Comments for Bastrop, Texas Events, News & Stories

Comment on Bastrop again invites airport talks, rejects developer complaints by admin

admin — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 19:37:55 +0000

For relevant background to this article, see earlier posts on this site dated Nov. 10, 2010 and Dec. 16, 2010.–dmc

Comment on Bastrop hospital shuttered Nov. 19 by admin

admin — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 18:40:28 +0000

Correction: Seton Family of Hospitals–not St David’s–has been in talks with Smithville Regional Hospital about taking over its operations.

Comment on Bastrop museum & money: the rest of the story by admin

admin — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 03:21:37 +0000

1. let’s be fair to Joe Beal. Plans for reworking Chestnut St. were well under way long before he he ran for a council seat. The project is being paid for by the Bastrop Economic Development Corp., not the city. Beal is not on the BEDC board, and even if the street work is somehow beneficial to Frontier Bank, it equally benefits scores of other properties which Beal has no interest in.

2. J.C. Brown, the city attorney, is a legal advisor to the city. She’s not a cop. She’s not the city’s ethics officer.

3. I’m not even a lawyer, but given what we know I doubt Beal’s conduct so far has fallen afoul of any state conflict of interest law. Maybe that recognition is in part behind the effort by Council Member Julie Hart to adopt city rules which are stiffer than state law requires.

Stay tuned.

Comment on Bastrop museum & money: the rest of the story by cssmith99

cssmith99 — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 16:35:46 +0000

Mr. Beal has no integrity He voted to improve Chestnut knowing that he was going to be an owner of a new bank built on this street. He is a founder of Frontier Bank with Tom Scott. Now he votes to transfer money to his own bank. What gets me is that the Conflict of interest laws prevent this from happening. Where is the city attorney?
The old saying follow the money is so true. These council members serve to line their own pockets with shady business deals. Bastrop wake up.

Comment on Spotlight turning to city ethics rules by cssmith99

cssmith99 — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 23:07:56 +0000

The real issues were never discussed. So, as usual the Council closed rank and protected its own. GA Lewis should be commended for trying to clean up a government that feeds its friends with perks and disregards conflict of interest issues. It would be great if Bastrop could clean out the Boards. Many citizens in this town have volunteered for Boards over and over only to be turned down while Mr. Hays and Ennis could ply their trade with inside information from the boards they served on. Conflict of interest is not in this governments vocabulary.

Comment on Tx. House Dist. 17 candidates respond by admin

admin — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 23:19:09 +0000

Our representative’s clarification is duly noted. My bad for bobbling Hon. Mr. Kleinschmidt’s name.

Comment on Tx. House Dist. 17 candidates respond by Doran

Doran — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 21:34:04 +0000

Davis, prior to the candidates’ responses being posted, I asked Rep. Kleinschmidt to clarify a point about which taxes he would recommend be cut. His response was “In general, as a conservative, I oppose the increase of all forms of taxes and the cutting of most taxes. You may use this as a quote. Due to time restrictions I cannot add further detail at this time.”

I note you mis-spelled Rep. Kleinschmidt’s name above.

Comment on Groundwater export plan draws fire by Doran

Doran — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 15:35:04 +0000

We need some snappy bumper-stickers. Like “Export Ground Water = Export Subdivisions.”

Okay, that really isn’t very snappy.

How about: “Export Gound Water — The Crowds Will Follow.”

Yeah….not so snappy.

Try this: “Take Our Ground Water, Then Leave Us Alone”

Comment on Groundwater export plan draws fire by Doran

Doran — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 23:42:15 +0000

Folks, there you have it, out in the open.

Export lotsa water and you can probably avoid the huge, ugly, air polluting, traffic creating, burdens on Bastrop County infrastructure like the XS Ranch.

Keep the water and you will almost assuredly get those kinds of developments.

What’ll it be: More subdivisions and crowds, or Bastrop and Lee Counties which will probably remain rural, quiet, and really nice like we all like’em.

Comment on Bastrop council hammers out city charter change proposals by cssmith99

cssmith99 — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 21:26:41 +0000

Sounds like the Council wants everything to stay the same. The citizens can initiate a Charter change with a petition. Maybe the community needs to show them just how many folks want 7 council members and Districts.