Grandview's rejection of earmark becomes part of Republican's campaign against U.S. Rep. Edwards
By Michael W. Shapiro Tribune-Herald staff writer
Earlier this month, the city council in Grandview, a Johnson County city along Interstate 35 West with a population of 1,583, took a stand against pork.
Members said they weren’t trying to make too big a fuss when they passed a Feb. 4 resolution rejecting a $492,000 earmark to build a new water tower that a previous set of council members had asked U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, to help fund.
But the wording of the statement was strong.
Republican House candidate Rob Curnock expressed solidarity with the Grandview City Council’s stand against earmarks.
It directly attributed “the current state of our national government” to “irresponsible pork-barrel politics,” and said “the City of Grandview does not believe such funding is ethical or constitutional.”
On the offensive
After a newspaper article in a nearby Cleburne paper, word traveled fast.
It prompted some media attention and a news release from the congressional campaign of Waco Republican Rob Curnock expressing solidarity with the council’s anti-earmark message while taking several digs at Edwards.
Curnock’s release hammered Edwards for using “taxpayer money to try and make a name for himself,” and said the city didn’t request the money and that the water tower wasn’t a priority.
Those points were contradicted by Grandview Mayor Travis Buck, who supports the resolution but insisted it wasn’t targeting Edwards.
“I do not believe Congressman Edwards acted in any way unethically,” said Buck, who missed the council meeting. “He was simply doing what a previous council had asked him to do: Get money for a water tower.”
Edwards’ staff provided a 2007 letter from former Grandview Mayor Jack Orr thanking Edwards for securing money to build the tower.
Buck said the main reason the council rejected the money for the tower — which was intended to accommodate future growth on land opposite I-35 from much of the city’s existing development — was the project would have put the city on the hook for $225,000 in related infrastructure costs.
Buck said providing water to the other side of the highway remains a priority, but the city has to be flexible about how it accomplishes that goal.
“With the economic conditions being the way they are — we’re having a hard time with sales tax revenue and property tax revenue — the timing was just really bad for this,” Buck said.
For now, the city is studying if it is feasible to bore under I-35 and pipe water to the other side of the highway.
The resolution’s author, Bill Pannell, expressed a stronger distaste for earmarks Thursday, defending the statement and the council’s rejection of the money.
“You can’t condemn the way the system operates on the one hand and then use it on the other,” Pannell said.
He said the council’s reaction was as strong as it was because the panel learned the money was an earmark and not a grant only a few weeks before its February meeting, where they also found out they wouldn’t be able to repurpose the money for smaller water projects.
But Pannell — who’s listed as a Curnock supporter on the campaign’s Web site — said the council had tried not to make too big a deal about its decision and was disappointed to see the resolution become political fodder two weeks after it was passed.
“One of the reasons that we as a council were fairly silent about this is because it’s an election year, and we didn’t want it to be construed as a political attack,” he said. “The condemnation was on the system, even though it’s something we’ve all probably, at one time or other, been a beneficiary of.”
Earmarks make up less than 2 percent of federal spending. Edwards has said finding money for worthy local projects, whether through earmarks or other avenues, is among the most important things he does as a congressman.
Edwards has supported legislation to make the earmark process more transparent.
But earmarks have become politically more controversial lately, with several prominent Republican lawmakers refusing to earmark money for home projects.
Still, the vast majority of counties and cities, including Waco, have relied on earmarks from time to time to pay for projects.
“We have a fairly extensive capital improvement list of projects from water and sewer to transportation programs to buildings — things we think are absolutely essential to get done,” Waco City Manager Larry Groth said.
Groth, who said such projects aren’t always affordable for the city, said his philosophy is, “We’re not asking for money unless it’s a project we think absolutely is valid for the community.”
Buck said that as unpalatable as earmarks are to him and the council, he sees them as a last resort.
“I think there may be a time and a place for them after all other avenues are exhausted.”
mshapiro@wacotrib.com
757-5707
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I bet Waco will take it and put those trolley cars on line. Talking about a losing proposition
My Mother is a liberal to the Nth degree, but even she knows Chet's time is done. She asks if he has ever held a job besides politician. She wants someone who is not a career pol, knowing thats what we need now.
Lets see here ~ Grandview asks for the money then declines the money. Its Chet Edwards fault that the city doesn't know what it wants or when it wants it? If Curnock chooses to make this his "smoking gun," he's in for a shock. Curnock is in a fight for the GOP nomination, yet he is running against Edwards in February? Doesn't seem all that bright, or else its an example of utter arrogance shown toward his fellow Republicans. In either case, its risky business and unwise politics before one even secures his party's nomination. If he campaigns this way, imagine how he would act is elected to congress.
Go Dave McIntyre. Best of the bunch.
My father has been an outright conservative to every single letter. He lives and breaths republican but when it comes to Chet, he knows the man looks out for him and has always been treated well by their offices whenever he is in need. Chet has secured him his benefits and has even helped him find transportation to get to appointments when I can't do it myself. I think a man like Chet is no where near the man you accuse him to be. When you come to need his assistance is when you truly find out how good of a man he is and I wish him the best in the election. Thank you Chet!
Speaking of ugly heads, has everyone met Jimbo?
" The louder he spoke of his honesty, the faster we counted the silverware " Yes those Dems are so lily-white.
Chet Pelosi.
I congratulate Grandview for doing what is right. Just because Chet is good at bringing home other peoples money does not make it the right thing to do. "our fair share" equals some other guys hard earned money. More Grandviews would make this a better country.
Oops. Censorship has reared its ugly head again!!!
Grandview is a notorious spped trap. They have one half mile of I35 frontage yet spend hours on the freeway neglecting the rest of the city. Their city council is nothing but a bunch of t-baggers trying to make a splash against democrats, while handicapping their own citizens. I'd keep the mayor away from planes so that he can't try to make a bigger mess
If enough people like Curnock get elected, this state and nation will resemble Mexico in short order. There will be no middle class; just the very poor and the very rich. American capitalism will be dead--Bush/Cheney/Rove/Delay almost killed it! Let's don't let that band of anti-capitalist New World Order National Corporate Security Statists finish the job they started in 2001!
And for Curnock's & uh huh's information, Republicans broke every record for "earmarks" when they were in the majority until they discovered it could be just another cheap political prop too....but even then, they still pile up more pork than the Democrats do and lie their tails off about it when they get caught at it. They are always first in line to take credit for any federal money coming their way and they don't tell the recipients they voted against that evil federal money. But worse than that, Curnock is a bald faced liar when he says Grandview's city council didn't ask for the money to build a new water tower. They actually did ask Chet and Cornyn and Kay Hutchinson for help with that project. Bottom line: Curnock will lie, cheat and steal to get the Republican nomination and to get elected to go to Washington DC and help his sleazy party get back in power so they can plunder this country again like they did when Bush/Cheney/McConnell/Delay/Boehner and that band of bums were running the show. Birds of a feather flock together. That means Curnock flocks together with the very cadre of thieves and liars--who caused The Great Recession--he emulates in his campaign and life. What dishonest intellectual midget he is..or maybe he is just retarded!!! In that case, forgiveness is in order but my vote isn't!!
To: most valuable player; I knew an MVP and you sir are no MVP. Support Chet Pelosi.
A revolution Nacho? ha ha. Ok..But I thought the Civil War ended a long time ago. That must be you driving that camouflage late 90's Tahoe with the secede sticker on the back?
Its laughable that Grandview rejected the money for a worthy cause as other cities get grants to build bridges for turtles and airports in rural areas of Alaska. Grandview should just purge their city and disappear.
I can't stand Chet. Never have been able to. I have campaigned against him and his plasticity at every opportunity. That having been said, read the article: Earmarks are not the problem, they make up less than 2% of the total federal budget. Come on, it's like that Hershey bar and diet Coke you have every day.
What's Ron Burgandy doing as the face of this article?
When Chet's people flood the comments section with baloney, the writing is on the wall- Chet Pelosi is feeling the heat.
It's not surprising to see Curnock get behind this since if he were to be elected NOBODY would get ANYTHING. The man wants to cut us off and have our cities and infrastructure go to hell as other cities and towns get grants for education and new roads. Hell, I'll take what I can get and I know my neighbors would agree. Chet keep up the hard work!
Chet send that money elsewhere. It's greatly needed to fix roads, improve safety and the general welfare of our police officers. If Grandview doesn't want their fair share, then offer it to other much-needed communities. I appreciate your work and wish you the best in November. Thank You Chet!
Chet Pelosi is in a heap of trouble.
WE DONT WANT KNOW NEW WATER TOWER!! Well good let a city that wants it have it. Then when your city turns into even more of a ghost town don't cry later. I hope this city council is doing the will of its people. Way to go Mr. Curnock! This still won't help you win. Grandview: Why don't get rid of your city council next you have no need for government
WE DONT WANT KNOW NEW WATER TOWER!! Well good let a city that wants it have it. Then when your city turns into even more of a ghost town don't cry later. I hope this city council is doing the will of its people. Way to go Mr. Curnock! This still won't help you win. Grandview: Why don't get rid of your city council next you have no need for government
Waco TruthSquad et al:If ideology shouldn't be the primary factor in voting then why do you vote at all? The truth is that our ideology is exactly why we vote. Yes, Chet Edwards has helped the VA and Fort Hood, as would any Congressman from our district. Being in Congress is not about what is good for our district, it is about what is good for our nation. Now is the time for true change. Hope is for God. I want my change back.I want my children's, and grand children's change back also. It's time for a Revolution.
So a little town in the sticks rejects money for a water tower. So what. I'll bet this same water tower issue come us again soon.....Chet Edwards is a legend here.
I agree with the Waco TruthSquad here. I am also very impressed that Congressman Edwards continues to help Fort Hood in spite of the fact that Bell County was removed from his district years ago.
Tyring to justify pork barrel projects because Waco gets the pork is nuts. This is why the country is in debt to the tune of 14 trillion dollars. Greed! Greed! Greed! Give me my pork! Just remember with debt that high, every dollar spent has interest charged on it. Second: Are there really that many benefits to the area? Most business here is service in nature or has been here for decades. This business will stay and continue to grow no matter who is congressman. It's the low tax policy of the state of Texas you can thank for a respectable local economy.
If the Trib gets it's way and convinces enough voters to vote to un-seat Chet Edwards, Wacoans will suffer mightily, because Edwards has seniority and qualifies for ranking committee assignments. Even if his votes are contrary to your political philosophy, he will make our lives better. Any republican who takes Edwards seat will just have one vote and he will vote as he is told by his political bosses. He will have no influence on other members of congress. Any republican voted into office will have no power and will not represent our district as well. Edwards might not be conservative enough for many here, but he does a good enough job to warrant re-election. Use your heads about this. What's in the best interests of our district and our local community? An experienced politician who has done much for Fort Hood and the VA or a freshman congressman who won't even have floor privileges? Ideology should not be the primary motivating factor.
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