Part Two--Do It Anyway

I still have friends asking me why I am posting about what happened to Dwight and I in the community at the hands of the City of Wylie management and some of their influential friends.  I first spoke of my reasons in the October 6, 2013 Do It Anyway. 

I want people to know too that what was meant for our harm, God is using for our good.  This is something that we need to be able to tell, as it is a huge praise to God for all He has done and continuing to do.  I would be remiss in not sharing this testimony of every detail of all He has done if for no other reason than an encouragement for others during such dark, dark times.  Our prayer is that we will soon be able to share of the past year’s mercy and grace that the Lord has showered us with and the incredible way He has   worked through things and the plans He has for us.  We can not thank Him enough nor can we think as big as He does!  Truly what was meant for our harm, He has used for good for us and others.

There are people that have absolutely been ruined by these same people that continue doing this over and over for their own selfish reasons, NOT for the good of the community of the City of Wylie.  And because of what has been done and the huge liability that the City of Wylie has been placed, they go to great lengths to discredit those they wrong in their attempts NOT to get caught.  We have even been told recently that Mindy has shared with some on the council that “she has influence with other cities in their hiring and firing”.  Since Dwight’s forced departure, he has continued attending classes and meetings to keep his certifications and State licenses current.  In every single meeting, once it is discovered that Dwight is now consulting and no longer with the City of Wylie, the barrier comes down and they openly discuss many stories they have collectively known for years now of the City of Wylie’s mistreatment, abuse and misuse of their employees.  Their revolving door history especially with their Building Officials is believed to be the worst in the State of Texas with upwards of 12-14 in the past 20 years.  This is not just our opinion, this is coming from professionals across the State of Texas.  We know that the City of Wylie has been blackballing Dwight and others in the past and this too is illegal.  And because of this, people are leery in telling of their newfound jobs for chance of Mindy, Jeff and Eric continuing their slanderous tales and the retribution of others that have been involved in helping them.  It is hard to understand WHY they keep on trying to hurt us and other people over and over—is this really that much fun for them?   Do they feel that they are untouchable?  If nothing else, do they not wonder how the Lord is viewing all these terrible things they are doing to others?

Early on in the first months of our debacle, we were contacted and told that there was already a Federal investigation going on in Wylie.  NOTHING was shared with us regarding such investigations and we did not know then nor now exactly what was being “investigated” or even if in fact the call was legitimate.  We know that the shop was bugged and can only surmise that was done to find out IF we knew anything…but we have not a clue what they were searching for and what we were supposed to know.  As of yet we still do not know who was bugging the shop as there were many involved in what happened to us and that is something yet to be revealed to us.  We are hoping that one of those involved will come forward and reveal the truth rather than continue to be on the list of accomplices.

I was recently reminded that we are safer with people knowing what has been done to us and who has threatened us.  I also was reminded Federal investigations into other cities (Dallas was the example given) that nothing is disclosed until investigations are complete and DONE.  Maybe this is the case here in Wylie, but maybe not.  But no matter the case, we know that the Lord is in control of it all and IS using it for our good.  He will not let good, decent people continually get hurt at the hands of these people without them having to answer for what they have done--if to no one but HIM.  And what I have yet to share is the number of good people in the community that have been used as pawns in this as they continually create their stories and therefore are slandering these innocent people as well.  And we also have been told that there are six known employees on their hit list (a few of these are near retirement) and any one of them could be in jeopardy.  And for those that continue rebuking those of us that have been so wronged and rallying with the perpetrators, I pray that you will come to realize that you are only heaping judgement on yourself and it is so not your fight.  Believe me, these people are not kind and sweet innocents, but as dangerous as anyone with murder in their heart.

Even though this is NOT a subject that is in any way positive in nature or content and it is definitely depressing for me to even broach the subject, but IF I can prevent it happening to one more person, it will be worth it.  I also believe that people deserve to have their family and friends know that this is NOT a problem that was created by them, but by those that wanted to get rid of them for NO fault of their own.  If there truly had been grounds for firing employees and running people out of businesses, then the truth would have been told rather than all the construed lies and outlandish stories.  And what is unreal is that they must be getting off script as they are saying the same things repeatedly about so many people.  If this collective group of maligned former employees got together these people would go down so fast and the City of Wylie would be owned by these very people that they have slandered beyond belief.

And to the people in the community that I considered friends that are so blatant in their mistreatment of those of us so undeserving of your rebuke, just know that when you are no longer useful to these people or you throw any kind of wrench in the works of their selfish agendas, YOU too could easily be sacrificed.  And you too could be on a list of casualties of others before that have too late come to regret their assistance in helping them carry out their very ugly missions.  This is not just some made up drama that I am sharing, this is a matter of historical record and it just keeps on happening over and over.    

I have always championed for those wronged.  Family and friends will tell you that I was a kind and sweet child yet would always rally to defend others if I believed them maligned.  Probably my earliest recollection was when I was about eight years old and my sister was a baby.  I was fierce in my love for Cindy and spent most of my waking moments with her those first months after her birth.  Once school was out for the summer, Mother and Daddy would coax me to go and play outside with my friends.  I loved to skate and one day I took Cindy outside in her stroller and decided to skate as I pushed her down the sidewalk.  As I was skating and pushing her, a boy on our street who was a known bully came riding his bicycle towards us with a broad smile on his face.  I was one of the very few children on our block that he had not mistreated and I had no reason to think he was going to do anything mean.  As he got to us he jumped off of his bicycle, threw it down and proceeded to grab the stroller from my grip.  Of all things, he then pushed the stroller into the street.  Before I knew it, a panic swelled within me and the next thing I knew, I had tap danced all over the wheels of his bicycle breaking the spokes of his wheels.  In one moment I had destroyed his bike, had my baby sister and the stroller in hand and sent the bully home crying with his bigger bullying brother and sister, consoling him and giving me looks that would have normally cleared the entire neighborhood of any children for days—or at least until his mother had exercised her wrath on the other mothers in the neighborhood for a child to dare do anything retaliatory to her son who was older and much bigger than I was.  Nothing ever happened and of course, I never did anything of that nature again, but I have continued trying to rescue the wayward strollers that the bullies in life so carelessly push into harm’s way.  It is not that I am mean spirited, quite the opposite is true of me.  I just believe that the wronged should have someone on their side, someone encouraging them against the bullies in life.  Amazing but true, it seems through such times, the wronged are pretty much in it by themselves, and it becomes a time of painful discoveries of who really are their friends and those that are only there for the good times in life.    

Saint Valentine's Day Massacre

“The Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre is the name given to the 1929 murder of seven mob associates as part of a Prohibition-era conflict between two powerful criminal gangs in Chicago: the South side Italian gang led by Al Capone and the North Side Irish gang led by Bugs Moran.  Former members of the Egan’s Rats gang were also suspected of having played a significant role in the incident, assisting Capone.”

If you fast forward 85 years to Wylie, Texas 2014, we are living in the aftermath of yet another Valentine’s Day massacre that was deliberately planned and carried out by another powerful gang working along side other mob associates within the City of Wylie management.  This present day massacre took place last Valentine’s Day 2013.  As in the original massacre, those that carried out Wylie’s assassinations of character did so to advance their own career advancements and agendas.  They created compelling yet completely fabricated stories as justification for the terrible things they do and have done to others and the 2013 was not an isolated incident.  The same people have been doing this to their City employees and associates since 2001.  They hide behind their positions and their titles, yet they strip the same from others by setting them up and then carrying out their own one-sided “investigations” among themselves and then exact their character assassinations leaving a wake of destruction in the lives of far too many.  Year after year this continues to happen, yet done in such a way that everyone feels very much threatened and will mind the ‘P’s and Q’s”--polite words when talking and quietness to insure that nothing be said that could be considered objectionable by the City.  Everyone wants to be able to find a job and live your life without the threat of retaliation IF you happen to say or do anything displeasing in any way to them.  I am a 64 year old woman and have lots of friends and acquaintances in the community.  It was like a prison sentence for me NOT to be able to be out in MY community because my talking to someone could be construed that I was saying something that could be someway objectionable by a group of people that had told complete lies and fabrications about me and my husband in the first place?  This to me is completely illogical that such sanctions would be imposed upon anyone and by the ones heaping the wrongs on others, but it has been happening and it is shameful.     

In previous posts I have shared that in this past year many former employees have come forward sharing the stories of their own set ups and those of others that they had known of in past years.  What everyone seems to have in common are the lies, the officials and management team that set them up and the creations of false and damning scenarios and stories as “justification” to slaughter their targeted employees.  The stress of such set-ups, lies and stories have resulted not just in their obvious job loss, but there have been many more tragic repercussions resulting for them all.  The obvious loss of insurance is a major problem for most, but especially devastating for those of us undergoing treatments for dread diseases such as cancer, as our only options are to cease such treatments for without income and insurance such treatments are cost prohibitive.  There have been major financial and property loss issues for many, an increase in stress related health issues, forced career changes, retirement plans greatly altered and compromised for many; some have even completely lost their retirement having received the ax right before they were fully vested.  There have been marital and other relationship problems, even divorce and the tragic breakup of families; and sadly the suspected cause of one’s early death.  And all of this because of greed and the mishandling by people in positions of authority that believe they do not have to answer to anyone and that their fabricated stories and lies will help them remain infallible.   These people are known as “serial assassins” responsible for the character attacks on many good people, those that were good employees by all other accounts before the set-ups and those with stellar reputations prior to these senseless character assassinations.  Some of those that have been hurt and had their lives changed forever have been two former City Managers, a Mayor, different Councilmen, a Director of Planning, Building Officials, a Parks Director, as well as assistants, associates and clerks in many City departments.  

I have wondered why so many in positions that could stop these people have not come forward with the truth that they know as contrary to what is happening to good people.  And I have also wondered how those that are participating “to secure their own jobs” believe that they are secure?  First of all, how can you knowingly compromise your values and set others up?  Do you honestly believe that they will not do the exact same thing to you once the stories of those wronged are finally exposed?  Do you not know that those you have enabled to continue doing such things over and over will not hang you too once this is finally made public?  Isn’t it common for snakes to attack and eat prey and even each other?  In my life, I have tried to stand with the victims against such wrongs.  No matter how heartbreaking it is for all of us to be the ones buried in all these assaults over the last ten years, I have said over and over, I would rather be on this end of the debacle than aligning myself with those placing so many in their coffins and continually hammering the nails in their attempt to contain those in the coffins.  I could not live with myself knowing I had hurt even one person in this manner and certainly not the many they try to bury each year.    

If you think I am just being dramatic, our drama was created and produced by at least four individuals that spin much drama around town.  And the analogy of the coffin and nails was given me by Mayor Hogue (who is truly a Drama King) in the meeting that he called Dwight and I to in his church office at Cottonwood Church of Christ where he says he is Pastor.  That day as he was telling us their made-up story that all would be told about Dwight and I to everyone, I kept saying “It is not true”.  His reply to my denials was “Who are they going to believe…you or a Pastor?”  He then added Pastor Kris Segrest of Wylie’s First Baptist Church to the mix saying “His was the final nail in Dwight’s coffin”. 

We were absolutely shocked that our own pastor would align himself with this group and participate in something so contemptible to anyone in his flock.  Since we were threatened to silence, it was literally months later before I asked what and why Kris did what he did to us, IF he actually did.  It was then that we found out that Kris as well as at least one other pastor at First Baptist Wylie was also victimized in this.  The “group” made sure that our own pastors were incriminated probably hoping that we would go around the community blaming Kris and helping to spread the made-up tale ourselves and in so doing maligning our own pastors.  They probably thought our pastors would then help bury us.  We did not do this, adhering to the “gag” in hopes of finding a job so we could stop the bleeding in our life.  We had believed that the City of Wylie HR Director would honor the ‘Letter of Reference’ that Dwight was given for his job search and not blackball him in his search as we had been threatened.  Of course shame on us for believing they would suddenly decide to take the ‘high and honorable road’, for there have been many doors closed once the reference was checked with the City.  We knew they wanted us OUT OF TOWN for good because there was too many people really questioning the truth of what was being told about us around town.  Thank goodness people that know us knew that what they were hearing made no sense that we would suddenly go rogue and start bullying people, doing such terrible and hurtful things as being told by this little “gang” and those they recruited to help spin and spread their stories.          

We are certainly not sinless as no one is and we struggle daily against our sinful nature just like everyone does, but we both try our best to do no harm to others and minister to others as Christ would have us do.  We certainly did NOT do what they accused either of us of doing.  If you have not read other posts regarding just the mere surface of a very deep well we have been treading, you can read some of what this group has been doing to us and others.  The posts in September through December relating to some of this are in “The Judge, The Henchman, and The Hangman”, “Are They Really Christians”, “What’s in Your Wallet”, “Do It Anyway”, “Blessings in His Time”, “C/O Straight Up, With Sugar, Coating or No C/O” and “Part Two…” and Part Three…” of the continuing C/O debacle.  Unfortunately, with this group, Wylie has become a town of “the haves” and “have-nots”.  It does not matter if your roots go back four generations in this community as mine do, for some of the town newbies and even non-residents  are branding us and trying to cast us into the Lake of Fire and whatever their influence, Officials and Upper Management are having a joyful time helping them. 

As in an earlier post “Do It Anyway”, I am posting about this hoping to STOP their continuing abuse of others.  I am posting because so many have been shamed and victimized by people that are in positions of authority here in Wylie—those that we should be able to trust, those that we have voted into office and those that have placed blame on other innocent people to carry out their agendas.  I also believe that those that have been destroyed by these people deserve redemption for they too have been blamed and wrongly charged as guilty by this group.  They should know that others have been forced to wear “the token of our shame” like “the bale-fire of that scarlet letter blazing at the end of our path” here in Wylie and for NO wrongdoing of our own.  All can continue to shun us, but we refuse to wear the ‘Scarlet Letter’ that this group has tried to brand us with and pray this group will be stopped so that no one else will fall victim.  If they are finally stopped from hurting others, that will serve as redemption for us all—the prey of these hunters.      

Many on council over the years have fallen victim to this same character assassination making them expendable by this group.  Don’t even hint at challenging them for their positions, their views, or their agendas as they spread the innuendos and embellish stories that are malicious at best and all the while, they are treating you like their best friends making you think that they are the BEST.  Their methods are orchestrated, used collectively, and it is very effective, for their target’s center has been hit and is down, before anyone can dial 911.  The present council has been victim of the Mayor’s subterfuge by way of discrediting them, openly making fun of their positions which very much demeans and undermines them with the citizens, publicly talking and hinting at possible questionable behavior of council members while away on trips to Austin, etc. leaving citizens wondering what in the world happened on our taxpayer’s dime.  And my goodness, it is said the Mayor has been whining around town about those of questionable character and feigning incredulous shock that anyone of such “questionable” character could even dare challenge ‘His Goodness, the Mayor”. I wonder if people are falling for his syrupy kiss-kisses as sincere and if they really believe that he is looking out for the best interests of you and me? There are former council members that will tell you that Wylie’s Mayor Hogue is the dirtiest campaigner they have ever seen—nothing is off limits and he can stoop as low as any venomous snake.  Kind of scary when you see the real face behind the Mayor’s ‘Clinky the Clown’ facade and we are just a few of many that are seeing the dark and not so humorous side of our Mayor.  Yes, he is a professional clown, but he has brought new meaning to the term “Killer Clown” and now I understand why some children are terribly frightened by clowns and we adults should take heed—all clowns are not equal and all clowns are not good and the same is true for Mayors.  It is shameful that so many of our elected officials too have been victimized by our Mayor and Officials only because they hold (or have held) coveted positions (the same is true of many that have been booted in Wylie’s City Hall history) or happen to have businesses like The Crafter’s Co-op and the stained glass shop before us that are deemed too close for the Mayor’s and “Mini-Mayor’s comfort.  The one that is called “Mini-Mayor” around town is believed by some to be the one pulling his political strings, as well as those of the City Manager and Assistant City Manager. 

News of what is coming……..

I will be sharing much on the Mini-Mayor in upcoming posts, as there is much the citizens of Wylie need to know about who the strings are being pulled for and who is controlling much of what is happening in town and unfortunately not for the betterment of Wylie, but personal, selfish agendas. 

And we are finally moving Mother home this coming Monday—Praise the Lord!  I am working on getting the house set up again and even bought her some new furniture that I hope she likes.  I am creating a happy and peaceful place for her once again.  Rehab has been very hard for her and she is so ready to be home  where things will be more serene for her once again.

This week being one year since the “bough broke and it all came tumbling down” has us looking back on all the amazing things the Lord has done for us through it all.  The waiting has been hard, but we have been expectantly looking each day fully in the face wondering if THIS is the day when we get the answers that will define the rest of our days?  All things are finally coming together and there is so much to be thankful for!  We continue to pray each day for all those hurt before us and for the protection of those still in their midst at City Hall and especially those that have harmed so many—praying that the Lord will convict them of their wrongdoings at the expense of so many undeserving of the grief and pain they have caused and inflicted on so many over the years.   

And with Mom moving home I will have a little more time to post and I have tons to share with you all.  I will finally be able to get back on a schedule with more time for work and time to get back to our plans to downsize.  I am really excited about downsizing too as it will enable us to focus more on less! 

I promised back in September that when we finally had some answers about what happened last year and it was believed we were safe to share details, I would let you all know how it worked out.  There has not been a day since we opened The Crafter’s Co-op that I ever doubted that it was exactly what we were supposed to be doing even through this past year after we had to close it down. Everything we did was done with the intent to help others during the economic downturn (never our intent to make us money), but for those that needed a little extra income and those needing a place to showcase their arts to support their own ministries or ministries of their choice.   I found myself over and over questioning why the Lord allowed such circumstances that made it impossible for us to keep our ministry open and the avenue for the 28 ministries within our little shop.  But even as I questioned Him, I knew He would work it out in His time.  Dwight and I have come to KNOW the importance of waiting upon the Lord to provide and the knowing part has always been a given and the easy part, BUT it is the obediently waiting that is hard…trying NOT to get ahead of Him.    

This has been a year of grieving for me as I have grieved the loss of the shop and all the friends made through the shop as well as most of what our life has been here in Wylie.  This loss has been like a death in the family as we have lost so much AND we recognize it will never be the same.  I have always been happy in Wylie and have loved living here.  Because of my happiness and love for Wylie, I recognize that you can not lose all that we have lost and not grieve.  So we have grieved our losses with arms open wide to welcome the new life that is sure to come.  Knowing it is all in His plan makes it easier for me to put the life of Wylie to rest knowing that final closure will take us to the place He wants us to be.  It is already an incredible testimony of how the Lord has taken what was meant for our harm and He is using for good—and there is no way I could have ever dreamed how this would eventually turn out.  He answers prayers and is always good in all things! 

To be continued………

Part Three....C/O Straight Up, With Sugar Coating or No C/O

In Parts One and Two, the subject of controversial Certificate of Occupancy issues in several of the downtown businesses was introduced.  I shared some of the mystery and subterfuge regarding some of the businesses operating in the Q Office Suites and Art Center Building…A’Vouloir Apothecary, Wylie Art Gallery, and Keller Williams.  What is still not understood, is WHY the Mayor, City Manager, Assistant City Manager, some other City Officials, Lynn Grimes of the Wylie Art Gallery & Keller Williams and others in the Q building collectively created such webs of deceit for the purpose of causing Dwight’s job loss and to close down The Crafter’s Co-op.  As I shared in Part Two, Dwight first became aware of the February 12^th Special Called Meeting when the ACM came into his office placing him on Administrative Leave 4:00 p.m. February 14^th.   He informed Dwight he had already started investigations into the serious accusations Lynn Grimes claimed to be true.   

During the duration that The Crafter’s Co-op was open, the Mayor made two visits into the shop.  His first brief visit was not long after the shop opened for business.  The next visit was made February 13^th, the day AFTER the Special Called Meeting.  His stated  reason was he “wanted to stop and say ‘hello’ on his way to see Lynn at the gallery”.  I was really surprised to see him as I had seen him countless times going into the gallery during the 17 months the shop was in business and he never felt the need to “favor” me with his presence those times.  He was very gregarious, acting like my new BFF and said that he wanted to make sure that Dwight and I came to the “State of the City” Chamber of Commerce Luncheon to hear his speech as he was going to talk about all Dwight had done again to help retain Wylie’s ISO-1 rating and he even planned to mention the shop when he talked about Wylie’s downtown.  We had an article coming out in The Connection that very day about Robyn B., one of the crafters and her ministry “Faith Like a Mustard Seed”.  I told him if he did talk of the shop, to please tell them about the 98 awesome artists and crafters and 28 ministries represented in the shop.  He left and went next door smiling that “I LOVE WYLIE” smile.  I had no idea what he had just done… painting me a huge rainbow BEFORE the biggest storm in our life was to begin.  Why was our Mayor so incredibly deceitful?  Did he want me to think he knew nothing of what he and Lynn had done and the plans of their meeting the very night before?  Did he want to make me think that he was on our side for the fateful meeting he was planning to set us up for the following Monday, February 18^th?  These are questions that still make no sense to us.  But of course, the duplicity of people never does make sense.

As I shared in Part Two, it was not until 4 p.m. on the 14^th that I was first aware of anything amiss when my landlord’s son came into the shop very upset demanding Dwight’s private numbers.  And I later found out that at that exact time, the ACM was in  Dwight’s office placing him on Administrative Leave.  It was that evening during our Valentine dinner that Dwight told me he had been placed on leave and the few details  that he knew of the accusations and the investigation.  We stayed up all night trying to make sense of what had happened and believed there was no other choice other than to close the shop.  Since The Crafter’s Co-op was a ministry that Dwight helped me fund, there was no way that I could fund the shop without some financial help that Dwight’s job had afforded me.  In the meeting with the ACM, he had NOT given Dwight encouragement for a positive outcome and the options he gave Dwight that afternoon painted a bleak future.  To stay in the shop, meant that we would be spending money we would need for our living expenses as our income was going to be reduced by 80 per cent.  I also had more than seven months left on my lease and it was clear that Lynn Grimes would never give up until the doors of The Crafter’s Co-op were closed for good.

Friday, the 15^th after a long night of crying, talking, and planning, we decided to go to breakfast before going to bed.  We put a sign up at the shop to let everyone know that the shop was closed until further notice.  We then went to Taste of Home for a late breakfast.  We parked in the front, curbside on Ballard Street.  When we left, Dwight opened my door and walked around opening the driver side door.  I immediately heard an engine roar and the screeching of tires as a car came to a fast stop and the driver had used a police type “tactical block” nosed in where we could not move our car without backing up.  Dwight turned and leaned over into the passenger side window of the “blocking” car.  Minutes later, Dwight got into the car and said “Well that was no accident”.  He then told me that it had been the Mayor and he set a meeting up for both of us to come to his “office outside of town, so we would not be seen”.  Dwight said the Mayor acted as if we would be able to “put this to rest” on Monday, February 18^th.   

 

Saturday evening, February 16^th, I sent an email out to all the artists and crafters telling them we were closing the shop and needed to vacate by the 28^th of February.  I hoped to be out in order to avoid the March rent IF my landlord would let me out of my lease.  That evening, Alicia White (Councilman Rick White’s wife and an artist displaying her photography in the shop), called me after getting my email.  She was very upset and did not want me to say anything other than YES or NO to her questions.  I had thought all the council members were in the Special Called Meeting, but she informed me Rick was not and knew nothing about the meeting.  To this day, I believe that Rick and probably all the council members (except maybe Mayor Pro-Tem Kathy Spillyards) were OUTSIDE THE LOOP of this group, and probably only know the same stories that the Mayor told Dwight and I that fateful Monday “that everyone would be told”, which were their own lies of deception. 

 

On Monday, February 18^th we went to the meeting to “put this to rest” so Dwight could get back to work.  We arrived early for our 10:00 a.m. meeting at Cottonwood Church of Christ where the Mayor is Pastor.  The Mayor was definitely “in character”.  The first 20-25 minutes he “primed” us, making us feel at ease in the company of an “ally”, a “friend”.  We settled in for the kill as he told us about how he had been painfully shy as a child, all but paralyzed to speak until his parents bought him a clown costume.  Behind that face of a clown he became the person he is today.  That very costume shaped the direction of his life as he became a clown performing at parties, an early career choice as Ronald McDonald with his own “driver” taking him to events.  He talked about the various clown figurines in his office, the clown book he authored, and probably all the honors he has received lifelong.  He shared his demise at the hands of Hewlett Packard and said he “understood” just how Dwight felt to have had something like this happen to him as his own job loss was still a fresh wound, but people had helped him as he was now a pastor…….the warm and fuzzy Eric Hogue did a very fine job of completely disarming us.  We did not see the attack coming and were truly annihilated before we even woke up from the warm and fuzzy scene he created for us in his office. 

It was like we had been slipped Rohypnol into the water, as we came out of the dream into the reality of the set-up.  As the Mayor shifted the gears from his own story to ours, it was unbelievable how masterful he was at accusing and twisting things to his favor.  He was no friend, but a man bent on our destruction.  His anger was so alarming yet very real as his indignation towards us was disclosed with the unveiling of his mask.  He was crafting the story before our eyes of “what everyone would come to know”.  He said I had caused a Wylie View implosion by sending the email of the “closing” to my artists and crafters.  He threatened us that if we did anything else, talked to anyone, he could promise that everyone in town including all my crafters would hate us.  If Dwight was to ever work again, we had to go along with all he was saying OR else life as we had known it would never be the same for us.  When we tried to correct his diatribe, he would always interrupt, not allowing us to voice the truth into the scenarios that had been fabricated.    The very few explanations we were actually able to express were met with his contempt, insults and ridicule and again were told “what everyone would come to know”.  The Mayor even looked me in the eyes saying “Who will everyone believe…you or a Pastor?  Everyone knows Pastors don’t lie.”  At the end of the meeting, Dwight was chastised for coming to talk to him AND accused him of violating the chain of command in addition to everything else he accused us of.  The Mayor had literally cornered us for the sole purpose of setting up this meeting.  He arranged the date, time, and place of the meeting for BOTH of us to appear.   It was done in such a way that Dwight did NOT feel like he had any choice but to go and Dwight did want the issue put behind him “so that he could get back to work” as The Mayor indicated.  If Dwight had refused the Mayor, it would have been an act of insubordination.  But by Dwight’s acceptance and going to the scheduled meeting, the Mayor deceitfully enabled the City to charge Dwight with insubordination for breaking the chain of command. 

Months after the Mayor’s meeting, one thing has come out that brought some sense to the Mayor’s accusations of Dwight “turning the Certificate of Occupancy debacle into a POLITICAL ISSUE”.  In the June 5, 2013 Wylie News paid advertisement……”ERIC HOGUE:  REAL ESTATE AGENT…REAL-LY?” and the June issue of  In and Around  “LOOK WHO’S JOINED THE TEAM!”  shows the Mayor on the Kathy Spillyards Team.  He started his “new career path” back in January 2013 BEFORE they maneuvered Dwight’s job loss.  In our meeting with the Mayor, he kept saying what Dwight “did” was an offense because he made it a “political issue” because of Mayor Pro-Tem Kathy Spillyards and I guess that made sense to him, but certainly not to us.  What he did not say was that before ALL this Certificate of Occupancy mess started, he too was involved, thanks to his “long-time friend and real estate agent, Kathy Spillyards”.  If they were not having Open or Closed meetings at the gallery during those late nights, then he must have been studying and/or preparing for his exams.  Ssssoooo the Certificate of Occupancy ordinance requirement was EXCUSED because his friend Lynn Grimes did not want one….Kathy Spillyards being the Wylie Mayor Pro-Tem did not want one and was absolved as a politician from this ordinance requirement….and the Mayor, he too is absolved from ordinance requirements because he is The Big Kahuna or why?  Of course, he too denied that any real estate business was being conducted at the gallery, even though Lynn’s Keller Williams ad had run for four consecutive years 2010-2013 in the “Wylie Chamber of Commerce Community & Business Guide”.   To simplify things, it sounds like the ordinances are going to have to be re-written for “Wylie’s Exceptions To All Rules” so that good and innocent employees are not hung out to dry because of the whim of the day of the Mayor and all his BFF’s.  I definitely understand that these three individuals DID NOT WANT TO HAVE TO COMPLY WITH THE ORDINANCE, but I still do not understand WHY??  What is being hidden in plain sight? 

The Mayor was especially angered that we were closing the shop and told me to “take a week off and quit this emotional knee jerk reaction, but keep the shop open”.  We kept trying to explain that The Crafter’s Co-op was never intended for OUR profit, but a community ministry to help others during the economical downturn and without Dwight’s job to help fund it, we had no option but to close.  I also tried to explain that Lynn’s concentrated efforts to close the shop since the very beginning would not end IF we were even able to keep the shop open at that location.  The Mayor would not accept ANY of our explanations which made NO sense to us at all, as it was so obvious that they ALL had gone to painstaking efforts to close the shop down AND get rid of Dwight.  So why were they demanding that we keep the shop open when Dwight was NOT going to have an income to keep the doors open?   It was not until several months after the shop was closed that the Mayor’s and ACM’s “presumptuous orders” to keep the shop open began making sense.  Little by little, things Dwight and I had said to each other began filtering back to us and we realized that they had the shop “bugged” with audio devices and had been listening to conversations in the shop for some time.  Why were they doing this?  Obviously to find out what we knew, when we knew it, for the purpose of damage control before any exposure could happen.  After all, in the games they play, their best defense is a good offense.  And the best offense is to completely discredit anyone that could be a threat.  Our Mayor, former HR Director and CIO for EDS and Hewlett Packard knows how to exact character assassination so at our first cry of “WOLF”, nothing we could say would be believed.  And that further explains why this ‘gang of character assassins’ continue in their trumped up efforts with our friends, community pastors, business associates, the council and chamber members, etc., working to completely disarm us of all credibility and even our Christian witness.  Yes, they have hurt us tremendously, but the Lord is still in control and they can NOT change that.  Each day we see His Hand in it all, as things are being uncovered and so many people over past years are coming forward with their own stories.  Pieces in this huge puzzle are coming together and we all are seeing His light shining through each of our dark, dark tunnels now.  We know that the Lord is in this battle and those waging this war against His children will not continue to prosper.  His Promises are there for us and we shall remain eternally grateful that we are on this side of this battle—for even with all our huge losses, there is so much more to gain.

To be continued………..

     

Part Two....C/O Straight Up, With Sugar Coating or No C/O

In Part One, I began talking about some very controversial Certificate of Occupancy issues in a couple of downtown businesses.  For reasons that are still not completely understood, my husband lost his job because of the preference of these businesses for “noncompliance” and their deceitful lies and those of City Officials.  They also were the cause of the close of my shop located in the same building as these businesses.  City Officials served as the “Judge, the Henchman, and the Hangman” that I wrote about previously.  I am breaking this up into “parts” as it is very long and detailed reading.  As I write of these events, I want to reiterate again and again, I want redemption for those that have gone through this battle before us because they too have been wrongly accused of things not done.  And I very much want to keep this from happening to those in the future.  These people are bold, powerful, and threatening yet our God is definitely in control and the truth will set us free as others begin to understand the truth of this corruption.

In the spring of 2012, some of my artists and crafters first began helping me by working at the shop.  I had gotten sick with a serious bacterial infection that had me sidelined for six weeks.  After I resumed working, some of the crafters continued working an afternoon a week so I could have some extra hours off weekly.  During those times, Dwight would often go and close out the register, get the day’s receipts and lock up the shop.   Most of the time, it was after we had dinner and after most businesses had closed for the night.  With the time change in the fall and lights on inside the Wylie Art Gallery, he began noticing night gatherings other than art classes.     

In November of 2012, the building where Ballard Street School of Music resided was placed on the market.  There was a huge Keller Williams FOR SALE sign with “Lynn Grimes, Realtor of the Kathy Spillyards Real Estate Team” blazoned across the sign.  It could be seen from outside the front door of The Crafter’s Co-op and the sign size made it impossible to miss.  Early in December during one of the late night trips to close out the register, it dawned on Dwight that he was frequently seeing Kathy Spillyards at the gallery and he surmised that the Keller Williams business was sharing office space with the Wylie Art Gallery.  Dwight sent a text to his Code Administrative Secretary to have her check the records for that business address.  He indicated to call the gallery IF there was no new or updated Certificate for the Keller Williams business and to inquire IF the Keller Williams business was operating and sharing the office at that address.  He indicated to add it to the list of businesses to contact and that it would not be classified as an urgent call since there were no safety concerns such as hazardous materials compromising Police or Fire responders should there be an emergency call in the meantime.     

Sometime around the end of January or early February, the CAS made the call to the gallery. Lynn wanted to know WHO had reported her. ** Standard response to such inquiries for Code Enforcement calls is “anonymous”.  And most calls of this nature are in fact specified as “anonymous” by the callers.  This is standard protocol for all municipalities to protect callers, neighbors or whoever calls about enforcement issues.  It is to prevent retaliatory issues.  Lynn then called the City Manager to find out WHO reported her and Mindy called Dwight to ask him for the who, what, why details of the call to Lynn.  He told her he would check and call her back.  Since Dwight’s text to the Code Administrative Secretary had been weeks before, he wanted to check the details of the call with the CAS.  After verifying the details of the call to Lynn, he called and told Mindy that the call had been prompted by his text for inquiry regarding the Keller William business weeks before.  Mindy wanted to know HOW Dwight knew the Keller Williams business was being conducted in the gallery and he told her about the late night gatherings and Kathy’s frequent presence.  Mindy informed Dwight that she would handle the call to Lynn and she promptly sent the Assistant City Manager to Dwight’s office to question if he had directed the CAS to tell Lynn “anonymous” and Dwight told him “NO” and explained the standard protocol response and the reason being possible “retaliatory actions” against a neighbor, etc.  I would like to note that this is probably the exact same protocol used by the Wylie Police for complaint calls and Jeff would be very familiar with this protocol as Wylie’s former Chief of Police.  Dwight explained to Jeff that the protocol had been standard response long before he came to the City of Wylie, and that it had been the same for the City where he had worked for almost 30 years.  Regardless, Jeff strongly advised him to rescind the Keller Williams Certificate of Occupancy requirement and with an apology.  As instructed, Dwight promptly “exempted” the Certificate of Occupancy requirement for the Keller Williams business, sent an email of apology and notification of the Certificate of Occupancy cancellation to Kathy Spillards (Team Leader and Wylie Mayor Pro-Tem at that time) and Lynn Grimes.   In response, Lynn sent a long and apparently abusive email addressed to the City Manager and Dwight.  Mindy called Dwight and instructed him NOT to read or respond to Lynn’s email as she intended to handle it herself.

Just days after this, Lynn vaulted her agenda to the next level.  We were told that Tuesday after the February 12^th City Council meeting adjourned, a Special Called Meeting was held for the purpose of information gathering for Dwight’s “at will” dismissal.  It was not until 4pm Thursday, February 14^th that I had a clue of something amiss.  My landlord’s son came into The Crafter’s Co-op angrily demanding Dwight’s direct phone number at the City.  Dwight did not answer his desk nor cell phone, so I gave him the CAS’s number.  I then heard him ask “does the new salon on Ballard Street have a Certificate of Occupancy”?   At this point, I still knew nothing of what had happened regarding Lynn’s Certificate of Occupancy tirade.   That night during our Valentine dinner, I found out that while Bobby was in my shop demanding to talk to Dwight, the Assistant City Manager was in Dwight’s office placing him on “Administrative Leave” pending HIS investigation into code of conduct violation charges made by Lynn.  Unfortunately, Dwight was never included in “the City’s investigation”—he was just told “the story that everyone would be told”, the one that they collectively made up.  And why wouldn’t they?  We have been told by others that this is just a repeat of what has been done to many employees before Dwight.  They too have been ushered out the door without the chance to counter charges and their leaves are often with POLICE ESCORTS as in Dwight’s departure.  

I honestly believe that the upper management handling of the “situation” created an escalating, uncontrollable scenario.  They added “fuel to Lynn’s fire” setting precedence for all future dealings with her and her boss.  As they threw the fuel on her fire, they dealt Dwight a bitter “slap in the face” for doing his job and managed to treat him like an insubordinate employee claiming “breach of conduct” and “violation of the code of conduct”.  And this has sent a message to all employees that upper management’s loyalty is certainly NOT to their employees even when they are excelling in their job.  Do they not care that their actions have managed to handicap every single employee in their job?  Do they not care that they are compromising the quality of the City employees job performances and adversely affecting their morale?   

Since Dwight was never given an opportunity to tell HIS side in defense of the charges against him, I will tell it here as we know it.

The Mayor said Lynn accused Dwight of retaliatory bullying after I “sicced him on her” when discovering her conducting a real estate closing at the gallery.   

• I rarely went into the gallery unless asked to come over at her request.  I knew the exact date she was referring to as Dr. J Davis had come into the shop to ‘say hello’ on the way to his closing.  He and his little family had previously come into the shop on several other occasions when going to the gallery during their search for a new home.  This particular day (Thursday, January 17, 2013) when he came in, I was actually gathering up donations that had been solicited (by Guild Member, Pat B) and were to be delivered THAT day to the gallery for the Charitable Silent Auction Fundraiser for Richardson’s St. Joseph Catholic Church.  The date on closing documents and my dated donation sheet would both be January 17^th.

The Mayor said Lynn claimed that I stormed into the gallery that day disrupting her closing.

• I truly believe everyone that knows me, knows that I do not “storm”, “rant” or in anyway would be disrespectful as to disrupt any business.  The camera feed in the gallery would show that I walked in and  held up the bag stating that I was dropping off the donations and cheerfully wished them both a ‘good evening’ and promptly left. 

The Mayor said that Dwight’s email inclusion of Kathy Spillyards “turned it all into a political issue”. 

• I still do not understand the Mayor’s “political issue” statement.  Kathy’s presence at the gallery gatherings (no evidence of paint classes) at night PLUS her name as TEAM LEADER on Lynn’s Keller Williams signs, made it appear that the gatherings were Keller Williams meetings, so how is this POLITICAL?  If it was political, does that mean that there were in fact gatherings being held at the gallery that by definition would be subject to the OPEN MEETINGS ACT and therefore POLITICAL meetings?  Is this why the Mayor made a point of explaining what he referred to as "his frequent visits to the Gallery" for the purpose of "special projects he was working on with Bob Heath"?  Were they really off site meetings that WERE subject to the OPEN MEETINGS ACT?  How was the Keller Williams Team Leader’s inclusion “political” if it was merely Keller Williams’s gatherings?  Did they blow this so out of perspective and if so WHY?  Was it merely to avoid a Certificate of Occupancy and again, WHY?  Was it because not only Lynn and possibly Kathy had their reasons, but the Mayor himself had his own reasons since he himself was joining the Kathy Spillyard’s Team once his own real estate classes were completed?  What reason would he/they have for objecting to a Certificate of Occupancy? 

The Mayor said Lynn did not conduct real estate business in the gallery.  She had only conducted business that one day because the client had requested the location for his convenience.

• For many reasons, this is still such a mystery as to why everyone went to such lengths to disclaim the Keller Williams business at the Wylie Art Gallery address.    If Lynn was NOT conducting Keller Williams’s business at the gallery as they all claim, then why did she advertise the Keller Williams business at the SAME address as the gallery in the “Wylie Chamber of Commerce Community & Business Guide” for the years 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013?  I bet at some point since 2010 she has run ads in the Wylie News with the Wylie Art Gallery address as well.  So why did she, the Mayor and the City Officials accuse Dwight and me both of being on a “witch-hunt” and deny there was such business?   Am I the only person Lynn has called to the gallery to show computer searches of the landlord’s downtown properties available for lease when she knew I was looking to move into a larger location?  Am I the only tenant graced with her presence at the signing of their lease as she did mine?  I thought nothing of it as I knew from the very beginning that she helped the landlord as his realtor, in helping manage his properties, etc.  Lynn made sure that I knew she was NOT just a tenant and that she had favor with everyone, including the City’s elected AND appointed Officials.  But NOW I do wonder WHY all the denials and all the lies and cover-ups by all the same people in City Hall she claimed were “watching out” for her?  What’s to be gained and what’s to be lost?  And who all is involved in the tangled web of deceit?  From the very beginning, I repeatedly have said “We do not know WHAT is going on, but after all they have done to us, IT HAS TO BE VERY WIDE AND VERY DEEP”.  That has proven to be a prophetic statement and nearly nine months later, it gets ‘wider and deeper’ with each passing day.  

**Note:  We were told by the Mayor that the protocol of anonymity was not acceptable according to the City Manager.  Recently we have been told that the protocol of record that has been enforced for a number of years, is in fact still the standard protocol.  Complaints or calls of this nature come from a number of sources such as internal inquiries (which was the case with Dwight’s inquiry) outside agencies and the general public to include citizens and businesses.  Information obtained is considered confidential and can only be revealed through a court subpoena in most cities.      

Part Three of    C/O Straight Up, With Sugar Coating or No C/O   to be continued…..