Terri Hodge Asks Voters in House District 100 to Stop Listening to Diane Ragsdale

By Robert Wilonsky Wed., Feb. 24 2010 at 4:49 PM

Categories: Politics

Sam Merten

Terri Hodge, who, if elected, will not serve. Because she can't.

Maybe you heard: Former Dallas city council member Diane Ragsdale still wants voters in Texas House District 100 to cast their ballots for Terri Hodge -- guilty plea be damned. Said Ragsdale last week, nothing against Eric Johnson, "it's about enhancing participation and preventing a situation where we have representation by default." Uh-hunh.

Anyway. This afternoon, Hodge -- via her Fort Worth attorney, via his Dallas PR firm and Unfair Park's downstairs neighbor -- sent word that, um, she'd really appreciate it if folks didn't vote for her. Her statement, in full:

"On February 3, 2010, I announced that, as a result of my plea of guilty to a criminal tax violation, I will not be able to continue to serve in the Texas House of Representatives and that I will not seek reelection.

I also terminated all campaign activities at that time. It has come to my attention that efforts are underway to encourage voters of District 100 to support my re-election. Because I cannot serve if elected and have terminated my campaign activities, I do not endorse or support any such efforts, and I urge that these activities cease immediately."

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I commend this blog for the photo of the Honorable Terri Hodge as most photos to DMN has ever used is one showing Ms.Hodge as sullen and not nice as she is in reality.She shows she is a class act by her announcement regarding the vote issue. Sandra Crenshaw should take her lazy self out of this issue as her attempt to interpret and practice law without a bar card has always amazed me and others.
Just got a Fed Ex addressed to the precinct chairs of HD 100 from Hodge, asking them to STOP campaigning on her behalf.....
Gotta say I love watching the circus that is South Dallas politics.
Considering that Angela Hunt supported Hodge well past the time that it was obvious that Hodge was corrupt, I would say there is some involvement by some within the current council.
Does anyone have a breakdown of how many precinct chairs are in the district, which ones support TH and which ones don't etc??
Sandra- please explain to the class how Johnson filing a complaint is illegal and considered harassment? I honestly don't know all the rules but when about 10 other precinct chairs in my area (including Tyler, Ragsdale) welcomed me into the fold with my election sheets and a script for calling my precinct's primary voters (all my friends and neighbors) to urge them to vote for Terri, something in my gut told me not to.
Wow - precinct chairs who support Terri Hodge, breaking the law? seems like a pattern. These people are really grasping at straws. I've been all over this since reading about Ms. Ragsdale's robo call. It boggles my mind as to why these people want to stand in the way of progress. I guess with Terri gone, they see their gravy train pulling away from the station. Heaven forbid these people actually have to "do" something besides show up to events and take credit for the work of others.
Seems like a whole lot of violations of due process and infringements on citizens participating in the democratic process. but I reserve my comments on Terri Hodge until later. Have you heard thatSeGwen Tyler confirmed on the Robert Ashley KHVN radio show that the Eric Johnson campaign had filed ethics complaints on the democratic precinct chairs and Diane Ragsdale, and Kevin Felder. I wonder if the Johnson campaign knows that it a violation of the Texas Government Code to file a complaint for the purpose of harassment. Does anyone know if the accused here are going to pursue filing a flip the script Cortes/Foster complaint on the Johnson campaign. In addition to a civil penalty, the complainant could be civilly liable to each respondent in an amount equal to the greater of $10,000 or actual damages.
@ David Brauss and Heywood U Buzzoff- What are you both talking about with your comments about council members??? Diane Ragsdale was on the council in the early 90s. No one on the city council is doing anything here. PS- I am one of the precinct chairs in southeast Dallas in district 100 who has been, ah "encouraged" by other chairs (because I'm new and not sure what I'm supposed to be doing) to call around my precinct and urge voters to vote for Terri in the primary. I can't in good conscience do it. So I haven't. I'm really glad that she's urging folks not to vote for her. She's doing the right thing here.
Diane--take a lesson from Terri Hodge: act classy. The only reason to urge folks to vote for Terri Hodge is to insure that the voice of the citizens at the ballot box is replaced by whatever backroom room deal 40 faceless precinct chairs can make. Is that what people marched for, fought for, and died for? While it is still Black History Month, Diane, why don't you read up on some Black History, especially the part where Black people were denied the right to vote in primaries to choose the candidates of the Democratic and Republican parties. Are those the "good ol' days" that you want to send us back to? Shame on you, Diane. You, of all people, know better.
Good for Terri Hodge. I felt kind of bad, because I literally did a double-take when I saw her at the Jefferson Jackson dinner the other night, and I think she noticed it. On the other hand, she had lots and lots of folks gathering around her all evening, so maybe she didn't. She looked great, by the way.
Every time I think they can not lower the bar for stupidity on the city council, someone on the city council just nudges it a bit lower.
"Former Dallas city council member Diane Ragsdale... "
An intentional derailing of the election process by another city council member. Is that not gross negligence?