Below you'll find an allegation sent to me numerous times by different sources and also posted on the El Paso Times comments thingymajig.
Does anyone know about this? Can anyone confirm this is true?
Here's the text that's been sent around:
City Council Candidate Gives Community Service Hours to "Volunteers"
If the allegations of owing the IRS over $190,000 in back taxes was not enough. Reports are coming in that the Lyda Ness-Garcia Campaign was giving people who were under supervision by the West Texas Adult Supervision Department, OK stop with the big words, people who were on probation, community service hours for helping her campaign. How is this possible you ask? It comes back to Danny Rollings/Steele. Danny is the Treasurer for Rio Grande Adelante. The group has a website that informs its followers that they have a Community Service Restitution Program.
"Rio Grande Adelante is pleased to announce our newest collaboration as an agency with the West Texas Community Supervision and Corrections Department. As a registered agency with the WTCS&CD, individuals may sign-up to do their court mandated community service hours working on Rio Grande Adelante community projects. Some of those projects may include: "Adopt-A-Highway" clean-up, program workshops, event preparation, and community involvement."
According to the website only three people have participated in those community involvement programs. The rest who received hours through Rio Grande Adelante, according to a reliable source, have received hours for walking and campaigning for Lyda-Ness-Garcia. Is this the same Lyda-Ness-Garcia who was able to convince news stations to bombard her opponent, Ann Morgan Lilly, on a nightly basis with allegations of using city equipment for campaign purposes? Yup, its the same one. This lady has the nerve to go on television and accuse Ann Morgan-Lilly of using city equipment to campaign while she is using people from the West Texas Community Supervision and Corrections Department to do her campaign work. Let's see if the news stations cover this story. Let's see how quickly Danny and Lyda run to cover their tracks.
Give it a rest guys. This is just overly dirty. It's one thing to attack one candidate but now you are attacking our justice system and other organizations in some crazy conspiracy. I read this blog and find it helpful sometimes but enough is enough. Just accept the obvious. Lilly is desperate.
Posted by: Texican Justice | May 18, 2011 at 02:33 PM
Texican Justice
Our you a moron?The justice system is and has been broken in Texas and in the U.S. for years.The justice system needs to be attacked because it refuses to correct or muchless address it's failures and short comings and now has became one more group of thugs and their thuggery in our government.Sorry David I could not let such bull shit statement pass.Keep posting what you think is right not what others think is politically correct.
Posted by: Thomas | May 18, 2011 at 02:53 PM
Its a fairly complex allegation, I think issues would be 'endorse', 'sanction', my guess is to work for passage of a measure, differs from endorsement of a candidate, community service offenders may retain some measure of free choice, first amendment rights and political speech...my guess is the contract idemifies, washes the state actor clean...while many things may be debated as to if "community service" no doubt some measure of politics is 'community.
Posted by: Carl Starr | May 18, 2011 at 03:14 PM
If this is true I call bullshit on the West Texas publicly funded group. The funny thing is you can call up this group anytime and get "volunteers" to help with all kinds of "community" tasks. But if in fact Nessy got them to hang door knockers for her that is wrong! That's using the government to support your campaign. The "volunteers" need their hours and believe me they will pick the task that is the least offensive, back breaking or boring. I have heard lots of negative things about this West Texas outfit in that they don't really keep good track of the hours spent by their "volunteers" and what exactly they did. Hey David Crowder - this would be a good investigative story to go after. Just what does West Texas Community service do? How are they accountable? Who makes the decision to let groups use the "volunteers"?
Posted by: Interesting Info | May 18, 2011 at 04:35 PM
If you are talking about Probation, then it is wrong.
State, Federal or Local cannot endorse or use political gains of any source. It is wrong and can have many things happen lawfully. When I volunteered for the probation, doing my internship, I could not even talk on the phone about politics. The same at Ft. Bliss when I worked there. Oh! And this goes for Parole Dept., too.
Posted by: Lupe | May 19, 2011 at 12:22 PM
I don't think it Probation but Deversion, the alleged facts is not that the State did anything wrong.
Posted by: Carl Starr | May 19, 2011 at 02:14 PM
I think you got it all wrong, my cousin volunteered for her campaign and it was for extra credit in a Political Science course (Civic Engagement Project). Him and his girlfriend volunteered and passed out fliers. I even helped them one day. Writing inaccurate statements may be free speech but making accusations verges on libel! If you have doubts call the UTEP Center for Civic Engagement, and ask if Aaron Smith and Valerie Ronquillo did their hours volunteering on Ms. Garcia's campaign.
Posted by: Richard | May 19, 2011 at 10:34 PM
Lots of political science professors at UTEP and EPCC encourage their students to participate in the political campaign/voting process. DavidK is NOT talking about those volunteers. He's talking about probationers/community service people that were "used" for campaign purposes. Personally, I think professors/teachers that force "extra credit" down your throat by asking that you participate in a campaign (and they have their favorite candidate they want you to volunteer for) is wrong and violates my freedom to support who I want on my own terms without having to buy a grade for participating. Just goes to show how gullible college students are.
Posted by: student | May 20, 2011 at 11:43 AM
College professors cannot and should not give extra credit for this. Jaime O. Perez got in trouble for this before. Either way, she is unethical. If you and your cousin and his girlfriend are supporting Ness the Mess, you need to get a better education. This woman is evil, unethical, and crazy, just like her twin Theresa Caballero.
Posted by: Diana | May 20, 2011 at 11:46 AM
Is it ethical to change a vote due to a 20k contribution to your campaign ? It might be legal, but it doesn't mean it's ethical.
Posted by: Ethics ? | May 20, 2011 at 01:19 PM
What's wrong with students volunteering for a class project? If they have a choice of who they want to support, if it's part of a class that teaches about the process, and if it's outside of the classroom instruction ... WHO CARES! Be glad we have people that want to get involved and take part in the election system. If she did have college students helping and they learned all of the BS it takes to run for office, then I say it was a great civics lesson!
Posted by: Beth Reliford | May 20, 2011 at 01:32 PM
That is the problem. The students are NOT given a choice.
Posted by: Diana | May 21, 2011 at 11:08 AM
those are some serious allegations, David, which is why i know you were smart enough to couch them in a manner that keeps you insulated from potential libel lawsuits. if the allegations are true, there's paperwork and a lot of people involved - i'm sure the truth will bubble to the surface.
speaking of rumors, heard an amusing one that shapleigh never changed his password for his calendar after leaving office -- so whoever had access before still does!
Posted by: Elmo | May 23, 2011 at 11:27 AM