Race-baiting the recall election in Hearne

The recall election for Hearne City Councilwoman Maxine Vaughn ends on Tuesday, and the local political machine wants everyone to know that the negroes are trying to take over the city government. Hide your women and children!

Dennis Phillips, the publisher and editor of the Robertson County News, published a libelous column on Thursday, falsely claiming that event_238092532when Councilwomen Hazel Embra, Joyce Rattler, and Lashunda White were running for office last Spring, they came to his office along with local activist William Foster and outlined a “plan to unseat the current city government and take over Hearne.”

Not one to be subtle, Dennis connects William Foster to Quannell X, the black radical from Houston, and implies that the three councilwomen – all of whom are black – are trying to impose something radical and racial on the city. He even lists the city officials whom the councilwomen supposedly said they intended to fire. The problem? Dennis fabricated the story. Why? As explained below, Dennis has a serious conflict of interest now that he and his employer have accepted a taxpayer-funded loan from the political machine.

I spoke with Dr. Foster, as well as Councilwomen Embra and White, and they had a radically different account of the meeting with Dennis. For starters, Ms. White did not attend the meeting. Ms. Embra and Ms. Rattler went to Dennis’s office at his invitation, but nothing was said about firing anybody, much less taking over the city government.  … Read more

Appellate court orders Hearne to hold recall election

This evening the Tenth Court of Appeals in Waco ordered the Hearne City Council to hold a recall election for City Councilwoman Maxine Vaughn within 35 days.  You can read the opinion by clicking here.

Congratulations to my clients, Councilwomen Hazel Embra, Joyce Rattler, and Lashunda White, as well as former mayor Milton Johnson, Rusty.249111858_stdall of whom have battled Hearne City Attorney Bryan F. “Rusty” Russ, Jr.’s underhanded schemes to block the election. I have attached a copy of my December 16, 2014 letter to Robertson County District Attorney Coty Siegert that explains how Mr. Russ committed a third-degree felony while trying to maintain his grasp on power.

If Ms. Vaughn is recalled, my clients will have a 3-2 majority on the city council, and they have repeatedly said the first order of business will be to fire Mr. Russ, who makes more than $4,700 per month for a part-time job even though (1) he does not prosecute traffic offenses, and (2) he charges extra for any litigation that he works on. Based on my review, that’s more than three times what an average city attorney makes in a town the size of Hearne.

On Friday, February, 6, 2015 at 10 a.m., Visiting Judge Reva Towslee-Corbett will hear my motion to sanction Mr. Russ, refer him to the State Bar of Texas, and enjoin him from filing any additional legal claims without first getting approval from the city council. The hearing in the Robertson County Courthouse will be open to the public, so come one and all. … Read more