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Are You Voting for the Courage of Riley Gaines or the Cowardice of the Smear Cartel?

  • Writer: Aaron Silva
    Aaron Silva
  • 5 hours ago
  • 4 min read

By Aaron Silva, Eanes Parents Unite & Texas Education Project 103


On the evening of April 16th, I sat at the Austin Country Club for a Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) dinner and listened to Riley Gaines deliver an inspiring keynote. Her message was rooted in first principles: you cannot wait for someone else to stand up and protect you, because "complacency breeds failure." Riley powerfully reminded us that courage doesn't always look like standing on a stage to applause. Sometimes, courage looks like standing alone, challenging authority, and telling the truth when it would be far easier to stay silent.


I couldn't help but draw a direct parallel to our own community. For years, the incumbents have relied not only on the shadow operations of the Westlake Smear Cartel, but on the complacency of voters to maintain their grip on power. Historically, a dismal 16% of our population votes in school board elections, yet 100% of us are affected. Even if you don't have a student in the district, you own property here, and your property values are directly impacted by the financial health and reputation of this district.


 If you haven’t voted yet—let me give you a reason to march to the polls. Early voting ENDS Tuesday April 28th.  Election Day is Saturday, May 2.


Riley's message reinforced exactly why Ivana and I decided to protect our family by standing up to sue Smear Cartel CEO Kelly Marwill and her side-kick Kim Taylor after my election loss in 2024. We knew it was only a one-in-three chance we might prevail, but losing in the courtroom gave us a massive victory in the court of public opinion. When you drag bad people into the light, you break their spell. We saw the amazing impact of that courage last year as Catherine Walker went on to destroy Smear Cartel Chairman Heather Sheffield in a historic 63% landslide drubbing.


But success breeds complacency, and the Cartel is creeping back into the shadows.



Just five days after hearing Riley speak, we witnessed the despicable behavior of the Cartel at the April 21st Rollingwood candidate forum (I’m not making this shit up!). We caught a known political operative—who campaigns for Laura Clark, Diane Hern, and Afshan Khan—red-handed on video, zooming in and snapping photos of candidate Swasti Apte’s husband’s private text messages. Catching this operative executing these underhanded tactics on video isn't an anomaly; it's just the first time someone flipped on the kitchen lights while the cockroaches were scurrying across the counter.


For years, incumbents like Laura Clark, James Spradley, Diane Hern, Kelly Marwill, and Heather Sheffield have enjoyed the benefits of these covert campaigns. They sit back, remain completely silent, and let the Cartel handle the intimidation and mudslinging at arm's length to maintain plausible deniability. Their silence is complicity.


I'm also keeping a close ear on Place 1 candidate Afshan Khan’s recent "meet and greets." I've heard the reports of what's being said behind closed doors, and I respectfully reached out to her campaign for comment—predictably, crickets. But unlike the Cartel, I refuse to peddle in rumors, so I will withhold the specifics until everything is fully on the record.


My Closing Argument for Voters


Over the last few months, I’ve had the privilege of spending many hours getting to know Swasti Apte, Kate Ivers, and Jennifer Blackman on the Eanes Parents Unite podcast. When you sit across from them, you don't hear the usual defensive posturing or empty political platitudes. Instead, you hear the deep executive business logic, sharp legal acumen, and rigorous financial discipline our $100M+ enterprise desperately needs. They aren't running to join a social club or a cartel; they are stepping into the arena because they refuse to watch our beloved district suffer from $6 million deficits and 20% teacher attrition rates.


If Clark or Hern had the answers to turn around our beloved school district - we would have known by now. They’re nice ladies and intelligent but they’ve been Asleep at the Wheel for too long.


Dr. Khan, a child psychiatrist,  is simply not the skill we need right now.  She can donate her time to help any of our parents and their children that may need it.  We need a seasoned business professional and legal mind to bring our governance to a new level of trust and transparency.


I am incredibly confident that Swasti, Kate, and Jennifer will help elevate our school district back to its rightful place—anchored in ethics, integrity, and morality. Not only do we need more business-minded leaders, but at its core, this election is about completely releasing this district from the clutches of the Westlake Smear Cartel and breaking the complacency that enables them.  We have the opportunity NOW to elect a majority of leaders to the board who WILL NOT sit by and watch more parents and teachers get hurt. 


We have an incredible community, and we can be truly a great district again with the right leadership. Overcome the fear. Stand up for our kids. Vote for the adults in the room: Kate Ivers, Jennifer Blackman, and Swasti Apte.


The last day of early voting is tomorrow, April 28. Election Day is Saturday, May 2. 

 

Aaron Silva is a 12-year Eanes parent, CEO, and taxpayer advocate.

 
 
 
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