Ineffective or corrupt…

According to Texas Prison Bid’ness Ray Meadows is quoted “Electronic Monitoring can save the county $800,000.00 a year.”  This with a dateline of Sep. 2007.

Meadows further says the county spends 1.2 million (that’s taxpayer dollars) housing prisoners with CEC due to overcrowding.

After Ray’s little plan was sidetracked by an Attorney General Opinion, taxpayers got to foot the bill for the law firm of Haley and Olson to petition State Senator Kip Averitt to pass S.B. 2340 to change the law and allow counties to implement electronic monitoring.

So today's question for Ray: Is your inability to implement electronic monitoring in more than two years due to your ineffectiveness as a commissioner or is it because you do not want to reduce the revenue of CEC whose affiliates are major campaign contributors?

In short, are taxpayers getting the shaft because he is ineffective or because he is corrupt?

 

 

Footnotes:
Jail Alternatives Can Save County Money Texas Prison Bid’ness 9/20/07
County officials are working on creating an electronic monitoring program after receiving the green light from a new state law. Waco Tribune Herald 7/15/09

More questions for Ray Meadows

More questions for Ray.

From Waco Tribune Herald 2/24/2010

The McLennan County Public Facility Corp. — a seven-member board consisting of the county commissioners court, county auditor and county treasurer — voted to release final payment to Hale-Mills pending a report from the structural engineer evaluating the stress cracks and recommending a solution.

1. Did the contributions/potential contributions from CEC affiliates influence your support of releasing the final payment? Why would you vote to release final payment with pending issues.

Texas local Government Code Sec Sec. 111.062 prevents a county judge in a county with a population over 225,000 from serving as Chief Budget Officer.

2. County population exceeded 225,000 in 2006. Why has the court ignored the law for more than two years?

See also News Channel 25 coverage and note the law says nothing about the census.

The law firm employed by McLennan County filed a brief with the Attorney General in the matter of the Sheriff receiving funds directly related to a contract he is a party to.

3. Did McLennan County Taxpayers get the bill for that brief being filed?

In 2006, McLennan County District Attorney John Segrest wrote an opinion that the court was under no obligation to remove a Constable who was elected by the people.

4. Why did you vote to remove the Constable the people had elected and the District Attorney said was guilty of no demonstrable misconduct?

5. Could it be that you are afraid to have a town hall forum because you have to much baggage you just can’t explain? At least Chet had the backbone to face his detractors.

Look in my eyes….

From: Baylor Lariat
3/3/10
Commissioner prospects to compete again in runoff

For Meadows, the biggest difference between this and previous elections was the change in technology and the ability of anyone to post anything on the Internet.

"I don't like these blogs," Meadows said. "You get people printing stuff that is falsehood."

Meadows said he does not like people hiding behind a shield of a password.

"I still believe in meeting people and letting them look in my eyes," Meadows said.

I am sure the Lariat got it wrong and Mr. Meadows said pseudonyms instead of password. 

Just in case, we will provide a little history lesson. Silence Dogood was the pseudonym of Benjamin Franklin. ‘Nuff said, I think if you can actually navigate to this blog, you can figure out the reference.

Sounds to me like Mr. Meadows is being a cry baby. I am pretty sure the British had the same take on Poor Richard's Almanack 1732 to 1758.

It is not in the interest of McLennan County to have an elected representative who appears to be  a luddite. Let’s see if we can offer a few words of wisdom to Mr. Meadows.

Call a town hall meeting so voters can “look into your eyes”. The Blogs are evidence the voters are dissatisfied with your representation. Here are a few questions you might anticipate answering.

The County lost $130K on your watch. Where is that money now?

1. July, as a result of the loss, you made the motion to cover the portion which would have been due CEC with taxpayer funds to the tune of $102K. Since taxpayers were covered by the existing contract and had no obligation to cover CECs loss, why did taxpayers get the bill?

2. Since the kickback to the Sheriff is contingent on receipt of the money, and Jim Lewis said it does not come from CEC, did taxpayers also pay the kickback to the sheriff when the County did not receive the $130K?

3. Please explain how it is not a conflict of interest that you made the motion for an exception to the existing contract, to the benefit of CEC to the tune of $102K and then received campaign contributions from their employees and affiliates?

4. Perhaps Mr. Meadows can explain the appointment of a constable who did not even live in the precinct.

Texas Election Code § 141.001. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR PUBLIC OFFICE.

(a) To be eligible to be a candidate for, or elected or appointed to, a public elective office in this state, a person must:(5) have resided continuously in the state for 12 months and in the territory from which the office is elected for six months immediately preceding the following date: (E)  for an appointee to an office, the date the appointment is made.

5. Can Mr. Meadows explain why smaller counties publish the minutes of Commissioners’ Court on the Internet and McLennan County does not? Below is a Google Search link to find counties minutes and links to a few counties minutes.

Google Search for Commissioners Court Minutes

Coryell County	Cameron County
Tom Green County	Kaufman County