Reading This article....

http://www.theeagle.com/stories/021107/local_20070211001.php

He's just not believable...

I'm still trying to figure out how and why he continues to be our State Rep.

"Latest" scandal? This is the first and only one I've heard of, and I'm not even sure I believe it's a scandal just yet...although I do agree that on the surface it doesn't pass the smell test. I'd need a lot more objective info before I could form an opinion, though.

I'm not familiar enough with Fred Brown to know of any past "scandals". I don't pay attention to the news as close as I should, so maybe I'm just ignorant. It won't be the first or last time I am, though.

It's one of three things.

1. He's got so much money that he could honestly forget that he owns a chunk of an automobile dealership.

2. He's so stupid that he actually forgot he owns a chunk of an automobile dealership.

3. Being a politician, his natural instinct is to lie like a rug.

Watching him on the news he seems like a nice enough guy, so I hope it's # 1.

http://www.theeagle.com/businesstechnology/041305brown.php

quote:

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Fred Brown returns to local auto market

By BRETT NAUMAN
Eagle Staff Writer


BROWN

State Rep. Fred Brown got out of the car business in 2003, saying he wanted to focus more on representing the Bryan-College Station area in the Legislature.

Brown, once a part-owner of Fred Brown Mazda-BMW-Volkswagen in Bryan and three other vehicle dealerships, has returned to selling cars. He and fellow investors have founded a Mitsubishi and Suzuki dealership in Bryan.

The business — Fred Brown’s Tejas Mitsubishi-Suzuki — opened Saturday at 2401 S. Texas Ave. in a building that used to house the Sterling Cadillac-Oldsmobile dealership.

“I’m looking forward to having a real job,” Brown, R-College Station, said Tuesday from the State Capitol in Austin. “I missed the car business, and this seemed like a good opportunity to get back into it.”

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quote:

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Brown, who plans to seek re-election next year, said he’ll still be able to handle all his legislative duties from an office at the dealership. Anyone wanting to speak to him will be able to find him there, he said.

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The other "scandal" would be that of M&M Powersports.

http://www.theeagle.com/stories/021006/local_20060210042.php

quote:

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The former owner of the dealership, state Rep. Fred Brown, R-Bryan, initially entered into the agreement with GE in 2001 when he created Fred Brown's Family Fun Center along with partner John Hildebrand. Brown and his company, San Angelo Imports Inc., are named in court documents associated with the current dispute.

But Brown said Thursday that he no longer has ownership of the company, and paying the debts was left up to the new owners.

In 2005, Brown sold the dealership to his then-son-in-law, Smith, and Smith's business partner, Vivaldi, who in turn renamed the business M&M Powersports.

"This doesn't have anything to do with us," Brown said, adding that he and Hildebrand are now thinking about buying the company back.

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[This message has been edited by acherontia (edited 2/11/2007 1:55p).]

From KBTX today:
http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/5733956.html

quote:

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Brown says he merely helped Grisham and Bayliss get the company going, assisting with the franchises, but that he had never set foot inside the business.

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From the Eagle article I linked to previously.

quote:

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Brown, who plans to seek re-election next year, said he’ll still be able to handle all his legislative duties from an office at the dealership. Anyone wanting to speak to him will be able to find him there, he said.

“As long as I’m accessible and sensitive to people who need help, I think this will be all right,” he said. “Leaving the business gave me the opportunity to get real involved in the Legislature. I was passionate about that work, and I still am.”

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quote:

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Brown, who plans to seek re-election next year, said he’ll still be able to handle all his legislative duties from an office at the dealership. Anyone wanting to speak to him will be able to find him there, he said.

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Now Brown says he only lent his name to the others to help get the dealership, that he contributed no money, and basically forgot his name was connected to the whole thing. How do you go from planning to office there to this?? I don't know him, but have also always heard he was a nice guy. But something is definitely missing here.

FYI, the KBTX article was from Friday...they broke the story Thursday.

As for Fred...I can't speak for his business ventures and IQ, but he's a very nice guy who, I think, works very hard in Austin. I just can't fathom how you don't know you have a quarter ownership of a business.

Actually, I can see why Fred Brown might not know if he owned a part of the business. I've been in partnerships where I didn't handle any of the executive decisions and I was too busy with my "hands-on" projects to know what was going on. And by that I mean I might not know if the proper documents were filed removing me as an owner or partner of record (although I should be more responsible for looking after my affairs).

However, the quotes above...assuming they were reported accurately...just don't add up. Wow.





[This message has been edited by AgDotCom (edited 2/11/2007 3:03p).]

I think Brown's statements are completely believable. Go back and re-read the article carefully ... at least with more care than it was written.

Also, I am amazed at ro828's self-proclaimed omniscience. Godamighty man, you don't know jack****, and you post crap like that about someone!! Good thing posters to this board are anonymous.

Businesses are sued every day for failing to pay their bills. Impounding collateral, in this case the cars, is de rigeur. That's why we have courts.

U.S. Marshall's Service is the errand boy for Fed. District Court, so they took custody of the collateral after the GM violated the restraining order.

I will defer judgement to the court. Suggest ya'll do the same and that the overzealous Eagle reporters and editors exercise some judgement of their own as they compose their articles. They should have the time, since most of what they do is cut & paste stuff from the wire services anyway.

Sheesh!!


[This message has been edited by AC Hopper (edited 2/11/2007 3:30p).]

Thanks for the prompt reply Representative Brown (aka AC Hopper).

Completely believable? LOL.

you're welcome ... not a problem.

I am not Rep. Brown. It is unlikely he would ever write crazy stuff on TexAgs like I do!

Did he ever finish getting his degree from A&M?

i've been in the 'franchise' business before also. its credible to say that he lent his name in order to land the mitsubish franchise. most reputable franchises do require that you have some history in the business in order to get their franchise and Fred Bayliss and the other guy involved clearly had no history.

what it sounds like to me:

bayliss and brown were friends. bayliss wanted to get into the car dealership business but since he himself is an attorney, he needed to get someone to run it on a day to day business so he brought a third party in to run it. on top of the 3rd party, he needed Browns name on the paperwork to get in with the franchise (mitsubishi), so Brown was included also. Brown's intention was probably to get into the business make a lil money, and then sell his share like he's done with several other dealerships. But this other guy ran the business into the ground, and Brown was careless with his own interests in the matter and didnt know what was going on. it sounded like Bayliss was keeping some of the bad news from Brown also until it was too late.

i wouldnt really call this a scandal so much as a situation of 'mismanagement'.

Orlando just knocked it out of the park.

His "explanations" are highly suspect.

regarding his "explanations." Typical politician. Rather than just come clean regarding the underlying situation (which is usually never really that bad), they think they can lie their way around it and end up looking extremely bad.

unmade,

the eagle used three pages to tell all about a four paragraph story.

brown did explain the situation reasonably.

his story just got chopped up and lost in the eagle's epic.

For some people, everything boils down to "killing the messenger."

So where do you stand on the question(s) of whether Fred Brown's story is believable or not ... or whether Fred Brown is a liar ... or whether Fred Brown is a crook ... or whether Fred Brown is stupid ... or whether Fred Brown has so much money that he does not care about his business, yak, yak, yak ... all based on the story that appeared in Sunday's paper?

Tell us Chinese.

[This message has been edited by AC Hopper (edited 2/13/2007 12:09a).]

nm

[This message has been edited by Scotch (edited 2/13/2007 7:13a).]

The story paints a pretty unflattering portrait of ineptitude shrouded by misdirection that's been protected for years by the good will of others.

From a common sense, strictly personal and anecdotal perspective, a car salesman who becomes a politician would be low on my list of trustworthy people.

Had the Eagle spent four paragraphs on the topic, there would have been howls of protest that there wasn't enough substantial information to support the basic contentions of the piece. Be happy that there's a newspaper that's willing to say it and then show it.