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We have seen a lot of mendacious campaign ads over the years, but Mayor Renard Johnson’s video endorsing Ricardo Samaniego’s re-election for County Judge is Texas AAA prime bulls%$t.
Johnson has the audacity to claim Samaniego is “focused” on lowering our taxes.
Let that sink in…
We’re talking about a politician who voted for $874,395,000 in general obligation bonds, certificates of obligation, and tax anticipation notes since January 2023, of which $705,625,000 were approved.
And then there is the fact that he voted to increase his own salary twice, in 2020 and 2024, from $105,080 to $152,700, a difference of $47,620, or 45%!
And then there is the fact that he just voted to contribute $1 million to the Deck Plaza, which is projected to cost $412 million in 2027 dollars.
“THE GREAT WORK THAT WE’RE WORKING ON”
Johnson concludes by stating Samaniego should be re-elected “so that we can continue the great work that we’re working on.”
It is hard to decipher what he means by this because as far as we can tell, Johnson has not put up a single agenda item to implement a substantive policy change or otherwise accomplished anything that matters.
But we do know that he is about to break his campaign promise to “lower” our property tax. If Johnson means Samaniego, we are talking about massive debt and unprecedented spending, which will be followed by tax increases.
The good news is that the voters know perfectly well that Samaniego has sold out to the big developers and their bankers and attorneys and that he stands for them rather than the common taxpayers.
We are not fooled.
USE OF CITY VEHICLE FOR CAMPAIGN AD
One thing we found interesting in the campaign ad is that the backdrop is a late-model Chevrolet Tahoe that is owned by the City and used for transporting dignitaries.
The City Ethics Ordinance prohibits “Officers and employees” from “personally utilizing City resources or by omission allowing City resources to be utilized for personal benefit or the benefit of another.”
Is deploying a City vehicle for a campaign ad a violation of the ordinance?
We shall find out shortly.
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