Less than a year ago, residents had no say in who sat on the Tarrant Appraisal District board of directors. Now, days before voters head to the polls May 4 for a historic election, a new political action committee has spent more than $70,000 to boost a slate supporters say is prepared to make big changes.
Tarrant Taxpayer Advocates was created March 28, according to Texas Ethics Commission filings. Since then, it has received $62,265 in contributions and spent $71,092 supporting Eric Morris in Place 1, Callie Rigney in Place 2 and Matt Bryant in Place 3. The trio has received endorsements from County Judge Tim O’Hare and other local Republican Party leaders.
Nearly 87% of the PAC’s funding comes from the same candidates it is supporting, according to an analysis of eight-day campaign finance data by the Fort Worth Report. Rigney and Morris did not respond to requests for comment. In a written statement, Bryant said it’s important voters know about the election and that there is a slate of candidates committed to being taxpayer advocates.
“The fact that our campaign has raised the most money is an encouraging sign that voters are behind our message of reducing the tax burden and delivering much-needed reform to TAD,” Bryant wrote.
He did not answer specific questions about whether the candidates created Tarrant Taxpayer Advocates collaboratively. The three new appraisal board positions, which were created as a result of a November constitutional election, are unpaid. It is the first time in history that voters themselves — rather than taxing entities such as cities or school districts — can elect people to the board.
Brandon Rottinghaus, a University of Houston political science professor, said it’s rare to see so much money spent in smaller municipal races.
“Although this is a rare event, the fact that every election matters for these candidates, and for these parties, means that they need to go all in,” he said. “So, I think that’s what’s happening here, the need to say that a party or a certain ideology is sweeping these elections.”
While the appraisal board positions are nonpartisan by law, six of the eight candidates who have filed to run identify as Republicans — including the entire Tarrant Taxpayer Advocates slate. In that sense, Rottinghaus said, it makes strategic sense for the slate to unite under a PAC.
“Having an external organization makes it sound like there’s a more lofty ideological goal,” he said. “The fact that they’re all linked together through the same PAC is another way for voters to have shortcuts in terms of who they might select.”
The stakes are high for Republicans who want to reshape the appraisal district, which has been embroiled in controversies spanning several years. Former chief appraiser Jeff Law resigned in September after a recording leaked of a district IT executive suggesting staff should mislead the media about the Tarrant Appraisal District’s technology glitches. Most recently, the district was hit with a ransomware attack in March, which resulted in taxpayer information being leaked on the internet.
Statewide, lowering property taxes has been in the legislative crosshairs for years. Despite lawmaker intervention across multiple sessions, residents have continued to feel the financial strain of rising appraisals, prompting pressure on local elected officials to either lower property tax rates or increase tax exemptions.
Tarrant Taxpayer Advocates argues the candidates it has endorsed can make transformative changes, such as capping residential appraisal increases. The district’s chief appraiser has said limiting appraisals is not allowed by law.
The PAC’s creation has split opinion among some residents, who have driven conversations in local Facebook groups about its funding and purpose. Jared Ross, a North Richland Hills resident and former City Council candidate, said he’s concerned by the lack of transparency behind the PAC.
“They create these PACs, so all these candidates can dump money into these PACs, then they use that PAC money to pay themselves for the marketing,” he said. “I hate PACs altogether. They’re just shady.”
Joshua Blank, the research director for the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin, said candidates from different places who are aligned on a particular set of issues occasionally come together to fund a PAC for themselves and other like-minded politicians. But seeing that setup at the local level is unusual.
“Given that this is a new elective office that is relying on voters in an unusual time in the election calendar, and in a race that is likely to have very low turnout, I think anything that could provide some sort of guidance to voters is likely to have a greater impact than we would expect under normal conditions,” Blank said.
With the majority of contributions coming from the candidates themselves, the remaining $8,135 of the PAC’s funding comes from Republican consulting firm Edgerton Strategies and Grapevine-Colleyville ISD trustee Shannon Braun.
Edgerton Strategies’ involvement isn’t limited to contributions. Tarrant Taxpayer Advocates has also paid the consulting firm $50,630 for texting services and mailers, and owes $9,827 for consulting services, according to campaign finance forms. Edgerton Strategies has consulted on a number of North Texas campaigns, including O’Hare’s 2022 race for county judge.
“Ultimately, by pooling resources and essentially creating one advertisement for three candidates, you get more value for your dollar,” Blank said.
Mailers sent on behalf of the PAC tout O’Hare’s endorsement of Morris, Rigney and Bryant. His involvement in the appraisal district races has come under fire from candidates he didn’t endorse, who raised concerns about O’Hare both accepting candidate filings and making endorsements in the same election. O’Hare previously nominated his campaign treasurer, Vince Puente, for a seat on the appraisal board. Puente is now chairman of the board.
Andrew Charlton is listed as the PAC’s treasurer. Records reviewed by the Report show the address Charlton listed on campaign finance forms matches the mailing address for Edgerton Strategies. He did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
The PAC also paid the DFW Conservative Voters PAC $10,635 for advertising, according to campaign finance reports. DFW Conservative Voters produces what is locally known as the “Green Card,” a list of endorsements for area races. Bryant, Morris and Rigney were each endorsed by the DFW Conservative Voters PAC. According to its website, endorsements are made after the candidates are interviewed.
Rottinghaus said while Tarrant Taxpayer Advocates PAC’s financial investment may seem large without context, it also doubles as an investment into candidates’ political futures.
“This is a position that is easily a stepping stone to other positions,” he said of the appraisal district role. “That’s why these candidates are fighting so hard for it and why the parties are investing so much time and effort into selecting candidates and getting voters to come out to vote.”
The Tarrant Taxpayer Advocates slate is running on a platform to limit appraisals to every three years and cap residential increases at 5%. Candidates have disagreed over whether such a move is legally possible without legislative action.
If candidates can’t accomplish that while on the appraisal board, experts said it could spell doom for a reelection effort — or pave the way for a new campaign.
“That’s where promising something you can’t deliver on actually makes sense if your strategy is long term,” Blank said. “You say, ‘This is what I wanted to do. I can’t do this here because it’s so backwards. I need to go to higher office to make the change that I want to make.’”
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect the number of appraisal district board candidates that identify as Republicans.