11/28/2020
THE REST OF THE STORY
It is starting to seem like we need to have the late great Paul Harvey follow my opponent in this Mayor Runoff election around, and, I guess, his campaign workers too.
I have never been a fan of those who campaign on the negatives of an opponent rather than the positives about themselves.
However, when an opponent decides to disguise defamation by implication as a side-by-side comparison, it compels even someone committed to never return evil for evil to respond with truth.
Dissemblance… Communicative Dishonesty… False Inference.
These are all terms used to describe leading someone to a conclusion that doesn’t necessarily align with the facts without technically saying anything completely false.
This is what my opponent has decided to do with his campaign.
Maybe out of habit or it could be an occupational hazard.
HALF TRUTHS are WHOLE LIES
My mother and father instilled many principles in me. One of these is “Half-truths are Whole Lies”
I’ve also learned that Innuendo might sway opinion for a time, but in the end it undermines trust.
Most of the attacks of my opponent are not outright untruths. They are carefully crafted to lead voters to believe something without actually stating the falsehood. However, he does slip up from time to time and actually say something totally untrue.
I have confidence in the people of Keller. They are intelligent, loving people by in large and I hope they will seek out truth before voting.
It takes so few words to cast a False Inference but a great many words are required to reveal the Truth.
Paul Harvey Aurandt (better known as Paul Harvey) was a master at building suspense and then letting us have the REST of the STORY. So, let’s take these things one by one and see if we can reveal the whole truth and maybe reveal a pattern.
1. FALSE INFERENCE in CAMPAIGN MATERIAL
During Early Voting at Keller Town Hall earlier this month, it came to my attention that the Keller republican Club had mailed a campaign card to homes in Keller and had workers at the polls handing the cards out.
This club, founded by Armin Mizani, endorsed him and two other candidates for Council as a slate. Absolutely nothing wrong with that and no real surprise. An organization can endorse anyone they want.
The problem arises when that card and volunteers use it to mislead Voters into thinking that Armin and his running mates are the “ONLY” Republican Candidates.
THE REST OF THE STORY
In this year’s Mayor and Council election, ALL of the candidates were Republican and voted in Republican primaries except for one.
As Republicans, we value truth. So, this tactic comes across a little underhanded or at least less than completely honest.
The Tarrant County Republican Party published the voting records of all local candidates this year on social media and by email.
The three Mayoral Candidates voting records are:
Tag Green – Voted in 6 of the last 6 Republican Primaries
Armin Mizani – Voted in 4 of the last 6 Republican Primaries
Mark Mathews – Voted in 3 of the last 6 Republican Primaries
I confronted my opponent and some of the members of his club with this apparent false inference. They didn’t see anything wrong with misleading voters. My opponent said he can’t control what volunteers say or do.
Maybe not. But perhaps if the campaign material were completely factual it might prevent misuse.
I am a Republican and I expect a club with “republican” in it’s name to at least interview all the Republican candidates or conduct a questionnaire before making their endorsements, but how they run their club is their business.
2. STORAGE UNITS
A voter called me last week reporting my opponent knocked on his door. The voter had voted for me in the November 3rd election, but asked Armin what was different about him. The reply was that he did not support the storage facility company on Keller Parkway.
THE REST OF THE STORY
The land where the Fenders Auto Body business had been located was sold. There were two businesses that came to Council for special permits. The second was Stor Self Storage and Wine Cellar. And Yes, my opponent did not vote in favor of granting their permit. But… neither did I.
Self Stor came to City Council in March of 2016. I was not elected to City Council until June of 2017.
Interestingly, just 6 months before this in September 2015, WhiteWater Express Car Wash came to Council for approval on the other part of this same parcel.
Who made the motion to approve it? Armin Mizani. He voted for it and it was approved.
3. INCENTIVES TO DEVELOPERS
Three voters have called and texted me saying they received a telephone survey from my opponent’s campaign. The caller first asks who you voted for in the Keller Mayor’s race. If you reply, Tag Green, the caller says, “Did you know he voted for $400,000 in incentives for the private tennis club?”
THE REST OF THE STORY
Did they tell the voter that no incentives were paid to the “private tennis club”?
Did they tell the voter that Mr. Mizani voted for THREE TIMES AS MUCH (OVER $1.2 MILLION) in incentives to another private business?
$1.26 million which is being paid by the City of Keller to that business.
Are you getting as tired of the hypocrisy as I am?
The “private tennis club” they are referring to is The Birch Lawn & Racquet Club / Dent Tennis Academy. This is a one-of-a-kind development in this region of the United States, let alone in the DFW Metroplex. And Keller won it.
This private tennis club did not receive ANY incentive funds from the city of Keller, yet this development, headed by not one, but three formerly world-ranked tennis professionals, elevates Keller, TX into the company of cities like Boca Raton (Chris Evert Academy & Rick Maccci Academy), Hilton Head (Van Der Meer Tennis & Smith-Stearns Academy), Bradenton (IMG), and even Castelldefels, Spain (Elite Academy). There is no facility like this one anywhere in the central United States. It truly enhances Keller’s uniqueness.
And it will help us keep our beautiful new hotel occupied with guests from all of the U.S. and the world. Which, by the way, is the other business.
Yes, the Economic Development Board for the City of Keller recommended unanimously that City Council approve a 380 economic development incentive in the amount of $380,964 ($274k in Drainage & Sewer infrastructure; $106,964 in Rebates of taxes and permits)
Armin and I discussed this at length when the matter came to Council. He was in favor of providing the incentives, he just preferred they be solely in rebates of Tax & waiver of Permit Fees. I was in favor of the proposed plan for the simple fact, if for some reason the project was not completed or failed, The City could recoup the incentives paid from a new development.
Ultimately, I voted in favor of sending the matter to the citizens of Keller to decide.
The voters told Council they didn’t want the economic incentives. And the city complied.
4. TENNIS “BUBBLE DOMES”
Armin states I voiced support for the tennis “bubble domes”.
Not even close to what I said.
THE REST OF THE STORY
The fact is I publicly stated I was very pleased that Council did not approve the domes and The Birch went ahead with the permanent structure indoor tennis courts. I have been a business leader for over 4 decades and I know there is ALWAYS a use for capital.
I had no issue with the structural integrity of bubble domes, but I did have an issue with the appearance and with the plan they would temporary in nature. Experience taught me if they were built, a growing business would never take them down to build multi-million dollar permanent structures while they were still functioning.
My opponent will say and do anything to win this election. This is one time he slipped and stated a falsehood rather than just inferring one.
5. APARTMENTS
This has been a very hot topic of conversation during this election.
This past year, City Council, in a 4-3 split vote, pushed through approval of 475 additional Apartments and 50+ patio homes in a commercially zoned area on North Main Street.
When this matter came to Council, we had a record number of residents contact the Mayor and Council (Over 600 emails and letters). 90.4% of these residents stated “WE DO NOT WANT MORE APARTMENTS IN KELLER”.
It is a matter of record that my opponent endorsed Sean Hicks and Beckie Pacquin for City Council. City Council Members Sean Hicks and Sheri Almond are officers of his club. And Council Member Mitch Holmes is a member of his club.
A year prior to this development coming to City Council for approval, then Councilman Hicks (now, Mayor Pro Tem) accused a fellow Councilman of “fear-mongering” when he warned the community changing the zoning of this parcel would allow for 444 additional apartments to be built in Keller.
Hicks further stated on Facebook, “No one is interested in 3 buildings or more of apartments”.
When running for Council, Beckie Paquin stated in her campaign material “Beckie says NO MORE APARTMENTS” and “Beckie… will RESPECT AND LISTEN TO ALL 45,000 CITIZENS”
The night this development came to City Council, Council Members Hicks and Almond both stated they could not support more than 400 apartments. Their conviction didn’t last even one evening.
The overwhelming opinion of the residents was dismissed by the Four Council Members associated with my opponent and they voted for THREE BUILDINGS of 475 APARTMENTS over the 3 Council Members who listened to the residents and voted against them.
I was one of the three NAY votes.
My opponent, correctly states he was not on Council at that time. He says he “Opposes blanket approvals of more apartments” (whatever that means?). Yet, he publicly commended the Four Council Members for approving 475 More Apartments. What is commendable about dismissing public input? What is commendable about Council Members going against their word? What is commendable about refusing to work with the of 43% of Council towards a better solution?
There is a pattern developing here.
6. OLD TOWN KELLER
My opponent states I do not support making additional infrastructure improvements to Old Town East.
I embraced the vision for Old Town Keller to be a family-focused dining, shopping, and entertainment district including a new park and transforming Bates Street into a Street festival equipped lane complete with power receptacles and removable bollards for pedestrian safety.
THE REST OF THE STORY
Well, again, my opponent slipped up and stated a falsehood.
I do support infrastructure improvements to Old Town East.
What I don’t approve of is the City spending over $6 million in cash and committing to over $13 million in total expenditures when these Council Members supported and commended by him may have undermined the vision for Old Town Keller by approving Center Stage just a couple miles north and when they continue to approve filling the available commercial space with salons and CBD stores.
7. FUTURE LAND USE PLAN
My opponent says I failed to lead the City Council in implementing and updating the Future Land Use Plan and accuses me of wasting over $200,000 in consulting fees.
THE REST OF THE STORY
City Council, including Armin Mizani, was unanimous in both approving the initiative to update our Future Land Use Plan which is over 20 years old AND to allocating $200,000 for outside consulting, which Armin also voted for.
We needed outside consultants because Keller runs a very lean staff. We do not unnecessarily employ people which excess productivity for projects of this nature. We also needed the best specialized expertise we could find. Such expertise is both too costly to employ full-time and unwise to retain as overhead.
As confirmed by our Director of Finance, the entire cost of the project was more than covered through budget savings in personnel.
This initiative successfully obtained more public input than any initiative ever put forth in Keller.
Best practices dictate that a city’s Future Land Use Plan be updated every 5 years along with a Master Plan. We have a duty to assure our plan reflects our community and the direction our residents desire.
The ONLY failure was in Council Members being unwilling to complete the task due to disagreement on ONE SINGLE DEFINITION in the Future Land Use Plan.
Why? Because the definition for Mixed-Use that I put forth with help from Staff, our City Attorney, and our joint Council / P&Z Task Force would have prevented additional APARTMENTS.
Surely a pattern has materialized.
8. ETHICS and CHARACTER
My opponent states he authored Keller’s revision to the Ethics Policy.
True enough.
THE REST OF THE STORY
Armin also stated in a public Council Meeting that “this [City Council] is not in a position to consider the ETHICAL aspects of what the developers did”.
There are things that are Right, things that are Wrong, and then there are things that are Illegal. Unethical aspects may not be Illegal, but they are still wrong.
I believe you absolutely elect us to assure RIGHT THINGS are done in RIGHT WAYS. That is CHARACTER.
You should be able to demand that of your Council Members and expect them to demand it of anyone who wants to bring Developments to our community.
13 months ago, Armin Mizani met me for coffee to ask me to run for re-election to my seat in Council and to support him in his bid for Mayor.
In this conversation, he recounted conversations he had with Council Members. What was proposed in those conversations revealed both unethical and illegal acts. For two days, I challenged Armin, as an officer of the court, to report these offenses. He refused.
Character is who you are when no one is looking.
I believe Character Counts. So I told him I could not support him for Mayor.
Five months later, we decided as a family, I should run for Mayor. I am running because I want to restore trustworthiness to local government. We need men and women with strength of character and values based on principles of truth. Individuals who can bring differences in opinion together for the best results without divisiveness. Council Members who will speak only the truth and whose actions are consistent with their words.
I am deeply troubled by the tactics and direction in local politics.
Do we really want local campaigns that span 14 months plus?
We have elections every year, this would set a pattern for continual political signs along our streets and in front of Town Hall.
Do we really want civic leaders who employ false inference to manipulate public opinion?
Do we really want candidates to expend 10’s of thousands of dollars to be elected in Keller?
Do we really want a City Council that dismisses the voice of the community?
Or…
Do we want elected representatives who speak the truth with a moral compass and a heart for the expressed desires of our community?
If you have the same concerns, then I need you to go to the polls and cast a vote for Tag Green for Mayor.
Early voting is going on now through December 4th. Election Day is December 8th.
Please Vote. The Decision Is Yours.
