Cheryl Brown's campaign finance complaint against Bill Petty has been dismissed as baseless, raising questions about her motives after losing the District 10 commission seat
The recent complaint by Cheryl Brown against newly elected Williamson County District 10 Commissioner Bill Petty is looking more and more like a “nothing burger.”
Despite the accusations of campaign finance violations, no authority—be it the Williamson County Election Commission, State Coordinator of Elections Mark Goins, or the 21st Judicial District Attorney’s Office—has identified any actual violation or crime.
Brown’s complaint, sent on November 16, alleged that Petty began campaigning and receiving donations before officially appointing a treasurer, a procedural detail she claims “undermines the system and the people.” However, Goins made it clear in a November 18 response that the Election Commission has no authority to halt the certification of results based on her claims.
Furthermore, any legitimate challenge would have required Brown to file a case in chancery court under state law. Brown admitted she would not pursue that route, leaving many to question why she raised the complaint at all.
This leads to a larger question: If Brown knew her complaints wouldn’t affect the outcome, what was the point of this exercise? Was it an attempt to cast doubt on Petty’s integrity and tarnish his reputation?
