When was the last time the value of a box of pastries was this important?
Westworth Village City Council member Halden Griffith was arrested Friday on allegations of felony bribery, the city announced. The bribe he’s accused of offering: delivering boxes of pastries to the homes of potential voters on Election Day in May, with flyers taped atop in support of a slate of three candidates running for City Council.
The city, quoting police Chief Kevin Reaves, said the agency had referred the case to the Tarrant County district attorney’s office for “review and prosecution.”
“This is still an ongoing investigation which is being conducted thoroughly and in accordance with the law,” Reaves said in Westworth Village’s release, which added the city would not respond to additional questions. “Public officials are held to the same legal standards as all members of the community.”
Reaves did not respond to messages from the Report requesting comment on Friday. A spokesperson for the district attorney could not be reached.
Mayor L. Kelly Jones had tipped the possibility of action against one of the city’s elected officials Thursday, sending out an email saying “the city received serious accusations from numerous citizens on Election Day that a current elected official, and possibly others acting in concert, violated your constitutional rights to a fair election.” Jones did not identify the suspected official in his email or provide details on the infraction.
Jones told the Report Friday afternoon he sent the email to his list of 361 Westworth Village addresses. The city sent it to a list of people who signed up for digital updates and to every resident who has a water account — all in the interests of transparency, he said.
Jones, a lawyer and entrepreneur who served several years on the Arlington City Council before later moving to Westworth Village, declined to discuss with the Report how he became aware of the allegations or to detail what he knows of them.
Michael Bachand, who lost a council bid this spring by two votes, is now suing the incumbent council member, alleging the city knowingly allowed people to vote who no longer lived in Westworth Village. The bribery allegation centers on boxes of pastries Griffith was handing out during door-to-door Election Day canvassing May 2, Bachand told the Report Friday.
A flyer taped atop the boxes of pastries expressed support of candidates Darla Thornton and Bachand, both challenging incumbents, and Brad Turner, who won his race against another candidate for an open seat, Bachand said.
Griffith spotted Jones following him, shooting pictures and video, while Griffith went door to door, Bachand said. He cited conversations he had with Griffith, who thought nothing of Jones tailing him.
“Since we’re a small town, many candidates go door to door,” Bachand said. Neither Griffith nor Jones were up for reelection this year.
Asked whether he thought that Griffith — once he emerges from jail — might argue the allegations are trivial, Jones said, “The law is very clear that offering anything of value in support of a candidate or multiple candidates, on Election Day especially, is a very serious offense.
“The value is immaterial. State law makes it a serious offense,” Jones said.
Frank Sellers, a Fort Worth attorney who said he was representing Griffith, issued a statement to the Report Saturday night.
"Mr. Griffith did not bribe anyone," it said. "Bringing pastries with a campaign flyer is called campaigning, not bribery. No votes were bought, no deals were made, and we are confident this case goes nowhere."
Bachand said Griffith’s “doughnut” giveaways are no different from the campaign parties Jones confirmed he participated in this spring.
“At its core, we’re talking about the same thing. I don’t think we’re being consistent,” Bachand told the Report. Jones asserted state law differentiates between the two campaign activities.
The pastries in question were produced by The Black Rooster Bakery in Fort Worth, whose menu includes croissants, sweet breads, muffins, cookies and dessert bars at prices ranging between $3 and $4.50. The restaurant does not sell doughnuts.
The flyer distributed with the pastries criticized Jones’ support for the rezoning of the 27-acre Kite Farm three years ago. Trinity Terrace, the nonprofit that operates the senior living complex in downtown Fort Worth, planned to develop the Kite Farm into campus-style luxury senior living. The flyer equated the development’s residential living to apartments it maintained were bad for the city. The dispute over the zoning scuttled the case.
Westworth Village sent police officers Wednesday morning simultaneously to the homes or workplaces of Griffith and the three council candidates, Bachand said.
“He said he needed to talk to me,” Bachand said of the officer who showed up at his front door. “I said, ‘What about?’ He said, ‘I need to talk to you about pastries.’”
Griffith and the candidates later shared notes on their conversations with each other, and all were asked by police to discuss the pastries, Bachand said. Reaves showed up at Shady Oaks Country Club, where Griffith works as aquatics director and personal trainer, to interview Griffith, Bachand said.
“This is harassment and public shaming,” Bachand said. “Halden is a very quality guy, very virtuous in (knowing) right from wrong.”
Bachand said the police interviews amounted to a waste of public resources. Jones said he was not aware of the specifics of the police investigation, but said the department has about 20 police personnel.
The other two candidates could not be reached Saturday.
Griffith asked Reaves for an opportunity to contact a lawyer earlier in the week and Reaves agreed, Bachand said. But Friday morning, Reaves told Griffith a judge had signed an arrest warrant and that Griffith could turn himself in or the police would come arrest him, Bachand said.
Griffith called Bachand just before heading to City Hall with his wife and parents, Bachand said. Griffith remained in the Tarrant County jail Saturday, according to the jail log. The log listed a bond amount of $10,000.
“I respect the police, but I saw what they did today,” Bachand said.
The dispute over the future of the Kite Farm dates to when Fort Capital, the Fort Worth developer of the mixed-use River District that abuts Westworth Village, purchased the farm intending to develop or sell it to a developer.
When Trinity Terrace purchased the farm and sought to rezone, Jones said Westworth Village’s property tax base was $440 million. Trinity Terrace estimated at the time it would invest $350 million in the project, Jones said. Trinity Terrace estimated the average length of residence at the development would be 13.5 years.
“I was fully in support,” Jones said. “It was fabulous land use.” Building heights and setbacks were ideal, he said, and the development plan saved “the vast majority” of trees on the farm.
Bachand said Jones’ intent may be to force critics off the City Council and ensure passage of the Trinity Terrace development.
Thornton garnered 48.6% of the vote and lost her race by 15 votes. Turner won his race with 52% of the vote and a 24-ballot margin. Bachand lost his race by two votes, with 49.8% of the vote.
Bachand thinks the “doughnut conspiracy” was created to distract from the real issue: “I believe the mayor knew illegal votes were being cast and they were holding their breath they would not be found out,” he said.
Jones declined to discuss the allegations in the lawsuit at length, but said, “Residency is a lot more complicated than where you sleep at night. Residency is a matter of intent.”
Jones said the law doesn’t allow a recall of a sitting council member. Whether Griffith chooses to remain on the council, even if indicted by a grand jury, is “completely up to him.”
Jones also emphasized Griffith is presumed “innocent until proven guilty.”
Bachand said even if Griffith isn’t forced off the council, what Jones has done “is a public execution, effectively.”
“It never amazes me the breadth of my powers,” Jones retorted, noting he’s being accused of controlling votes, the police, a judge and the district attorney. “I’m a small-town mayor with very limited powers.”
Scott Nishimura is senior editor for local government accountability at the Fort Worth Report and a Fort Worth City Hall reporter. Reach him at scott.nishimura@fortworthreport.org.
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