How Can Sibley Live In Austin, Run For Senate In Waco?

TEA Partiers beg the question. A Confrontation Looms.

Fresh from a downtown Waco "honk-in" to signify the TEA
Parties' love-hate relationship with Representative Chet
Edwards' stand against Obama Care, Toby Marie Walker of the
Waco TEA Party sent e-mails across the Senate District 22
landscape posing the rhetorical question:

How can David Sibley declare his homestead in Austin, the
place of his principal abode, yet claim to have lived in
Waco the previous 12 months to stand as a candidate to fill
the unexpired term of Senator Kip Averitt whose resignation
became effective on Wednesday, St. Patrick's Day?

"It's a good question," she told The Legendary, puzzled as
to how Mr. Sibley, who for 11 years led the charge to
deregulate electrical power, insurance carriers and promote
the powers of the Brazos River Authority before going on to
a lobbying career in the state capitol representing those
same interests.

State election laws require that a candidate for the
legislature is required to have lived in the district for
which he is filing for the previous 12 months. Tax laws
laying out the rules for the grant of a homestead exemption
require that a person must declare the property as his
"principal abode" at the time of the filing.

Tax records of the Travis County Central Appraisal District
indicate that Mr. Sibley's home in Austin is under just such
an exemption. It is appraised at three-quarters of a
million dollars.

Governor Rick Perry has the power to declare a special
election for which candidates may file by paying either a
$1,250 filing fee to the Secretary of State or delivering at
least 500 certified signatures of registered voters who live
in the district.

To fill the upcoming term following the vacancy in office,
County Democratic and Republican Chairmen will caucus and
place a name in nomination to run for the office.

One guaranteed opponent is Darren Yancy, a Burleson
insurance and real estate man who minors in investment
banking by researching venture capital issues, especially in
the area of renewable alternative energy sources such as
biofuels, wind and solar-powered solutions to natural gas,
big coal and hydroelectric projects.

He has made repeated claims that he has commitments for the
nomination from a majority of the County Republican Chairmen
and Chairmen-elect.

It will be a contentious and issue-oriented race to fill the
unexpired term because Mr. Yancy is against all the things
Mr. Sibley worked so hard to put in place: relaxed eminent
domain powers by local governmental authorities, pipeline
carriers, certain accounting practices in "reinsurance" by
carriers who sell themselves coverage on new or anticipated
policies and claim it as an increased cost of doing
business.

Mr. Sibley late last week terminated his lobbying
commitments for 11 electrical power providers, a large
tobacco purveyor, the Brazos River Authority and numerous
trade associations such as trial lawyers, dentists and other
professionals.

Neither Mr. Sibley, nor Mr. Yancy were available for comment
at the time of this posting.

Tally Ho! Put on your green jeans and join us in a jig.
T'is a fine day to be above ground, saith The Legendary.