(This article was edited to include information about the relationship between Amarillo Mayor Ginger Nelson and Potter County Judge Nancy Tanner as well as the Potter County Commission's misuse of law enforcement to stifle dissent.)

Shortly after taking office in 2017, the new Amarillo Mayor and City Council, as well as the City Attorney, appeared to regularly violated the Texas Open Meetings act. The apparent violations carried significant implications and appeared to be intentional. (Has City Hall Been Intentionally Violating TOMA? June 6, 2017)

Alarmed, Amarillo Exposed contacted the Texas Attorney General. The response to the AE's inquiry is posted above this article. As one can see from the AG's response, AE was advised to file a complaint with the Potter County Attorney's office. A complaint was filed in October of 2017. Repeated attempts to get information on whether or not AE's criminal complaint is being investigated have been rebuffed. Registered letters have repeatedly been sent to Prosecuting Attorney Scott Brumley with no response.

Additionally, a complaint was filed regarding the emoluments clause in the Amarillo City Charter. According to the charter, no one may hold an elected office if they are the beneficiary of a contract with the City. A complaint was filed specifically against Couincil Member Eddie Sauer. According to the City charter, any person found in violation is guilty of a misdemeanor and is not eligible to hold office. The clause would also presumably apply to Mayor Nelson is she has an ownership interest in the new downtown hotel. Mayor Nelson refuses to answer questions about her ownership interests. (Is Mayor Nelson an Investor in the Hotel? May 21, 2017)

Obviously Potter County Scott Brumley has no interest in enforcing the law against politically connected individuals, even at the urging of the Texas Attorney General. Part of that resistance may come from the close relationship between Potter County Judge Nancy Tanner and Amarillo Mayor Ginger Nelson. Mayor Nelson, before she was Mayor, served on Judge Tanner's transition team when Judge Tanner was elected to office. The Potter County Attorney's office serves as legal counsel for the Potter County Commissioner's Court, which includes Judge Tanner.

And just as the Amarillo Police Department has been used to carry out the agenda of elected City officials, the Potter County Attorney's office has a long history of politically motivated prosecutions as well as covering up for politicians who commit crimes, including misuse of public property. (Details are beyond the scope of this article.) In addition, Potter County Commissioners are not above using the Potter County Sheriff's department to intimidate anyone who dares question them (Commissioner Church to Constituent: Your Well-Reasoned Argument is Unreasonable, July 3, 2017)

As usual, Potter County Judge Nancy Tanner and Commissioners H. R. Kelly, Mercy Murguia, Leon Church, and Aphonso Vaughn did not respond to requests for comment.

Potter County Attorney Scott Brumley To Texas AG: F*CK OFF! (updated)