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For Me? Potter politics intriguing By Greg Rohloff The Texas Ethics Commission faulted H.R. Kelly, who is challenging Potter County Commission Precinct 1 incumbent Lacy Borger for leaving out a word on his yard signs.
Kelly's signs inadvertently left out the word "for," prompting Kelly to apologize profusely at a called press conference inside the Potter County Courthouse. Tanner Borger, the grandson of the incumbent, Lacy Borger, brought the gaffe to the commission's attention and Kelly said he would own up to the mistake. In turn the commission wrote Kelly to inform him that such wording by anyone other than the incumbent was a Class C misdemeanor, which he must correct. To ignore the warning, Kelly said, elevates the offense to a Class A misdemeanor. Without the word "for," someone not entirely familiar with the commissioners individually could reasonably assume that Kelly was the incumbent, giving him an unfair advantage with voters who might vote for the incumbent based on satisfaction with the commission as a whole. And, while Kelly apologized for any undue consternation he might have caused his opponent, he quickly pulled out the hammer, contending that had he been the incumbent, the downtown Tax Incentive Reinvestment Zone agreement would not have had such a bumpy road through the Potter County Commission, nor would the county have spent money on outside legal advice. The commissioner's race wasn't the only one with intrigue. The Potter County sheriff's race has one candidate, incumbent Mike Shumate, under indictment. Ken Farren was cleared of charges.. Incumbent Sheriff Mike Shumate awaits trial on felony corruption charges while challenger Ken Farren was found not guilty on misdemeanor charges of abuse of office. That left the rumor mill to turn its focus on two other challengers over whether they were bona fide Potter County residents and not just some Randall County interlopers who strayed across the dividing line. When Clay Duke decided to run for sheriff last year, he approached the Potter County Attorney's Office to get the exact requirements for residency. Duke had been living with his wife, Deree, in Randall County, Duke said. In June 2007, Duke moved to a house in the 1000 block of S. Milam on a six-month lease, and after it expired, he moved to a downtown Amarillo condominium apartment near the sheriff's office. His wife continues to live in the Randall County house to be close enough to her mother to assist with her daily care. Duke's move to Potter County meets state rules, which require six months residency within the county prior to Jan. 2, 2008. Challenger Frank Frausto owns rental property in Randall County as well as in Potter County, investments he said he began in the 1990s before he retired as a Department of Public Safety trooper. But his residence has been in west Amarillo — Frausto requested the Independent not reveal its location because of his years in law enforcement — since he started investing in real estate, save for a few months in 2006 when he remodeled the house. E-mail
comments about this story Posted: February 21, 2008
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