WORDS VERSUS DEEDS: POLITICIAN GREGORY PARKER SAYS A LOT OF THINGS. MEET THE REAL GREGORY PARKER.
SAYS HE WILL REDUCE TAXES Gregory Parker states, “As a former County Commissioner, I have a proven track record of reducing taxes, controlling tax increases and reducing spending”. The truth is, during his time as Commissioner in Comal County, he increased his budget by more than 65% (see figure A).
(Figure A Represents the Budget from the Comal County Website. Parker was in office from 2005 – 2012 and would have formulated the budget plan for years 2006-2013. Source: http://www.co.comal.tx.us/)
SAYS HE IS A FISCAL CONSERVATIVE Gregory Parker runs as a conservative. The truth is that, as Commissioner of Comal County, he passed a resolution to raise the gas tax (Figure B). Raising taxes on everyone in the State of Texas is not conservative.
(Figure B. )
CONTINUED MISREPRESENTATIONS: On his website he says he only held the belief that raising the gas tax was a good solution in the past and then references his resolution from “10 years ago” (Figure C). The truth is, that this past summer, at a TXDOT Hearing, he again proposed raising the gas tax. See below:
Full video here: Proof: TXDOT HEARING Video Item 8. Fourteen minutes into the recording explains why the 249 bypass cannot exist now without additional funding. At 16 minutes in, the TXDOT Commissioner explains it takes “years and years” to fund projects, but because of the decision to toll it will happen now instead of “10 years from now”. At 48:55 minutes in, Parker proposes a solution of raising the gas tax on all Texans instead of building a toll road.
(Figure C. Source: http://parker2018.com/truth/)
SAYS HE WILL BRING TEXAS VALUES BACK TO PRECINCT 2 Gregory Parker states on his website that, “I’m fighting to bring Texas values back into the Precinct 2 County Commissioner’s office” . The truth is that, although he became a homeowner in Montgomery County in 2013, election records show he did not vote in the 2016 Presidential Election. Why didn’t he take the time to vote in such an important election to Montgomery County Republicans? His record also shows that he did not vote in the 2015 Road Bond Elections. One of the Commissioner’s top duties is to preside over roads and bridges. But, again, as a citizen, Mr. Parker didn’t take the time to give input on this election. He also did not vote in the 2016 local elections which included such important county races as Constable, Sheriff, and District Judges. Another vital role of a Commissioner is to make sure their community is safe by having a close relationship with, and funding, law enforcement. Montgomery County Texans are PROUD of their Republican values and vote to ensure they are represented at election time. We fight every year to KEEP TEXAS RED and had a resounding victory in the 2016 Presidential Election as a result! As a citizen, Mr. Parker abdicates this vital duty. If we can’t depend on Gregory to complete the simple task of actively representing Texas Values as a citizen, how can we expect him to do it as Commissioner?
(Figure D: Gregory Parker Purchases Home in Montgomery County on December 4th, 2013. Source: www.mcad-tx.org)
(Figure E: Gregory Parker’s Voting Record Source: Montgomery County Election Central)
MAYBE IT’S BECAUSE HE IS A “NEVER-TRUMPER”
SAYS HE WILL BRING ETHICS REFORM On his website, Gregory Parker calls for “punitive ethics reforms”. The truth is, regarding Parker, the Texas Ethics Commission “found credible evidence of a violation of [several] sections… of the Election Codes” (Figure F) and his conduct as Comal County Commissioner raised concerns with the Comal County District Attorney. The District Attorney requested an opinion on “whether the conduct of a county commissioner [Gregory Parker] triggered the automatic resignation (“resign-to-run”) provision” contained in the Texas Constitution. He was not found innocent of the investigations, but the Governor of Texas responded that he could not determine if he violated the provision. If Gregory Parker already violated several Texas ethics rules, and was found suspect by the Comal County DA, how could he presume to lead the way on ethics reform?
(Figure F: The Texas Ethics Commission’s ruling against Gregory Parker for several ethics violations. Source: https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/sworncomp/2011/31112268.pdf )
READ THE COMAL COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S LENGTHY CONCERNS WITH PARKER
SAYS HE HAS CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH LT. COLONEL ALLEN WEST In Parker’s self-published book, he has a foreword from Lt. Col. Allen West and dedicates his book to his “great friend” Allen West.
The truth is, Lt. Colonel West admits “no relationship” with Parker.
HONORABLE MENTION: RESIDENTS QUESTION GREGORY Through the investigation of Gregory Parker, concerned citizens have made some troublesome discoveries. (Note: These posts, and comments, are not from Charlie Riley Campaign Members or supporters, but rather from those seeking accurate information on Gregory Parker):
#1: SHENANDOAH COUNCILMAN BYRON BEVERS SENT AN OPINION PIECE TO THE CONROE COURIER CALLING PARKER A “SPENDTHRIFT”:
#2: JOHN LEFEVRE OF THE WOODLANDS NOTICED POSSIBLE SECURITIES FRAUD AND EDUCATION EMBELLISHMENTS. HE CRAFTED THE FOLLOWING POST TO MR. PARKER, WHICH HAS GONE UNANSWERED:
In a quest for truth, and without supporting or opposing any specific candidate, I wanted to publicly post, without prejudice, some questions I have for Montgomery Country Precinct #2 Commissioner candidate Greg Parker. This is simply a transparent quest for clarity and truth, as I assume others might have the same questions, and others still might benefit from the open discourse.
Gregory Parker, I would most respectfully appreciate it if you could answer my questions, as I continue to weigh and measure this contentious election. I would preemptively say that many smart people whom I trust, and respect are supporting you, and that is part of the reason I am asking these questions openly.
1) Since you spend a lot of time talking about your education, I’d like to know where you received your degrees? Your website says you “hold a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, a Master of Public Administration, all but dissertation on [your] Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration” but the names of the institutions are suspiciously absent. Can you please be specific with respect to where and when you received your degrees, and how long you have been working on your PhD? I’m not looking for transcripts, but simply the names of these institutions would be helpful.
2) You mention your MIT credentials quite a bit as well, specifically to give yourself credibility. On your website, it says you have “completed graduate-level courseware from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Public Finance, Public Economics, and Construction Management.” Verbally, you have implied that it was more than that. Are you referring to MITs initiative to put their curriculum online for free for anyone to study and peruse? My understanding (my wife, a stay-at-home-mom, did these for fun) is that this is open to anyone; there is no oversight, no application process, no qualification process, no completion process, and no end-result. It’s no different than an educational YouTube or Kahn Academy video, or even an iTunes educational podcast. What about this accomplishment do you feel adds to your resume and credibility as a candidate, and why do you feel it is worth mentioning so frequently?
3) You always speak a lot about your pedigree as an author, so I would like more information:
– How many copies of your self-published books have you sold?
– Why are there so many typos and grammatical errors in them? It’s quite alarming, especially coming from such an educated person as yourself.
– Was Allen West compensated in any way for writing the foreword? Did West write the foreword in its entirety, or did you provide assistance? If Allen West spent the time to write this and expended the repetitional capital to support your book, do you expect him to endorse your current race?
– Would you be willing to send a PDF or DOC version of “Conservative Essays” to me to be scanned by Google for plagiarism?
4) Can you please explain more about “Raven Fund 1”? My understanding is that you tried to raise $50 million to make horror movies. Subsequently, you expressed to the marketplace that you had “$43 million in investor interest.” Given that the fund had said that “the Fund is a go if [you] hit at least $2 million,” what happened? Please explain the nature of the statement conveying to potential investors that you already had $43 million interest. Given that nothing materialized, do you maintain that this was a truthful statement? I’ll avoid posting links to keep this as succinct as possible but am happy to provide them.
5) You were generously given 2 minutes at a candidate forum to address concerned and involved citizens who had devoted their evening to making our community better, and your entire speech was: “Chris Rock says, ‘Vote for Greg Parker.’’ Can you explain the joke and the thought process (judgment) by which you felt this was appropriate for this audience?
I have a few more questions. But I think this is sufficient for a single post. I sincerely look forward to your answers.
#3: PAST PRESIDENT OF THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY YOUNG REPUBLICANS, KURT JONES, NOTES DISGUST FOR EDUCATION EMBELLISHMENTS:
