We pride ourselves on having unpaid members of our city council. It allows our politics to remain relatively unsullied by the usual absurdity we see in Washington and even sometimes in Austin. The limited influence of money in our city council races has been one of the keys to maintaining our community focused local government.
Unfortunately, it appears as though money has found a way to potentially influence politics in Jersey Village after all. A very large amount of money has been dumped into this race by business interests. $13,700 to be exact.
For comparison’s sake, you can review last year’s campaign finance reports here. Note the large differences in the amount of money involved in the campaigns last year with the amounts documented below.
Admittedly, there is a lot of documentation provided. To assist you in better identifying the parties involved, here is a handy guide:
Dan Quinlan ($8,000 contributed to C.J. Harper over the last two years): a real estate agent and developer who was instrumental in pushing through changes to zoning regulations last year which allowed for the construction of a Subaru dealership.
Joe Myers Ford Management ($5,700 contributed to C.J. Harper over the last two years): These contributions were made by the following persons: Shari Alligood, wife of Chris Alligood, New Vehicle Sales Director – $2,000; Steve Blanchard, General Sales Manager – $2,200; Carolyn Cross, General Manager – $500; Emma Jean Jones, Executive Assistant – $1,000
It should be noted that Joe Myers Ford (owned by Berkshire Hathaway, an international conglomerate) is currently in the process of seeking a change to the zoning laws which currently keep the area known as “Jersey Village Crossing” reserved for high density mixed use (residential and retail), similar to what we see in places like The Woodlands’ Market Street or CityCentre. Rather than reserving that area for its intended purpose, they want to build a car lot in that space.
On the other hand, my contributions are modest and have largely come from Jersey Village residents with no economic interests in the city other than simply wanting what is best for our community.
We need to send a clear message in this election, which begins on Monday, April 24th. Jersey Village is not for sale.
C.J. Harper’s Campaign Finance Reports
These represent all of C.J. Harper’s campaign finance filings with the City of Jersey Village since he began running for city council in 2015.
This PDF is also available for viewing by clicking here.
Bobby Warren’s Campaign Finance Reports
These represent all of Bobby Warren’s campaign finance filings with the City of Jersey Village since he began running for city council in 2016.
This PDF is also available for viewing by clicking here.
