Hand Caught in the Cookie Jar?
By Ron West
Remember when you were young and your parents knew you were guilty because of how loudly you denied your wrongdoings? Who got the cookies? Not me! I remember one special time when my nephew who was staying with us responded to a conversation I was having with my wife. Someone cut the cats whiskers… “Not me Uncle Ron!”
From life’s
lessons learned while young come truisms that we carry throughout our
lives. I guess this is a lesson that Mr.
Sapp missed when he wrote his “special column to the Star Telegram” defending
his part in the campaign against the Senior/Disabled Tax Freeze recently
enacted in
He cries out about the “fable” presented by Dave Lieber and tries – unsuccessfully to discredit Lieber’s column. He flails out at Suzette Christopher as being uninformed and irresponsible. He decries his position as a city official that up until this article – appeared as a footnote to every column or article he had written. (He previously referred to himself as a “Commissioner” on the Planning & Zoning Committee but now uses the term “civic volunteer”.) He ignores the facts of the emails between himself and our elected officials that show deliberate intent to “upstage” the legitimate forum that all elected officials were invited to participate in. He ignores the fact that the Citizens Group had scheduled their forum before he and others decided to put on their “controlled” forum in city owned premises (which were not available to the opposition). He ignores the selection of the panelists supporting the issue.
His continual change of colors is even more evident if you read that he accuses Mr. Lieber of being a surrogate for Suzette Christopher – which Mr. Lieber certainly is not. I know for a fact that Dave Lieber writes only the positions and issues that he personally has researched and feels rather strongly about. You may or may not agree with him (and I have been on both sides of his columns) but you can rest assured that a “surrogate” – he is not. This is also a strange accusation from Mr. Sapp since he was very incensed that I suggested in one of my columns that he was just a puppet for the old guard at city hall. (Recent emails suggest that he is just that!)
Mr. Sapp portrays the words “political activist” in a negative sense, ignoring the fact that he is also a “political activist”. In my book, a person who takes part in our city government is a political activist that should be appreciated by all voters – regardless of their position on the various issues. If we had more political activists, we would have better, more representative local government.
Quoting from Mr. Sapp’s letter you may see that if there is a fable to be found, it must be in his writing:
“Consider the impact of Lieber's
column if its content were fact rather than fable. If true, appointed city
officials would not have the right to voice opinions on important city matters. Furthermore, appointed officials would have
to forfeit their constitutional right of free speech, and citizens would be
deprived of the "hands-on" knowledge that these individuals gain from
involvement in city issues.”
Unfortunately, in
Rumors abound that Mr. Sapp is planning a run for council. His tenure on Planning & Zoning has indicated to the establishment that a continuation of their policies and practices of exclusion would be endorsed and continued if he gets on the council thereby making him acceptable to the old guard.
The question of what is illegal electioneering and Mr. Sapp’s part in it, is still up in the air and will ultimately be decided by the Texas Ethics Commission. Based on other recent opinions about illegal electioneering, the use of city facilities, the use of the city newsletter, the wording of the issue on the ballot and the use of city cable to “slant” or “influence” the tax freeze election, should make Mr. Sapp and other elected officials and city management very nervous. Other cities have taken a much different position that falls in line with what most folks believe to be the law.
One last fact omitted by Mr. Sapp is that if the opinion of City Attorney George Staples (supporting Sapp’s position) turns out to be different from the opinions of the Attorney General and the Texas Ethics Commission – I feel certain that the city will vigorously defend their actions and Mr. Staples will be the winner once more.
A word of wisdom to Mr. Sapp might be to be a little more thick skinned when he finds himself with his hand stuck in the cookie jar! If he and other city officials did not violate the law – they sure did push the limits to their advantage.
It appears that any publicity on the actions of the majority of this city council is not desirable to them.
Mr. Sapp concludes his “column” with suggesting that Mr. Lieber stick with nursery rhymes since they are more believable. In retrospect, readers need to read the column as one of the early shots in Mr. Sapp’s planned campaign to join Mayor Trevino and others that “don’t listen to the little people” as a council member next May. Like others presently on the council, what he often writes is very self serving, self righteous and very hard to believe.
The following Email Submitted 12/2/04, at 4:37 PM by Ken Sapp addressed to
Publisher@NRHOnline.com
Ron West BLOG
A Column by Ken Sapp
Dave Lieber resorted to the use of
fables in a recent column to make a political point. The problem with
fables, as I stated recently, is that they are untruths told in such a manner
as to be believed as truth.
That distinction seems lost by Ron
West who believes that if you tell an untruth often enough, it might be
accepted as fact. Lieber was honest in titling his column a fable,
West has not yet warmed up to the notion of calling his writings what they
are, a BLOG.
A BLOG typically is an online forum for a
writer to express a singular viewpoint. West fits that definition but the
tone of his writings lead one to conclude that his BLOG may be defined as something
else. May I suggest that Bumbling Ludicrous Outrageous Gobbledygook is a better
definition?
His recent LNO article spews vitriol
at me and continues to state untruth as if it were a
reality. Perhaps Lieber my find solace in West's defense of his
research but that does not change the outcome. My participation in
the League of Women Voters Debate has been reviewed by several
responsible attorneys, private and public, and nothing more than a clarification of
honorable public service has resulted.
West implies that
complaints have been filed with the Ethics Commission. While I am not
sure if it is his intent to do so, as of last week, the state indicated
that no such complaints were filed. They further stated that if such a
complaint were submitted it would most likely be deemed as
politically motivated and without substance or gravity.
He would be more honest by
disclosing that actual ethics complaints are pending against him
for improper financial disclosures. Even though I did not file these
complaints, is his tactic some form of deflective defense for his own guilty
conscience?
West bristles when it is
inferred that he does not tell the truth but is quick to defame the
honesty and intentions of people who disagree with his negative view of
everything. On the other hand he colors the truth with such frequency
and intensity that you would believe such a skill must not only be learned but
is somehow an innate quality.
His continuing slanderous and
incorrect statements demeans not only himself but
those whom he allies himself with. I believe at one time he had good
intentions toward somehow helping to create better government.
Sadly, however, his persistent negative and eccentric behavior has
destroyed any credibility he might have in this community and among those who
might have sought
him as a role model for civic activism.
West can keep on with his BLOG but in reality his credibility
has reduced the volume of his voice to little more than equivalent of a
whisper in the
That is just my opinion.
Ken Sapp
North
Phone:_ 817-427-5666 Cell: 817-300-2864
E-mail: ken4co@aol.com
NRHOnline Publisher Notes:
Added 12/03/04
Our thanks to Mr. Sapp for sending his column to us for publication. We leave it to our readers to determine where
fact and fantasy exist. The Hand Caught
in the Cookie Jar column was published in Local News Only on 12/1/04.