By now you've heard the news of some elected officials using their campaign funds to 'pay rent' for property they own. It's quite an ingenius use of campaign funds, really. Buy a condo in Austin and pay your wife rent out of your campaign funds. Nothing says you can't rent a place to live in Austin while you're here. Might as well make it some of the finest addresses in Austin. Except for Rep. Toby Goodman, he paid his wife $1,800 a month for this house in Cedar Park.

There is nothing in Cedar Park worth $1,800 a month...his wife is robbing him blind!
Then there's State Senator Kim Brimer. He apparently went to the most trouble setting up his scheme...even separating assets to get this sexy location with a view of downtown. This high profile Colorado Street address boast some of the best views of the city skyline and, personally, I've been to some wild parties on that patio that surrounds the condo floors. Vintage Austin luxury for a vintage state representative!

State Rep. Rob Eissler apparently has the biggest balls. He just put the deed in his name. (*cough*, Ronnie Earle..are you listening?*cough*). This seemingly non-descript condo is a gem in the fashionable Hyde Park neighborhood of Austin. Hyde Park is an enclave for non-tenured UT professors and graduate students as well as hip young couples digging the academic pulse of Austin. Eissler is certainly enjoying this trendy Austin address!

And then there's State Rep. Gene Seaman. Wow, I especially love how he threw his wife under the bus with the old, "It's the old bag's fault. She doesn't know anything about business" line. Rep. Seaman has gone 'old-school' Austin elite with his view of Town Lake. From their own brochure, these luxury residences include a fitness center, handball/racquetball court, indoor/outdoor pool with spa, traditional gameroom and assigned parking make Towers of Town Lake the ultimate in easy living. No mention of an in-house plastic surgeon, but we're sure they're around!

For my personal tastes, Rep. Vicki Truitt's swanky condo is worth the $75,000 she's been paying her husband for this luxury pad. Current appraisers say it's worth about $200,000. Set between Duncan Park and the Capitol, this address just misses the high-brow Pemberton neighborhood with the convenience of luxury downtown living.

Remember, these state represenatives are public servants complaining about the low pay they receive for leading our great state in a race for the bottom. I don't begrudge anyone living well, maybe because I'm so good at it, but...paying 'rent' on real property your gonna get to keep after you leave office paid for by campaign contributions smacks of hooker-logic to me.

Pattern:
Property records from the County Appraisal District and campaign reports filed with the Texas Ethics Commission show: (1) The spouse of the officeholder “owned” real property in Austin, executing both Warranty Deeds and Deeds of Trust in the individual spouse’s name. The spouses “ownership” was achieved in different ways in individual cases. (2) In most cases, the legislator immediately began making ‘rental’ payments to the spouse in amounts sufficient to cover the mortgage notes on the property. In most cases, the spouse not had previously held rental property in Travis County, and only purchased property upon the legislator’s election to the Texas Legislature.

Texas Election Code:
This pattern violates two sections of the Texas Election Code:

* Personal Use: Section 253.035 of the Texas Election Code prohibits a person who accepts a political contribution from converting the contributions to “personal use,” which is defined as primarily furthering individual or family purposes not connected with the performance of duties or activities as a candidate for or holder of a public office.
* Purchase of Real Property: Section 253.038 of the Texas Election Code prohibits a candidate or officeholder from knowingly making or authorizing a payment from a political contribution to purchase real property or to pay the interest on or the principal of a note for the purchase of real property.