UPDATE: 2/11/2015- AG issued their opinion today, they agree with Paul.
Opinions expressed below are STRICTLY my own and do not represent anyone else
When Somervell County had the Hospital District election, it reminded me personally of the Glen Rose city council or the School Board elections. In other words, you have so many spots to fill, you aren't filling them on the basis of party or voting by precinct, etc but just saying, whoever gets the most votes gets those positions. So, if you have 3 positions, for example, and 6 people running and the votes are Person1: 20 votes Person2: 19 votes Person3 17 votes Person4: 13 votes Person5 10 votes, Person 6 3 votes, 1, 2 and 3 will be the people who are in office. But what happens if two people on that list tie? If, as in that example above, Person 1 20 Person 2 19 Person 3 19 Person 4 13- the SAME 3 people would STILL be in office. Since, in the case of the hospital district election, the people still fit within the number of candidates, it doesn't knock anyone off the list. Does raise a question about how long the terms are, which only applies AT THE NEXT ELECTION. Anyway, there's a bunch of arguments that were made on both sides, one of the board members called for coin toss between Eugene Brode and Paul Harper to determine which one would get a one year term and which one a two year term, and it was voted down. What was voted for, with one board member abstaining, was to request an Attorney General opinion, which is a fantastic idea. Since there really isn't any rush UNTIL the next election, that should allow for plenty of time for the AG to look at this.
What IS amusing to me is how people (looking at YOU, Ron Hankins) attribute all kinds of 0 motives to my husband. They obviously do not know him, that he is an engineer who looks at details, troubleshoots, in short has the kind of mind that dwells on the finer points of any issue, wants to drill down into the facts and doesn't accept just any old thing that is said as truth if it can't be backed up. That's just how he is. He can be wrong, but if, on principle, he wants to actually DISCUSS a subject BEFORE the public and argue the finer points in a reasonable manner, I"m ALL for that. I don't prefer the alternative, which is a bunch of nodding heads that don't ask questions, don't put things on the agenda, don't discuss when things come up for a vote so that we can know WHAT THE FOOL they're talking about. Gasp! So people don't always agree! Wow! Does anyone REALLY think that an elected board should be puppets and quiet Yes Men and Women? I don't. Now, I do think that I voted for certain of these people because I believed that they reflected my own wishes about the hospital and how it should be run, and I intend to exercise my position as a citizen to let them all know vigorously what I would like them to do. They don't have to do it, but dang, I'm not going to stay quiet. And neither should board members who have an issue before them.
Incidentally, this is another instance of Ron Hankins flying off the handle, being inflammatory and accusing Paul Harper of going on his own to ask for an opinion about the term limits. As you will hear in the video above, Mr Harper explains that it was not he, but the local newspaper who approached the attorney asking for an opinion. (Adding that I KNOW this because I ASKED Paul Harper, my husband, if I could have a copy of that email after I saw that exchange)
From: Kevin Reed
Sent: 5/12/2014 3:25 PM
To: Paul Harper
Cc: Ray Reynolds
Subject: RE: Petition Processing
Paul, the newspaper asked me about the issue of the tie vote. The statute does not address this issue so we checked with the Secretary of State. Before I responded to the news reporter I wanted to give you the courtesy of seeing what the Secretary of State told us.
.......
The substance of Mr Reed's reply is what is at issue and why the board this last week voted to get a Texas Attorney General opinion.
Basically, Mr Hankins says that despite him never having one word of direct conversation with Mr. Harper, that he knows Mr Harper's motives. Oh, to be Karnak the Magnificent and being able to see into EVERYONE'S minds the way Hankins claims to.
