The Hearne City Council is convening a special meeting on Monday, hoping to block a ballot initiative that would force a forensic audit of city hall finances. As I reported last Monday, such an audit could very well send some city officials to prison.
Enter City Attorney Bryan F. “Rusty” Russ, Jr. at stage right. According to the city charter, the city secretary was supposed to transmit the petitions in support of the initiative to the county for certification of voters’ signatures. Instead, Mr. Russ intercepted the petitions and is holding them at his private office, thereby preventing certification.
That should not surprise anyone who knows Mr. Russ, a shameless white-collar criminal and a ringleader of the Booger County Mafia. I suspect he’s trying to keep some of his Mafia allies out of prison, e.g., Mayor Ruben Gomez, City Manager Pee Wee Drake, Councilman Michael Werlinger, Councilwomen LaShunda White and Joyce Rattler, and City Judge Hazel Embra. And for all I know, he may be trying to keep himself out of prison.
Yesterday I sent an email to Mr. Russ asking why the petitions had not been submitted to the county. In a one-sentence reply, Mr. Russ demanded to know who I was representing, as if that mattered. I told him that I was representing former Mayor Milton Johnson, Councilwoman Shirley Harris, and council candidate Rodrick Jackson, who were (along with council candidate Martha Castelija) the organizers of the petition drive. … Read more