Archives > Mesquite News > News
Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
RSS
Share
Anderson, Miklos trade barbs
By Lynn Proctor Windle, Managing Editor
Watch VideoWhile Democratic and Republican presidential candidates were slugging it out on national television Tuesday night, the two candidates for Texas State Representative, District 101 traded barbs in a much more intimate setting.
In a crowded classroom Eastfield College, Republican Mike Anderson and Democrat Robert Miklos’ efforts to put forward their platforms for overshadowed by barbs that focused on each other’s foibles.
In his opening statement, Anderson came out swinging, accusing Miklos of lying on a campaign mailer.
During the debate, Anderson said he never made such claim. He said he is backed by an email the paper’s editorial page editor wrote that says, “None of the four editorial board members who participated in this interview remembers such a comment from Mr. Anderson.”
During the debate Anderson said, “In fact the only person who remembered me saying that was you.”
In a Wednesday interview with the Mesquite News, Anderson characterized the statement from the campaign piece as an “outright lie.”
However, Miklos said “remembers” is the key word.
Miklos, who also was interviewed Wednesday by the Mesquite News, noted that not saying something at all is different from saying something and not remembering it.
“It’s an important difference. It’s a whole lot different to say something and not remember it. Because he did say it,” Miklos said.
Miklos swung back, accusing Anderson of failing to pay franchise tax on his business.
Records from the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts show that a business called B J Anderson and Associates Inc. registered Sept. 25, 1985, “is not in good standing as it has not satisfied all franchise tax requirements.”
On Wednesday afternoon, however, Anderson said that particular business had been abandoned 10 years ago, and that he operates under another business name, The B J Anderson Company, which was registered with the state on Sept. 23, 1999. According to the state comptroller’s office, “that company is in good standing with this office having no franchise tax reports or payments due at this time.”
While Miklos said he didn’t realize that Anderson had two different companies of the similar names, he produced a second set of documents that appeared to show that The B J Anderson Company lost its state operating privileges in February 2004 for failing to pay its franchise tax and that Anderson applied to have the company reinstated the following August.
Anderson said Thursday that he is researching accusation, but believes its is a paperwork snafu.
During the debate, Miklos said that companies that fail to pay the
As far as the issues go, the candidates differed only slightly. Both agree that the economy is on the wrong track and that people are worried about their homes, their jobs and their children’s education.
Both promised to help bring more jobs to the community and to lessen the tax burden.
Both also promised to bring an end to unfunded mandates n state laws that cost cities and school districts money but provide no way to pay for it.
Both candidates also called for changes in state laws that allow businesses to send sales tax dollars to communities out of communities where goods are sold to the communities from which the goods are actually shipped to the buyer.
“It’s a horrible change will affect public infrastructure,” Anderson said.
Miklos added. “We build infrastructure to support stores.”
The candidates did diverge on the controversial voucher system for education systems. Such a system would allow parents use state-sponsored vouchers to send their children to Miklos said he opposed any form of a voucher system, warning that it would put a drain on schools.
Anderson said he would consider a voucher system in a modified form if it focused on urban school districts such as the Dallas school district.
“I would support vouch program in urban in downtown setting,” he said. “But I don’t support it all over the State of Texas.”
In the end, both candidates touted service and experience.
Anderson, who served as Mesquite’s mayor for 10 years, said he brought more high paying jobs to the community under his leadership than during any other time in the city’s history.
Miklos said the he was a prosecutor for 11 years, including a stint as chief prosecutor for city of Dallas. Miklos said he has written legislation to help protect neighborhoods that included closing down sexually oriented businesses and illegal bars in Dallas
The pair will face each other three more times before the election.
The following are comments from the readers.
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
BRG wrote on Oct 11, 2008 1:48 PM:
" This is beside the point, but... Who the heck is responsible for all the grammatical and journalistic errors that become rather frequent during the end of the story? That's just inexcusable proofreading / editing! "
You must register with a valid email to post comments.
Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Registered users sign in here:
Become a Registered User
- Return to: News «
- Home «
- Top of Page ^
