1 Year Later. Two Board Members Refuse to Resign. The Circle: 2 of 12.

Just over a year ago, on March 9, 2005, Comptroller Strayhorn asked for the immediate resignations of two (2) Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) board members.

Both Chairman Robert Tesch and Johanna Zmud have REFUSED to resign.




The report press release states:

“Chairman Tesch's personal holdings and Johanna Zmud's business interests should have prevented their appointments in the first place.“

"In order to build public confidence that is so necessary for the CTRMA and other Regional Mobility Authorities to be successful, I am calling for the immediate resignation of Chairman Robert Tesch and board member Johanna Zmud. Chairman Tesch's personal holdings and Johanna Zmud's business interests should have prevented their appointments in the first place.

"Both of these board members stand to gain financially as a direct result of their positions on CTRMA's board, which is why I am calling for their immediate resignations," Strayhorn said.

Public records show that Chairman Robert Tesch’s property valuation (less any improvements) of an 18-acre tract, which lies about 2,000 feet east of future US 183-A right of way, has already increased by 612% percent since the time of his appointment to the CTRMA board, another piece of land has increased 989%.

Board Member Johanna Zmud’s business, NuStats, is a subcontractor on two teams under contract to TxDOT. This appears to be a violation of TxDOT’s rule §26.51(b)(1)(A).

The Comptroller’s report found other items of “Double taxation without Accountability” and “Favoritism and Self-Enrichment”.

In January 2003 Bob Tesch was appointed by Gov. Perry, even though his Governors Appointment Application spelled out he had previously defaulted on "personal, business or student loan(s)", not to mention a bankruptcy in Dallas and pending foreclosure in Plano. Apparently Gov. Perry’s standards are not that high when it comes to unelected people that will set the toll rate for freeways we’ve already paid for.

Just last August, Robert Tesch had yet another bankruptcy!

The Comptroller's report found these same board members giving No Bid “gas tax dollar” contracts to themselves and their friends.

Where do these two board members get the nerve to look past their corruption and ignore the call for their resignation? Ask these freeway tollers why they continue to feed at your trough.

Ask Robert Tesch.

Ask Johanna Zmud:

This article is part 2 of a 12 part series. Freeways have never been tolled in the history of the U.S., but that doesn’t stop a close circle of mostly Williamson County characters with a long history of looking out for themselves at the expense of others.