The president of the Haltom City Firefighters for Responsible Government political action committee is asking the Texas Ethics Commission to investigate two groups that sent out mailers that included allegations a council candidate supported the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and QAnon conspiracy theories.

The mailers also were critical of a bond election to build a new city hall.

Jayson Steele, who is president of the Firefighters for Responsible Government PAC, said he grew suspicious after he saw the postcards and flyers from organizations called Citizens for Reform and Lower Taxes and Haltom City Citizens for fiscal responsibility. The groups were not registered with Haltom City or with the state, which is required under the Texas Election Code.

”I went to the state and neither organization existed,” he said.

The mailers did not have return addresses and didn’t include disclaimers, which are also requirements for PACs, he said.

Haltom City officials confirmed the groups are not registered, and the Texas Ethics Commission website did not show the organizations listed under political action committees.

“It’s all about being transparent and being open. We are a group of firefighters that want to make sure our city has the best representation,” Steele said.

Eric Morris, who is running against the incumbent Charlie Roberts in the Place 4 race, said he was shocked and caught off guard when he saw the mailing stating he supported the Jan. 6 riot. He said he started getting phone calls from people asking if it was true.

“When I saw that they implied that I supported the Capitol riot, I thought, ‘Oh my God, this is not political. This is meant to destroy me,’” he said.

Morris said he never commented on the Jan. 6 violence at the Capitol.

Morris said he learned of the ethics complaint in a Facebook post from the firefighters PAC.

When asked about the mailings and the Texas Ethics Commission complaint, Roberts said that the Firefighters for Responsible Government PAC uses “bullying” tactics when they don’t like a candidate who is seeking office.

Asked about the mailers, Roberts said he had no idea where they came from or who sent them.”People are just tired of all of the politics,” he said.

One of the mailers included bullet points describing Morris as supporting the violence at the capitol, and a “follower of QAnon right wing conspiracy theories.”

The flyer also said, “Our city and the Republican Party would be better served by choosing a candidate who can lead by building consensus.”

The mailers also encouraged people to vote against the bond package as the city has more critical needs.

The Firefighters for Responsible Government PAC is endorsing Morris and also supporting the $25 million bond package to build a new city hall as Haltom City is growing, and the current building is overcrowded and doesn’t meet Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines.

Roberts was also chastised earlier this month when Haltom City’s Ethics Commission launched an investigation after Mayor Pro Tem Lin Thompson accused him of violating the Texas Open Meetings Act.

The council voted to sent Roberts a reprimand letter and to publicly admonish him from the dais.