Taylor citizens must demand an independent investigation!
Taylor TX., April 21, 2016 - The Taylor Press finally found time, on April 19, 2016, to briefly address the Taylor Housing Authority (THA) HUD audit which documented a loss of over $2 million in assets and annual cash flows exceeding $700,000.
In that article, the Taylor Press presented and supported the notion that there should be no competent outside criminal investigation of the loss, that it should be handled as a civil matter.
The Taylor Press article came just after the forum for Taylor City Council candidates. The Taylor Press was a sponsor of that forum. A public candidate forum where there were no questions about the $2 million loss of real estate and significant cash flow.
I know the question was submitted and I know it was considered during the question selection process. But it was avoided at the forum. The absence of the THA question was the real elephant in the room.
It is hard to believe that was coincidence. After all, the Master of Ceremonies, for the forum, was reported to the IRS as the Chairman of the Board, for one and Treasurer for the other, organizations which were accused by the city of illegally taking over the more than $2 million in properties and more than $700,000 annual cash flow that were lost by THA.
Yes, you are reading correctly, the guy who the city is suing about the $2 million loss was the master of ceremonies for the city council candidate forum where the question about the $2 million was not asked. Then the Taylor Press, who sponsored the forum, wrote an article which presented the conclusion that there should not be a criminal investigation.
The HUD audit and the civil lawsuits, first and second, filed by the city all contain allegations, substantial evidence, and reason to suspect crimes were committed. The HUD audit contains enough apparent and obvious evidence to give overwhelming probable cause for a criminal investigation. And, nobody is denying those facts?
The HUD audit facts indicate that there were crimes and prominent and influential individuals in our community had some involvement or awareness.
How is it possible that the THA attorney, who is also our City Attorney, could have knowledge, or not, that $2 million in public property was illegally transferred and the cash flow of that property was diverted since 2008, and do nothing for all those years? That is until after October 2014, when the HUD audit became public. The first lawsuit was filed in January 2015, after the audit became public knowledge.
It is a fair question. Particularly, when that same attorney has also represented the bank which used one of the illegally transferred properties as collateral for a large loan.
While those properties were transferred and the cash flow was missing for years, nobody in our local government said a word or did a thing until an anonymous tip was made to the Federal Housing and Urban Development agency. But, they all had to know. Or, could it be possible that the Mayor, who appoints the THA board, or the THA attorney were completely unaware, for years?
Nobody made any announcement when the lawsuits were filed. It was all very quietly done. And, the silence continued right through the forum last week.
We not only have probable cause to believe there was a crime, but, we have probable cause to ask why the hell it was suppressed for so long and why is that continuing?
Taylor citizens deserve a complete and transparent investigation by an outside law enforcement entity that can be trusted.
While the $2 million plus loss is unacceptable, and must be investigated, it is a symptom of the political cancer that has plagued Taylor and Williamson County for a long time.
I believe Taylor citizens should not support any candidate or incumbent who will not demand a complete and transparent investigation of the THA debacle. I encourage Taylor citizens to contact the Taylor City Council candidates and incumbents and demand an investigation based on the probable cause information contained in the HUD audit.
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"Corruption in our courts and government will not be stopped by those at the top, they benefit too much. It can only be stopped from the bottom, by each voter becoming informed and holding city and county elected officials responsible."
Tom Mowdy
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