Texas Politics 365: Ethics Commission

Wednesday, April 12, 2023

Rep. Slaton Retains Lawyer In Ethics Probe

[#TexasPolitics365]

State Rep. Bryan Slaton, R-Royse City, has retained a criminal-defense attorney amid a potential ethics investigation by a House committee.

The lawyer, Patrick Short, issued a statement Monday morning saying his firm “has been engaged by State Rep. Bryan Slaton (R-TX 2) in a matter relating to a possible complaint filed against him with the Texas House Committee on General Investigating.”

(Full story HERE.)
--------------------------------------------------

** We are dedicated to bringing you Texas Politics, 365 days a year! Tips? texaspolitics365@gmail.com

For advertising opportunities, email us.

Tuesday, April 13, 2021

Cedar Park City Councilor Accuses 3 Colleagues Of Misusing Taxpayer Funds

[#TexasPolitics365]

Cedar Park City Councilor Tim Kelly is accusing three of his colleagues of misusing taxpayer funds and has filed complaints with the state ethics Commission.

Each member of the Cedar Park City Council receives a monthly stipend to cover the cost of mobile phone service - a necessity for an elected representative in a growing community and in an interconnected age.

But according to Kelly, three of his council colleagues have been misappropriating their $100-per-month city cell phone funds by using my the phones for campaign purposes.

In sworn complaints with the Texas Ethics Commission, Kelly said three of his colleagues -- Mayor Pro Tem and Place 3 Council member Anne Duffy, Place 5 Council member Rodney Robinson, and Place 6 Council member Heather Jefts -- maintain their officially listed phone numbers also on their Facebook Pages. Those social media pages, while retitled to reflect their current elected offices, still contain campaign images, disclaimers, and verbiage and are clearly promotional in nature, he said.

"Using taxpayer funds to campaign is a flagrant violation of the public trust," Kelly said. "There is a reason why state law does not treat this abuse of elected office lightly. I look forward to a quick turnaround on this by the Texas Ethics Commission, and referral to the proper authorities or Texas Attorney General's office for further investigation."

Duffy is currently a candidate for re-election to Place 3 on the May local election ballot. Kelly and Robinson are not seeking re-election. Jefts's seat is up for re-election in 2022.

There has been a good deal of bad blood between Kelly and the rest of the council in the past year. In 2020, Kelly was censured by the board for making comments on Facebook that were said to be disrespectful and violated the city's "code of ethics."

--------------------------------------------------