Kemah Water Board President Abusing Position?

May 6, 2020

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Dolcefino Consulting has filed a second criminal complaint against the man who helps control the cost of water and fire protection in the Galveston county town of Kemah.

Galveston County Water Control & Improvement District No. 12 President Matt Wiggins this week is accused of misusing taxpayer funds by ordering the mass mailing of attack letters in the monthly water bills of more than 2,000 customers. It costs about $2,000 every month to send out the water bills.

The letters from Wiggins included bizarre ranting attacks against a political nemesis Carl Joiner, the former Mayor of Kemah; Dolcefino Consulting, and a resident who complained about sudden rate hikes. We have since learned Wiggins did not ask for approval from fellow WCID members before sending out the letters and then ignored criticism.

“Wiggins knowingly and intentionally misused the funds and resources allocated to provide bills to WCID#12 residents, and used them to include these letters in official governmental mailings that were paid for by the taxpayers,” the criminal complaint reads. The offense is called Abuse of Official Capacity.

Wiggins also has singled out private residents like John Bowen, who dared to speak up when his family business was blindsided with increasing fees no one told him about. Wiggins took a shot at Bowen and accused him of lying in a letter that was sent to every resident in the area who pays for water.

Read the first letter from Matt Wiggins:

March-2020-Letter

“It’s bothersome that this is the way someone who’s supposed to be the president of a local water district is going to behave,” says Kemah businessowner John Bowen. “I mean, you’re going to get in this position. You’re supposed to act professionally, I would think.”

“Matt Wiggins is using his position handed to him by Mayor Gale to carry out personal vendettas against residents of Kemah and anyone else who tries to warn the public,” says Wayne Dolcefino, President of Dolcefino Consulting. “Wiggins apparently likes to think he is the Wizard of Kemah, but it’s against the law to use your government power to create a hit list.”

We have been exposing Wiggins’ questionable management of this important government agency and possible violations of Texas ethics laws for months.

“After Wiggins’ first letter, we called on WCID #12 lawyer Chris Richardson to intervene, but apparently Mr. Richardson is afraid to do the job taxpayers pay him to do,” Dolcefino says. “I would suggest the WCID Board get a new lawyer and make Wiggins stop, but apparently courage is in short supply down on the coast. We will see if the Galveston County District Attorney wants to restore ethics down there.”

Our latest video of Matt Wiggins, Wizard of Kemah, can be found here.