Reach of the Week: It's Terri Romere's Fault That My Business is Declining

There were a lot of wild accusations made against Terri Romere during the Kangaroo Court proceedings at the Round Rock School Board hearing earlier this week.  Not only are five of the trustees upset that Romere dissents from board decisions, and they are physically intimidated by her 5 foot, 2 inch stature, but apparently Trustee Brian Sellers also blames her for his business problems. 

Sellers alleged that they needed to censure Romere because:

I've received threats of people claiming that they will not visit establishments that I am a part of,  businesses.(sic)

Huh?  So, it's Terri Romere's fault that people don't want to visit his business?

Maybe it does have something to do with the fact that his 'fine establishment' is awfully close to the Wells Branch neighborhood he and four other board members ignored during the re-zoning fiasco this year.  It's also just two miles away from the over-crowded, academically unacceptable Cedar Ridge High School.  Or maybe voters are upset that he voted to up the Superintendent's salary to $260,000 plus benefits.

Or maybe Mr. Sellers is just looking for someone to blame for his own business issues. 

Next thing you know, we'll be hearing that Terri Romere was seen dancing with the devil under a full moon and casting a spell on Glenn Colby's cat. 

This is a pretty far-fetched reason to censure Trustee Romere, and that's why it qualifies for the 'Reach of the Week.'

Early Voting Begins May 2

Early Voting for the May 14, 2011 Uniform Election Day for local political subdivisions begins Monday, May 2, and continues through Tuesday, May 10. (No Sunday voting.)  I have written about the contests for the Round Rock School Board (I recommend David Dziadziola and Brian Sellers,) and the Leander School Board (Aaron Johnson is the standout,)  but there are additional races on the ballot for Austin, Georgetown, Hutto, Taylor, and other Williamson County political districts.

Early Voting Schedule:
Monday, May 2 through Saturday, May 7: 8:00 am to 6:00 pm
Monday, May 9 and Tuesday, May 10: 7:00 am to 7:00 pm

Standard Locations:
Williamson County Inner Loop Annex, 301 SE Inner Loop, Georgetown
Sun City Social Center, 2 Texas Dr., Georgetown
Georgetown ISD Administration Bldg, 603 Lakeway Dr. Georgetown
McConico Building, 301 W. Bagdad St. Round Rock
Round Rock Randalls, 2051 Gattis School Road, Round Rock
Cedar Park Public Library, 550 Discovery Blvd, Cedar Park
Taylor City Hall, 400 Porter St. Taylor

Mobile Locations are also available on a limited basis. For a list of dates, times and locations, please see the Williamson County Elections Department website.

Sample Ballots may be viewed here.

Will The Real Diane Cox Please Stand Up?

At one of last week's forums for the Round Rock Independent School District Board, candidates were asked about raising district property taxes without voter approval.  According to the Round Rock Leader, Diane Cox replied, "If we do raise taxes even by that small of an amount we need to get voter approval." 

What the Leader story did not deign to mention is the fact that Diane Cox serves as President of the Central Texas School Board Association, and that CTSBA is actively lobbying to change State law to allow school districts to raise property taxes without voter approval.  Not only is Ms. Cox the President of this organization, but on August 19 of 2010, she presented to the RRISD Board an agenda item* that includes the following:

Additional Golden Pennies: The current finance system requires school districts to seek voter approval in setting the maintenance and operation tax rate above $1.04. Legislation is needed which grants school boards the discretion of two additional golden pennies without voter approval."

Interestingly enough, the CTSBA brochure outlining their 2011 legislative agenda (which includes the above item,) states "Publication design by RRISD."  Sounds like the RRISD and the CTSBA have been working very, very closely.

While the Round Rock Leader has chosen to ignore this information, the Community Impact Newspaper's report includes the following:

In previous years, the Central Texas School Board Association, which Cox is president of, has lobbied at the Texas Capitol for a measure that would allow school boards to raise taxes without voters' consent. Cox said that she is not lobbying for such a measure this year, but noted, “There is a fundamental issue with the whole [education finance] system."

Of course, Diane Cox' desire for the power to raise taxes without voter approval is no secret to political activists in Williamson County.  Last Fall at a candidate forum for Texas House District 52 candidates, Ms. Cox asked Larry Gonzales and Diana Maldonado if they would support raising the tax cap without voter approval.  According to witnesses, Cox became so upset with the resulting conversation that she stomped out of the building. 

Challenger David Dziadziola has been adamant about keeping voters involved in the process of setting tax rates.  Matt Stillwell, who is challenging Brian Sellers, gave an interesting answer when asked if he favored allowing tax increases without voter approval, "In extreme circumstances, it would be a good thing to have in the toolbox, but as a general rule, it should be put to a vote."   Well, alrighty then.

Perhaps Diane Cox has had a change of heart about this important policy issue.  If so, she should resign as CTSBA President and repudiate its legislative agenda.  If not, it doesn't seem she is being entirely genuine about her stance on the issue. 

*See pages 43-44

Dziadziola, Sellers for Round Rock Independent School Board

There are two contested races for Round Rock School Board this year, Place 1 and Place 3. The Place 1 incumbent is Brian Sellers, a Republican voter who supported Larry Gonzales for the Texas House of Representatives last year. His opponent is newcomer Matt Stillwell, who proclaims to be a political Independent, but has only voted in the Democrat Primary in Williamson County. 

I am endorsing Brian Sellers for Place 1, and David Dziadziola for Place 3.
David Dziadziola is challenging incumbent Diane Cox for Place 3.  I have met Mr. Dziadziola on several occasions, and found him to be quite knowledgeable about the district and its challenges.  A life insurance agent, he has also been involved with the financial organization of several successful start-up companies, and has extensive knowledge and experience with financial management.  (On a side note, Dziadziola has been granted numerous U.S. Government patents for computer protection programs.)  Comforting to those who fear a 'numbers cruncher,' his two children are students at Round Rock schools, so he has a vested interest in making sure the district offers a quality education.  Mr. Dziadziola is not content to look only at short-term fixes, but anxious to make sure RRISD has plans for long-term fiscal solvency.  Intelligent, knowledgeable, and conservative, he's also just one of those down-to-earth-non-politicians one can't help but like. 

Diane Cox is pretty familiar to voters since she was the only person from Williamson County willing to appear in liberal-Democrat Diana Maldonado's television commercials in 2010. (Maldonado was soundly defeated by Republican Larry Gonzales.)  Ms. Cox is also the President of Central Texas School Board Association. Round Rock Independent School District and other area districts pay annual dues to the Central Texas School Board Association.  The association engages in  lobbying efforts, and according to CTSBA literature, supports allowing school districts to raise property taxes without voter approval.   (I have not yet discovered the amounts RRISD pays to the association.)  Allegedly, Ms. Cox initiated the illegal bonus paid to the RRISD Superintendent last year, as well as the Superintendent's contract extension with salary and benefits totaling more than $300,000. 

There are several upcoming opportunities to meet the school board candidates; here are the candidate forums of which I am aware:

Tuesday, April 19, at 7pm, at Grace Lutheran Church
Wednesday, April 20, at 7 pm at Round Rock High School Lecture Hall
Tuesday, April 26, at 7 pm at Westwood High School Library

There is a great deal of momentum behind David Dziadziola, but with the dismal turnout typical of school board elections, every bit of help and every vote will make a difference.  Two Round Rock women, Donna Parker and Maria Garza Brown are holding a fundraising reception for Mr. Dziadziola on Thursday April 21.  For more information and to RSVP, please visit http://williamsoncountyrepublicanwomen.com/2011/04/reception-for-david-dziadziola/

Early Voting is May 2-May 10, and Election Day is Saturday May 14.

For All The Wrong Reasons

While it is always good to see more people get involved in the political process, I am sometimes floored by the lack of focus, purpose, and even basic knowledge of some of those who file for office.  Apparently yesterday a gentlemen by the name of Matt Stillwell filed for Round Rock Independent School District Board of Trustees, Place 1.  In trying to find out more about Mr. Stillwell, I stumbled across his statement on his Facebook page:  

I've got two kids in the RR school system, got my teaching certification, pay taxes, I'm invested in this school system, plan on living in it for a long time, want to do my part to make it as good as it can be. Fig...ure I'm more informed than most, and I'm not to far left or right to get in my own way. RRISD has actually done a fairly good job from what I can tell, so it's not like I'm trying to fix it, just contribute. Got a lot to learn though and quickly, not sure how much campaigning I'll need to do. I think it's just me vs. the incumbant for Place 1.

Umm, do you have a plan?  A vision for the district?  Do you know who the incumbent is?  You're not sure how much campaigning you'll need to do?  I'm wondering how much Mr. Stillwell has thought about this.

Someone should probably introduce Mr. Stillwell to the incumbent, Brian Sellers.  Sellers and I have not always agreed on every issue, but he's a pretty good guy, and could do a lot more to make our district more efficient and more classroom focused if he had more help on the elected board. 

As it is, the RRISD board is dominated by Diane Cox, a known Democrat.  Happily, Ms. Cox has drawn an opponent too; David Dziadziola.  We'll be hearing more about Mr. Dziadziola in the coming weeks, but here's a snapshot:  While Diane Cox was the only person from Round Rock willing to appear in lib-Dem Diana Maldonado's television commercials, David Dziadziola was volunteering with the Larry Gonzales campaign.  Pretty good indicator of where these folks stand politically.

Update:  Primary Voting History indicates Mr. Stillwell prefers the Democrat Party.