Trouble in the Christmas Mountains?

[SHANEA]

Texas land commissioner offers U.S. chance to bid on Christmas Mountains

[SHANEA]

Door cracks open for park agencies to pick up Christmas Mountains

[SHANEA]

"I'm not honoring five words out of a thousand words in the agreement," Patterson said. "To say that I'm not honoring the agreement is patently false."

Responding to criticism levied against the land office, he said, "The idea that we're selling public land (intended) for a public park is just bogus."

Austin American Statesman

Letter from Land Commissioner to head of Big Bend National Park (PDF)

Letter from Land Commissioner to head of State Parks Department (PDF)

Map of Christmas Mountains tract (PDF)

Satellite view of Christmas Mountain tract (PDF)

Letter from Rep. Donna Howard to Land Commissioner (PDF)

# Letter from Rep. Harvey Hilderbran to Land Commissioner

Texas Land Commissioner Patterson Keeps Cool, Packs Heat

A warning to those who get crosswise with Jerry Patterson: This man is both armed and disarming. Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, in his Austin office, is unfazed by his ability to please and annoy the same people at any given moment. The quirky and popular Republican Texas Land Commissioner who wears a pistol in his boot and his opinions on his sleeve has been catapulted into controversy for his decision to sell the publicly held Christmas Mountains in West Texas and his blasting of Gov. Rick Perry for endorsing Rudy Giuliani for president.

[badknees]

ShaneA,

Thanks for the great post. It appears as though there is some public pressure is coming to bear on Mr. Patterson. Although he is still standing very firm on his firearms and hunting position, it appears as though the armour has a small crack. It also appears as though the voices of the people of the State of Texas are being heard. Now is the time to keep the pressure on our elected officials including state and federal to use the tide of public opinion to push this issue towards an acceptable conclusion. I urge everyone to continue to communicate their objections to this sale to their Representatives. 

I may be naive, but it looks to me that this guy could lose a lot of support and the whole sale deal could collapse if the outcry is loud and long enough. Too bad this isn't an election year for him.

[RichardM]

Sale of Christmas Mountains delayed

02:23 PM CST on Tuesday, November 6, 2007
By KAREN BROOKS / The Dallas Morning News
kmbrooks@dallasnews.com

The Texas School Land Board delayed the sale of the Christmas Mountains for three months on Tuesday, giving the National Park Service time to come up with a plan to buy and conserve the land.

In a 3-0 vote, the board, chaired by Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, placed the two private bids for the West Texas land on the table, where they’ll remain sealed until an award is made, if that happens.

The board did not specify if that plan had to include hunting. The hunting issue is the big sticking point in whether the parks service will acquire the rugged tract of 9,269 acres adjacent to Big Bend, because hunting is prohibited on most federal land.

. . .

Land Board puts Christmas Mountains bid decision for 90 days
Tuesday, November 6, 2007, 01:45 PM

The School Land Board on Tuesday postponed its decision on awarding a bid for the state-owned 9,269-acre Christmas Mountains tract adjacent to Big Bend National Park.

Despite indications on Monday that a decision would be made today to allow the national or state parks agencies a chance to match the winning bid, the board decided to put off announcing a winning bid for 90 days. The National Parks Service and the state parks department will be allowed to pitch competing offers in that time.

The bidders are John Poindexter, the owner of the Cibolo Creek Ranch in Presidio, and Mike and Ramona Craddock (a Dallas couple). The board, which is part of the General Land Office, has no plans to release additional details of the existing bids, according to Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson.

[SHANEA]

Thanks Richard for the Update...

[badknees]

I 've been through a lot of sealed bid processes in my life but I have never seen the winning bid given to a non-bidding party for a chance to meet on exceed that bid.

I assume the instructions to the bidders had some language like.... We can reject everything, anytime, anyhow, from anyone and do whatever we want.

Go figure!

[SHANEA]

I assume the instructions to the bidders had some language like.... We can reject everything, anytime, anyhow, from anyone and do whatever we want.

Well, when the man running the show is above the law and is unaccountable and can strike words from a contract at will, then you can do pretty much anything you want to.

How is the NPS going to "match" or come up with the funds or know what to come up with when the bids are sealed.  Talk about Open Government. 

This whole thing just reeks.   

[SHANEA]

So, who are the new players?

Mike and Ramona Craddock

any time I hear the name Craddock, I think of Tom Craddock.

[badknees]

I assume the instructions to the bidders had some language like.... We can reject everything, anytime, anyhow, from anyone and do whatever we want.

Well, when the man running the show is above the law and is unaccountable and can strike words from a contract at will, then you can do pretty much anything you want to.

How is the NPS going to "match" or come up with the funds or know what to come up with when the bids are sealed.  Talk about Open Government. 

This whole thing just reeks.   

Mr. Patterson stated in his letter to TPWD and NPS "a copy of the winning bid will be sent to your office and will be used as a benchmark in evaluating proposals from the [NPS][TPWD]"

[SHANEA]

Mr. Patterson stated in his letter to TPWD and NPS "a copy of the winning bid will be sent to your office and will be used as a benchmark in evaluating proposals from the [NPS][TPWD]"

Good catch.  Ok, so we have "secret negotiations" between the State of Texas and the Federal Government.  I guess file a FOIA on both and see who blinks.     Of course, since "the collective we" want NPS to have the Christmas Mountains, might better just leave well enough alone...   

[SHANEA]

So, who are the new players?

Mike and Ramona Craddock

any time I hear the name Craddock, I think of Tom Craddock.

So, we start a conspiracy theory that Tom Craddock really wants the land and is going through his brother Mike Craddock, if it is his brother, to get the land.  And Tom Craddock is good friends with Patterson?  All of this is false, as far as I know.  Maybe I should write fiction.

[Timbo]

In today's Austin American Statesman:

Patterson and respect
Re: Oct. 20 editorial “Day at the park? He’s packin’.”

Next time you wonder why no one seems to have any respect for the law any more, consider the case of Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, who brags that he has repeatedly carried firearms in national parks in violation of regulations he believes are unconstitutional. (“… if I go to a national park, I’m armed. I don’t care what they say.”)

What’s the message when a public official flaunts his contempt for federal law? Either everyone should always ignore laws they believe to be unconstitutional, or some people are above the law. Public respect for the rule of law suffers either way.

ALAN W. FORD
Bastrop

[SHANEA]

What’s the message when a public official flaunts his contempt for federal law? Either everyone should always ignore laws they believe to be unconstitutional, or some people are above the law. Public respect for the rule of law suffers either way.

ALAN W. FORD
Bastrop

I think paying Federal Income and State Sales Tax is unconstitutional.   , but I'm not about to go on record saying I don't pay my taxes... 

[SHANEA]

Editorial Cartoon of Patterson

NOTE:  Picture preserved here as there is not not a perm link to it.