Censured Houston Community College trustee Dave Wilson announces run for District VI

A former Texas community college trustee censured by the college system for speaking out against the governing body announced his new candidacy to return to that very same board.

Dave Wilson gained national prominence when on April  26, 2021 the Supreme Court of the United States agreed to hear his landmark First Amendment case regarding Houston Community College (HCC) censure of his speech, thereby violating Wilson's constitutional rights to represent the people who elected him.

County Examiner received a statement from Wilson:

Why is this case and election so important? 

For many years before being elected to the Board of Trustees, I spoke out about the disease of corruption at HCC on contracts, real estate, capital spending, and more.  In addition, today HCC is faced with plummeting enrollment, skyrocketing administrative salaries, and discrimination and sexual harassment lawsuits.

After being elected to the Board by campaigning to fight corruption, they have tried to restrict and shut me down over these important issues.  They do not want transparency or a spotlight on their dirty deals.  Regretfully, my positions have rung true.

There is a lot of talk about vaccines these days.  We need a different vaccine at HCC.  One that will provide Transparency and Truth and Accountability.

Now I am running for HCC 6 to carry on the fight to end corruption, increase enrollment, change the culture, and make everyone proud of Houston Community College once again.

Houston Community College District VI covers the Alief area and the below zip codes:

Wilson served as the District II member of the Houston Community College Board of Trustees until August 27, 2019, when he resigned to focus on his District I candidacy.

The campaign of Wilson's opponent in that 2019 runoff was financed in part by the:

• Andrews & Kurth Texas PAC: $1000.00
• Richard Weekley: $2000.00
• Houston Business Education PAC: $12,000.00

From Wilson: "For those of you that do not know who the HBEC is: they are composed of members of the Greater Houston Partnership.  They have a long established history of buying HCC Trustees."

Wilson subsequently lost in the December 2019 runoff.

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First Amendment issues brewing in SWFL and the ordinances that punish residents w/ jail time

Two issues affecting First Amendment protected speech are brewing in Southwest Florida and both could dramatically impact local ordinances that punish (or seek to) residents with arrest and / or jail time and speech fines.

The City of Punta Gorda

A Punta Gorda resident filed a lawsuit in federal court pertaining to a recording prohibition contained within Chapter 15 of the City Code. In court filings reviewed by County Examiner, Andrew Sheets, a resident of Punta Gorda, Florida challenges the city’s prohibition on recording governmental employees engaging in public duties without their express permission.

The suit stems from his audio and video recording of interactions with public employees at City Hall including after city employees declined to give their consent to be recorded.

City code and a recently adopted Charlotte County ordinance both currently prohibit anyone from recordings in libraries, county offices, jails and buses without permission from county administrators, except for public meetings.

The complaint, filed in the Middle District of Florida is Case No. 2:19-cv-484.

The City of Fort Myers

An ordinance proposed by a Fort Myers, Florida city council member would punish residents for their public comment speech in violation of a proposed “civility” ordinance and subject them to forced removal from city council chambers, including threat of arrest and/ or jail time.

During their July 15, 2019 city council meeting, Fort Myers city council member Fred Burson made and council subsequent adopted a motion “to request the City Attorney to review language submitted by Councilperson Burson and Councilperson Anderson to update the

current Ordinance; motion carried 6-1.”

At the 35:11 minute mark Councilman Burson said “the purpose of the ordinance should be to prohibit the following language at the podium”:

“Abusive, derogatory, hurtful, insulting, aggressive, hateful, racist, rude, threatening, menacing, hostile, nasty, belittling, offensive ---and the intention of the ordinance would be to stop the use of the above language during public meetings …..and to direct the video technician or operator in the event somebody is, uh, violating the intent of this ordinance is to take the camera off that individual …and to direct the technician to mute the sound …and I would also as part of this as the city attorney to give himself and/ or the Mayor the authority to warn the individual no more than 3 x their language or behavior is inappropriate ---at that point in time at the direction of the city attorney or the Mayor allow the police officer to escort the individual from the chamber ---and I would like it to be punishable by up to sixty days in jail and a fine of $500.00…”

The city attorney is expected to present the draft speech ordinance to council with 30 days.

Coming Soon! The debut of County Examiner-keeping an eye on county government

Welcome to County Examiner! After more than 10 years contributing content to a nationally-known Harris County, Texas-based political blog and publishing original content on her own blog covering Fort Bend County, Texas, the County Examiner is expanding the scope of reporting on county-level governments outside Texas to now include the 67 counties of Florida.

By exploiting a void in media reporting on the workings of county governments, County Examiner will publish “public information from public sources”. Through leveraging the Texas Public Information Act and the Florida Sunshine Law this blog intends to inform and educate readers on public policy issues, publish & share reports affecting Texas and Florida counties, and provide insight into matters of public interest facing your county commissioners. It’s my hope you’ll find the unique reporting informative enough to spur robust conversations on legitimate issues worthy of public debate in accordance with the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. Drop me a note at siennamud10@gmail.com if you’ve got a tip or with your feedback. Thanks for your readership and welcome to County Examiner!