Fed-up citizens or 'radical hate group'? Politics have gone hog wild in Mineral Wells
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The Facebook-fueled uprising is spearheaded by three local characters who look more like extras from a Duck Dynasty episode than firebrand political activists: There's Lann Murphy, the cherubic, outspoken, smiling owner of LannTex Electric; Russell Hess, the Second Amendment fanatic and gun-store owner who lives out of town on the Brazos River, passes out pocket copies of the Constitution and accessorizes his bushy gray beard with twin braided ponytails; and Mike Page, the acerbic Desert Storm veteran with family roots in Mineral Wells but who lives on Palo Pinto County land he said he purposely purchased just outside the city limits.
Their movement, called "We The People Uncensored!!!" is also the name of their Facebook page that serves up daily discourse, debate and occasional opposition butt-hurt, as they say, with a coarser edge than their politer predecessor, "We the People of Mineral Wells."
"We the People of Mineral Wells" gets full credit for igniting this rebellion, born last year from last-straw frustration after the city asked for millions in a bond package for a new city hall. The demand is financial accountability and greater transparency from city leaders. When the administrators of the original Facebook page weren't keen on some language and tactics being used, Hess and company started the "Uncensored" page. It hasn't always been a harmonious relationship; in fact, at times it has been cantankerous, but the populace is certainly taking notice.
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"We've had people that have been in this game a long time say that they've never seen this many people come out to an event like this," said Hess, who, in seeking wise financial decisions and transparency from city leaders, offered transparency into his own financial problems. He filed last month for bankruptcy on his business, Backwoods Equipment and Hauling, and personal bankruptcy two weeks ago, and he paid the Internal Revenue Service more than $55,000 in unpaid taxes from 2009 to 2014.
None of that, he said, should detract from his efforts to embolden the residents of Mineral Wells.
"I think Lann and I, we're a voice to Mineral Wells," Hess continued. "And I think people believe in us, and I think that we got people fired up."
'A radical hate group'
Fired up goes both ways. Because for these amateur activists, political rebellions are on-the-job training, and they haven't gone without keystone cops missteps.
Before the March primary election for Justice of the Peace, "We The People Uncensored!!!" campaigned hard against former game warden Bill Jones, who retired in 2012 while embroiled in an internal investigation into a sexual relationship with a subordinate and an attempted suicide, according to court and Texas Parks and Wildlife documents.
Murphy also dug up additional character concerns regarding Jones' past, allegations of sexual abuse 30 years ago made by his stepdaughter, Shauna Sanford, who put her claims on a video Murphy uploaded on the Facebook page.
Mineral Wells police and CPS investigators made numerous visits to the Jones home during those years, Jones confirmed; however, he was never charged with a crime related to the sexual abuse allegations.
But then Murphy, in his determination to see Jones defeated, got carried away. Jones accused him of voter intimidation after Murphy threatened to put the names of people who displayed "William 'Bill' Jones" campaign signs on some kind of mysterious "list." Murphy has since admitted that there never was any list and said he's used the incident as a teachable moment.
"I look at it like a sloppy football game," Murphy said. "Got to get on the sideline and see how we're going to clean it up for the next time."
As for Hess, during the movement's earlier days, he got to mixing Second Amendment protectionism with local government protests. Three times he organized "open-carry walks" in front of City Hall, and he'd stream them on Facebook.
Mineral Wells is come-and-take-it gun country — the scenic rolling hills outside of town are ripe with deer and wild turkeys — but a half-dozen beer-bellied men stalking the sidewalk with AR-15s strapped to their shoulders freaked out some people.
"The tactics they're using are extreme far-left, but if you looked at their appearance you would say extreme far-right," said an opponent of the "We The People Uncensored!!!" movement prior to the March election, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of a fear of retaliation. "When you start talking about putting people on a list and you're walking around with dadgum AR-15s, what does that mean?"
Jones blasted the group as a "radical hate group." He also lost the election to an opponent that even the "We The People Unconsored!!!" can claim wasn't as qualified.
"I think he would have won in a landslide," Murphy said.
"Let me tell you something, they're scared of these people because they think they are going to get shot and killed out of this deal," Jones said of his supporters before the primary. "I'm not so sure that if I win I'm not going to have an attempt on my life. Every time I come home and my house isn't on fire, I think it's a good day. That's how these people act."
Murphy and Hess chuckled at Jones' assertion that they'd commit murder and arson to gain a political edge. But they've also since acknowledged that political activism taken seriously requires a level of professionalism, so there's no more threats and no more guns.
"We have to be like the press, above board, not biased and get the people to make their own decisions," Murphy said following last month's successful forum.
'We certainly have our challenges'
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Butcher denies speculation by "We The People Uncensored!!!" that the Industrial Foundation and Area Growth Council scratch each other's back to the detriment of the city, and no such evidence has been presented. Nix, the local businessman seeking to uplift downtown, revealed his own investigation into the Industrial Foundation found a troublesome lack of openness into its activities but no red flags of corruption.
"They think it’s all being done in a back room smoking cigars. That’s the furthest thing from the truth," said Butcher, who admitted fault for the lack of transparency, saying it has damaged credibility with the public and left it vulnerable to conspiracy theories. "We have a number of things we’re working on that’s going to increase our industrial base and create more jobs. It's just taking a little longer."
As for the approaching election, Butcher said: "I think they’ll do what they feel is right. That’s just the way it works. I just hope enough will educate themselves so they're not just running with a portion of the facts."
