Cleaning Up A Mess
The Galveston County District Clerk John Kinard should be CLEANING UP A MESS but he’s refusing to do an on-camera interview after we busted him. Wait till you see what’s happened in our Get To Work investigation.
Cleaning Up A Mess
“Let’s talk about cleaning up a mess. Not a filthy garage or a little kid’s playroom. I’m talking about cleaning up a political mess, one that threatens a Galveston public official’s reelection when voters go to the polls,” Wayne Dolcefino told the camera.
John Kinard has been the Galveston County District Clerk for thirteen years.
But his campaign kickoff for another reelection could come back to bite him.
“You can think whatever you want but I’m one of the hardest government employees down there,” John Kinard said.
During the October event here at the Opus Ocean Grille, Kinard displayed historic immigration records from Galveston’s past.
Records the average citizen could not remove from the clerk’s vault.
A criminal complaint now alleges Kinard’s use of those records was a violation of Section 3902 of Texas law, a benefit Kinard improperly used to help his political campaign, an abuse of official capacity.
The DA’s office did not respond to our request for comment.
“We don’t know if Kinard knew about the criminal complaint. Maybe it’s just a big coincidence, look what he posted on Facebook just a few days ago,” Dolcefino told the camera.
An announcement his office was digitizing those very same records so the public could view them online.
At the very same time as the clerk’s announcement we were actually undercover in the clerk’s office investigating the allegations in that criminal complaint.
((605 League City undercover front desk Dolcefino Media.
“Oh I thought you could check them out,” Peyton Heussner said.
“No. They can’t leave our precinct,” clerk said.
At the League City office they confirmed we couldn’t check out the records.
But at the Galveston office we asked how the clerk was able to check out the records if regular folks can’t.
“He can do what he wants. No, no, no. Because he’s the custodian of all court records, he’s an elected official,” Doryn Glenn said.
But it wasn’t a county event. It was a campaign event.
It’s the latest development in the clerk’s difficult couple of weeks.
“Hey John, what are you doing? Aren’t you supposed to be at work?” Dolcefino asked.
Over several days since early November we had been watching Kinard’s work habits.
“John we’ve been watching you for over a month and you don’t go to work very much,” Dolcefino said.
And it was pretty clear taxpayers were not getting their money’s worth.
Some days Kinard didn’t step foot in either of his two offices, the one in League City, the other one on the island.
And since the start of the year Kinard had spent several workdays putting up campaign signs, instead of going to the office.
Mostly for his wife, who’s running for Galveston County Judge.
We finally decided to confront Kinard on January 22. He claimed he was working even while hammering campaign signs into the ground.
“This is work,” Kinard said.
“This is work. But you’re paid to be the District Clerk,” Dolcefino said.
“And I’m going to answer District Court calls,” Kinard said.
“You’re answering calls?” Dolcefino said
“Absolutely,” Kinard said.
“So you think taxpayers are paying you to put up campaign signs?” Dolcefino said.
But a few hours later Kinard took to social media, complaining our investigation was a political hit, even though it was based on documented surveillance.
But he said something else, claiming he was actually on vacation that day. That was new.
“After that post we decided to ask for Kinard’s official work calendar so we could see for ourselves which story was true,” Dolcefino told the camera.
Guess what? There’s no mention of any vacation time on Kinard’s calendar. But there is a reminder of a Teams meeting of the District Clerk staff in Galveston.
We knew Kinard missed that meeting because he was busy hammering away on campaign signs.
“Like a lot of our work, our Get to Work investigation triggered quite the reaction on social media,” Dolcefino said.
Someone posted me in a clown getup. Another guy called me a whore, claiming I was a tool of Kinard’s political enemies.
This guy fashions himself a government watchdog. His name is Costa Loca.
In Spanish, loca means crazy or insane.
And Cody Rawlins wins the ticket for the biggest yahoo.
“Wayne Dolcefino you should really get help and you don’t have to continue with your transition to become a woman.”
Some critics.
“I’ve been accused of a lot of stuff over the years. But this one is the first, because I like women. I just don’t want to be one,” Dolcefino told the camera.
I’m not shocked Kinard’s supporters weren’t fans of this story. But it doesn’t change the facts.
Matt Bardsle wrote in the real world he would be fired. But in the government world he’s just doing his job.
Sometimes the truth hurts, Arturo Rodriguez wrote.
“It sure does,” Dolcefino told the camera.
Get rid of him, Robert wrote.
And Samantha Morris is hoping that happens over the next few weeks of voting.
“He’s just there to collect a paycheck,” Samantha Morris said.
The school teacher decided to run after finding the passport office closed on a Friday afternoon.
“I don’t know how you hold down a job especially one as important as that and don’t show up for work,” Morris said.
In the aftermath of our report, a group called Texans for Conservative Government created a website called Where’s Kinard.com.
Can you find him? The site asks. And it shows he’s not at the office but at a bar at Chili’s.
“We wondered if John Kinard had changed his work habits since we busted him. If he was cleaning up his mess. Guess not,” Dolcefino told the camera.
It is Tuesday, February 10, and the Galveston County District Clerk’s car is parked in the driveway of his home.
His office opened at 7:30 in the morning, but Kinard will not leave his house for the first time until 11:15 that morning.
The following day he gets out earlier, putting up his campaign signs along Highway 3. He shows up at work around 9:45. That’s better, I guess.
We will soon see if voters feel the same way, that they are cool with paying someone 123,000 dollars a year for what sure looks like a part-time job.
Kinard supporters say what we documented isn’t illegal, that as an elected official Kinard can work when he wants.
But the District Clerk is a record keeper, arranges juries, hands out passports. That’s it. Other countywide elected officials have 24-hour, 7-day a week responsibilities.
“You’re nervous about this conversation aren’t you? Because you know it doesn’t look good,” Dolcefino said.
“Well, that’s over with. I gotta get this thing done so I go back to work. Thank you,” Kinard said.
“This is work?” Dolcefino asked.
“This is work,” Kinard said.
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