"I'll keep county business in the public eye, and focused on the needs and desires of the people that call Hays County 'Home'. This community is ready for a higher standard of government."
Note: For more information, email Sam Brannon at sam_brannon@hotmail.com or visit his website at http://www.samforhayscounty.com/
Send your comments and questions to Sam or click on the "comments" at the bottom of the story
For Immediate Release
October 31, 2011
Sam Brannon announced his candidacy for Hays County Commissioner Precinct 3 Sunday evening during a gathering of the Wimberley Valley Republican Group at the gracious home of Mr. and Mrs. Nick Edwards of Wimberley. Brannon is seeking the Republican nomination in the March 6, 2012 primary."This election is about replacing the status quo at the Hays County Commissioners Court with a new standard of fiscal responsibility, transparency and responsible development," he told the crowd of nearly 100.
Brannon successfully led community opposition against a tax rate increase in September of 2010, prompting the Commissioners Court to cut over $600,000 from its proposed 2011 budget, including eliminating the proposed elected official pay increase. A few months later he founded the Hays Citizens Budget Project, delivering numerous presentations around Hays County in order to educate taxpayers on the county's declining financial state.
Hays County's debt has risen 500% since 2006, to about $300 million today. "Our elected officials have been slow to react to prevailing economic conditions. This campaign is the next logical step on behalf of taxpayers, and so far the enthusiasm for our campaign has been very promising," Brannon added.
Brannon also explained that the Commissioners Court needs to spend more time discussing its many initiatives with members of the community before it acts. "We all value the natural beauty and quality of life that Wimberley and San Marcos offer. Unfortunately, there are a lot of decisions being made from outside of the county, and by special interests. If elected, I'll keep county business in the public eye, and focused on the needs and desires of the people that call Hays County 'Home'. This community is ready for a higher standard of government."
On Friday Brannon named Powell Hinson of San Marcos as Campaign Treasurer. Mr. Hinson, a retired CPA, also serves as Treasurer of the Friends of the San Marcos Public Library. Brannon expects to announce his campaign Steering Committee in the coming weeks.
Brannon earned his BBA in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin, and spent 17 years in business in the financial services and supply chain industries. He lives in San Marcos, Texas.
28 comments:
"I know Jason Isaac, and Sam Brannon is no Jason Isaac."
But I also know Sam Brannon, and thank God he is nothing like the big government hypocrite Jason Isaac.
Now I know that county commishes rarely get into such right wing "social conservative" fascist nonsense like they do up in Austin and in Washington DC. Those Republicans are clearly dangerous, or evil.
So I will address the governmental budgeting as the first responsibility of local politicians.
Sam Brannon is smart, a conservative ideologue in a good way, and hopefully he will be a true fiscal conservative (not the kind that says they are fiscal conservative but then proceeds to blatantly and arrogantly pander to his or her political campaign special interests contributors).
In my opinion, Sam is sometimes too much on the "its not a revenue problem but a spending problem" side of the political budgeting process.
Yet from what I know about Sam, he does not support corporate welfare disguised as "free markets" - like most of the current hypocrite Republicans do.
And he is truly concerned about the local citizen's growing tax drag - as well as focusing on a productive use of the local and county revenues we have available.
If I ever vote for another Republican, it needs to be someone who I clearly see treats voters like intelligent citizens - and not exploiters of ignorant right wing voters who are nothing more than kool-aid drinking anti-government, anti-tax hate mongers.
It is time for voters to eschew the RINO "fiscal conservatives" who are nothing more than blatant crony capitalists who have no problem supporting the use of our limited tax dollars for private sector infrastructure welfare (for developers and business friends).
You Republicans better figure out what type of fiscal conservative Republican you want to be: 1) a fiscal conservative who only uses tax dollars for essential services that directly enhance local prosperity for EVERYONE, or 2) a "fiscal conservative" who mindlessly votes for candidates who end up doing nothing more than using their political connnections to pay back their elite campaign contributors or to cleverly trade favors - and to hell with the voting public.
We are all better off that Sam Brannon is in the political race, whether he wins or not.
http://www.sambrannonforcongress.com/
Why is all the info deleted?
This is good news for Precinct Three. Very good news.
I'll be casting my vote for you Sam.
Rocky Boschert makes some great points.
If we are going to elect conservatives who hate government to run government, at least elect the ones who don't end up using government to control people and force them to do what some self-righteous ass thinks is God's hand.
These right wing nutcase evangelical conservatives are hallucinating that they are annointed to tell people what is moral and what is not.
The only thing that is moral is not letting some nutcase determine what is moral by implementing government mandates on our personal lives.
Brannon appears to be a real conservative - not the Fox News types who can't even think for themselves and see their own hypocrisy.
Conley needs to be afraid; very afraid! As does the rest of Commissioners Court!
Could it be that someone might now listen to those of us living in unincorporated areas of Hays County rather than wholly to the wants and money of developers running rampant in these areas?
"why is all the info deleted"
Is that you Will Conley?
You worried about having a Republican opponent?
Hey Emancipator said...
You said:
If we are going to elect conservatives who hate government to run government, at least elect the ones who don't end up using government to control people and force them to do what some self-righteous ass thinks is God's hand.
Not sure anyone on the Commissioners Court is forcing people "to do what some self-righteous ass thinks is God's hand".
Government is always used to control people. I haven't seen much of the control on the basis you suggest, but there sure has been a lot of it in under the pretext of "community", "sustainability", and "environmentalism".
You say "These right wing nutcase evangelical conservatives are hallucinating that they are annointed to tell people what is moral and what is not." Yet the self-proclaimed environmentalists and communitarians are pushing very oppressive actions and ordinances, and encouraging large expenditures of taxpayer dollars for the benefit of very few using mostly "moral" arguments. The Jacobs Well land deals involving millions of taxpayer dollars and sweetheart contracts for WVWA is one good example. The primary beneficiary of that was the executive director of the WVWA - David Baker.
You said: "The only thing that is moral is not letting some nutcase determine what is moral by implementing government mandates on our personal lives. " I hope you are consistent in that thought because the desire to control is not limited to political party affiliation. How many commissioners have supported legislation and subdivision requirements that attempt to deny property owners the ability to have a residential well? (i.e, control) Or that mandate certain restrictions be imposed upon all the property owners there while "grandfathering" themselves and other residents? How many residential subdivisions of ten or more houses have been allowed without having to be "planned communities" in the last decade?
Control is not particular to a party - it is particular to government...and there had been plenty of bad acts by people of various political parties. So instead of attacking political parties or giving backhanded compliments (e.g., Rocky B), why not forget the "party" argument and vote for the candidate that you believe is the best advocate for your position?
An unemployed drifter living off the dole for a couple of years is now running for County Commissioner; now that's impressive. How does that qualify him for any office especially when he continues to insult just about every present office holder? Is there anybody he can name that is doing a good job in office; I ask you?
Anonymous of November 2, 2011 10:34 AM is clearly one of those anti-government, anti-tax extremists I refer to that tries to manipulate and distort my words for his own lonely ego.
The politicians you defend ARE social fascists who say they are against big government before they are elected and then proceed to create big government laws to repress people (as Rocky B., who I'm sure you dislike for his honesty) states.
You can try to twist my words around but these social fascists are Republicans, not Democrats. So Party is very relevant there.
And of course county commissioners are not enabled with such legislative powers but most of them turn out to be crony special interest controlled phony "fiscal conservatives", i.e. they are only "fiscal conservative" when it benefits their Hays County developer bosses.
Why you defend such nonsense is ego-rant foolishness. And I'm sure you consider yourself a fiscal conservative.
Hopefully Sam Brannon turns out to be a real conservative, unlike the crazies that call themselves such.
This is great, let the fat man and the know it all chop each other down during the primary. Than the Dem will breeze to victory in the General. Is today Christmas? It sure feels like it.
Well, if you're going to get into name calling, I'd say Brannon probably has more business, accounting and public service sense in his little finger than Conley has in his big fat head.
I hope this campaign for county commissioner for precinct 3 will produce fewer juvenile personal attacks and more honest debate of the issues, like conducting OUR county business with openness and transparency. Brannon has pledged to do that, Conley's record fails the test of transparency over and over. He IS the ANTI-TRANSPARENT one.
Conley scores an A+ in duplicity, however, when he boasts about balancing the county budget. It's a shell game he plays. He votes for a balanced budget (at the last minute and against the court majority) only after he has sponsored and supported millions in new expenditures and debt. (Check the minutes of the last five years of county budget workshops and see for yourself).
Remember, Conley has been the lead dog in growing the county's spending and debt to the highest level ever. He can't lie his way out of that fact. We're all going to wind up paying for that debt and so far I don't know what I will be paying for except a wazoo of new roads for developers to help themselves with.
Brannon's BBA/UT-A and 17 years in corporate are more than enough to qualify him for a FRESH NEW LOOK at county governance and where we're spending our tax dollars. I've had enough of Conley's pandering to special interests.
I look forward to a day of clean open government that speaks to me and doesn't ignore me and doesn't hold secret meetings and try to hide public information from me.
Conley is so BOSS politics and sooo yesterday. I say vote to end POLITICAL BOSSISM in Hays County and vote for a fresh look at how things can change for the better.
People commenting on this site need to get a life. Fast!
I first knew Sam as a guy who was a burr in the saddle of the Commissioners Court, but I soon realized Sam knew more about the issues than those commissioners. Having had an opportunity to work with Sam on a recent occasion, I came to appreciate his straightforward pursuit of the facts, his broad knowledge of the issues facing our county, his commitment to serving the citizens of the county and his distaste for the "I'll scratch your back, you scratch mine" political games.
That's my impression. I would encourage residents of Precinct 3 to get behind Sam.
get to know him, if you can get any answers. Does he have a job? How does he pay his bills? How does Conley pay his bills? What type of person is he and why should anyone vote for either one of these guys with their agendas? gonna be fun to watch this play out....
it will be interesting to see his first filing and just who is giving money. I believe he will have a hard time raising enough money to compete, unless he accepts PAC money or pulls an Issac with one huge giver.
@Emancipator who said:
The politicians you defend ARE social fascists who say they are against big government before they are elected and then proceed to create big government laws to repress people (as Rocky B., who I'm sure you dislike for his honesty) states.
You can try to twist my words around but these social fascists are Republicans, not Democrats. So Party is very relevant there.
Hey Emancipator, I don't recall seeing a party designation as "Social Fascist" for any candidate or office holder. Your designation of "Republican" is either misplaced or incomplete.
The examples given included the new subdivision regulations where the then County Commissioners try denying property owners the right any other property owner has to be independent of these private water utilities. The commissioners at that time were Ingalsbe (Dem), Barton (Dem), Conley (Rep), and Karen Ford (Dem). Ford, Barton, and Conley adamantly supported these propositions and I don't recall any of the others opposing the provisions when they voted to make them the new regulations. So as a "party" matter, it was actually "Democrats" by the numbers.
The point was that you need to quit making party labels and insinuations and simply vote for the INDIVIDUAL that advocates for your position regardless of what party affiliation the individual has for purposes of election.
@ Anonymous November 2, 2011 11:46 PM who said...
get to know him, if you can get any answers. Does he have a job? How does he pay his bills? How does Conley pay his bills?
Not sure how this is relevant but BOTH are APPLYING for the SAME JOB - County Commissioner Precinct 3.
Conley's history as a commissioner has been giving millions of dollars to WVWA (executive director David Baker), destroying the value of the land that he spent millions of taxpayer dollars to acquire, imposing subdivision regulations to deny fundamental property rights to property owners, forcing "planned communities" on property owners, supporting the creation of a new additional groundwater district with taxing powers without the consent of the residents of the HTGCD, pushing legislation via Senator Wentworth to take away property rights of homeowners living in HTGCD territory, supporting large debt for public parks - and then routing that money to personally benefit his buddies, borrowing more than the monies allocated in the park bonds in order to confer additional benefits on his buddy Baker, borrowing the money at twice the rate that the county could otherwise borrow money at in order to confer more benefits on Baker and related "nonprofits". Conley has caused large new taxes on all (except those getting exemptions like Baker's WVWA) to benefit a very, very few.
To add insult to injury, Conley took a salary paid by the taxpayers to do these things.
Brannon opposed Conley's spending spree, opposed tax increases, opposed this eradication of property rights relating to groundwater, and opposed the creation of an additional groundwater district over people and property in this area. He didn't get paid a dime for any of that.
So you can keep paying Conley to separate taxpayers from their money or you can fire Conley and hire Brannon (via election) to do a better job of representing the taxpayers and property owners out here.
I hope I'm proven wrong, but I don't think Sam has much of a chance. Although at times he makes perfect sense, he won't have the party's support and he just rubs some people the wrong way. Early prediction Will 59% - Sam 41%
Also it has been stated here about Sam's pasted: The W's when, where, why..... Yes those are important for voters to know because quite frankly he does come off as a drifter.
Hopefully he can address those issues now so they don't cloud the real issues down the road.
I heard that Brannon is a school teacher, working as a substitute teacher, but working as a teacher nonetheless. That's certainly good enough for me.
Wow... I'm pleased that the announcement has drawn some interest here. Thanks to everyone.
Its been good out talking to folks, too.
I've heard that the "rumor and innuendo" folks are out there doing their thing, and that's predictable - I've been getting that since I started speaking and writing about the goings-on in county government. We'll live through the silliness like we always do.
Anyone with honest feedback or concerns is welcome to write me. Most people recognize nonsense when they hear it, but I'm happy to discuss anything of particular concern.
And just in case it needs said...
This campaign isn't about me. I'm just the one willing and able to be out front. We had 12 good supporters join us at the Wimberley Valley Republican Group on Sunday, and a few dozen others that couldn't make it.
This campaign is about them and their families, and anybody else who expects fiscal responsibility, transparency and responsible development in Hays County. I suspect that includes most of us.
I'd be happy to hear from you... sam_brannon@hotmail.com
Hays County could not have a better candidate than Sam. Although not a Texas citizen I've known Sam for quite a few years and have kept in touch. Sam breaks the political mold and embodies the true meaning of serving government envisioned by our forefathers.
When Sam starts going after the Bloodsucking School Districts and their greedy insatiable appetite for our Tax Money, I'll think he is serious about fiscal responsibility. I am sure he will dismiss my statement in keeping with all local politicians' avoidance of this local "third rail" issue. I know it is not a County Issue. Jason Isaac didn't shrink away for the issue however, good for him.
I realize that a County Commissioner can't really do anything about the School Districts but maybe Sam picked the wrong venue unless he is just in it for the pay and generous retirement program. Does he really care about the fiscal responsibility of government and the TAX payers? I'd love to hear from him on the ISD rape of our pocket books.
Look at your Property TAX statement you just received, and see where your money really goes! The overwhelming majority of your hard earned money goes to the DSISD or WISD. My school TAX amounts to 70.6% ($2000+) of my total TAX bill. My Hays County TAX on the other hand amounts to only 20.5% ($560) of the total TAX bill.
We are retired and own our home (for now) but even if Hays County went away tomorrow, I am sure the School District6 would quickly take up the slack. The only difference we would see is runaway crime, crumbling roads and infrastructure.
When Sam decides to be more realistic and run for Superintendent of our ISD I'll consider voting for him.
"Look at your Property TAX statement you just received, and see where your money really goes!"
True that. With Hays County/DSISD tax bills they left off the DSISD taxes because DSISD will impose the higher $1.62 tax rate retroactive to Jan. 1, 2011 if the tax increase measure is ratified by voters.
The weird thing about that is DSISD has stated the tax increase is needed to cover cuts to funding by the state of Texas for the next school year, 2011-12. So why apply the tax incresae backwards nearly a year?
I don't know why you would want this level of lunacy and public hostility in your life, Sam. But good luck to you.
Anonymous November 5, 2011 8:48 AM:
Put down the bottle and step away the computer.
So you propose that nobody in government should concern themselves about public spending unless its directed at the ISDs?
I doubt you're very concerned about it since you're unaware that Superintendent is not an elected position. If you had ever been to a school board meeting or voted in a school board election, you could not have written that.
Another ignorant, semi-anonymous attack on Mr. Brannon. It comes across as desperate and pathetic as it is.
I have known Sam Brannon since we were kids growing up in the Houston area. He comes from a smart, caring, solid middle class family. Sam is "good people" as they say, and the residents of Hays County will find no one better to represent their interests in an intelligent, thoughtful, pragmatic way, uninfluenced by special interests and "brother-in-law" deals. Sam is as egalitarian as they come, and is driven by fairness - one the most important things to Sam is treating people with fairness and respect, regardless of who they are, what they look like, or where they come from. Sam is absolutely one of the finest people you will ever know.
I would say this about any candidate, Google search them. You'd be surprised what some of them have done or pledged to do in the past. Look at what they list as hobbies and interests.
When it's the candidates own words it should mean something to the voters.
That is all
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