Montgomery County Monitor (Montgomery County, TX) – Three additional members of the Conroe Independent School District (CISD) Board of Trustees have received notices of complaints from the Texas Ethics Commission (TEC). Another member of the CISD board, Bruce Tough, received a similar complaint earlier this year. According to the July 25, 2007 TEC notices, board members Gerald Irons, Cassandra Haynes and Dr. Melvin Brown allegedly failed to properly follow specific sections of the Texas Election Code.
Mr. Iron’s notice of complaint alleges a failure to appoint a campaign treasurer as well as a failure to file pre-election and semiannual campaign finance reports. Similar complaints that allegedly occurred in 2005 were not considered by the TEC because a two year statute of limitations had expired.
Ms. Hayne’s notice of complaint alleges that she failed to file pre-election and semiannual campaign finance reports.
Dr. Brown’s notice of complaint alleges he failed to file timely semiannual campaign finance reports, failed to disclose the total amount of political contributions maintained in one or more accounts and failed to properly disclose a loan for January 2005, July 2005, January 2006, July 2006, and January 2007.
As with Mr. Iron’s earlier allegations, Dr. Brown’s 2005 allegations will not be considered in this complaint due to the expiration of the statute of limitations for Class C misdemeanors. Ethics commission rules prohibit the commission from considering allegations that are barred from criminal prosecution.
The notices of complaints each classify the alleged Election Code infractions as Category One violations.
According to state statutes, a complaint is classified as a Category One violation if it is generally not difficult to ascertain whether the violation occurred or whether it did not occur. Category One violations require a response from the accused within 10 business days.
The original complaint was filed by Jim Doyle, a resident of Montgomery County, Texas.
Penalties handed out by the TEC for violations are civil in nature and can vary widely.
The TEC was created in 1991 by an amendment to the Texas Constitution. Some of the TEC responsibilities include administering and enforcing the following:
Title 15 of the Election Code including political campaigns and contributions.
Chapter 305 of the Government Code including lobbyist reports and activities.
Chapter 572 of the Government Code including personal financial disclosure and conduct of state officers and employees.
Related Information
Conroe Independent School District
Texas Ethics Commission
TEC Notice of Complaint – Brown
TEC Notice of Complaint – Haynes
TEC Notice of Complaint – Irons
TEC Notice of Complaint – Tough
