Amazing what you can find in the archives. Like this little nugget from the Lampasas Dispatch Record (archives April 10th, 2015 – page 11). The Dispatch was interviewing then-candidate Chris Harrison as he ran for City Council a second time (he resigned with a year left in his term the first time around):
“The council candidate said he opposes tax abatements and other financial incentives to prospective businesses. He also said he was against city officials’ economic-development trips to California and a subsequent incentive agreement for a company that moved from California to Lampasas. “To me, it’s not the government’s place to fund private business,” Harrison said.
“The candidate said he learned from a grant program the City Council offered briefly in 2011. Under the program, which Harrison initially supported but later voted to repeal, small businesses that opened in Lampasas after a specified date were eligible for a grant of $5,000 from the city. Harrison said council members had good intentions but learned quickly there were problems with offering taxpayer money to businesses. “
Wow. Harrison sounds reasonable and intelligent here. He is 100% correct on those points. However, here we are about 4.5 years later and Harrison is singing a completely different tune.
NOW, Harrison has been hired by S2M2 Inc. – a local PRIVATE business. He recently went in front of city council to beg for $125,000 in “cost sharing” to pay for half of a detention pond his employer (a PRIVATE developer) needs. I guess if you are going to steal, then steal big, right Chris? You had a real problem with handing out $5,000 grants to small businesses (rightfully so) back in April of 2015 when you were running for Council but $125,000 to your new employer S2M2 Inc is just fine and dandy! Perhaps it should be Chris “The Hypocrite” Harrison instead of “Greasy” Chris.
It’s also VERY greasy that Council shot down the idea in May, but since FORMER COUNCIL MEMBER Harrison showed up to plead the case, now Misti Talbert says “city officials need to think again about a detention pond.” (Lampasas Dispatch 8-30-19 – page A4 – paragraph 12).
BONUS SCUMBAGGERY: The Dispatch archives also mention that Harrison owns a dirt contracting company he started in 2002. I wonder who will get the big, fat $250,000 contract for BUILDING this detention pond? Is that the deal, Chris? You go beg to your former Council chums for a $125,000 check to S2M2 Inc and then Steven McDonald (owner of S2M2) hands you the dirt contract? Sure looks that way from where I’m standing.
What an absolutely disgusting display of hypocrisy and wasteful spending all wrapped up in a big pile of dog shit. Will The Seven Goldfish look into this? I highly doubt it.