The Donna Brown Saga- Opening

The follow-up to looking in to all of the hullabaloo about Donna Brown will be simple and blunt and rather than provide the usual details, it will refer you to unanswered damning particulars that are already easy to find in the public domain. Liberty Dispatch has dedicated itself to better government in Liberty County, in Texas, and in the entire country without regard to political party or friendship. Donna Brown has been our most difficult test as the follow up to the original article has had to change writers’ due to friendship and the disappointment that comes with high expectations. This two article series will simply end with the following generalities in the form of suggestions and the conclusion that District Clerk Donna Brown needs to withdraw from the race and try and get her name off of the ballots before they are printed.

If Donna Brown wanted to open Purse and Perfume, a shop for women, she could have rented space near the courthouse not in the courthouse. She shouldn’t have used courthouse space and she shouldn't have run for District Clerk. If she wanted to run Drop the Kid Off Daycare, she could have rented a space near the courthouse, not use the peoples courthouse. She shouldn’t have used the courthouse and shouldn't have run for District Clerk. If Donna Brown wanted to ignore the district courts and the laws governing the District Clerk’s office she should have done anything but run for District Clerk.

Friends do not ask their friends to defend the defenseless.

FITZGERALD AND BEAUSOLIEL CONTINUE SHAMELESS POLITICS

LIBERTY COUNTY SWAMP CREATURES
Left to right: Donna "For Sale" Brown, Mark "Cashing in" Beausoleil & "FEMA Phil" Fitzgerald

FITZGERALD AND BEAUSOLIEL CONTINUE SHAMELESS POLITICS

When politicians have been rejected by voters after their behavior and actions have been revealed, most of us expect them to shy away not only from running for elective office, but from politics in general. Since the self-serving ways of Phil Fitzgerald and Mark Beausoliel were made public they have received nothing but rejection in very lopsided election defeats.

One need only browse prior news samples of the Fitzgerald and Beausoliel bad mouthing and vilifying the Republican Party to understand why their running is so disturbing to many. The people of Liberty County witnessed firsthand the shamelessness of two men who now remain un-repented despite the very public exposure of their self-enrichment schemes they exercised when placed in a position of public trust. 

In fact, these two remind the public of the hundreds of thousands of dollars they accrued in their public positions in more ways than one. Beausoliel not only using part of his million plus he “earned” while Assistant County Attorney to purchase a garbage pick up company to “serve” this same area (oh the irony!) and then to continue to remind the public of one of the worst most scandalous periods of time in Liberty County politics, opening a law practice tangent to Phil Fitzgerald’s son. The proximity and location of their business sign forever reminding the public of shady deals and illegal contracts – Fitzgerald - Beausoliel attorneys of law. Most in this county will work for years and not get the benefit Phil and Beausoliel sacked away “on the side” as they used the courthouse and jobs we hired them to do as the base for filling their bank accounts.

But they are shameless. Do they think voters will be ignorant enough as time passes that we would hire them again? Fitzgerald’s political signs indicate a resounding “yes” is their answer to what they think of us voters:

Here is just a sample of PHIL’s slogans he tailors on his signs for different communities: 

“HARDIN STRONG” , “DAISETTA STRONG” , “LIBERTY STRONG”

It was incredible PHIL spent months and months with federal prosecutors and eventually just wore them out rather than being proclaimed innocent. But even more incredible is Phil using the slogan made famous recently by Houston strong will and community spirit as they endured and continue to recover from hurricane Harvey – “HOUSTON STRONG”. Phil goes further on his signs by words of encouragement to each community to work together to overcome difficulties. Interesting since Phil has been one of the difficulties we have all had to endure and overcome. Phil did not just screw FEMA – FEMA is funded by taxes from these communities. He reminds us of the storm and the illegal way he profited from it with his campaign signs!

Like Phil, it is evident Beausoliel is no less embolden by not being forced to give back money that never should have been in his hands. Beausoliel’s signs brag he will be “fair and impartial” if elected judge. As a lowly assistant, Beausoliel could not resist the temptation that opportunity presented and never has shown any embarrassment or regret for counting out hundred dollar bills out of a brown paper bag to his accomplice in the courthouse offices.  By putting “fair and impartial” on his political signs Beausoliel may think he will scrounge up some votes from people who have lost their case in the court he wishes he could wear a black robe in, but to many more people it should remind us how right we were to send him packing the last time he tried to sneak in the courthouse hoping people had forgotten his past. Shameless…

THE TRUTH ABOUT DISTRICT CLERK DONNA BROWN’S TIME IN OFFICE

Politics can be a dangerous place for the truth. Before Liberty Dispatch ask it’s readers to swallow the sudden fall from grace of District Clerk Donna Brown, we will require a response to some of the questions we have asked. It may be a fall or it could be an undeserved untrue push. We will know soon enough and we will report what we find out either way.

Donna Brown is the first District Clerk of Liberty County from the GOP’s side of the ballot in decades and the probability of having accumulated political enemies is likely. Or more timely enemies that come with the usual hardball politics that occur during election time could be the source of all of the negativity surrounding Donna in January of 2018.

We have heard the rumors. The accusations of “selling a line of products for women in a space that used the courthouse like a store in the mall”. Or using the first floor of the courthouse like it was “bus stop for children”.  Or in order to fulfill a campaign promise and “impress voters”- “adopting procedures and practices of recording important documents that expose her personally and the county to legal problems”. 

Soon we will independently report our findings whether pro or con as for Donna Brown. If the rumors are just rumors, we will try and find the source of the rumors and exact political payback for attacking an innocent public servant. If the rumors pan out and are true, we may encourage Donna Brown “to resign or terminate her campaign” as one of the rumors suggest she is considering.

Stay tuned. 

Liberty County District Clerk- The Donna Brown Saga...

Check back, coming soon...

REPUBLICAN PARTY SHOULD MAKE RARE WARNING TO VOTERS

Left to Right - Jay Knight, Craig McNair and "FEMA Phil" Fitzgerald

Here we go again Liberty County voters. It is not likely, but it is possible that we re-elect someone who in his past record of public service so publicly violated ethical behavior.

Since news story after news story from the Cleveland Advocate to the Houston Chronicle to all of the Houston television channels covered then Liberty County Judge Phil Fitzgerald’s million dollar plus arrangement with his brother-in-law to fill their pockets and profit off of the county’s response to a hurricane and FEMA money, this will be Fitzgerald’s third time to try to win elective office.

As amazing as it is that Fitzgerald thinks of himself as a viable candidate, if voters are new to the county or too busy to keep up with the news, he will be right there on the ballot for anyone to cast their vote for. The Republican Party has to allow him to run. In his first attempt to run after embarrassing scandalous news reports were broadcast all across southeast Texas attaching Liberty County to FEMA fraud when people were struggling just to get a roof over their heads and food for the day, Fitzgerald continued to run with President Obama as a Democrat as he asked voters to leave him in the cat bird’s seat as County Judge. Multiple scandals, including but not limited to stories about a mail theft and effort to fraudulently discredit a district judge and cash payoffs in the courthouse for unethical legal referrals left questions about Mark Beausoliel and Phil Fitzerald- questions that heretofore have left them unelectable, but not for a lack of trying.

The 2018 Republican primary ballot will include three men who have served one term as County Judge. Jay Knight, the incumbent, Craig McNair, the County Judge that was edged out when Judge Knight was elected, and Phil Fitzgerald. The unapologetic defiant County Judge before both of these men that spent some of his ill gotten gain wearing out the federal courts and successfully staying out of jail.

The Republican Party was never Fitzgerald’s home before because like a captain on a sinking ship he was so proud and considered it an honor to continue to run as a Democrat way beyond the time candidates that were really more like Republicans or those who did not care about party affiliation had switched. But after being stomped in a primary by an unknown carpetbagger, Fitzgerald ran in the party he had ridiculed time and again... as he ran and lost badly in a congressional race.

FEMA contracts for clean up can be quite lucrative and securing a bid is cause for celebration I suppose. Forced to allow Fitzgerald to spend more of his cash, Republicans have no choice but to print Fitzgerald’s name on the ballot. All three of the candidates can be very charming and have all had the public’s trust at one point. But Republicans need to make the rare move of informing the public that Fitzgerald’s charm needs to be kept in the private sector and no where near where Beausoliel’s stack of $100 bills or the county’s mail room or big contracts let by the county.

The voters, not the party, should choose the next county judge. But they deserve to know local Republicans who have worked hard to get competitive candidates to help make this county strong, did not seek him out and do not want him to be seen as representative of their efforts. The message should be, “Stop running for office Phil!” We have two candidates and either of them will make us proud. Be thankful for your freedom and avoid temptation.

By - Staff Contributor