The Class Warfare Game

If you don't like my positions on city issues or the way I've voted on agenda items, by all means, criticize away. I'm happy to have those debates. But playing the "you have too much money" game and planting innuendos suggesting that a candidate must therefore be corrupt is a political tactic that people often resort to when they don't have real, substantive criticisms to put forth.

So I'm glad this was brought up and that I have the opportunity to address it on social media and on this website.

I know exactly how it feels to live paycheck to paycheck. I spent most of my childhood and teen years in a <900 square foot 3 bedroom, 1 bath house in Pleasant Grove. I supported my daughter as a divorced mom in my twenties and thirties living in Seagoville. If anyone thinks I grew up with a silver spoon in my mouth, as my granddaddy (who picked cotton in East Texas for $1/day) used to say, that dog don't hunt.

My detractor claims to have done research to know the square footage and valuation of our home, though I'm not sure how, since that information is still blocked on DCAD under Sec. 25.025 of the Property Code (former law enforcement). But that's okay. I'm serving in and running for office, which means privacy protections don't apply to me anymore.

Putting that aside, my husband and I do indeed live in a nice home. We bought it more than twenty years ago and got a fantastic deal on it because the seller wanted to move quickly. It wasn't nearly as nice then; we have put a lot of hard work into making it our dream house. And the value has doubled over that time, as good real estate investments tend to do.

But with all that research and money-tracking, I have to wonder whether they looked at where we lived before we moved here, while we were building a business from the ground up and saving every penny to be able to realize our dream of living on the lake? If so, they know that we were living in a 1300 sf house in Seagoville that was valued at less than $100K.

Back then, we were working twelve to fifteen-hour days, 6-7 days a week without a vacation for over a decade to build a business that led to being able to afford this nice big house. As part of those long days, we wrote some books that were very successful in the technology world (which I'm sure those who did all that research on me must know about) and that financed our move to Rowlett.

Fifteen years ago, Tom was recruited by Microsoft and his position pays very well, including a whole lot of MSFT stock that has gone up tremendously over the past decade (from $48 in March 2000 to $467 in July 2024 - you can do your research and verify that, too). That's why I excuse myself and leave the room when the council votes on any contract that involves Microsoft.

And that is where the money comes from.

That money has allowed us to donate to some worthwhile charities and causes, to do things for friends (and sometimes strangers), and yes, to enjoy our life here on the lake. But it's not like we're wild spenders. We own a 2022 Miata - fun to drive but not exactly a high-dollar sports car - and a 2012 Cadillac that we bought used in 2014 and that still runs and looks great so why trade?

Yes, I used to take cruises - back when they didn't cost nearly as much as they do now. Haven't done that since 2019. In fact, I haven't had a real vacation, other than a couple half-week trips, one to my son in Colorado and one to my daughter in Washington state, since I was elected to the council.

But back to my house: another comment from that thread was, "When a mayor wannabe lives in a half a million dollar valued home paying over 10k in taxes a year, it hurts."

Why? How does it hurt other people that my husband and I worked and sacrificed to live in a home that's doubled in value over two decades and that we pay over $10K in property taxes to fund this city's operations? What hurts me is to be denigrated for that hard work and success.

If I were taking money under the table, yes, that would hurt the taxpayers and the city but implying that I'm getting money through illegal or unethical means is so far off base as to be ridiculous to anyone who actually knows me.

Don't take my word for it, or even that of my supporters. Ask my opponent whether he has ever had any reason whatsoever to believe I'm corrupt. If he's honest - and much as we might disagree about some issues, I believe he will be - he'll tell you I'm the one who rarely even turns in reimbursement requests for legitimate council expenses, such as the meals I buy when attending city government conferences and regional/state meetings.

Some would say having too little money is more of a red flag for a public servant than being financially secure, because financial pressures are what most often tempt a person to bend the law and try to profit from their positions. That's why police background checks and secret clearances require revealing your financial information.

But I believe a person's income or net worth is irrelevant in regard to his/her qualifications as a candidate. Corruption comes from a character flaw, not from having a high or low bank balance.

I hope this answers the question(s) that "taxpayers should ask" in regard to my financial status.