Saturday, April 21, 2007 , Updated 2:54 p.m., April 23, 2007
UPDATED x2: Mud starts flying in Dallas District 9 Council Race
UPDATE 2:30 PM 4/23:
Lots happening here. Kadane apparently put out a press release yesterday calling for Kotvis to drop out over this. I'm a little hurt they didn't send us a copy, since we broke the story and all. So much for the letter that Kotvis sent Kadane (and copied me) asking him to keep it about the issues.
Brad Watson tells me that WFAA is likely picking this up on tonight's 6:00 with response from both candidates involved. He says he heard that as early/late as Friday the DMN editorial board was asking Kotvis about this in relation to her answers to their survey and she wasn't budging from her original position, which is consistent with our interview.
That also means that our friend "Kelly" and/or others were likely shopping this one around. We know that they sent it to Backtalk East Dallas (Lakewood Advocate) and they killed it because they couldn't be bothered to research it. And I somehow suspect that the DMN isn't just doing de rigeur criminal checks on everyone in every race.
And, let's not forget there's a third candidate in this race -- Al Turner. Lest he be the only one untainted by this brouhaha, he sent me his response which I'm posting in the comments below.
UPDATE 2:55 PM: Having seen Kadane's press release and its reference to the Florida charge without proper context, he and his camp have lost any sympathy I had for them. He could have looked like a magnanimous peacemaker, but this one comes across as petty and at least as disingenuous as Kotvis' answer to the DMN. We'll never know if this was intentionally planted by the Kadane campaign, but this response does nothing to allay suspicion. (Interesting that PublicData.com was my original, but not final, source of research, something I mentioned to "Maggie/Kelly" during my reporting, Coincidence, I'm sure.)
Unsolicited advice to all candidates in District 9: Perhaps the best way to come out of this looking good at this point is to speak no evil.
Like that'll happen...
DALLAS — When we put up our political database, we certainly hoped to generate thoughtful discussion and debate about local elections. We didn't expect to become a battlefield of leaked information, mis-information and confusing whodunits.
But that's exactly what happened in the heated Dallas District 9 race this week.
It all started Tuesday night with an anonymous comment from a new user under the moniker "Maggie" on our candidate page for candidate Jill Kotvis:
She is no good. For instance...two not one arrest for DWI, one in Florida. Also, she went into private practice because she was fired from two law firms, or at least let go or quit.....really fired but I don't know if that is on the record. This is not made up, ask the person who fired her. Anyway, the DWI really needs to be exploited because the Dallas people need to know who taht she is the worst option out there!
Although we're not legally responsible for our users' comments, we decided that this comment needed to come down until the legal allegations could be substantiated or disproven. "Maggie" later reposted the latter half of the comment.
We did the research and found that "Maggie" had some of her facts wrong, but there was something there. Further, she had at least an indirect connection to an opposing candidate in the District 9 race. (Keep reading -- we'll get to that. This one is twisty...)
Kotvis was convicted of DWI and resisting arrest in an October 1987 Dallas incident in which she was also charged with running a stop sign (quashed), running a flashing red light (no finding of guilt) and failure to carry a drivers license (dismissed).
Based on our research, Sheffield "Sheffie" Kadane, Jr and Albert T. Turner, Kotvis' opponents, do not appear to have arrest records.
Frankly, I think it is debatable whether or not a 20 year-old DWI conviction is germane in assessing a candidate who hasn't been in trouble since. (And I'd be on the "nay" side of that debate.) However, in light of Kotvis' answer to a question about legal history in her Dallas Morning News candidate survey, it is worth noting:
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits? Please explain:
A: I am a lawyer and have been involved in numerous legal issues over the years. To the extent permitted by law, I would be glad to discuss specific cases if there is interest. I have received a couple of traffic-related citations in the past. Other than those, my involvement with the court system has been through my professional capacity.
By my reading, that may be to-the-letter-of-the-law accurate, but it is a less than forthcoming answer. I met with Kotvis and her campaign adviser Eric Reeves (an attorney and former councilman and state senator in North Carolina) yesterday, and she disagreed with that characterization:
"That was true and accurate," she said. "Both [the DWI and the resisting arrest] were misdemeanors as part of a traffic citation...It was not intended to be misleading."
"That was over twenty years ago," she added. "I'm not proud of it. I have tried to make sure that it didn't happen again and I've done very well with that."
She has not had any other arrests since then -- the only other thing we could find was a June 1999 matter in Manatee County, Florida. It was not a DWI as "Maggie" suggested. A felony charge of assaulting an emergency care provider was filed, but the DA declined to prosecute.
A teary-eyed Kotvis told me the story of that incident, in which she says an EMT transporting her terminally ill father was moving him roughly and not providing him with an oxygen mask as he gasped for breath. Kotvis says she asked the technician to be gentle and to hurry with the oxygen, to which she got the abrasive response, "Eh- He's going to die anyway."
"I took an involuntary swing," Kotvis said. "The EMT filed a preemptive charge because she was afraid we were going to sue her. And the charge was dismissed by the prosecutor." She was never arrested.
"Because of that, I didn't get to be with my father when he died," she added. It was clearly a painful memory, and one I wished I hadn't had to dredge up.
While we didn't track down the prosecutor, I personally buy her story and can sympathize with the reaction. Public records show that Kotvis' father's estate went into probate a couple weeks later. The charges were filed in September, 1999 and dismissed in November of the same year.
EMT service in that area is run by private providers, and Kotvis said "That whole experience has made me extremely supportive of quality public services and publicly trained people."
"Maggie's" tale
That would be the whole story, if not for an unusual email we received later the same night as "Maggie's" original comment. It was in response to the confirmation email we send to new users trying to register for a Pegasus News user account. That email requires the user to click on a unique link to complete registration. The response we got to this particular email was as follows (with the original email below):
From: Isaac Kadane [EMAIL REDACTED]
Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2007 23:20:24 -0500
To: webmaster@pegasusnews.com
Subject: RE: Pegasus News registration
Please delete me from your account, I did not request this.
-----Original Message-----
From: webmaster@pegasusnews.com [mailto:webmaster@pegasusnews.com]
Sent: Monday, April 16, 2007 11:12 PM
To: [EMAIL REDACTED]
Subject: Pegasus News registration
Somebody with this e-mail address requested a www.pegasusnews.com user account. To complete your registration, please visit the following page:
http://www.pegasusnews.com/accounts/register/a7cd4f0c197743bdcd1993ee7c46a/
Note that this page will expire one week from today, so act quickly.
This e-mail was sent to [EMAIL REDACTED]. If you didn't request it, you may safely delete this message; we won't bug you again.
Those of you following the District 9 race will note that Isaac Kadane is the son of Sheffie Kadane, who is also running for the District 9 Council seat. Our CTO, Jeremy Dunck, did not. (He lives in the Northern burbs.) He just knew that a user account for "eyeballike" had been actually created from that email address. That account holder had also tried to flag a positive comment about Kotvis for deletion. For that to happen without the knowledge of the owner of that email address would mean that either his personal email account had been compromised, or we were looking at a very unusual and sophisticated security breach.
So Jeremy began studying our log files to look for monkey business. In the course of that check, he found that "eyeballike" and "Maggie's" accounts were created from the same San Antonio-based IP address. Further, both the accounts and the comment in question came from the same user session, meaning that they almost certainly came from the same computer.
But before you jump to the conclusion that Issac Kadane was doing some undercover campaign work, hear him out. We did-- and he insists that he was not involved in any way in "Maggie's" posting.
"She is an old college friend of my wife's," he told me Wednesday in a phone interview from his San Antonio home. "She was in town for a Young Republicans thing and she was staying in our home. She told us about this great site with all kinds of political information and said she needed to register using my email because she couldn't remember her [email] password."
Isaac said he didn't even want us to run a story on Kotvis' record at all: "This is something people have known and talked about for a long time and it hasn't come out...We could have put this out there a long time ago, but we didn't want to be like that."
A word about user privacy
In reporting this story, one thing we were concerned about was the understanding of members of the Pegasus News community about our commitment to user privacy. You can rest assured that we do not make a regular practice of examining user accounts and connecting them with IP addresses and individual identities. We do, however, do so when there is a suspicion of fraud or any other activity that could harm members of our community. When we got the email from Isaac Kadane saying that he had not registered for an account, we had reason for concerns about security and took immediate investigative action and found that there was no actual security breach. Had we not gotten such a communication alerting us to a potential security risk, we would not have examined or published the origins of "Maggie's" comment.
Still skeptical? At my urgings, Isaac produced "Maggie" by phone -- at least someone who said she was Maggie. She called me from a caller ID-blocked number minutes after my conversation with Isaac.
She said her real name is Kelly and that she lives in The Village. She copped to posting the comment in question while a houseguest of the Kadanes, and reinforced that Isaac and his wife had nothing to do with it. "I did it without his permission," she said. "He was furious."
Although Kelly told me she picked her username based on the Rod Stewart song "Maggie May," she wouldn't give me her full name or phone number. She said that she had posted with the expectation of anonymity and was only talking to me in order to make it clear that Isaac was not involved. She was more interested in knowing what we were going to publish and whether we were going to "let people know what kind of person [Jill Kotvis] is." She said that she is not working on any campaign and is undecided between Kadane and Turner (a theme that carried through in emails she sent me while I was researching this story).
For their part, whatever the origin of the information posted, the Kotvis campaign sees this incident as evidence that they are on-track. "When you're ahead is when people go dirty," said Reeves.
"This means what I thought is probably true -- I'm the frontrunner," Kotvis added. "Of all the organization endorsements all three of us have been up for so far, I've gotten all but one."
Kotvis says she has been endorsed by the Dallas Police Officer Association, the Firefighters Association, the Dallas Real Estate Council, the Sierra Club and the Hispanic Alliance. (She says that she has discussed the DWI with leaders of the Police Association and the Firefighters and they have indicated renewed support.) Kadane has been endorsed by the MetroTex Association of Realtors.
As to the remarks "Maggie" made about Kotvis' former employers and the organizations in which she's been involved, she staunchly disagrees. "Four partners at Hughes and Luce have endorsed me," she said. Kotvis was an attorney at Hughes and Luce before going into private practice. "And there are numerous people from the organizations I've been in who have endorsed me too."
I'll be interested to hear what our readers think of this story and its bearing on the race. It tells me that while we're going to continue in our commitment to open discussion, we're going to have to watch things closely for the next few weeks. We're covering nearly 600 races -- And by "we," I mean the entire Pegasus News community. We're going to do our part to keep things accurate. We hope you'll do your part to keep things substantive and fair.
Pegasus News CTO Jeremy Dunck contributed to this story. Tease photo under Creative Commons license from Flickr user PetroleumJelliffe. Mike lives in Dallas' District 7.
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Michael Davis, says:
I'm still with Jill.
I'm linking to this story on my site. People have a right to know. Great work Mike!
MD
Verified
2 years, 7 months agoLink to this comment | Suggest removal
Teresa Gubbins, says:
ok i'm thoroughly confused. are they (kelly/isaac kadane) saying that kelly created a second log-on called "eyeballike" because she could not remember her maggie account? that would seem to contradict the jeremy's findings "that 'eyeballike' and 'Maggie's' accounts were created from the same San Antonio-based IP address... from the same user session".
and whatever their denials, isn't it just too much of a coincidence that kelly would be tight with the kadane family and also be making accusations against one of the kadane's opponents?
it's making my head explode
Staff
2 years, 7 months agoLink to this comment | Suggest removal
Mike Orren, says:
Sorry, Teresa-- That's my fault. I should have been clearer. It was her hotmail password that she said she did not have. She was a reader of the site, but not a registered user at that point.
So, she said she couldn't register the "Maggie" account until later when she presumably retrieved the Hotmail password. So, she and Isaac said that he made the eyeballike account for her to use.
I've updated the story to clarify.
Staff
2 years, 7 months agoLink to this comment | Suggest removal
Scott Miller, says:
I generally avoid the political stories on this site, but this was a very interesting read. Politics sure seems to bring out the best in some people, doesn't it? Good luck with this.
Verified
2 years, 7 months agoLink to this comment | Suggest removal
James Scott, says:
Very interesting read...albeit extreme tired-head inducing. Thanks guys for going the 'extra mile' in getting information on these stories...much more than I would ever get with the typical media outlets in this town (or any other town for that matter). Keep up the great work!
Verified
2 years, 7 months agoLink to this comment | Suggest removal
felixsaucedo, says:
Ms Kotvis must be the frontrunner. I am a retired adult probation supervisor. I supervised hundreds of cases like this. My thought was always " there but for the grace of God go I". The real test is what do you do with the rest of your life. Of course, there will always be the self-righteous who will be influenced by this and that is who is being pandered to. Im still for Jill.
Anonymous
2 years, 7 months agoLink to this comment | Suggest removal
Mike Orren, says:
Al Turner rings in. (Note to all politicos who keep sending me emails. You know that you can post comments here just like anyone else? Right?):
<hr>
Dear Mr. Orren-
First of all, I want to commend you on the effort put forward to research some of the allegations referenced in your article (Mud starts Flying in District 9)...
The one discrepancy that I saw in your article was the reference to Kelly and her being undecided about who she was going to vote for in the District 9 City Council race...If she lives in the Village she is in district 14 and not in district 9...That statement about her voting for a district 9 candidate is completely inaccurate...I'm not sure if she was blowing smoke or what...In my opinion this discredited the article to a certain extent.
Although it may be good that I wasn't referenced much in your article, other than the fact that I have never been arrested; it still bothers me that a candidate can be portrayed as a victim for having offences filed against them...
For these reasons I have decided to respond to your article...Please reference the [below] for my response...
From: Albert T. Turner Candidate / Dallas City Council District 9 10924 Creekmere Dallas, Texas 75218 Phone: (214) 321-2792 / E-Mail / turnercampaign@swbell.net
RE: Albert T. Turner
Dear Mr. Orren,
I have read your article dated April 21, 2007 with the heading of “Mud starts flying in Dallas District 9 Council Race”. In the interest of fairness and equal time I would like to formally submit a response to your article.
As the self-proclaimed leaders in the District 9 City Council race gain exposure in your publication for alleged unethical behavior; our campaign remains focused on the issues paramount to the betterment of the lives for the citizens of Dallas:
1.) Dallas has been ranked the number 1 crime city in America for 9 years in a row. I want the Dallas City Council to authorize a proposal requesting Dallas’s top corporation’s sponsorship of 500 new Police cars. The monies saved by having this corporate sponsorship will go along way in providing financial incentives for our existing Police force to stay in Dallas and also gives us the capital reinforcement to hire 800 new Police Officers. 2.) Economic Development, Code Enforcement and Street Maintenance. 3.) District 9 has the Jewel of Dallas; White Rock Lake. We must preserve White Rock Lake and keep it natural for this generation and generations to come.
When I see the competition spinning issues and getting free favorable advertising for being anything but straight forward it only compounds my uphill battle against the advertising money that our opponents have. We have a hard working, grass-roots organization similar to the one I had for the District 9 City Council race in 2005 where I received thousands of the votes against the incumbent. If elected; I will utilize my extensive business management experience to serve the citizens of Dallas on a full time basis to effectively manage the operations of District 9.
We have no time for mud in my camp; just work… <hr>
Staff
2 years, 7 months agoLink to this comment | Suggest removal
Mike Orren, says:
Turner has a very interesting point about Kelly's voting district, BTW. (See comment above.)
<hr>
And here's the Kadane press release, <a href="http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2007/04/things_are_getting_mighty_ugly.php">courtesy Unfair Park</a>. C'mon guys! Where's the love for doing your dirty work for you? At least you could give us some props... (Glad I live in District 7 right now):
DISTRICT 9 CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE SHEFFIE KADANE CALLS FOR OPPONENT JILL KOTVIS TO WITHDRAW FROM RACE OVER CRIMINAL RECORD COVER-UP
DALLAS, TX------ District 9 Dallas City Council candidate Sheffie Kadane called for Jill Kotvis to withdraw from the race today after she attempted to cover-up an arrest record that included an arrest and conviction for DWI and resisting arrest in Dallas and a Third Degree Felony charge in Florida.
"I was greatly disappointed when I heard about her arrest record," stated Sheffie Kadane, "but I am most troubled about her covering up the truth about her past. An elected official must live up to the public trust and must be held accountable when that trust is broken. The only honest thing to do is withdraw her candidacy."
According to court records, Jill Kotvis was arrested and convicted of DWI and resisting arrest in 1987. In the DWI case, she was found guilty by a jury and sentenced by a judge to 24 months probation and a $300 fine. On the resisting arrest charge, she received one year probation and a fine of $1,000. Records obtained from PublicData.com also list a Third Degree Felony charge in Florida in 1999.
On her Dallas Morning News questionnaire, under the question: "Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?" Kotvis answered, "I have received a couple of traffic-related citations in the past. Other than those, my involvement with the court system has been through my professional capacity."
Staff
2 years, 7 months agoLink to this comment | Suggest removal
Jill Kotvis, says:
After reviewing the article posted on PegasusNews.com, I now understand that I am fighting a systematic smear campaign full of lies, half-truths and distortions. This type of negative campaigning has no place in our city.
My supporters want to see a positive, issues-based vision for the future of our city and District 9, and I’ve worked hard to establish a campaign worthy of their support. My message is that we need to focus on improving public safety and expanding our police force; preserving our neighborhoods; and protecting White Rock Lake and other parks and green spaces.
As I have walked door to door and met thousands of my potential constituents, I am even more committed to working with them and know that they are fatigued by mudslinging campaigns and fervently wish they could simply have the opportunity to choose the person they believe will best represent them at City Hall.
I have not focused on the shortcomings of my opponents, but prefer to stand on my own qualifications and vision for the city and District 9. Since the Pegasus News article posted, I have heard from many of my supporters, all of whom have re-affirmed their support, including the Dallas Police Association and the Dallas Fire Fighters Association. They share my disappointment in my opponent’s tactics.
Yesterday, prior to issuance of the Kadane Campaign press release (on which I also was not copied), I sent a letter to my opponent (a copy of which is provided below) reminding him of his promise to me last year to run an honorable, clean campaign and asking him to cease the mudslinging. I appreciate the efforts of PegasusNews.com in reporting this issue.
Dear Sheffie,
Last year you and I agreed that, while we would be opponents in the District 9 City Council race, we would run honorable, clean campaigns and not resort to mudslinging.
We have based our campaign on the issues that I believe are important to our voters and to this city. My message is that we need to focus on preventing crime, preserving our neighborhoods and protecting White Rock Lake. I have not focused on the shortcomings of my opponents, but prefer to stand on my own qualifications and ideas.
I am sure by now that you have seen the PegasusNews.com story, “Mud starts flying in District 9 Council Race” (published April 21).
I was surprised to learn from the story that the false accusations and distorted information about my past apparently were planted by someone in your family or close to your family. The lies about an incident involving the final minutes of my father’s life were particularly personal and painful.
I call on you to renounce these negative campaign tactics – the politics of despair. I urge you, your family, friends and supporters to cease the mudslinging and that you honor your personal pledge to conduct yourself in a manner that would earn respect.
Sincerely,
Jill Kotvis
Verified
2 years, 7 months agoLink to this comment | Suggest removal
Michael Davis, says:
Kudos to my buddy Brad at ch 8 who gave Pegasus their props for really breaking this story.
Jill - welcome to Dallas City politics. Trial by fire...if you can make it through this you'll be an excellent city councilperson!
Verified
2 years, 7 months agoLink to this comment | Suggest removal
Mike Orren, says:
Belo8 coverage:
http://www.wfaa.com/video/index.html?...
Transcript-y story here: http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws...
First, a big thank you to Brad Watson for giving us due credit. Other reporters and stations in town often don't do so when picking up our stories. And Brad was a real gentleman when I thanked him for doing so.
The one thing that stood out to me in this report was this part:
*" Her opponent, real estate agent and investor Sheffield A. "Sheffie" Kadane, said he knew of Kotvis' 20-year-old convictions and didn't plan to bring them up, until he saw her response to the newspaper."*
Hmm. That was posted on April 3. More than two weeks before the leak from "Maggie" and almost three weeks before his press release calling for Kotvis to drop out.
Staff
2 years, 7 months agoLink to this comment | Suggest removal
J_Mortimer, says:
I'm not in that district and so I obviously can't vote in it. Aside from this issue, I know of little of the three candidates. (and contrary to what some might think this DWI business is not a non-issue.)
Will Ms Kotvis be clear? Did Ms Kotvis or did she not have several DWI or DUI arrests? Has she or has she not changed since these incidents? If the answers are yes (especially if there is more than one incident) why doesn't she openly say so, detail them and get it over with?
When an official running for public office has even the appearance of hiding past criminal allegations I get very suspicious. If one is honorable, if one has grown from past mistakes, if one is a different person than one was decades ago, then why not say it? What is she afraid of? Why not simply say, "I had these things happen, they were stupid, and I've grown since then."
I find her explanation disingenuous by stating that "back then" it was a traffic citation. The substance of a DWI allegation doesn't change. If its 1987, 2007, or any year the seriousness of what can happen to ones life and others lives while driving while intoxicated doesn't change because the law changes. To minimize it by simply calling it a "traffic citation" strikes me as an issue of character.
One can argue about whether a DWI 20 years ago really matters today and that is certainly a legitimate way to argue. It seems to me what is more important is how one looks upon and talks about a past event, TODAY, which happened 20 years ago, or even 20 minutes ago. How one approaches this says a lot about that person's character. A person who has had such an incident occur and has grown is sometimes better suited for public service than the equivalent person who has not. The person might have bounced back from adversity and achieved a certain amount of self reflection in an embarrassing situation and that would be admirable. Hypothetically on the contrary, if a person is in denial, or perhaps thinks it does not matter or perhaps is unwilling to demonstrate how he/she was changed by the incident, then that says something about his/her fitness for public office irrespective of how minor the transgression.
If, as I have stated, what matters more is how one views their past events TODAY, then Ms Kotvis seems to be failing the test. Wordsmithing about whether this was a traffic citation or something more serious in an attempt to parse linguistic truth seems to point to a potential character flaw. She, as far as I can tell, is trying to minimize and hide her past. It would serve her better if she was to stand up, admit it fully and without reservation. She ought to tell us how it affects her today if at all. Such a gesture may, in fact, show her to be strong in character. As a voter I don’t care whether or not some questionnaire statement was answered truthfully according to some linguistic lawyeristic definition of truth. I want to know how she demonstrates her fitness for office and one does that, partially, by demonstrating character.
If a 20 year old DWI doesn’t matter to her and she isn’t willing to come out and talk about it, then what will happen if there is something that truly would be scandalous? Is she going to deny and hide that too?
Well, Ms Kotvis? Are these allegations true or not? What have you learned from them? How does your reflection about then contribute to your character today?
J
Anonymous
2 years, 7 months agoLink to this comment | Suggest removal
Michael McCullough, says:
I have known Jill Kotvis for about 17 years and can state unequivocally that she is a fine person and a hard worker who takes her job seriously. She and I disagree strongly over many political and social issues -- for example, I am strongly pro-life and would probably be classified as part of the religious right. Jill is neither. Because of our political and social disagreements, I would not vote for her for president; however, I can think of no one better to serve on the Dallas City Council.
As for the incident in Florida, I remember that she was very understandably stressed out in the months preceding her father's death. If an EMT callously told me that my father was going to die and refused him treatment, I might have the same reaction to strike out, too. Her father should have been given oxygen if for no other reason than to make him more comfortable in his last moments. People do desperate things when someone they love dearly is being mistreated.
I do not live in Dallas but, if I lived in her district, I would gladly campaign for Jill and give her my vote. She's the kind of hard-working, no-nonsense person that Dallas needs on the City Council.
-Michael McCullough
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2 years, 7 months agoLink to this comment | Suggest removal
BLDGRN89, says:
Honesty means being forthcoming.
Integrity means accepting the consequences.
In her interview with the DMN, Kotvis displayed neither honesty nor integrity.
Are we really so bogged down in who released what and to whom, and through which computer, and for what reason … that we’ve forgotten - Kotvis lied to us?
I would have likely never read the interview had Kotvis been truthful … but she wasn’t.
Kotvis was asked a very straightforward question and we (the voters) deserved a very straightforward answer.
Kotvis didn’t have any problem listing all the organizations she claims to have been active in (regardless of how long ago or how limited her participation).
But, when she was asked about her Kriminal record (pun intended) she suddenly forgot how to type (Am I the only one that caught this?).
Worse than that, Kotvis tried to “lawyer” her way through with misleading answers. The question was clearly not about Kotvis’ career as an attorney, it was about her career as a Kriminal.
If Kotvis had pulled a childish stunt like that during a job interview she would be fired. Not because she has a past but because she failed to disclose the past.
Come to think of it, ... Kotvis is on a job interview ...
Anonymous
2 years, 7 months agoLink to this comment | Suggest removal
Sanders Kaufman, says:
I disagree that Jill's answer to the question about her DWI was honest. It was deceptive.
She was asked a direct question - and the only honest answer would have been "yes, I got a DWI". Then we could all just get past it. But SHE made it a story when she gave her little non-denial denial.
Also - I take exception to the accusation she made that we who don't support her are part of some coordinated smear campaign.
I didn't know who she was until she knocked on my door. I asked her several questions - and she gave evasive answers to even the most simple ones. For example - she would not admit that she was a Democrat. I don't really care at the city-level if your a Rep or a Dem - just that I can trust the person.
Then, she told me she was an "environmental lawyer". But when I looked her up on the web - I quickly found that she's an an anti-environmental lawyer - representing corporate polluters.
Finally, her campaign called to "confirm" what she had reported to them - that I had volunteered to put up a sign in my yard. It was a promise I never made.
No San Antonio conspiracy ring gave me what I know about her - she did.
Still and all - it's not enough for her to simply not lie - she has to actually tell the truth.
Verified
2 years, 7 months agoLink to this comment | Suggest removal
kem60, says:
I know Jill and her law practice very very well. To say she represents corporate polluters is an uniformed opinion expressed by someone who does not understand that area of law or what she does.
Jill is one hard worker. She puts in some brutal hours and is I would say her clients receive excellent value for their dollars spent on legal fees. She is thorough in the extreme. I believe that she is extremely open minded and amenable to dialogue with people of varying viewpoints. It really is a shame these days that people who take that scary step into politics with the attendant witch hunts and character assassinations that always accompany it are so quickly pigenholed.
I don't know much about Mr. Kadane, never heard of him in fact before this campaign began but I find him just a tad disingenuous himself in setting himself up as some sort of moral authority while having his family and friends do the dirty work.
Anonymous
2 years, 7 months agoLink to this comment | Suggest removal
bddc529, says:
I'm not political and am endorsing no one for city council.. But as a subcontractor we had a contract with Jill Kotvis about two years ago to remodel a house for her.. I believe she didn't have a city permit to do the remodel (to save money?) She was constantly changing her mind on what she wanted, some people do that, However when it came time to pay for our services. She refused... Only after a threat to put a lean on the property did she (partially) pay the bill.. Her being a Lawyer and us not having the funds to pursue the matter, we had to settle out of court. Now I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want a cheat on City Council..
Anonymous
2 years, 7 months agoLink to this comment | Suggest removal
Mike Orren, says:
I spoke with bddc529 by phone and have confirmed that he is a remodeling contractor. (Can't be too safe, given the sources of some of the other information and misinformation that has come out.)
Staff
2 years, 7 months agoLink to this comment | Suggest removal
Sanders Kaufman, says:
I thought the user comment about Jill being "thorough to the extreme" was interesting.
In her campaign brochure, she listed dozens of oranizations and her leadership positions in those organizations. But after checking into it I found that she was no longer on ANY of those boards. Jill explained this away by saying that she simply had not mentioned that she is NOT on those boards anymore. Thorough? Maybe. To the extreme? No.
When she came to my door, I asked her what party she's in. She refused to answer. A quick check of the web shows that she is a very active member of the Democratic party. I like Dems, so there was no need for her evasion. Thorough? No. To the extreme - not even close.
And of course, there's the DWI. When asked about it - she gave a non-answer. Thorough? No.
Finally, Jill said in her statement that there was some kind of conspiracy, based in San Antonio, to smear her name. But on this very discussion board, we have a whole lotta folks posting negative comments about her under their own name, and one fella posting anonymously saying what a great candidate she'll make.
Conspirators don't do this - they don't post under their own names. They post anonymously, and often under several different aliases.
Verified
2 years, 7 months agoLink to this comment | Suggest removal
Sanders Kaufman, says:
Boy did I get that bit about anonymous posters wrong! It seems that some of the folks against Jill for City Council are posting anonymously, and that some of those posting for her are doing so under their own names. Oops.
Verified
2 years, 7 months agoLink to this comment | Suggest removal
kem60, says:
I would like to respond to the post from the contractor above with a few facts.
I assisted Jill during the period of time the house in question was remodeled and among other things, worked on the scope of work and contract for this person.
The contract called for the general contractor to obtain the city building permits.
The poster's contract was terminated for failure to timely complete the remodeling project. As I recall, Jill was very patient with his delays, stops and starts on the project, but eventually she had to get it finished and was forced to terminate the contract.
Anonymous
2 years, 7 months agoLink to this comment | Suggest removal
kem60, says:
Also a bit of clarification on my first comment. Jill had a full schedule of non-legal obligations, such as serving on the boards of the Dallas Museum of Natural History, cultural organizations and city organizations during the time I was assisting her. She undertook these responsibilities in addition to her legal practice and did it all very well. I admired her thoroughness in the legal practice and in her community activities. She took on heavy obligations and performed them all very well.
Anonymous
2 years, 7 months agoLink to this comment | Suggest removal
Sanders Kaufman, says:
This kind of contractor problem happens a lot here in Dallas.
Folks hire cheap, unlicensed, unbonded "subcontractors" - but then expect them to perform like full contractors.
I certainly hope that, if elected, Jill does not do this on a city-wide scale.
Simply ensuring that the pseudo-contractor was licensed and bonded could have helped the project go more smoothely. Furthermore, checking past references would have helped to identify emergent problems - like not complying with city ordinances.
The City Council has a LONG history of hiring high-dollar contractors who turn out to be serious under-achievers. And it could be avoided by checking references, checking licensing, and demanding compliance with law.
That's not too much to ask - is it?
Verified
2 years, 7 months agoLink to this comment | Suggest removal
Sanders Kaufman, says:
My problem with Jill's list of community leadership positions is not how well (or if) she performed her duties.
My problem is the way she presented those credentials in her campaign brochures - as if she were still currently performing those duties.
It's entirely possible that that was just a simple oversight on her part - that she did not intent to be deceptive - but it's a significant lapse.
Verified
2 years, 7 months agoLink to this comment | Suggest removal
bddc529, says:
If kem60 assisted Jill during the remodel then they should know that she kept changing her mind so of course the job was behind schedule.. Sounds to me like kem60 is still assisting Jill
Anonymous
2 years, 7 months agoLink to this comment | Suggest removal