Roddy Stinson: Craddick Fire: 'Much of what you wrote was not based on fact'

Web Posted: 12/03/2006 02:14 AM CST

San Antonio Express-News

Ready, aim ...

FIRE: "Dear Roddy, I read your Nov. 18 column, 'See Mike file and fight, watch Tom kill and eat (yum-yumm),' and I want to point out that much of what you wrote was not based on fact."

—In an e-mail to this desk, Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick has taken exception to my insinuating that he, his Republican House henchmen and the high-dollar lobbyists who whisper in their ears will "crush" House Bill 133 — "An act relating to disclosure and use of sales price information for ad valorem tax purposes."

The tax-equity bill, authored by San Antonio state Rep. Michael Villarreal, was recently filed in Austin prior to the January opening of the 80th Texas Legislature. It is similar to a mandatory-sale-price-disclosure measure pushed by Villarreal during the 2005 session.

The Texas Senate overwhelmingly approved that bill before it died an inglorious, late-session death in the House.

I contended then and believe today (as noted in the Nov. 18 column) that the legislative garroting could not have occurred without Speaker Craddick's behind-the-scenes blessing.

FIRE: "You stated that although I confirmed in an editorial board visit with your paper that I am in favor of mandatory disclosure of sales price information, I am in fact against it."

—To keep the factual record straight, this is what I said in the Nov. 18 column:

"... during a meeting with the Express-News Editorial Board, Craddick expressed support for mandatory sale-price disclosure and implied that he would lead the House to pass a disclosure bill in the 2007 session.

"I simply don't believe it."

FIRE: "You go further to suggest that a bill introduced last session by Rep. Mike Villarreal was killed because of special interest groups' influence with me.

"I supported mandatory sales price disclosure during the 78th (2003) and the 79th (2005) legislative sessions, and I will continue to do so in the 80th Legislature."

—If I had a C-note for every time a Texas legislator claimed to "support" a bill that he privately opposed, I could retire a rich man.

I'm as certain as sunrise that if the speaker had really wanted a tax-equity bill to pass in the 2003 or the 2005 session, mega-rich homeowners and commercial property owners would TODAY be reporting the true worth of their properties to county appraisers. And unfairly burdened middle-class homeowners would be sending less of their dwindling resources to the public treasury.

Instead, those homeowners continue to pay millions of dollars in taxes that the state's wealthy property owners should be paying.

FIRE: "I want to reiterate that I agree the lack of sales price information has led to an unsustainable imbalance in the appraisal process.

"It is also my belief that more transparency will arm appraisal districts with the necessary tools to improve the accuracy of appraisals.

"Thank you for your time."

—Give the speaker credit for being nice and polite to a newspaper paragrapher who likened him to a crocodile.

Will he manifest similar virtue in a sincere, all-out effort to bring transparency and balance to the state's appraising/taxing system?

Having no ability to peer into Craddick's heart, I must take him at his word. Or not.

On Nov. 18 — Not.

On Dec. 3, in the wake of his response — Maybe.

(I'm a sucker for niceness.)

Caveat: During a phone conversation with a Craddick aide, I asked if the speaker would put House Bill 133 on a 30-day fast track to prevent it from being killed in the confusion that always occurs at the end of a session.

Space limitation prevents me from reporting the many reasons the aide gave for NOT fast-tracking the legislation.

A preview of delays and excuses to come?

The beginning of another killed-quietly-in-the-House tale?

My guesses: yes/yes.

Except for "quietly."

This time, "quiet" will not be an option.
To contact Roddy Stinson, call (210) 250-3155 or e-mail rstinson@express-news.net. His column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays