Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Flushing out City Hall in Fort Worth

By Don Young of FWCanDo

Only a fool would keep flushing a stopped up toilet, right? Disgusting? Yes. Irresponsible? Definitely. But that's essentially what's happening in Fort Worth, Texas under the watch of the current elected officials.

Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief and his city council brown-nosers keep flushing and we keep paying to clean up their mess. Case in point:

Irresponsible Gas Drilling

The reason that irresponsible gas drilling is allowed in Fort Worth and other north Texas urban centers can be traced directly to Mike Moncrief's and former mayor Ken Barr's dishonorable association with the gas drilling industry. The buck stops with them. Consider the following:

--- Moncrief's gas drilling Task Farce was designed to deceive the public and grease the wheels for a dirty industry. Public comments were ignored.

--- We now have proof that Barnett Shale drilling has a major impact on the air we depend on for life yet, the City of Fort Worth under Moncrief's watch still issues drilling permits and cozy's up with drillers.

--- The Barnett Shale Energy Education Council (BSEEC), Moncrief's brainchild, was founded by gas drillers to counter the negative press they rightly deserve. (see above)

--- Moncrief continues to violate respectable ethical standards by voting on controversial gas drilling issues before city council, despite his significant investments in Barnett Shale drilling companies.

--- Former FW mayor, Ken Barr, who now works for Chesapeake Energy, represented them on the gas drilling Task Force and unethically uses his insiders clout to push their filthy agenda at city hall. That's not very sporting of our former mayor.

--- For the past year, both men and their lawyers have mercilessly toyed with the people of Carter Avenue whose property and lives have been held hostage.

--- Moncrief has so many conflicts of interest it's hard to tell him from a truth-challenged Pinocchio. He deserves a jail term, not another term as mayor.

Voters should stop holding their noses and hoping things will get better. Moncrief's "Fort Worth Way" is the Wrong Way. It's time to stop the foolishness and flush out city hall.

* Vote the gas drilling fanatics out of office on May 9th.

* Bring back ethics and a livable city to local government.

Need more reasons to flush out Moncrief & Co.? See my 28 Questions for Mike Moncrief (that he never addressed) first published in 2005.

Now it's your turn. Voting Day is May 9, 2009.

Pegasus News content partner - FWCanDo

See more stories in:

• Environmental Issues > Barnett Shale
• Politics and Government > City Government > Fort Worth
• Politics and Government > Texas > Local Elections