Haltom City police investigating campaign mailers in council race
Haltom City police are investigating campaign mailings sent on behalf of a council candidate who said the flyers are not from him.
Eric Morris, who is running for the Place 4 seat, said he contacted police after residents received flyers over the weekend that purported to be from him and included information about his involvement in the Republican Party in a nonpartisan race.
The mailings also included information that Morris is a college student living with his parents.
“The flyer says I’m an aspiring politician in the Republican Party. We should not be putting stuff like this in a nonpartisan race,” he said. “I’ve been sending messages, letting people know that this is a fraudulent act.”
Police chief Cody Phillips said a detective will look into the origin of the mailings and whether state and federal laws were violated.
Morris, 22, is a precinct chair in the Tarrant County Republican party, but said that will not influence his decisions on policies if elected to the council.
He is also taking classes at Tarrant County College after he chose not to pursue a career as a pharmacist.
Morris said the mailings are similar to other campaign flyers sent on behalf of other candidates.
The flyer also stated that Morris lives with his parents to save money and that he has never paid property taxes, although he hopes to own a home someday.
“The moment I received this, I threw it in the trash,” he said. “You don’t have to be someone sophisticated in politics to understand that a candidate is not going to send a hit piece on themselves.”
Last week, the Haltom City Firefighters for Responsible Government filed a complaint with the Texas Ethics Commission alleging that other campaign flyers attacking Morris did not have the proper disclaimers or return addresses.