The executive director of The Range was at the Conservative Patriots 4 Texas meeting on Thursday night and interrupted a presentation by Alex Fairly to defend the organization.
Matt Garner, executive director of The Range, challenged Amarillo EDC chairman Alex Fairly during his presentation after the organization came up as a topic of discussion. Garner defended the organization’s work on a variety of projects and, when challenged on whether The Range should disclose its financials to the public, declined to do so.
“We consulted our lawyer as to what we had to disclose as a nonprofit organization and we disclosed it,” Garner said.
Garner also defended The Range’s decision to retain funds received from the AEDC, citing the funds as support for the organization. Garner likened demands for the organization to return the funds to demands to return other types of charitable contributions.
“When you tithe money to your church, do you years later ask for it back,” Garner asked.
Fairly continued to call for Garner and the organization to return the funds received from the AEDC during the presentation. Garner said Fairly had declined to meet with Range backer Laura Street, to which Fairly replied that he would be happy to meet with the organization’s leadership.
The Range has become a hot topic in the municipal election cycle this year. Mayoral candidate Jason Herrick, who serves as president of The Range, has come under fire for the way the organization acquired its funding from the AEDC.