Ms. Spears decided that these voters needed to register to vote all over again. Thankfully, lots have.
However, there are still many voters who were not notified of this bureaucratic mishap. Through no fault of their own, they are no longer registered after meeting all requirements. Ms. Spears seems to shrug her shoulders and blame the voters. Sorry, that's not good enough when dealing with the constitutional right to vote. She knows who was purged by the "system". She should have added them back on the rolls. I expect there are going to be some angry voters after this election.
Secondly, it has been discovered that over 1000 people who voted in the 2004 General Election were purged the month after the election. Over 225 people who voted in the 2006 General Election were purged one month after voting. These folks, once again, did what they were supposed to do, yet are no longer registered. And the American Statesman editorial writer blow this off as an "administrative hiccup"? The right to vote is sacred. It's not a hiccup.
For all you Texans who are outside your County or the state- You can vote by mail in the Primary! For everyone who is age 65 or over OR is disabled, you, too, can vote by mail.
There's a great tool at http://www.TrueBlueAction.com where you can find your name, click on the reason for voting by mail, and the form will populate with all the required info. Just type in where you want your ballot mailed, and print it out.
Sign the form, address it to the Clerk listed on the bottom, and put it in the mail. If you wish (especially if you are outside the state or country), you can fax it. These applications must go to your local clerk in your county, but this great tool automatically gives you the address and fax for your clerk.
Fool proof. You MUST get this in by February 26th at 5:00 pm. That give time for the ballot to me mailed to you, you to mark it, and get it back in by election day, March 4th.
In Texas and need to help your grandma or neighbors who are over 65 or disabled? Just call up their name, select the reason on the application by clicking on "Over age 65" or "Disabled". Print it out. Address an envelope to the appropriate clerk, stamp it, and take it by for your friend to sign. Drop it in the mail for them.
(NOTE: You MUST NOT assist a voter or handle the ballot after they receive it. The only exception is that you can "assist" only one person with mailing the actual ballot. However, you may help as many folks as you'd like with the applications.)
This past week, the Austin American Statesman reported the possible cancellation of the voter registrations of many people on the voter database. Fingers are pointed from the incumbent Travis County voter registrar, Nelda Spears, to the Secretary of State and from the SOS to Nelda Spears.
But the pressing and real issue is the right to vote for the voters involved, while the bureaucracy reprograms computers and make their systems work.
This problem occurred when a statewide computer system developed by the Secretary of State matched the registrations of voters among the 254 counties in Texas. Until recently, there was no state database, voter registration was done in each county, and no reconciliation was ever done.
If a voter moved from one county to a new county of residence, they simply register in the new county. There was never a requirement to "cancel" your earlier registration.
Now, these old registrations are causing people to be purged from the voter rolls even when they've been actively registered in Travis County for years. Ms. Spears office currently does not know how many of the purged voters are really people who should still be on the rolls.
These voters are legally and accurately registered and should be eligible and allowed to vote in the 2008 primary elections. But because of a computer glitch and/or faulty data entry dates, they have been cancelled and deleted from the rolls.
Ms. Spears office's response to this is to hope people know if they have been deleted and to re-register before the February 4 deadline.
When it comes to our sacred right to vote, tossing your hands up and blaming the computer doesn't cut it.
Nelda Spears office knows exactly who was deleted. She can print a list of them, with their history in the other county, and simply determine which should be reinstated.
Failing that, it is a simple solution to create an addendum list of "undetermined" cancellations. If the voter appears at their polling location, finds they are not on the voter rolls, the election judge could check the addendum, allow the voter to vote a provisional ballot, and the ballot board could determine validity of the voter's registration after the election.
No voter in Travis County should be denied the right to vote due to a failed bureaucracy in the voter registration system.
I'm running for Tax Assessor-Collector and Voter Registrar because I have the experience, vision, and nuts-and-bolts know how to solve problems like this in the office. I will lead the effort to create a model Voter Registration division that we can export to counties across our great state.
(While the Travis County District Attorney's race has become hot, this race is equally important for Travis Democrats as it could have statewide implications (given the Voter Registration component of the office). - promoted by Mark Duncan)
With the Central Labor Council preparing to make endorsements in the Democratic Primary, I’ve taken a moment to reflect on my long history of work with and in support of the organized labor movement.
I grew up in a union family. While working for the State, I was a member of TSEU/CWA and AFSCME. I am now a member of the AFSCME Retiree Group and TSEU.
The first bill I worked as an aide to State Senator Kent Caperton was the due process employment bill for teachers. I’m proud of our work passing that bill to give job security and continuing contracts to public education employees
I was taught about the legislative process by Sen. Oscar Mauzy, one of the strongest labor movement leaders. While working for Mauzy, my proudest moment was working to bring worker’s compensation to farm workers.
During 12 years in the Texas House, I can point to a 100% labor record, 100% on consumer and environmental protection, and 100% on civil and worker’s rights.
You’ll not find a better friend of labor.
I want to bring my committment to the cause of organized labor to the second largest office in county government.
For the past 16 years, the incumbent has operated an at-will employment office. It’s unconscionable in 2007 for an elected official in Travis County to have an at-will employment policy.
That will change immediately when I take office. On my first day in office, I’ll impose a just-cause employment policy for employees of the Tax Office.
I pledge to do a case-by-case review of employees’ compensation in relation to their pay grades, and inequities caused by market study adjustments shall be remedied. I’ll be an advocate for my employees in the budget process.
In addition, I opposed privatization of state services as a legislator, and I oppose the privatization of our delinquent tax collection efforts at the Tax Office. Decisions of filing lawsuits and taking people’s property are serious decisions, and I’ll work to see that this is done fairly and only after all other remedies have been tried to help struggling families.
County employees deserve no less, and they’ll have my support from day one, not just when election time rolls around.
(Be sure to watch KVUE news tonight at 6. You might see a certain blogger talking about the Iowa Caucuses with favorite local reporter Elise Hu (who is not Jennifer Kim). - promoted by Karl-Thomas Musselman)
Tonight is the Iowa Caucus. While you enjoy the excitement, you can also help make voter registration materials for distribution in the coming weeks by joining the Democracy for Texas (and supporters of all the candidates).
There's nothing more fun for a political groupie than to watch election returns, and this is one of the best election watching nights in a long time. Will a nominee emerge this early? Will it be a three way tie that keeps this thing going for the next months? Will it settle before Texas?
We all have an opinion, and you can espouse yours with lots of Democratic friends tonight.
Join Democracy for Texas and supporters of ALL the candidates for President in a group watch party.
WHAT:
Democracy for Texas
Iowa Caucus Watch Party
WHEN:
6:30 pm
Thursday, January 3
WHERE:
Scholz Garten
1607 San Jacinto Blvd
Austin, TX 78701
We'll be stamping and stuffing doorhanger packets of voter registration cards to be distributed door-to-door in the coming weeks. You can get deputized and pick up voter registration materials to register your family, friends, co-workers or classmates. You'll learn about the dozens of opportunities to help us register new voters before the deadline for the March Texas primary.
(Here's another candidate diary for discussion. - promoted by BOR)
Why hasn't Nelda Spears Filed her Personal Financial Statements?
On Tuesday, my campaign manager, Elliott McFadden, filed a complaint with the County Attorney against Nelda Spears for failing to file her Personal Financial Statements with the County Clerk in the years 2001, 2002, and 2003.
These reports include information about all sources of income, debt, and boards elected officials serve on. They are required to be filed every year by elected officials to ensure there are no conflicts of interest. Failure to file is a Class B misdemeanor. The Spears campaign response in the Austin Chronicle has been to hide behind the statute of limitations on these offenses.
This is absurd! Elected officials should be held to a higher standard than being able to get away with breaking the law because time has run out. Instead of arguing over which law Ms. Spear broke, she should just file the missing information.
As a leader on ethics reform in the State Legislature, I believe in full discloure to ensure there are no secret deals and no hidden conflicts of interest. I filed my Personal Financial Statements each year as a legislator which are available to view at the Texas Ethics Commission.
Though I am not required by law to do so, I am disclosing on my website my client list since I retired from the Legislature. I encourage Ms. Spears to file these missing reports prompting so that public can be assured there is no conflict of interest.
I'm Glen Maxey and I'm running as a Democrat for Travis County Tax Assessor Collector.
This problem occurred when a statewide computer system developed by the Secretary of State matched the registrations of voters among the 254 counties in Texas. Until recently, there was no state database, voter registration was done in each county, and no reconciliation was ever done.
The first bill I worked as an aide to State Senator Kent Caperton was the due process employment bill for teachers. I’m proud of our work passing that bill to give job security and continuing contracts to public education employees
For the past 16 years, the incumbent has operated an at-will employment office. It’s unconscionable in 2007 for an elected official in Travis County to have an at-will employment policy.
