Independents call former Governor Rick Perry "Governor 39%". That was Perry's reelection percentage in 2006 when two independents -- Carole Strayhorn and Kinky Friedman -- were running against him and Democrat Chris Bell.
Perry shot himself in the foot pushing a foreign mega-corporation "deal of the century" -- the Trans-Texas Corridor, aka the "NAFTA Highway", a public-private partnership that leveraged our public highways for his donor pals. Today, the same thing is happening with the "Trans-Texas water highway," aka Vista Ridge, "the San Antone Hose."
Why is Perry stumping for his water boy
in a local Texas House District (HD-17), home of Vista Ridge?
Perry is stumping for a young guy who wants to become the State Representative for Caldwell, Bastrop, Lee, Milam, and Burleson counties -- House District 17. Neither Perry nor his candidate, Stan Gerdes, mention a word about the wealth transfer -- precious groundwater -- flowing to San Antonio for buildout into the Hill Country that the Vista Ridge pipeline involves. The pipeline threatens landowner wells and their wealth and the wealth of local rural economies in HD-17. Then there are 1.8 million San Antonio Water System ratepayers paying exorbitant water rates to help subsidize development into the Hill Country. (See our water page -- the Big Squeeze - water -- if you doubt us.)
Stan Gerdes moved into the small town of Smithville (Bastrop County) just two years ago. He has yet to serve a full year on the Smithville City Council, a position Perry helped secure for Gerdes. Smithville locals tell us he's also making few friends without the listening skills it takes to move into a community to lead it.
This expensive 11 x 17 mailer puffs up Stan Gerdes's "Top-Secret Clearance," likely given to him because it appears he was Perry's scheduler. It also implies he's got Donald Trump's backing. Trump might call that a bit of fake news.
The Gerdes campaign is flush with cash, much from outside the district and likely Perry's profiteering cohorts involved in the energy sector and some well known "growth machine" lobbyists. See the Texas Ethics Commission Report here and the very recent report here.
Rick's up to his old tricks in the Texas Political Swamp!
In January 2020, shortly after Perry left the Trump Administration, he showed up on the Board of Directors of Energy Transfer. Energy Transfer was the largest profiteer of the Texas grid failure last year, walking away with $2.4 billion of the $54 billion profits. Energy Transfer CEO, Kelcy Warren, gave $1 million to Greg Abbott. Energy Transfer's PAC gave Gerdes $1000.
Energy Transfer was shamefully in the news again this week, threatening to cut off power to Vistra Corp's 400,000 customers.
If Perry's water boy is elected, hide your water and wallets, folks.
Visit LIV's "The Big Squeeze" water page for just part of our long and winding story to protect Texans' most precious resource.
Linda for a Little Less Corruption is Linda Curtis, a long time political independent and a founder of the League of Independent Voters. Bio here.
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