Reply to How Come BOE Candidate Stephen Austin Won’t Say What His Employment Is??

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Reply to "How Come BOE Candidate Stephen Austin Won’t Say What His Employment Is??"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]

Let's take your points one by one.

Yes, big corporations fire people all the time in response to a vocal group.  History is replete with examples.  They might not fire him for his political positions during a BOE run, but you can bet that if they want to get rid of him to get public pressure off them as a corporation, you can bet they will find a reason.  It has absolutely nothing to do with how good someone is at their job.

You concede that where he works isn't a legal requirement.  Discussion is over from a legal perspective.  What he does for his employer is also confidential unless he's been authorized to speak on its behalf, so any questions you might want to ask him about his work at his employer are off the table.  So what's the point of knowing where he works?  He could speak in generalities about his finance background and skill set (e.g., budget analysis, auditing, fraud detection, etc...  But again, what does this have to do with where he works?

As for his resume and hedge fund experience, the same rule(s) apply.  He can't likely discuss what he did at those funds in any detail.  He can speak in generalities.  In regard to his leaving, he might have an agreement in place that precludes discussions.  This doesn't mean he has anything to hide.  It's a very common practice with departing employees as part of an exit interview.  I bet you've signed an offer letter with a confidentiality clause, as well as an exit letter saying the same thing.[/quote]

Regarding his financial expertise ALL Mr. Austin does is speak in generalities. But, at the same time, he wants voters to trust that he should be on the BOE because he is a “finance guy.” This,  “transparency,” and “neighborhood schools” are his talking points. Well, excuse me for wanting some details on his “finance” experience. His vague references to working at Merrill Lynch (when the company was crippled and almost dead because of ridiculously risky subprime mortgage ventures and related schemes) and then at a couple of hedge funds (ya know, the people who do leveraged buy outs and saddle companies with mountains of debt) just don’t give me a lot of confidence in his “expertise.” I’m not willing to buy a pig in a poke.

Where is this transparency of which he speaks? Seems like a foreign concept to him or perhaps transparency is just for others.

His avowed concern about neighborhood schools is just not backed up by anything he has ever done for the schools because, by his own admission, he has done nothing. He only got concerned when the prospect of boundary changes posed a potential threat to his property value. At least his HOA backers have been up front about their reason for supporting Mr. Austin. I applaud their honesty and transparency. Mr. Austin could learn something from them.

Imagine if Steve Austin took this position while serving on the BoE - essentially, We are only going to tell you the things we're legally obligated to tell you, and anything else is none of your beeswax.[/quote][/quote]

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