I have been reading HIH about a lot of blogs on the circumstances surrounding a city councilman about not paying his taxes.
One blogger suggested that he resign. As you well know if he had any ethics he would have resigned before the election and possibly two years ago. Some politicians have no ethics just like the Clintons.
I tried to get something going on this myself, about 2-3 years ago. I found out that a County Commissioner as well as an individual on the Board of Education and of course the City Council were arrears on their taxes and later found out that a number of committee appointees were arrears. I asked the questions how did this happen? The committee appointees, city and county should not have been approved if an investigation was conducted and found this to be true.
I first went to the Institute of Government at UNC Chapel Hill and ask if something could be done or if there was a law that prevented candidates from running in a city or county election if they were arrears on their local taxes. I got no answer from my e-mail. I then went to the John Locke Foundation and ask them if a law could be passed preventing this type of inequity. Their response to me via e-mail was that a couple on municipalities, one in Pa. and one in De. did try this and was shot down by the State Supreme Court and upheld by the US Supreme Court on the basis that the State Constitution did not have such a law that prevented individuals from filing and being elected to local offices. I then sent an e-mail to my State Representative, Mr. Jimmy Crawford, and he responded that it would take a State Constitutional Amendment to rectify this problem. I then responded to him to try and get an amendment introduced into the General Assembly to do just this. Never heard anymore from him. A little while later I sent an e-mail to the State Senator Berger. Since I have family living in Missouri, I suggested that he look at their law, because they do not let individuals that are arrears on their taxes even run for public office and if the public official is arrears while in office he is automatically discharged from his position. His response to me was “Henderson and Vance County has a problem, vote them out.” Well so much for voting them out.
I would like to see Mr. Berger gone.
In one of the blogs to my recent “Letter to the Editor” about the “Trashing of Vance County” this individual stated that while I was a resident of Vance County all I did was write letters and complain. The blogger stated that Texas has many problems and was glad that I moved out. He was never so right on one thing, I am glad that I re-located. I just wanted all to know that I did try to get something done, but to no avail. I do hope someone else will take up the cause, get individuals that will run and get elected to the State Offices and not be afraid to introduce an amendment to our State Constitution that will not allow individuals that are arrears in their taxes to be elected to City or County offices.
Julian Oliver
Utopia, Texas