Despite earlier denials that controversial pro-Katy ISD bond issue telephone calls were made through an area real estate office, a real estate broker from that firm has now come forward and admitted he coordinated the automated call effort.
Real estate broker George Huntoon, who works for RE/MAX Westside, has said he coordinated the phone effort and even recruited a neighbor he identified as Marie Beckley to record the message.
Repeated efforts by InstantNewsKaty to reach Huntoon have been unsuccessful; however, he told another Katy media outlet that he wrote the script, had Beckley record the message and gave the company making the calls his office telephone number to appear on the caller ID.
Huntoon also said he was doing the work through a pro-bond group called the “Katy’s Best Committee.” He said the committee told him which company to use for the telephone effort and supplied him with the list of numbers to be called.
Huntoon did not say who supplied the list of numbers or how that list was obtained.
He also said his company was unaware of the effort and “kind of got suckered into it.”
Although Huntoon said the effort was coordinated by a group called “Katy’s Best Committee,” he also has links to the Team Katy political action committee. The PAC’s most recent campaign finance report showed a George Huntoon of 19910 Erika Way Drive in Katy being paid $555 for the delivery of Team Katy door hangers.
It is unclear what relationship, if any, Katy’s Best Committee has with Team Katy.
Huntoon also spoke during the public comments portion of this week’s Katy ISD school board meeting, promoting the bond issue and urging others to vote in favor of the measure.
Earlier in the day, the receptionist at RE/MAX Westside denied any involvement with the automated calls, saying the company had been the victim of telephone hacking and had not authorized anyone to make calls from their system.
“This was definitely not done with our permission; we were victims of telephone hacking,” she said. “Evidently, someone hacked into our phone system after hours and did this without our knowledge.”
Who is Katy’s Best Committee? I can find no information on them.
The only place that list could have come from is the school district. Those of us who don’t have children in the district didn’t get the calls.
If the school district gave out the list through an open records request, they would have only given out the home phone number, not cellular phone numbers or office phone numbers. Those numbers are given to the district by parents in confidence and for emergencies regarding their children not so they can get political phone calls.
It will be interesting to see if someone comes forward who told the district to keep their numbers confidential. THAT will really be a problem as that violates, I think, the Federal Law about privacy.
So the first question is, WHO gave out the list? Can’t be that hard to find out, and that information needs to become public, or else all of us will suspect board members.
The second question is, wasn’t Huntoon a Republican candidate last spring? What is a Republican doing supporting this tax and spend bond initiative by the school district?
Mary, you can be a Republican and vote For this Bond. I know because I’ve been a Republican my entire life and I voted For it. I think both sides have valid points, but in the end I think it is the best thing for our kids and the community.
Thank you for voting Nick. It’s important that EVERYONE votes in this election – and again in May for the school board elections. It doesn’t matter whether they vote correctly (against) or incorrectly (for), it’s important that a greater number than 2,000 people even care about this election.
EARTH TO NICK!!!!
This thread kinda isn’t about the merits for or against the bond guy. It’s about a former JP candidate, George Huntoon, being used as a stooge for the pro bond side, and getting himself way way way tooo wrapped up in their ploys and tactics.
There is NO DOUBT they used the phone list from KISD. Who got it, when, where and how, is now the issue.
That ReMax office is probably going to beat George with a stick, right before they have to fire him over this SHAME and distraction he has now brought upon a national name company.
Who paid for the call?
A political disclaimer was left off the call.
Is that pac registered?
HOW many numbers do they have and did they get and call?
A subpoena of the phone records should be able to show all the numbers called or how many “hits” were registered.
This is just NOT how to win an election.
George is STUPID for having done some of what he has done and having “allowed” himself to be used in this manner.
He is all over this bond thing. (but yet doesn’t have a “FOR” sign in his own yard, fyi)
This, on top of EVERY SINGLE Vote NO big sign being methodically hunted down and slashed, signs taken in peoples PRIVATE yards, etc.
I wouldn’t trust these people running the show at this point as far as I could throw them!
I dont know what’s going on around here in Katy, but it’s looking more like some bizarre small town, insider network Twilight Zone movie episode to me!!!
EVERYONE INVOLVED needs to be either fired, removed from office and go away. There are PLENTY of other people here capable of running things in an area this large.
To close on your Republican comment..sure..Bush and DeLay and the rest all voted for and pushed prescription drug coverage, bail outs, bigger government, etc. So yes, Republicans can stand for having no ideology whatsoever and being like tax/spend authoritarian/control oriented democrats. Your correct!!!! Glad you let the rest of us know what side of the Republican party you are on ;) ;) ;) The side we need to and are getting RID OF and OUT of power!!!!