Judges refuses to make decision in TURF hearing in Austin
Terri Hall, (photo) Founder/Director
Founder/Director, Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom (or TURF)
EMAIL: http://terri@TexasTURF.org
WEB: http://www.texasturf.org/
No ruling by Judge in TURF hearing
Austin, TX, March 20, 2008 – Today in Travis County District Court before visiting Judge Paul Davis, the taxpayers through Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom (TURF) went head to head with TxDOT whose attorney Kristina Silcocks argued that the court didn’t have jurisdiction over the case. Judge Davis heard the arguments, but has not yet made a ruling.
“We didn’t have the time in such a short, pre-trial hearing to present all the facts, but we put on a good case in the time we had, and we look forward to the Judge’s decision,” remarked TURF's Founder Terri Hall.
The question before the court was this: did TxDOT act outside the bounds of their statutory restrictions on expenditure of public money for a political purpose. For instance, did it break the law by using taxpayer money to wage a political ad campaign pushing toll roads and the Trans Texas Corridor, and did it break the law by with lobbying activities.
TURF Attorney Charles Riley showed the court TxDOT hired 4 federal lobbyists (Chad Bradley, Drew Maloney, Garry Mauro, Billy Moore) and one state lobbyist with Alliance for I-69, Gary Bushell, to lobby elected officials and solicit them in selling the public on the controversial Trans Texas Corridor TTC-69 privatized toll project.
TURF uncovered detailed logs showing a concerted campaign to lobby politicians, particularly newly elected officials (http://www.texasturf.org/images/stories/pdf/legal/Email_mtgs-with-electeds.pdf), which is a BIG no-no for a state agency that must remain apolitical. Bushell personally lobbied more than two-dozen elected officials in the path of TTC-69 prior to the Town Hall meetings.
At the packed Town Hall meeting in Hempstead January 22 (estimated 800-1,000 people in attendance), Transportation Commissioner Ted Houghton said, “Yes we hire lobbyists.” He also said he personally met with every county judge in the path of the Trans Texas Corridor TTC-69 as he defended the “necessity” of TxDOT hiring lobbyists to “lobby” elected officials.
This action is in Direct violation of the law!
Terri Hall
TURF Founder/Director
Founder/Director, Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom (or TURF)
EMAIL: http://terri@TexasTURF.org
WEB: http://www.texasturf.org/
No ruling by Judge in TURF hearing
Austin, TX, March 20, 2008 – Today in Travis County District Court before visiting Judge Paul Davis, the taxpayers through Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom (TURF) went head to head with TxDOT whose attorney Kristina Silcocks argued that the court didn’t have jurisdiction over the case. Judge Davis heard the arguments, but has not yet made a ruling.
“We didn’t have the time in such a short, pre-trial hearing to present all the facts, but we put on a good case in the time we had, and we look forward to the Judge’s decision,” remarked TURF's Founder Terri Hall.
The question before the court was this: did TxDOT act outside the bounds of their statutory restrictions on expenditure of public money for a political purpose. For instance, did it break the law by using taxpayer money to wage a political ad campaign pushing toll roads and the Trans Texas Corridor, and did it break the law by with lobbying activities.
TURF Attorney Charles Riley showed the court TxDOT hired 4 federal lobbyists (Chad Bradley, Drew Maloney, Garry Mauro, Billy Moore) and one state lobbyist with Alliance for I-69, Gary Bushell, to lobby elected officials and solicit them in selling the public on the controversial Trans Texas Corridor TTC-69 privatized toll project.
TURF uncovered detailed logs showing a concerted campaign to lobby politicians, particularly newly elected officials (http://www.texasturf.org/images/stories/pdf/legal/Email_mtgs-with-electeds.pdf), which is a BIG no-no for a state agency that must remain apolitical. Bushell personally lobbied more than two-dozen elected officials in the path of TTC-69 prior to the Town Hall meetings.
At the packed Town Hall meeting in Hempstead January 22 (estimated 800-1,000 people in attendance), Transportation Commissioner Ted Houghton said, “Yes we hire lobbyists.” He also said he personally met with every county judge in the path of the Trans Texas Corridor TTC-69 as he defended the “necessity” of TxDOT hiring lobbyists to “lobby” elected officials.
This action is in Direct violation of the law!
Terri Hall
TURF Founder/Director
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