“I’d like to respond to the accusations leveled against me at the last council meeting (July 5), but first, I want to thank the many citizens and supporters who called or came by to thank me for taking a stand against the reported election irregularities. Clearly, many of our town’s citizens believe our right to fair and honest voting procedures are important.”

“To Mr. Tyler, who addressed me with hostility in the public session of the last council meeting: Scorn and slight regard to you sir. And a measure of pity, for I think you have been the victim of one-sided information. You and I have never met nor had a conversation about any issue, much less the things you stated. I am not sure where you developed your beliefs concerning my position in this alleged election fraud, but you certainly did not seek my opinions or beliefs before you addressed me at the last council meeting.”

“To the citizens of Forney and my council brothers: I view Mr. Tyler’s comments as a blatant attempt to intimidate me into dropping my calls for an investigation. He further attempts to cloud the serious election issue with suggestions that I have personal reasons and motivations for calling for an investigation. Nothing could be more incorrect.”

“This is about honesty and integrity. It’s about decency and duty. My concerns to the election irregularities arise from my deep conviction that we all, particularly this council, have a responsibility and obligation to uphold the laws of the State of Texas. We all swore an oath to that responsibility. Now comes before us, allegations of a serious nature and we do nothing. We look the other way when our election officials report that 152 people early voted for Rick Wilson, yet nearly 200 have signed affidavits stating they early voted for Mr. Wilson. Many others who voted for Mr. Wilson have stated they are afraid to sign an affidavit for fear of retaliation. From whom, I wonder? Many other troubling allegations, some concerning the security of the ballot boxes and conduct by officials, are contained within the 10 page petition to contest the election. Who knows where the truth is in all of this, but if we don’t investigate we may never know.”

“By not investigating, we send a signal to the people we represent that we don’t care that their votes may not have been counted properly. By not investigating, we won’t learn what the concerns are and more importantly, we won’t discover ways to ensure our voting process is sound and honest. By not investigating, we let this cloud of suspicion hang over the 2005 election and possible future elections.”

“Just after the election, Mr. Albright (an election official) came forward in an honest attempt to report things he considered inappropriate during the canvassing process and he was chastised for it by several citizens in our community. Many other citizens have stood before us and cited their observations and belief that their vote was not properly counted. I have attempted to call the council to their duty to at least look into the allegations and decide whether or not we should further investigate. Unfortunately that failed with a 2 to 5 vote at the last council meeting. So with the election contest petition filed in our court system, we will have to wait and let the court investigate the affairs of our city.”

“I consider it a high honor and privilege to serve on this city council. But please note, that I serve not my own interests or issues. To me, this job is not about getting reelected, it is about doing the right thing for the good people who live in this community.”

Council communication of Phil Wood at the July 19, 2005 CC meeting.