Lying Figures: Williamson County Debt

One of the astro-turfed issues that has come up in the campaigns for Williamson County Commissioner is that of the county's bond debt.  Occasional Republicans Lee Ann Seitsinger and Greg Windham have been basing their entire campaigns on the debt issue, but have been carefully twisting figures to support a narrative that is inaccurate. 

Seitsinger/Windham claim that Williamson County has one of the highest debts in the state, and if we use strategically selected data, it does appear that way.  However, unlike counties of similar population and growth patterns, Wilco does not include any large city governments that in other areas share the burden of infrastructure costs.  Wilco has a higher percentage of county infrastructure than comparison counties and therefore carries the bulk of related construction debt. 

If we include the debt carried in other counties by local cities and municipalities, Wilco's debt picture looks dramatically different.  For example, compared to rapid-growth counties Collin, Denton, and Fort Bend, with overall net debts of $5.6 million, $4.7 million, and $4.8 million respectively, Wilco's $3.2 million comes in last place.  While our per-capita overall net debt is mid-pack, we lead these counties in population growth and are among the fastest growing in the nation.

I am no fan of excessive government debt and I find the local government debt trends, especially in our school districts, highly disturbing.  However, when we compare apples to apples, it seems that Williamson County has been pretty responsible overall. 

Seitsinger is especially out of line in her criticisms here.  Of the two bond packages for which she blames Commissioner Birkman, one was passed in 2000, (Lisa Birkman did not take office until 2005,) and the second was in 2006.  Both were voter-approved, but Seitsinger did not even bother to vote in the 2006 election!  Maybe I could understand her lack of participation if the 2006 package had been one of those 'stealth' elections I so deplore, but no, this was on the ballot along with a highly contentious gubernatorial election.  Seitsinger has not been able to articulate what she would have done differently; when asked at a recent forum if she would have paid for road construction and maintenance with higher taxes rather than bonds, she became confused and did not answer the question. 

The winner of the 2006 gubernatorial race that Seitsinger didn't care about was Rick Perry of course.  One might note that although he now affiliates with the Republican Party, Greg Windham frequently airs his dislike of the Governor and took the opportunity to bash Perry at the Williamson County Republican Women's candidate forum.  And while he supported one Republican in 2010, Windham remained an ardent supporter of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill White in 2010. 

Seitsinger and Windham are old buddies (with Seitsinger endorsing Windham in the newspapers when he ran as a Democrat in 2008.)  They are supported by a large number of Wilco Democrats and a handful of individuals who may be suffering from BDS.  (Birkman Derangement Syndrome- like Palin Derangement Syndrome, it afflicts those who cannot abide strong, outspoken, conservative women who refuse to kiss any rings.)  It appears that Seitsinger/Windham have colluded in massaging statistics to gain leverage in an election year, and neither appears to fully embrace conservative values.

The choice for Williamson County Republicans is clear:  Birkman and Covey all the way.

Wilco GOP Candidate Forum: A Bipartisan Affair?

The Williamson County Republican Women held a candidate forum today for GOP candidates for County Commissioner and County Attorney. Candidates attending were Precinct 1 Commissioner Lisa Birkman, Precinct 3 Commissioner Val Covey, candidate for Precinct 3 Greg Windham, and the three candidates for County Attorney: Dee Hobbs, Rick Kennon, and Jeff Maurice.

Commissioner Birkman's opponent, Lee Ann Seitsinger, declined to attend. Observers at other forums that have indicated that while Ms. Seitsinger seemed to be a nice person, she seemed uninformed and was unable to answer questions about the issues. She has attempted to make the county's road bond debt an issue in this race (as has Precinct 3 challenger Greg Windham.) The bonds in question were approved by voters back in 2000 and 2006, and while Ms. Seitsinger registered to vote in Williamson County in 2004, according to public records, she did not vote in the 2006 bond election. (One might excuse this if the bond vote were held during one of those 'stealth' elections I so deplore, but no, this was during a general election that included a highly contentious gubernatorial race.)

Ms. Seitsinger also neglects to mention that other Texas counties with populations the size of Williamson have large cities which take on bond debt for road construction.  In our case, the county rather than the cities have taken on the infrastructure bond debt.  When we compare total infrastructure bond debt, Williamson County is not at the top as Seitsinger claims, but at the middle of the pack for similar-sized counties. 

Both Birkman and Covey were able to talk a great deal about their work on behalf of Williamson County. Despite 69% growth across the county, they have worked to provide infrastructure, keep taxes low, and maintain a balanced budget. Because of their work on the court, the county's bond rating rose from a negative AA to AAA, which allowed them to refinance the bond debt.

Commissioner Covey also discussed the work she has done to implement deadlines for TXDOT's environmental review processes. One issue that has proved especially costly for Williamson County has been the often frustrating  extensive red tape imposed on road construction by both state and federal agencies. 

Precinct 3 challenger Greg Windham formerly ran against Covey as a Democrat in 2008 and served briefly as the Williamson County Democratic Party Chairman in 2010. In response to a question about the U.S. Department of Justice' threats to sue Williamson County over Spanish-English translators, Windham said that while he personally doesn't think citizens should be allowed to vote unless they speak English, he thought that Wilco should cooperate with Obama's DoJ and make “peace” and cultivate a relationship.

(FYI: The Department of Justice states that for every precinct with a 5% or more hispanic surname ratio, there must be a Spanish speaking poll worker. As many Texans know, there are plenty of folks here who have Hispanic surnames and don't speak a lick of Spanish. In my years as an election judge, I have only had one Spanish-only voter, and she simply read the ballot & instructions, which are all in Spanish and English.)

Of the three candidates for County Attorney, Dee Hobbs is currently a prosecutor in the Wilco CA's office, Rick Kennon is a former prosecutor and family law attorney with 27 years experience, and Jeff Maurice is a corporate attorney. Hobbs is well-liked in Williamson County and obviously very familiar with the workings of the CA's office. There is some nervousness amongst GOP voters about his possible loyalties to the incumbent Jana Duty. Duty's tenure has been characterized by intense controversy, numerous lawsuits, etc.  Still working in the CA office, no doubt Hobbs is treading carefully, but he did make a few statements today that seemed to indicate he would have a more positive working relationship with the Commissioners court and specifically praised Birkman for her efforts.

Rick Kennon, who touted his experience working for both the Travis County D.A. and the Texas Attorney Generals office, stated that he is the only candidate with experience in all legal areas that the County Attorney's office handles. Kennon emphasized he will bring a fresh start and an opportunity to re-set relations between the County Attorney's office and the Commissioners Court.

Maurice ran for Williamson County Commissioner back in 2010 as a Democrat, and only this year began to affiliate with the Republican Party. I asked the candidates why they switched parties and if they were planning to support Republicans all the way up the ballot. In response, Maurice stated that he had always been conservative even if he had a history of affiliation with the Democrat party. He did not indicate whether he would support a Republican for President.

In response to the same question Greg Windham said he switched parties because the Democrats wanted to “take my guns, take my babies, and kiss my men.” He also railed against GOP Governor Rick Perry and Lt. Governor David Dewhurst.

Although the candidates for District Attorney were not included in this forum, Windham and Maurice took several shots at incumbent DA John Bradley. Red herring anyone?

It was an interesting day...