THE SPECTATOR: YOU BE THE JUDGE
After my editorial last week about the City of Brenham and School Board races, a number of people have asked if I had any proof of this “so-called conspiracy” involving local churches, Republican groups and other citizens groups. I’ve decided to just lay it all out, and let you decide for yourselves. I apologize in advance for its length.
First, I want you to know I believe that all of the candidates running in the City of Brenham and Brenham School Board election are basically good people. But I also believe half of them, unfortunately, have become caught up in a deep web of politics spun by several groups and individuals. And even some of these groups have been manipulated by their own members. This is what I have learned:
- In January at a Washington County Republican Club meeting, a local pastor announced that Jared Krenek had filed for reelection to the Brenham School Board and said “we need to find someone to run against him.” That pastor is heavily involved with the groups “Let Our Teachers Teach”, and “Texas Church Leaders”.
- In February, the Senior pastor of Champion Fellowship Church shows up at City Hall representing one of the City Council challengers, to draw for his position on the May ballot. That pastor is heavily involved with “Texas Church Leaders” and “Texas Leadership Summit”.
- In early March, the Washington County Republican Women host a meeting for all of the candidates to introduce themselves. At the check-in table are yard signs for only certain candidates. In fairness, the President of the Club has acknowledged that this should not have been allowed, and she would have stopped it had she been there.
- Later in March, the Texas Church Leaders announce that after reviewing the School Board candidates’ answers to their questions, they are endorsing three of them.
- One of those candidates, when asked about advertising on KWHI, tells us that he had been told that Citizens United for Brenham Schools (CUBS) was paying for everything.
- In early April, a representative of CUBS purchases political advertising for two of the School Board candidates, but doesn’t want to identify who is paying for it. Only after checking with an attorney does he agree that it is the law and complies.
- KWHI is sent ads recorded by two of the candidates, and CUBS says as soon as they get the audio for the third candidate, they will send it.
- During a forum hosted by Texas Leadership Summit at Champion Fellowship Church, yard signs for certain candidates are seen in the church foyer.
- At that same forum at Champion’s, a candidate tells the audience that they really need to vote for at least two of the three, referring to the three candidates endorsed by Texas Church Leaders.
- During our KWHI forum, when the candidates were asked “have you accepted any form of aid – financial, operational, strategic, or otherwise – from political special interest groups; particularly the Washington County Republican Club/Party, the Texas Leadership Summit, Moms for America, and Texas Church Leaders,” they all said “no”.
- At a forum hosted by the Washington County Republican Club, illegal “push cards” supporting those same three School Board candidates are placed on all of the tables by a Club member who also represents CUBS. The cards say the three candidates are “Endorsed by Citizens United for Brenham Schools, Let Our Teachers Teach, and prayerfully supported by Texas Church Leaders”. The cards do not indicate they are a political ad, nor who paid for them. At the end of the meeting, a Club member tells everyone that they need to vote for the candidates supported by CUBS.
- One of the members of CUBS hosts forums for the School Board candidates in Chappell Hill and Old Washington without disclosing that she is supporting certain candidates.
- At a forum hosted by the Washington County Republican Women, those same illegal push cards are passed out by a member of the Club, who is also a member of CUBS.
- A meet and greet for the two City Council challengers and the one School Board challenger who all attend Champion Fellowship Church is hosted by the Senior Pastor and the Chairwoman of the Washington County Republican Party, among others.
- And finally, I have been told that a third local pastor sent a letter to the members of his congregation suggesting which candidates they should vote for.
School Board candidate David Jantzi came by to visit with me after my first editorial about these races. Jantzi told me he answered “no” to the question about receiving any support from any political special interest groups because he didn’t consider CUBS a political special interest group, just a group of local citizens. In retrospect, he did acknowledge that he probably should have disclosed their support. That’s something all of the candidates being supported by these groups should have done. Unfortunately, when candidates put their campaigns in the hands of various third parties, they lose some control over what is being said and done on their behalf. The printing of illegal push cards wasn’t done by the candidates themselves, but by the individuals and groups supporting them. I believe David is a good man, as he said that mistake is being corrected.
Now that I’ve presented the details, I’ll leave it up to you to decide whether or not this was a conspiracy from the beginning, or just a large number of coincidental missteps.
And that’s the way it looks to this Spectator.
I’m ashamed that a religious organization would get involved. Someone must be filling the offering plate for this. This I would think is an abomination. God wouldn’t put His hands in this. “If you put everything in God’s hands you will see God’s hands in everything”. Not seeing it here.
Thank you for breaking this down for your readers. I’m not very much involved with local political dynamics, so this is helpful.
Now, and with all due respect I do have a wee concern with this paragraph: “First, I want you to know I believe that all of the candidates running in the City of Brenham and Brenham School Board election are basically good people. [[But I also believe half of them, unfortunately, have become caught up in a deep web of politics spun by several groups and individuals]]. And even some of these groups have been manipulated by their own members.” I was expecting objectivity but IMO, the writing is subjective and sets a tone of negativity to the election process in Washington County. That’s from an outside looking in POV
Disclosure: I am a member of Champion Fellowship and know the Jantzis. However, I’m not privy nor want be to any of the machinations ON EITHER side of this political cycle.
The deviant influence of secular postmodernism and critical theory on our children, that’s the conspiracy. That’s why a public school school deserves this attention by our churches. It’s not the Church that needs government its the government and the fallen nature of humans that comprise it that need Religion. They need a witness, not a stumbling block of fools.
Alexander Hamilton wrote concerning the French Revolution,
“How clearly is it proved by this that the praise of a civilized world is justly due to Christianity;—war, by the influence of the humane principles of that religion, has been stripped of half its horrors. The French renounce Christianity, and they relapse into barbarism;—war resumes the same hideous and savage form which it wore in the ages of Gothic and Roman violence.”
~ “The War in Europe” (1799)
Hamilton new, as did Jay (both authors of the Federalist Papers) as did Washington and most of the founders that our government in the US depends on our collective morality adhering to Christ. a denominational pluralism of our blessed Religion.
The US when it was founded was not just beginning, it was in its purest form. The US had, at least for a very short moment, thought it accounted for the fallen nature of man and created what it thought was a system of ant-power. Problem was that humans had just not yet found a way to corrupt it multiple times over through greed, pride, and a lust for power over others. Secular humans constantly looking to say it is we humans and the elite of humans, that are the authority and not God. Look, here’s my PhD, MD, JD, diploma they say, as they proclaim their authority for the last 50 plus years. We say how well that has worked.
Now, here we are, just a couple hundred years later with Christians fighting for their rightful place as intended by our founders. John Jay, our first Supreme Court leader said “Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.”
John Adams writes, I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God. Without religion, this world would be something not fit to be mentioned in polite company: I mean hell.
With respect, anyone can go and cherry pick quotes from the founding fathers (the multitude of them) to support just about any viewpoint they wish to argue. For everyone one quote about Christianity you can find another arguing against it.
For example, the same John Adams administration ratified a treaty in 1797 that declared that “the government of the United States of American is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion.”
Oftentimes we take founder quotes out of context. Men like Adams, Jay, etc. were Christian and believed in Christian principles but one cannot go from that to the idea that the United States Government was founded as a Christian nation.
Jefferson, Madison, Adams, Washington, Thomas Paine (who was an atheist) all emphasized the notion of separating the state from religion, which fits with their revolutionary experience since the Church of England was the state sanctioned church. It is absurd to think that they would turn around and create a nation founded upon a specific religion.
Also, cherry picked quotes from the founders on their own personal views about morality and religion does not erase the anti-establishment cause of the first Amendment.
To quote Madison, the single most important brain behind the Constitution, “Religion and government will both exist in greater purity the less they are mixed together.”
Some of these organizations — whether you love them or hate them — may have started with good intentions. But along the way, it feels like they’ve lost sight of those original goals. Instead of helping, they now seem to be dividing our town and doing more harm than good.
If a candidate who isn’t supported by these organizations gets elected, why would they want to work with groups that were unified against them from the start? That kind of dynamic leaves no room for trust, and in my opinion, there’s no easy way to build it back.
Let’s also talk about the impact on our community. Anyone who listens to public comments at School Board meetings, or hears the back-and-forth between board members, can clearly see the divide. And that’s discouraging. It’s not the kind of environment that inspires people to stay, much less get involved.
I believe this division — both on the board and in the community — is pushing away great teachers, students, and families. People want to be part of a district and a city that uplifts everyone, not just a select few.
I’m not here to tell anyone who to vote for. That’s not the point. Regardless of who wins in the City Council or School Board elections, we all need to find a way to move forward — together. Because right now, this division is only hurting Brenham.
Let’s put our personal opinions aside and focus on what’s best for BISD and our city. We owe it to our kids, our teachers, and to each other.
THIS RIGHT HERE!
Everyone needs to read this, PERFECTLY written!!
Good day,
Has any of the candidates for BISD and/or City Counsel besides the one you mentioned any regret or has come up with an answer for the “misunderstanding”? And for Maurer are you walking your donkeys away?
Thank you, Spectator for a detailed unbiased explanation. I know I can always count on you to get to the bottom of things in our city and county.
This community deserves better. Period. It has become abundantly clear that these gentlemen, good as they may be as individuals, are simply pawns in a game being played by a handful of aspiring puppet masters who think they have the right to decide who leads Washington County. The candidates can claim ignorance all they want, but to me that’s even worse, because it makes it crystal clear who is really calling the shots, and who would continue to call them if they were to be elected. Last week I was upset at these men for the role they are playing. As I have learned more, I now pity them. I pity them because they were sold a lie, and staked their name to it. I pity them because these political “geniuses” have such low opinions of this community that they believed that the people of Washington County were gullible enough to fall for this little scheme. I pity them because they will lose this election. They will lose this election in spite of the lies, the signs, and the sermons. They will lose because, in Washington County, we still have principles, and we don’t reward deceit, and dark money. They will lose because we are Brenham, not the dark political swamps of Houston or Austin or Washington D.C. where this dark-money-machination is acceptable. Voters must turn out and make it abundantly clear that the people decide who leads this county, not a handful of power-hungry zealots.
You must be joking. Principles…in Washington County? The good ‘ol boys club??
*I am NOT a member of Champion Fellowship
You stated that all of these men are “basically” good people — but who are you to make that kind of judgment? From my perspective, if any lines were crossed, it likely stemmed from a lack of understanding of the complex election laws, not from intentional wrongdoing. Yet your commentary seems to imply otherwise, suggesting there was shady intent on the part of church leaders. It’s clear you’re using your platform to promote a candidate you’re affiliated with, which frankly makes your column much less compelling to me.
This suspiciously sounds like you’re part of one of the organizations mentioned… just to discredit the events stated. Character judgment aside, the other information cannot be unproven.
I will be voting for the candidates who have shown their dedication to BISD long before announcing their run for the school board. I will vote for the candidates who make it a point to say hello when they see me in public, who ask how things are going, and who genuinely listen and care about what I have to say. I’m supporting the candidates who will truly listen to BISD staff, not outside organizations. Those candidates are Koonce, Colley, and Krenek.
Many “good men” have lost more for being involved in less conspiracy. These men do not deserve to be rewarded for it.
Donald could use you in DC
The fact that they all three lied when asked the question at the KWHI forum tells you everything you need to know.
Quick to judge people you have no idea about whatsoever. Have you ever met one of these men or spoke to one. Due your own research don’t believe everything you read about. Come to Champion Fellowship and speak to the candidates they are there every Sunday. Speak to the pastor.
Thank you, Spectator! I had no doubt something was fishy, and very glad you opened the can of worms last week! This is so embarassing, none of them deserve to win!
I have always heard that if churches get involved with politics that they could lose their tax free status doesn’t this kind of sound like that
So does that mean they’re trying to take over City Council and the School Board with some hostile take over bid?
Yes, that’s exactly what it means.