Mueller Lake Park Outdoor Amphitheater
Meeker's Role in BATPAC
RECEIVED Tue., March 25, 2008
Mr. Black,
As a board member of Better Austin Today Political Action Committee, I would like to call your attention to an incorrect statement made by Michael King (“Point Austin,” News, March 21) and ask you to print a retraction.
King states that Jason Meeker “helped found” Better Austin Today. He concludes this based on Meeker’s response to our candidate questionnaire, in which Meeker states: “I helped name the organization, when I proposed the name as BATPAC for Bettering Austin Today. And I hooked you up with the designer of your logo.”
King did not ask any Better Austin Today board members whether Meeker helped found the organization. Meeker was not involved in starting the group and has never even attended a meeting. Before we incorporated, those of us starting the organization asked several people, including Meeker (who is a public relations professional), for input on potential names. After we incorporated, Meeker was among those we asked to recommend graphic designers for logo development. In addition, he, along with many others not involved in founding or running our organization, attended our first press conference. Otherwise, Meeker has had no involvement with Better Austin Today. Suggesting a name and a graphic designer is not tantamount to being a founder.
Our endorsement of Meeker was never a foregone conclusion, as King’s statement seems to imply. Better Austin Today, comprising longtime activists as well as newcomers involved in a wide variety of civic endeavors, was created to advance a progressive, inclusive vision for our city and to provide a strong voice for the public interest to counter the profit-driven special-interest groups that currently dominate city politics. Our endorsements were made to support our shared vision for Austin, not the political aspirations of any single individual. Our endorsement is based on what we learned about Meeker during our endorsement process and what we know about Leffingwell’s record. Meeker’s vision for Austin and commitment to inclusiveness will serve the city much better than Lee Leffingwell’s unreliable record on important issues and demonstrated preference for insider decision-making.
As a board member of Better Austin Today Political Action Committee, I would like to call your attention to an incorrect statement made by Michael King (“Point Austin,” News, March 21) and ask you to print a retraction.
King states that Jason Meeker “helped found” Better Austin Today. He concludes this based on Meeker’s response to our candidate questionnaire, in which Meeker states: “I helped name the organization, when I proposed the name as BATPAC for Bettering Austin Today. And I hooked you up with the designer of your logo.”
King did not ask any Better Austin Today board members whether Meeker helped found the organization. Meeker was not involved in starting the group and has never even attended a meeting. Before we incorporated, those of us starting the organization asked several people, including Meeker (who is a public relations professional), for input on potential names. After we incorporated, Meeker was among those we asked to recommend graphic designers for logo development. In addition, he, along with many others not involved in founding or running our organization, attended our first press conference. Otherwise, Meeker has had no involvement with Better Austin Today. Suggesting a name and a graphic designer is not tantamount to being a founder.
Our endorsement of Meeker was never a foregone conclusion, as King’s statement seems to imply. Better Austin Today, comprising longtime activists as well as newcomers involved in a wide variety of civic endeavors, was created to advance a progressive, inclusive vision for our city and to provide a strong voice for the public interest to counter the profit-driven special-interest groups that currently dominate city politics. Our endorsements were made to support our shared vision for Austin, not the political aspirations of any single individual. Our endorsement is based on what we learned about Meeker during our endorsement process and what we know about Leffingwell’s record. Meeker’s vision for Austin and commitment to inclusiveness will serve the city much better than Lee Leffingwell’s unreliable record on important issues and demonstrated preference for insider decision-making.
Hope Morrison
Better Austin Today board member
Better Austin Today board member
[Michael King responds: In his responses to the BATPAC questionnaire, as Hope Morrison notes, Jason Meeker claimed a special relationship with the organization and indeed that he provided its name, and Morrison (Meeker's colleague at Responsible Growth for Northcross) here indeed confirms that the founders consulted with a declared council candidate on the supposedly independent organization's name and its logo. They now quibble with my formulation that by providing that assistance, he "helped found" BATPAC. Readers can draw their own conclusion, but I find nothing to retract. I do find it amusing that a group so earnestly demanding transparency and accountability from others instantly howls with outrage when the same standards are applied to them.]
