LeakSprings:
The inept-stein Files

Tonight's City Council meeting was the Marc Maxwell show, but in the antagonistic and deficient manner we've come to expect from him. I don't have the energy to go through everything he said or did and why it's problematic. And some things I'll just save for the lawsuit. However, there is one important thing he said tonight that reveals so much about the transparency issues around economic development. Paraphrasing (I don't have the recording), he said something to the eff

The City Council continues to play fast and loose with the Open Meetings Act. So far, the lawsuit I filed hasn't been enough to compel them into substantial, ongoing compliance, and the agenda for the 9/1 meeting continues this trend. Specifically, there are problems related to sequencing on the public comment period after executive session and further action on items from Councilman Johnson's improper use of the public comment period in the 8/4 meeting. I've submitted the f

That isn't bad luck, it's gross incompetence.

For anyone who's been paying attention, it's obvious that the City has substantially increased public expenditures in its hell-for-leather pursuit of this data center project. The City has borrowed money at an alarming clip, racked up significant legal and PR expenses, given away public land it valued at $17.5 million for $200, agreed to significant tax incentives and other infrastructure commitments, and committed money to other projects that I'm sure they're banking on futu

Texas House Bill 1522 became effective on September 1, 2025. Among other things, the bill amended provisions concerning budget discussions under the Texas Open Meetings Act, specifically Section 551.043(c). A three business day notice requirement replaced the 72-hour rule for these types of discussions, and the Legislature added specific disclosure requirements when a budget is discussed or adopted: “The notice of a meeting required to be posted under Subsection (a) at which

Apparently, ground beef is all it takes to make Marc Maxwell newsworthy again. Over the past week, the Sulphur Springs News-Telegram and Front Porch News have run the same story about Maxwell securing a donation of meat for the Hopkins County Community Chest, complete with a posed photo op. Here are those links if you haven't seen them yet: Sulphur Springs News-Telegram https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14nHwYcWzMQ/ https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1J8qjTQR67/ Front Porch News