FortBendNow.com

The courthouse compromise crafted at Judge Culver’s urging a week ago may have created a framework for forced cooperation in the planning and operation of the Fort Bend County GOP’s premier fund-raiser, the so-called Lincoln Day Dinner.

But it hasn’t yet fostered anything approaching peace between the two county Republican Party factions who broke out the suits and countersuits over control of the lucrative LDD.

In fact, it may represent just the first thrust in a legal fencing match revolving around county GOP finances over the past couple of years.

At issue is a motion approved by the party Executive Committee in May 2006 calling for a full audit of the party’s books for calendar year 2005, quarterly financial reports over the course of 2006, and an expected audit for calendar year 2006.

Sources say none of those financial reports have been produced yet, and some of the same executive committee members who took issue with county GOP Chairman Gary Gillen over his creation of a political action committee to run the Lincoln Day Dinner are taking issue over what they see as a lack of fiscal disclosure.

Political observers also suggest close scrutiny will be paid to political campaign finance reports, some of which may be due today. Since government offices are closed for Martin Luther King Day, that scrutiny will have to be postponed until at least tomorrow.

The Last Word
Sugar Land attorney and Fort Bend County precinct chairman Jim Hammack was one of five party officials named in a countersuit Gillen and Gillen’s Fort Bend Republican P.A.C. filed as part of his answer in the above legal action – and the only one quick enough to file a response by the time Judge Culver had scheduled his Jan. 8 hearing on the matter.

Chris Elam took a look at Hammack’s filing a few days ago over at the Texas Safety Forum, but for those who missed it, here are a few of the highlights.

In a motion seeking sanctions against Gillen and his attorneys, Michael Cash and Justin Presnal, Hammack says the action brought against him is frivolous, adding:

“The transparent purpose of Gillen…is for the purpose of demonstrating to every member of the Republican Executive Committee of Fort Bend County that if they attempt to fulfill their obligations as an elected precinct chair and those obligations conflict with the dictates of Chairman Gillen, you will be sued.”

And, Hammack added, “The transparent and dictatorial motivations of Gillen…in attempting to suppress the voting rights, ‘political views’ and ‘political agendas’ of anyone is obnoxious to the very essence of our United States Constitution, the Texas Constitution and deserving of the strongest condemnation and sanctions possible.”

Hammack asked for a hearing to impose sanctions, and also filed a notice of intent to take an oral deposition of Gillen. That action made Hammack a party to some of the five hours of negotiation that took place throughout the second and third floors of the old Fort Bend County Courthouse last week while the above referenced LDD compromise was hammered together.

As part of that compromise, Hammack withdrew his response to Gillen’s countersuit, which also was withdrawn.

Mayoral Air Waves
It doesn’t yet qualify as a new career, but Sugar Land Mayor David Wallace has become a radio personality.

Wallace is one the air daily from 6 to 7 p.m. on BizRadio Network (1320 AM in Houston, 1360 AM in Dallas). He has a one-year contract for Inside Story, in which the mayor takes a one-hour look at business, political and public policy events going on in the community.

“Three-term Sugar Land Mayor David G. Wallace joins the BizRadio lineup each weekday evening from 6 – 7 p.m. David’s background as a volunteer, businessman, political figure and internationally savvy real estate guru makes for interesting observations and perspectives that can change the way you do business,” BizRadio says on its web site.

Check this page on the BizRadio web site, choose Wallace’s name from the list of hosts on the right, then scroll down and you’ll get a list of podcasts of some of his past shows.

Wallace, who has a business interest in the station, said he’d been on shows on the station in the past, grew to enjoy the format “and so far I’m having fun with it.”

But it hasn’t yet fostered anything approaching peace between the two county Republican Party factions who broke out the suits and countersuits over control of the lucrative LDD.

In fact, it may represent just the first thrust in a legal fencing match revolving around county GOP finances over the past couple of years.

At issue is a motion approved by the party Executive Committee in May 2006 calling for a full audit of the party’s books for calendar year 2005, quarterly financial reports over the course of 2006, and an expected audit for calendar year 2006.

Sources say none of those financial reports have been produced yet, and some of the same executive committee members who took issue with county GOP Chairman Gary Gillen over his creation of a political action committee to run the Lincoln Day Dinner are taking issue over what they see as a lack of fiscal disclosure.

Political observers also suggest close scrutiny will be paid to political campaign finance reports, some of which may be due today. Since government offices are closed for Martin Luther King Day, that scrutiny will have to be postponed until at least tomorrow.