Shady Behavior By Presley In HD 29?

One of the reprehensible tactics used by the Texas Republican Party as they clawed their way from somnambulant minority party status to a majority by 2002 was having people run in the Democratic Party primary. 

In the 70's and 80's, that basically meant you would win in the general election because of the Democratic dominance of the state at the time if you won your contested Democratic Party primary race.

That GOP ringer person would after capturing the nomination, either wait until after they had won the November general election, then switch parties and declare they were 'now a Republican' after using Democratic Party resources and funds to get the office, or after winning the Democratic nomination, wait until it was too late to take their name off the ballot or for the Texas  Democratic Party to replace them to cite some reason to withdraw from the race, allowing the Republican candidate in that race to basically run unopposed.

When I saw this FB message from James Patrick Presley announcing that he was ending his campaign for the Pearland area HD 29 seat south of Houston, it not only sent deja vu vibes of back in the day Republican meddling in our Democratic primaries, but pissed me off on multiple levels.

Patrick Presley

          23 hrs

Friends, Family, Voters, and fellow Candidates,
With my deepest apologies, I regret to inform you that I will no longer be pursuing the position of State Representative, HD 29, as it is no longer within my best interests. I have made this decision within the last two weeks. I am not being threatened or coerced to do this. I know this will come as a shock to many, and that many will be upset with this decision, but please allow me to explain: 

When I decided to run for this office, I had the complete belief and motivation that if I gained the full support of the Democratic Party in this area, I could win this office with moderate stances and a voice of reason/unity. Freshly coming from the Libertarian Party, and even after winning my primary, this is not what has happened. I have been talked about behind my back, lied about, misrepresented, misunderstood, and unsupported. I have tried to explain multiple times that my former beliefs from my time in the LP were no longer my beliefs, as they quickly changed the more I researched specific areas of psychology pertaining to political viewpoints. My current political standings label me as a centrist, moderate, independent, and left-of-center. None of this mattered in the mind of the Democratic Party. As a Republican friend of mine told me, “When you won your primary, we were worried. When we saw how the Democrats reacted, we were relieved.” 

I no longer feel the need to explain myself. I no longer feel the desire to talk about moderate viewpoints to a group who only wishes to hear progressive stances. I will no longer feel the stress of having to spend my own money against a $500,000 tank. I simply do not have the influence and support within my own party to win this race. I would rather spend my time, money, and resources on myself, my education, my friends, my family, and possibly some wonderful candidates we have within the Democratic Party. I am particularly excited about Beto, Mike Collier, Kim Olson, Sri Kulkarni, Eliz Markowitz, FJ Jones, and Robin Burgess. (This is not a complete list of who I will vote for, but Criminal Justice Reform (Judge Reform) and Education Reform are my top priorities). 

I would like to specifically apologize to Dylan Forbis for taking this opportunity away from you. You have been nothing but helpful and kind to me this entire time. I messaged Dylan one day with absolute excitement and motivation that I could raise $100,000. He told me I was being too ambitious. I didn't believe him, but he was correct. I still believe need YOUNG REPRESENTATION in our government. I hope the next candidate the Democratic Party chooses is young (Below 40), influential, and a community leader. Preferably a veteran and a business owner. 

From here I will continue to go to school on my GI Bill. I hope to go to Physical Therapy school in the next couple years. I need a high GPA, and I may be required to move to find a school that is right for me. This is another reason it is not best for me to pursue this office. I will continue to preach Criminal Justice Reform and Education reform. 

However, I will not be pursing any type of office in the near future. I do hope to sit down with Ed Thompson to discuss my concerns within the state of Texas. Hopefully we can come to agreements. He has been very kind to me and already told me he would vote to repeal section 22.06 of the penal code (Deemed unconstitutional: Outlawing Homosexuality). This would be progress, but understand that this is not a reason I am not pursuing this position. We need Criminal Justice Reform, Education Reform, Father's Rights, and Healthcare Reform. 

I wish to not be harassed. If you feel a certain way about this decision, you are free to discuss it. Do not tag me, do not message me, and if you so choose, delete me from social media. However, I hope that we can understand and remain friends/acquaintances.

Yeah Patrick.  I do wish to discuss it. 

Presley beat Dylan Forbis back in March to get the nomination, and this situation has the unpleasant stench of Presley being a ringer for several reasons. 

Presley was a Libertarian, I'm  highly skeptical until they have spent at least five years in the Democratic Party that your change of party affiliation is genuine. 

Because we have been burned by GOP fake Dem ringers in the past. I and other Texas Democrats are justifiably skeptical of people from the right who join the party until we feel comfortable that your claim of seeing the political light is genuine and you have paid your dues in this party.

Just donating money to the Kentucky Republican Party combined with his conservative stances was enough to sink Andrew White's bid to get the Democratic nomination for Texas governor 

If  Presley wasn't sure he was committed to campaigning all the way until November, he should have never jumped into the race in the first place.

Another thing that is pissing me off about this late drop out and fueling my suspicion that he was a ringer is that under the Texas Election code, a political party may replace its candidate after a withdrawal if that candidate:

*Falls “critically ill” and would not be able to execute his or her duties if elected
*If no other party has a nominee for the position that is being contested,
*If the candidate withdraws because he or she was elected or appointed to another office. 

Since Presley's withdrawal from the HD 29 race doesn't fall under any of those parameters, it looks like for the second time since 2014, unless Democratic Party attorneys find a way out of this mess, Ed Thompson is going to go unopposed in a general election for his HD 29 seat.

That's disappointing and disrespectful to the 4056 Democratic residents of the district who voted for you over Dylan Forbis to be the Democratic nominee to take on Thompson.  

As you acknowledged in your comment, you not only took away an opportunity for Dylan to possibly serve HD 29 as its elected state rep, more importantly, you took away a historic opportunity for the Texas trans community, a community demonized in the last session by Potty Dan Patrick and Locker Room Lois Kolkhorst, to possibly place for the first time ever a trans representative in the Texas Lege. 

So yeah, that reason more than anything else besides wanting to see more Democrats in the Texas legislature in the 2019 session is why I'm definitely pissed about what you have done.

More Pearland Political Shenanigans

Looks like the peeps who want the bigoted status quo to stay intact in Pearland are having a hard time dealing with the reality that their once sleepy little suburban town is a multicultural city of over 130,000 people. 

With the city evolving to become a diverse metropolis, the political leadership of it at city hall and the school board need to reflect that reality.

Daniel Abdullah Hernandez is running for the Pearland ISD school board's Position 4 against incumbent Sean Murphy.  That board is close to flipping to liberal-progressive control if the conservative faction controlling it now lose one or two more seats. 

If that happens, PISD's homophobic and transphobic superintendent Dr. John Kelly is probably going to be one of the casualties since he is a polarizing figure there. 

Hernandez has not only been critical of Pearland ISD's treatment of trans kid Kai Shappley, he has also been critical about the district's racial and fiscal problems. 

Hernandez would also be the first Latinx person amd Muslim elected to the PISD board should he be successful in winning his race on May 5.  Hernandez is also the imam at the Pearland Islamic Center.

Dalia Kasseb, who ran for the Pearland City Council last year, is making another run at a Pearland City Council seat.    You'll remember that anti-Muslim rhetoric was deployed in her race last year in which she led all candidates in her race by getting 41% of the ballots cast. 

Unfortunately that wasn't enough for her to win the seat outright on Election Day.  Kasseb was forced into a runoff for that Position 7 seat that she unfortunately lost.

She does have two other challengers for the Position 4 seat in Sonny Atkins and Adrian Hernandez, and was endorsed by the Texas Democratic Party.   Here's hoping that Kasseb is successful this time in making history, capturing the seat on the Pearland City Council that eluded her last year and does so in 2018 without a runoff. 

If she does accomplish that feat, she would become the first Muslim to win a political race in Brazoria County in addition to becoming the first to win a Pearland city council seat.

But there are some peeps in Pearland who aren't liking the fact that since 2000, the town has grown more diverse.  It is now 47% Anglo, 25% Latinx, 17% African American and 9% Asian.

While it's denied by city leaders, there is an increasing divide between the longtime conservative leaning residents and the more liberal progressive ones in the newer, more ethnically diverse suburbs west of FM 518.  It's starting to play out in the city's politics.    

A hidden camera recently caught an elderly white woman tearing down a Daniel Hernandez campaign sign.  There was YouTube video of it happening, but of course it has been taken down in an attempt to protect the guilty party who didn't know she was on camera when she performed her nefarious deed.

Stealing, defacing, mutilating or willfully destroying a political yard sign on private property is a misdemeanor crime in Texas punishable by a $2500 fine, a year in jail or both.

The same thing is reportedly happening to Kasseb's yard signs according to one of my Pearland TransGriot readers.

 


Good luck to both Daniel Hernandez and Dalia Kasseb as they both seek to make electoral history in Pearland.  Shame on the folks who are engaging in thuggish political behavior.

Early voting starts on April 23, so Pearland peeps, make your voices heard and beat back the election bigotry that is occuring once again in this city.

The bottom line is that Pearland is getting diverse, and the people who are seeing public office there will only continue to be more representative of the entire community, not less so

Special PISD Board Meeting Today

Today at noon the Pearland ISD is having a special board meeting. 

In the special board meeting announcement it says one of the issues being covered is 'to deliberate the duties of the Superintendent of Schools.'  Looks like they are probably going to be discussing the interesting revelations that surfaced last week concerning Pearland ISD superintendent John Kelly's son Patrick.

Patrick's now taken down Facebook page was a hot racist mess of white supremacist negativity aimed not only at various ethnic groups, but the transgender community as well.

Dr. Kelly, while screeching about 'parental responsibility' on his PISD website blogs, has also made some homophobic and transphobic remarks, and was also in Austin back in March gleefully testifying in favor of an SB 6 bill that would oppress many of his students in the rapidly diversifying city and school district.

While Dr. Kelly has been loud and proud about demonizing Kai Shappley and the TBLGQ community, he's been cricket chirping silent about the allegations concerning his own white supremacist son as PISD parents increasingly want to know what is going on with the man tasked to oversee the district in which their children are being educated.

So it's going to be interesting to see what transpires at the end of this special school board meeting and if some statement comes out of 1928 N. Main St.

TransGriot Update:  As I suspected would be the case,  nothing happened.  As long as the conservafools have majority control of the PISD board,  no accountability will be forthcoming to John Kelly

It's up to progressive PISD parents to clean house on that board and vote Kelly's allies off of it.

Why Is The Son of The Pearland ISD Superintendent A White Supremacist?

You longtime TransGriot readers are aware that I have no love for Dr John Kelly, the transphobic and homophobic superintendent of the Pearland Independent School District who has not only been hating on PISD transkids like Kai Shappley, he took time out of his busy schedule to lobby for passage of the unjust SB 6 back in March.

Meet John Kelly's son Patrick Christian Kelly.

Seems young Mr.. Kelly is even more extreme than his PISD superintendent daddy, and made it clear via his Facebook page how he feels about a wide variety of peeps who don't look like him and his father who is paid big bucks to ensure that all kids who live in the Pearland ISD get a good education

Was sent these screenshots of some of Patrick's hateful rhetoric by two of my TransGriot readers that live in PISD  that he proudly posted on his Facebook page.

Needless to say I'm appalled at the reprehensible racist comments expressed by someone whose middle name ironically is Christian, but is anything but that.   And in case you're wondering, yep, he's a transphobe, too

Hmm, I wonder when the next Pearland ISD school board meeting is happening?

 That will taking place Pearland area parents and interested parties on November 28

I'm sure that the parents. taxpayers and board members in the increasing diverse Pearland ISD and city of Pearland have some questions about why the son of their superintendent is posting such off the charts white supremacist hate speech?

We'll see what happens later this month.

TransGriot Update:  Things are happening fast.   Patrick Kelly's FB page has been taken down, and a special PISD board meeting has been called for noon on November 17 

Islamophobia Being Deployed Again In Another Pearland Political Race

Did the conservative white males in Pearland not get the message that Islamophobia is not okay at any time, especially when deployed during a campaign?

Islamophobic comments made by the incumbent aimed at Dalia Kasseb probably played a role in Mike Floyd comfortably winning his Pearland ISD school race, and now we may have a replay happening in the runup to the June 10 Pearland mayoral and city council runoffs.

30 year old pharmacist Dalia Kasseb is making a historic run for a Pearland City Council seat as the first Muslim ever to run for office in Brazoria County.  On May 6 topped a crowded field of candidates in the Position 7 council race to capture 41% of the vote to Owens 21%

She noted in a Houston Chronicle story that when they have met in person, he seemed cordial, but Owens' has been sharing anti- Muslim message and comments on his Facebook page,.

"Our few meetings have been very pleasant,"Kasseb said.  "But for him to be sharing that stuff on Facebook shows what he really believes."


The controversy also has had an indirect impact on the Pearland mayor's race.  Longtime Pearland Mayor Tom Reid is being challenged by 36 year old Quentin Wiltz,  The 91 year old Reid has held the mayor's chair for a combined 34 years (1978-90, 1995-present), and publicly endorsed Owens on who served four terms on Pearland's city council, back on April 6.

But Reid has been silent since the story broke about the Islamophobic comments that Owens has been sharing on his Facebook page since February 2015.   If Reid doesn't share those opinions, then he may want to open his mouth and say so before June 10 because early voting for the mayoral runoff election begins on May 30, and Wiltz garnered 45% of the vote back on May 6.

Pearland is a fast growing southern suburb of Houston that has grown from a small town of less than 5,000 residents in the 1960's to over 130,000 people, and its population has tripled and gotten more diverse since 2000.  It is currently 47% Anglo, 25% Latinx, 17% African American and 9% Asian .

But it seems as though some peeps either aren't aware of that or are being willfully ignorant about that fact, and the clock is ticking toward the June 10 conclusion of this runoff campaign.

Pearland ISD Oppressing A Trans Child

I was not happy to hear that while I was handling my Chautauqua business, the Pearland ISD has decided to be unapologetic trans human rights oppressors and ignore the guidelines contained in the DOE/DOJ 'Dear Colleague Letter.

Kimberly Shappley's five year old trans daughter Kai starts school on August 22, and Shappley appeared at the PISD school board meeting on Tuesday to appeal once again to PISD trustees.

The subject wasn't on their board meeting agenda, but Shappley was trying once again to get the district in Houston's booming southern suburbs to wake up and start treating transgender kids not as people to gleefully demonize but with the dignity and respect they deserve just like every other kid that is in the boundaries of their school district.

Looks like unfortunately at first glance that plea fell on deaf ears, and they are following the lead of their transphobic superintendent Dr. James Kelly.

Kelly back in May made a transphobic comment criticizing the Dear Colleague letter that alarmed Shappley, the Houston area trans community and allies living in PISD and the Houston area.  

Shappley has been told by PISD officials that when Kai begins kindergarten in a few weeks, that she will have to either use the boys bathroom or one in the nurses office.  It is a policy that runs counter to the DOE/DOJ Dear Colleague letter, that encourages districts to allow trans students to use the bathrooms that match their outward gender presentation .

It also violates Kai's civil and human rights.

Shappley said as she addressed the PISD board on Tuesday that the PISD policies create an intolerant atmosphere that promotes bullying and could put her daughter's life at risk.

"You are increasing the risk of suicide among these children.  "I am the mom of a little girl who I want to live." Shappley said to the board.  "I'm fighting for her happiness.  I'm fighting for her freedom."




Since the topic wasn't on the PISD board meeting agenda, the trustees declined to address Shappley's comments either at Tuesday's board meeting or in the media.

But it's increasingly clear that the Pearland ISD, despite their rhetoric that they care about the welfare of all their students, doesn't care about the happiness, lives, freedom and welfare of its transgender students.

They are hell bent on being trans human rights oppressors and unfortunately are willing to continue violating Title VII and Title IX at the behest of bad advice from our indicted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.   PISD probably won't care about the human rights of Kai and other trans kids in their district until they lose a federal human rights lawsuit.

And that's sad because PISD should be embracing Kai and doing what they can to educate her.  Instead they are taking the path of gleefully oppressing Kai and greasing the skids for her cisgender classmates and adults who should know better at her elementary school to bully her.