Drain The Swamp
NEW VIDEO! I’ve been investigating politicians and public officials for 50 years. I’d love to DRAIN THE SWAMP. District 23 State Representative Terri Leo Wilson certainly didn’t create it, but when we gave her a chance to defend her campaign funds, she wanted to have my folks arrested. Bad idea.
Drain The Swamp
“I think I’m going to start a new company where I tell politicians and public officials the stuff you never do when a journalist comes up to ask a question,” Wayne Dolcefino told the camera.
“I think what I’ll do is have you arrested if you don’t get away from me. How about that?” Rex Lindberg
“Okay, why don’t you do that? You’re going to arrest me because I’m asking you a question?” Dolcefino said.
“Get away from me. Get away from me,” Lindberg said.
Remember Rex Lindberg? The guy running for Pasadena mayor who blew up his political campaign in 27 seconds with us.
That video should have been studied by every public official. Hundreds of thousands of folks watched it.
But State Representative Terri Leo Wilson, well she obviously didn’t.
“If you don’t leave me alone, I’m calling the police,” Terri Leo Wilson said.
There you go again.
“Hey I’m Peyton with Dolcefino Media and we’ve been trying to contact you for weeks,” Peyton Heussner said.
It’s weird. We had called Wilson’s district office a lot. But no one seemed to be working.
We did get the cheesy music.
“Hi this is State Representative Terri Wilson. We’re sorry we missed your call.”
No one seems to be working at the Capitol either in Austin.
Well it is campaign season. And we finally caught up with Wilson as she campaigned for re-election in the parking lot of the Chambers County Commissioners Building.
A public place. Right out in the open.
“I’ve been a little busy on the campaign,” Wilson said.
“Have you been ignoring us?” Heussner said.
Her folding chair was in the middle of the parking lot. Lucky for us no voters were even there. So, she had plenty of time to chat.
“The first question I have is about your-” Heussner said.
“Hang on just a minute,” Wilson said.
Wilson pulls out her phone and walks away into a nearby field.
“What do you think? I bet she was calling for advice on what the hell do I do because those Dolcefino people are here,” Dolcefino told the camera.
And when Wilson comes back she thinks we are there to talk about the Galveston Historical District investigation. The fight over the 7 million in state funds going to a Juneteenth museum in Galveston.
“I don’t have any comment. We passed the bill. We don’t have anything once we create the appropriations,” Wilson said.
Boy that’s passing the buck. But Wilson said we could send her questions in writing. But why do that? We’re already there. Let’s talk now.
“By the way, we weren’t there to talk about the Juneteenth museum. If someone had listened to our voicemails she would know exactly why we were there,” Dolcefino told the camera.
“I’m talking about your funds coming from only 6.3% of individual donors,” Heussner said.
“I am busy electioneering today,” Wilson said.
Busy electioneering. Trying to get reelected. Wilson was just elected three years ago.
And we wanted to talk about the interesting things her campaign reports tell us. Her husband loaned her 200,000 to run. But seventy-seven percent of her campaign funds come from politicians, political action committees, and corporate dollars.
Texans for Lawsuit Reform must really loves her. Campaign records show they’ve given her more than 700,000 dollars.
“Boy the special interest money just comes flooding in for those new lawmakers. It’s a good lesson for voters,” Dolcefino told the camera.
“People might think that’s part of being a swamp, don’t you think so?” Heussner said.
Her opponent is calling her out.
“And her endorsements come from Austin. Her money comes from Austin. She’s part of the swamp and her allegiance is to the establishment, not the people of the district,” Nathan Watkins said.
This is Nathan Watkins, the former Mont Belvieu city manager. He is running against her.
“If only six percent comes from inside the district, that doesn’t indicate you’ve got a large amount of support,” Watkins said.
“It was one of Watkins’ supporters who first asked us to examine Wilson’s record. And we thought it’s a righteous request, especially after our interview with Representative Wilson. You got to see this,” Dolcefino told the camera.
“I will have, um, I mean I’m not my own treasurer so like I said get back with me on those questions,” Wilson said.
According to the Texas House of Representatives website, Rep Leo-Wilson authored 77 pieces of legislation in the last session. Only six became law. She did sign on to other lawmakers’ bills.
“My passing rate is 20%. That is very high for legislation, very high. It’s one of the highest in the House,” Wilson said.
“We can’t have complacency. It’s time to get out, exercise our right. That’s what our democracy’s founded on, and now’s the time,” Watkins said.
On social media Representative Wilson has been trying to explain why she hasn’t been able to fix the horrible windstorm insurance situation on the coast.
This post says she’s canceling her insurance because it costs too much. And she’s campaigned as one of the little guys, just trying to squeak by.
“I am on Teacher Retirement System and my husband is on Social Security,” Wilson said.
What she doesn’t mention is that she lives in a 1.7 million waterfront house on Galveston Bay. That’s tough.
It was clear Rep Wilson was trying to figure out a way to get away from us. To escape from our evil camera.
But watch. The door to the Commissioners Building is now locked. She walks down the building to try another door. It’s locked too. She’s trapped right out in the open for more questions.
And that’s when Wilson commits the cardinal political sin in my book.
“He says that there were two pieces of legislation that you passed,” Heussner said.
“If you don’t get away from me I’m going to call the police,” Wilson said.
“It’s a shame I wasn’t there, Representative Wilson, because I would have told you to call the cops, I would have loved to see some of my friends in the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office,” Dolcefino told the camera.
But Rep Wilson should know that there isn’t a law that protects public officials from simple questions from the media. It’s part of the gig.
As soon as we leave, she leaves too. And she’s welcome to call us back if she decides trying to arrest us isn’t the right answer. Even though I look good in orange.
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