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Comings and goings
November 12, 2009
Morley Safer acquires Ivins' biography; a writer shares a vow
CBS newsman Morley Safer, shown below flanked by Don Carleton of the University of Texas; Safer’s wife, Jane Fearer; and Terri Burke, executive director of the ACLU of Texas, picked up the new Molly Ivins’ biography at Austin’s Scholz Garten on Thursday night.
I didn’t cadge any bon mots from Safer, who was in town to donate his papers to UT’s Dolph Briscoe Center for American History.
Separately, a writer in the crowd revealed they’d made a quiet vow-to-self on Ivins’ death. This writer, who I’m not identifying because they spoke confidentially, kicked themselves for never even saying howdy to Ivins when she was a well-known commentator in the thick of Texas politics and government.
Their vow-to-self: Never to let shyness stop them from trying to get to know someone, going forward.
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Pick up some Molly on your way home?
The first book-length biography of Texas journalist Molly Ivins premieres this afternoon at an Austin reception hosted by the publication that launched her into Texas politics, The Texas Observer.
The inaugural book signing for authors Bill Minutaglio and W. Michael Smith is set to take place from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Scholz Garten, 1607 San Jacinto Street.
Meantime, read an excerpt from the work here.
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October 29, 2009
UT polling outfit to be paid $57,000 by new sponsor, The Texas Tribune
A University of Texas unit will be paid $57,000 by The Texas Tribune for conducting five statewide voter polls, UT said Thursday, with the Tribune controlling the initial posting of each round of results.
I’m told UT will cover an additional $25,000 of the projected $82,000 in costs.
The polls will take place over 16 months, meaning the last poll could occur in early 2011, after the November 2010 elections.
Gary Susswein, spokesman for the UT College of Liberal Arts, said that “in these austere budget times at UT, the polling may very well have gone under if we didn’t get this grant.”
The Austin-based Tribune, an about-to-debut, non-profit public media organization—profiled separately here—will be backing the Texas Politics Project in polls focusing on upcoming primary and general elections as well as Texans’ views on key state and national issues.
By sponsoring the research, UT said, the Tribune will ensure that all Texans have access to complete data sets from the Texas Politics Project’s research team, led by Project Director James Henson and Government Professor Daron Shaw.
I wondered what would be new and different given that the poll has already been well publicized with its data sets available online.
Susswein said: “It will still be easily accessible and well publicized. All the data, results and methodology will still be available on UT’s Web site and will be accessible to the media and any interested party. The Tribune, as a sponsor and collaborator, will review the data first and have the opportunity to make it public.”
That’s basically saying that the Tribune just assured itself of five future scoops; it’ll be reporting the results ahead of news organizations who aren’t sponsoring the polls. Put another way, the Trib has committed a little over $11,000 per scoop.
I’ve no idea if this is a healthy sign for political journalism.
Anyway, the first poll’s results will be available the day the Tribune debuts Nov. 3. And UT’s announcement of the sponsorship is posted here.
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October 28, 2009
Rep. Lamar Smith ranks 10th in days speaking on House floor, yet other Texans yak more often
Could seemingly mild-mannered U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith be preening all of a hurry?
Smith, R-San Antonio, newly ranks among the top 10 House members for the number of speeches given on the House floor, his office announced Wednesday. Specifically, according to a count posted here by C-SPAN , Smith has spoken up on 60 different days this year; his office says he’s made more than 90 individual speeches, most of them of the one-minute variety delivered to make a quick point or two.
Yet Smith doesn’t appear to be the most frequent speechifier in the Texas delegation.
U.S. Rep. Ted Poe, R-Humble, ranks first in the nation among House members by having spoken on 115 days. His office tells me Poe has actually spoken more than 330 times (and counting) since the start of the congressional session in January.
DeeAnn Thigpen, Poe’s spokeswoman, said Poe ends each speech by saying: “And that’s just the way it is.” Thigpen said constituents love to see what he’s thinking via videos posted on Poe’s Web site.
Two other Texans rank ahead of Smith: Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, who has spoken on 80 days, and Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Tyler, who has piped up on 67 days.
Austin-area representatives are far behind with Rep. John Carter, R-Georgetown, speaking on 29 days, Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, on 12 days and Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, on 11 days.
Far, far behind among Texans is Rep. Charlie Gonzalez, D-San Antonio, who last spoke on the floor in July 2008. He have some explaining ahead? Not to me, at least right away. His office said Gonzalez had no comment.
Back to Smith: Of late, he’s spoken against any offers of amnesty to undocumented immigrants, warned of the costs of Democratic health-care proposals and maintained that news organizations are kinder to President Obama than they were to President Reagan. Peek at video snippets starting here.
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October 27, 2009
Austin philanthropist Robin Shivers dies
Robin Shivers, a well known Austin philanthropist and notable music-community supporter, has died, friends reported this afternoon.
Shivers, 53, the wife of civic leader and businessman Bud Shivers, was among the founders of the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians that raises money for musicians’ health care.
Bud Shivers is the son of former Texas Gov. Allan Shivers.
The cause of death was not immediately available.
UPDATE:
The Seton Fund, with which Shivers worked closely, just released this statement:
“It is with deep and profound sadness that we report the news that Robin Shivers passed away in her sleep last night. Mrs. Shivers was a long-time friend and supporter of The Seton Fund and the Daughters of Charity. Together with her husband, Allan Shivers, Jr., she generously contributed her time, talent and energy toward a great number of Seton initiatives over the last 28 years.
She served as president of the Seton Development Board and chaired one of its galas during her many years as an active volunteer. Mrs. Shivers served on the Seton Finance Committee and was also instrumental in the development of the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM), having served on its board since its inception.
Beautiful, stylish, smart and passionate about the many causes she supported, Robin left an indelible mark on everything she touched. She will be greatly missed by all who were blessed to know her.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Shivers family.”
Dori Flores Vice President & Executive Director The Seton Fund
Related story: A great friend of Austin music passes away unexpectantly
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September 29, 2009
Second tea-party caravan headed to Texas--with an Austin stop
Leaders of a Republican-leaning political action committee have penciled in a second Tea Party Express tour across the United States, tentatively including six Texas stops including one Nov. 6 in Austin.
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September 19, 2009
Pelosi arrives for Austin fundraiser to protesters including one with a sign stating: "Abort Nancy Pelosi"
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, wearing a light-green outfit, arrived for a political fund-raiser in Austin this afternoon as more than 30 conservative protesters called out to her from across the street of her host’s house.
But three neighbors in what I believe to be the Windsor Road neighborhood appreciated Pelosi’s visit. Among them, Marianne Dorman called out: “We love you, Nancy.”
Dorman said after Pelosi’s entrance that she appreciated Pelosi’s dedication in the health-care debate in Congress. “Just saying no is not going to help anything,” Dorman said.
Pelosi’s entrance was only briefly visible from the curb on Windsor Road because she exited through a vehicle door facing the front door of the Mediterannean-style home of Melanie and Ben Barnes, the lobbyist and former Texas lieutenant governor who was expected to accompany Pelosi to tonight’s University of Texas-Texas Tech University football game.
Earlier, Barnes brought small bottles of water to the protesters, who thanked him before lofting questions, to which Barnes, edging away, said that he’s known Rep. Pelosi, D-California, a long time, doesn’t know how much money he’s donated to her campaigns, makes his living by doing a lot of things and does not make a few pennies for every lottery ticket sold in more than 20 states.
Among the protesters’ signs: “Stop Obama’s Socialism,” “Fire The Looters,” “Hey Pelosi, What Business Do You Have in Austin? And Who Is Paying For Your Trip? We Hope It’s Not the Taxpayers.”
Pelosi’s office has said the Austin stop to corral donations to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee was funded from political funds.
Protester Carlene Denman, who wore a T-shirt depicting President Barack Obama in whiteface, held a sign stating: “Abort Nancy Pelosi.”
Denman said: “If she doesn’t let the babies live, why should she live?” She declined to elaborate, saying: “I’m not going to play your game.”
Two protesters didn’t buy into the message on Denman’s sign.
Judy Holloway of Austin, who helped organize the Pelosi protest after overseeing Austin “tea party” events since April, said Denman has the right to express her opinion. “But you won’t see me with a sign like that. I don’t like to step over boundaries,”Holloway said.
Kay Gracy of San Marcos said she didn’t agree with Denman’s sign.
“There’s no sense in violence or death wishes,” Gracy said. “There are peaceful ways to obtain what you want.”
Gracy, a cosmetics sales representative, said she decided to join the protest after reports that Pelosi pressured House colleagues to approve the “cap and trade” plan related to carbon emissions earlier this year. “There’s so much corruption in Washington,” Gracy said.”I don’t think that’s right. People should be able to vote the way they want to vote without pressure.”
About 30 minutes after Pelosi’s arrival, I was told afresh that she wouldn’t grant an interview. Some 75 guests were expected inside; at my departure before 4 p.m., I’d seen perhaps three dozen people enter—including state Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, lobbyist and former State Sen. Kent Caperton and former Texas Land Commissioner Garry Mauro.
A man who didn’t stop to identify himself pulled up in a black Range Rover. A protester asked how much he planned to contribute. “As much as I can,” he replied, walking toward the front door.
The photo below shows Caperton in the foreground and some protesters, including Denman, in the background.
View more photos of the protesters here.
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September 15, 2009
Little City coffee shop may be pushed to close or move after building's sale to foundation
A public-policy research group says it’s signed a contract to purchase the building in downtown Austin that houses the popular Little City Espresso Bar and Cafe, which would have to move at least by the time its lease runs out in January 2011.
Little City’s owner wasn’t immediately reachable for comment.
But Justin Keener, vice president of the conservative-leaning Texas Public Policy Foundation, which is buying the building at 916 Congress Avenue, said the foundation will honor Little City’s lease, which runs through Jan. 14, 2011.
Keener, noting that the foundation currently leases space in the Prosperity Bank building at 900 Congress Avenue, said of Little City: “They’re our neighbors. We want to work with them, make this as smooth a transition as possible.”
Keener said: “We are going to renovate the entire building. We are going to occupy the entire building.”
When the renovations are complete, the foundation will double its available office space. The building will house additional offices to accommodate the continued growth of the foundation’s research staff, an expanded and upgraded amphitheater for policy events, an in-house multimedia studio, a resource library, and a rooftop special event space with views of the Capitol.
Little City was opened in 1993 by Donna Taylor, who later told an American-Statesman reporter that she wanted to create a shop like places in San Francisco.
“It’s been great,” Taylor said in 1996. “The downtown community has been wonderful to grow with.”
Statesman critic Michael Barnes has written that when it opened, the shop “welcomed weary caffeine-lovers with concrete surfaces, distressed metal wall panels and assertive art. With its shifting clientele of students, business types, bike messengers and Capitol habitués, Little City felt like an oasis dropped down from some heavenly San Francisco.”
The foundation announced Friday that it would raise money toward completing the purchase of the building, which is less than two blocks south of the Texas Capitol.
According to the foundation, the Capital Freedom Fund campaign intends to raise more than $5 million toward the purchase and renovation of the building, originally constructed in 1876, into a state-of-the-art headquarters.
Foundation President Brooke Rollins said the building will be renamed as a tribute to the foundation’s longtime board member, Michael S. Stevens, who died in May 2008.
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September 3, 2009
"Conservatives in exile" roar at Waco stop of Tea Party Express
The headline on this blog hearkens to a window sticker I saw in the parking lot next to the park in downtown Waco this afternoon where the Tea Party Express—a two-bus caravan that originated in California, bound for Washington—arrived toward dusk for a rally that drew at least 1,500 people (probably more, at times), most of them waving signs and miniature “Don’t Tread on Me” flags.
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September 2, 2009
One county, four U.S. House members, smiling family style
After the GOP-led Legislature redrew U.S. House districts in 2003, Travis County landed four U.S. House members, each of them ultimately getting a district taking in a portion of the county. And this morning a select crowd got to gander at them all in one place at the dedication of a planned federal courthouse on West Fifth Street in downtown Austin.
Freelance photographer Bob Daemmrich corraled the quartet for the brief photo shoot shown below — though I took these photos, each of them more informal than the one above it. The members are, from left to right, Reps. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, John Carter, R-Round Rock, Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio, and Michael McCaul, R-Austin, though Smith isn’t visible in the third pic.
When they posed, I asked them to say “health care.” Or “tea party.” Not one did.
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August 21, 2009
Houston mayor/Senate hopeful headed to Round Rock Saturday for Democratic fundraiser
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Bill White, the Houston mayor, joined a parade in Fredericksburg Friday morning. He heads Saturday to Round Rock to help local Democrats corral donations.
Admission to the “Taking Back Texas” event hosted by the Williamson County Democratic Party from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Junior’s Grill and Ice House, 119 Main Street, costs $15 to $500, the charge for anyone seeking to be dubbed a “visionary.” According to this site, 22 people had committed to being there as of midday Friday, chipping in $365.
Fetch the invitation here.
Know of other U.S. Senate aspirants alighting in the Austin area? Fire details any time to wgselby@statesman.com .
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August 20, 2009
Tea Party "express" stopping in four Texas cities, but not Austin
A Tea Party “Express” bus tour starting in California and bound for Washington, D.C. plans to pause for events Sept. 2-4 in El Paso, San Antonio, Waco and Dallas.
The goal: To “highlight some of the worst offenders in Congress who have voted for higher spending, higher taxes and government intervention in the lives of American families and businesses,” a Web post states. “These members of Congress have infringed upon the freedom of the individual in this great nation, and it’s time for us to say: ‘Enough is Enough!’”
The tour won’t stop in Austin, according to the schedule posted here, a surprise considering its route surely shoots north on Interstate 35, practically in hollering distance of the Texas Capitol. I’m trying to reach organizers to learn more.
Some tea-party activists stress their distance and disagreements with the major political parties. Yet the bus tour originating in Sacramento Aug. 28 is being funded by the Our Country Deserves Better PAC, which has focused its energies previously on defeating Democrats including Barack Obama and Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, the Senate majority leader. It’s a decisively pro-Republican group. That said, I understand the Republican Party of Texas is not involved in the tour.
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July 27, 2009
Hutchison campaign changing managers, adding staff and consultants
Just weeks before formally declaring for governor, U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison has changed campaign managers and enlisted additional senior advisers and consultants, though the departing manager and his replacement said Monday the changes aren’t a sign of shakiness in her effort.
The departure of manager Rick Wiley for a senior role in a Wisconsin campaign is to be announced shortly along with the hiring of Terry Sullivan of South Carolina as his replacement.
Wiley and Sullivan said the change in leadership, finalized last week, was not in reaction to Hutchison losing ground to GOP Gov. Rick Perry in recent polls. Instead, the two said, the addition of new staff and consultants reflected timely growth in a campaign intent on making history.
“As with any campaign, you build as you go,” Sullivan said. “You don’t hit the ground with a full staff.
“This is big; this is going to be one of the biggest races the country has ever seen outside of a presidential race. This is a multi-dimensional campaign. We want to make sure we’ve got the firepower to win.”
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July 13, 2009
Benedict to run national Libertarian Party
Austinite Wes Benedict, former executive director of the Libertarian Party of Texas, will soon take the helm of the national party with the aim of reversing its fortunes.
In 2000, the national party had $3 million in revenue with 30,000 dues-paying members; now, it is bringing in about half that much, Benedict said.
But the Libertarian Party of Texas has been the bright spot. It has grown in recent years and become enough of a player in legislative races that last year Republican leaders tried to get Libertarians to drop out of key House races.
Benedict said he would hope to position the national party to take advantage of the discontent with both Republicans and Democrats with the Libertarian Party’s message of small government and personal freedom.
The first task, however, is to “stop the bleeding, Benedict said, and get the organization back in shape.
Benedict has been a perennial candidate in local races, including unsuccessful runs for the Austin City Council and Travis County Commissioners Court.
“It’s been fun doing battle” in Austin, said Benedict, who will move to the Washington, D.C. area for the job.
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July 7, 2009
UPDATED: Alberto Gonzales, former U.S. attorney general, expected to teach at Texas Tech University
Alberto Gonzales, who resigned as the Bush administration’s embattled attorney general nearly two years ago, has lined up a fall-semester teaching spot at Texas Tech University, the university confirmed today.
Gonzales, who was Gov. George W. Bush’s lawyer, Texas secretary of state and then a Texas Supreme Court justice before joining Bush in Washington, will be working as an visiting professor in the political science department, teaching a “special topics” course on contemporary issues in the executive branch, according to Dora Rodriguez, a senior business assistant in the department. The university later said it will be a junior-level course.
In a press release issued hours after I inquired, the university said that as of Aug. 1, Gonzales will join the Texas Tech University System to assist both Texas Tech University and Angelo State University (in San Angelo) with recruiting and retaining first generation and under-represented students.
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July 4, 2009
Sen. Cornyn booed at Capitol "tea party"
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn drew boos from a crowd outside the Texas Capitol this afternoon as he spoke at a “tea party” rally organized by the Texas office of Americans for Prosperity.
Cornyn was booed at the start and close of his remarks, which assailed actions in Washington; there were no boos while he awarded a Purple Heart to a Copperas Cove resident injured in Iraq in 2006.
“You’re the problem,” a crowd member hollered.
Another crowd member yelled that Cornyn voted for the initial federal bailout of Wall Street approved by Congress last year, the Troubled Asset Relief Program.
Cornyn was the first elected official to speak, though Gov. Rick Perry and others are expected to have turns. UPDATE, 4:04 p.m.: Perry drew scattered boos, notably from crowd members aware of his advocacy of toll roads to relieve traffic congestion.
Cornyn, a Republican elected to his second Senate term last year, said before today’s gathering that he wasn’t sure what kind of reception he’d field.
“I don’t yet know exactly what it’s going to be like,” Cornyn said Wednesday.
He said he’d agreed to “come and talk about my belief that local government including state government is closest to the people and more likely to be responsive to their needs. And we’ll see how it goes.
“What do you think?” he asked a reporter. “You think it’s going to be OK? I’m waiting to see.”
“I didn’t want to come some place that I wasn’t wanted.”
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July 1, 2009
Cornyn huddles with Mexican American caucus (no fireworks)
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, jawed with members of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus over box lunches in the Capitol today and there were mutual vows to hold additional meetings after a conversation that touched on jobs, health care, immigration policy and President Obama’s nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court—a choice Cornyn said he won’t decide to support or not until after Senate hearings.
I didn’t catch any indoor fireworks nor did Cornyn appear to let loose of any news.
Cornyn was credited with initiating the sit-down, which was open to reporters, by Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, who chairs the caucus (see a photo roster of members here). Martinez Fischer said Cornyn was the first U.S. senator to have a chat with the group.
Cornyn, asked why he sought such a meeting so many years after starting his career as an elected official in the 1980’s, said he realized he could have done a better job of reaching out to people.
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June 11, 2009
UPDATED: Berman could drop bid for governor if Perry embraces ideas combating illegal immigration
East Texas Rep. Leo Berman lunched with Gov. Rick Perry today—as previewed in my Thursday column here—and gave him four bones to chew on that could lead Berman to cancel his declared plans to run in the 2010 GOP gubernatorial primary already expected to be headlined by the Perry face-off with U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison.
Berman, R-Tyler, said afterward that if Perry embraces his suggestions related to illegal mmigration, “it would satisfy many of the people who have asked me to do this (run for governor). He’s got the money, the name, the position. I would probably endorse him and get out of the race myself.”
Berman has otherwise said he’d declare for governor around July 4.
UPDATE: Perry spokeswoman Allison Castle later confirmed the meeting, adding that Perry plans to get back to the representative.
By not running, Berman could spare the incumbent from losing the votes of voters greatly concerned about illegal immigration—a big deal if the March primary proves tight.
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June 8, 2009
Former Hutchison hand opening a Washington-Austin consultancy
Matt Mackowiak, the former spokesman for U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison who parted with her earlier this year, is opening a consulting shop, the Potomac Strategy Group, which he says will pivot between doing business in Washington and Austin.
Mackowiak, who hails from Austin, spent the past few months having his independence tested as an analyst on TV and radio news programs. He plans to offer clients strategic expertise, though the word is he also may pitch a book on lessons from life on Capitol Hill.
Announcing his business, Mackowiak writes:
PSG will help candidates and corporations earn media in Washington, D.C. to build buzz, drive a message, and reach policymakers and opinion leaders, giving them a competitive edge over opponents when battling for media attention or appealing for fund-raising.
His company site won’t be live until Tuesday, but Mackowiak also owns and manages this site devoted to those who speak for those in power in Washington. It doesn’t have an entry yet on his new project.
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June 1, 2009
Democratic National Committee gathering in Austin in September
The Democratic National Committee plans to hold its quarterly meeting in Austin Sept. 10-12, its chairman is announcing this afternoon.
Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine suggests in an e-mail to Democrats that Texas is ready to make a big turn toward embracing Democrats for high office—much like his state in the past decade.
Kaine writes:
Texas is an increasingly diverse state with a burgeoning and politically active Hispanic population that went strongly for Barack Obama in 2008…. (W)e have every reason to feel bullish about our chances in Texas.
A DNC spokesman said he wasn’t advised on whether any White House residents will be flying in for the meeting.
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May 31, 2009
Midnight deadline passes, one final rush
The midnight deadline for filing the final versions of bills in the House has just passed, with a single rush to get one last bill in the Capitol doors.
Otherwise, the frantic activity in both chambers to get paperwork signed and filed fell silent hours ago — within a short time after the Senate and House adjourned for the night.
The final negotiating went on behind closed doors in legislative offices throughout the Capitol. Only Sunday will tell how many bills were filed by the deadline, and how many died.
Just a few minutes ago, just a minute before midnight, though, a silver car raced up the west driveway of the statehouse, screeching to a stop in a space normally reserved for the speaker.
Two men jumped out, and raced up the steps.
The first door their tried was locked. Loud words. The second door was unlocked. Up the back stairs to the House clerk’s office they shot, meeting the deadline.
Just barely.
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May 30, 2009
182 more conference committees
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst just announced that the Texas Senate has received requests from the House for 182 conference committees to work out last-minute details on pending bills.
That’s correct, 182 — surely a record, since the Senate already had authorized more than four dozen by last night.
Before midnight tonight, all the conference committees must have their deals worked out on final language for bills, and have their report filed with the House.
Otherwise, bills die.
It’s going to be a busy afternoon — and evening.
In the Senate, Administration Committee Chairman Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, just suggested that senators remain at their desks throughout the afternoon to get the Senate’s paperwork on the conference committees approved and sent promptly back to the House.
Paper is flying everywhere, and the Senate just took the unusual step of allowing up to two staff members for each senator onto the floor to handle the rush of signing and sorting.
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May 29, 2009
Candid photo: Rep. McCaul, Rush Limbaugh and Gov. Perry
A reader passes along this photo he says he took of U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, applauding Rush Limbaugh and Gov. Rick Perry. The three were together at a fund-raiser for McCaul’s campaign kitty Thursday in Houston.
If I hear any audio from the closed-to-reporters’ event, I’ll update this blog.
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Several agencies to live or die based on House Bill 1959
A “catch-all” House measure, posted here, will likely determine whether several state agencies live or die—including the Texas Racing Commission and an agency devoted to affordable housing.
The American-Statesman’s Mike Ward has learned that the proposal, sponsored by Sen. Glenn Hegar and Rep. Carl Isett, could be used to preserve the Texas Department of Insurance for at least two years (giving lawmakers a fresh crack at reviewing them in the 2011 session) if the agency’s authorization dies — and it may also keep alive the Texas Youth Commission if a new dispute over several items in its own sunset bill cannot be resolved.
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May 27, 2009
McCaul takes a hit for Houston event featuring Rush Limbaugh; Franken will be in Austin a day later
I asked U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul’s campaign last week to fill me in on the Austin Republican’s plans to hold a Houston event this Thursday featuring America’s No. 1 conservative radio host, Rush Limbaugh. The only tidbit I fielded in return was a reminder that the gathering wouldn’t be open to reporters—unfortunately the norm for political fund-raisers.
But a Democratic group based in Washington this morning sent over the McCaul campaign’s Limbaugh invitation, fetchable here. The entry charge is $500 per person or couple (which kind of encourages buddying up for the cause).
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May 13, 2009
Ronald joins the circus, briefly
The Texas Senate, which has a time-honored reputation for honoring everyone and everything that stops by, got an unexpected celebrity visit this morning.
Without so much as a how-do-you do.
A brightly costumed Ronald McDonald watched Senate debate from the gallery for several minutes before leaving with a small group.
Several senators waved at Ronald, who reportedly was at the Capitol today to champion a McDonald’s children’s program.
After he left, there were obligatory jokes making the rounds that Ronald was not acknowledged from the floor because of a bill that the Senate passed last week outlawing transfats in restaurants.
Wrong. Mickey D’s, other senators said, doesn’t use transfat oils any more.
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May 1, 2009
Senate: Expand Twin Lakes Park
The Texas Senate today unanimously approved a bill that would increase the size of Williamson County’s popular Twin Lakes Park in Cedar Park.
Under Senate Bill 2484, authored by state Sen. Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, an additional 6.18 acres of property would be added to the 50-acre park that has been operated by the county since 1994.
The vote was 31-0, without debate, and the measure now goes to the House for consideration.
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April 23, 2009
Sharp to Dewhurst: Try Texas wines
Following up on an Associated Press report that Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, a known wine connoisseur, is pushing a bill that would allow him to bring his favorite wine into restaurants, former Comptroller John Sharp today suggested Dewhurst might want to try Texas.
In a one-page, handwritten letter, Sharp prodded Dewhurst a bit. They ran against each for other n 2002, and have never been close.
“I couldn’t help but notice that you’re having trouble getting any decent wine for supper, and you’re having to pass a law just to get a drink,” Sharp said in his note. “it occurred to me that Texas (the state you’re lt. governor of) had some great wines that maybe you didn’t know about.”
Choose a Texas wine “and you don’t have to pass a law (and) you can help out Texas wineries,” Sharp chided.
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Five state leaders lined up to speak privately to pastors today
Five statewide elected officials will be talking to about 100 pastors at a closed-to-the-public Texas Pastors Policy Conference at an Austin hotel today. They are Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, Attorney General Greg Abbott, Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson and Dale Wainwright, a Texas Supreme Court justice, according to an agenda.
Dave Welch, executive director of the U.S. Pastor Council, said Wednesday: “Pastors need to know how government works; most of them don’t.”
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Attorney general, Comings and goings, Governor, Land use/development, Texas Senate
April 21, 2009
Vice President Biden expected in Austin in a week
It’s an official secret for now, but I’m told by Central Texas Democrats that Vice President Biden is expected in Austin a week from today to headline a private fund-raiser being pulled together by the Democratic National Committee, the entity that absorbed President Obama’s presidential campaign committee when Obama entered the White House.
The latest plan is for Biden to attend a fundraising luncheon in the home of Obama donors and, before or after, swing by the East Austin headquarters of Lance Armstrong’s Live Strong Foundation. (It could be the mix of official business—meaning a foundation visit or something of the like—and politics enables Biden to fly to Austin on Air Force Two, his government-assigned plane.)
I’ve also heard Democratic speculation about Biden addressing a joint session of the Republican-majority House and Senate—potentially a fine spectacle presuming Biden attempts a spirited defense of the federal stimulus package that’s been chewed upon by lawmakers and GOP Gov. Rick Perry.
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April 14, 2009
National Democrats place an Obama organizer in Texas
About a week after Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign manager swung through Austin to thank fund-raisers and donors to Obama’s campaign, Obama’s political operation has put an organizer in Texas.
And Luke Hayes, who’s been affiliated with the Democratic National Committee, wants to introduce himself at 11 “listening tour” events starting Thursday in Houston. There’ll be an April 23 gathering in Austin.
As hinted here by Austin’s Eugene Sepulveda, Hayes will be reintroducing himself to some Austin residents. He ran field operations in Mayor Will Wynn’s 2006 re-election campaign and then served on the Texas staff for then-Sen. Obama’s Texas presidential primary campaign. Sepulveda advises that Hayes was second in command in Virginia during the general election; Obama carried the state.
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April 2, 2009
Reporter who broke Tom Schieffer story goes to work for him
Clay Robison, the Capitol correspondent and bureau chief who broke the story early this year that Fort Worth lawyer Tom Schieffer was mulling a run for governor next year, has signed on as director of communications for Schieffer’s gubernatorial exploratory committee.
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March 17, 2009
Mark Sanders, citing business demands, leaving East Texas city council
Mark Sanders, the onetime adviser to Carole Keeton Strayhorn and other Republican officeholders, has resigned from the small-town city council he joined last year, a newspaper reports.
According to an Athens Daily Review article posted here, Sanders is getting too busy as a consultant to continue on the Eustace City Council.
What caught my eye:
At a January meeting, Sanders proposed seeking legal (counsel) regarding spectators throwing candy during the annual Christmas parade. He said two individuals were injured by thrown candy, and he suggested a fine be levied against anyone who tosses it with too much force. Ward and some councilmembers were skeptical of the festivities causing a problem.
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Hutchison shares a pic with Austin students
A lighter moment: Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison poses below with visiting students and faculty from Austin’s St. Andrews Episcopal School.
I asked if every one of them had committed to her expected gubernatorial campaign. Hutchison’s office fired back: “Are they old enough to vote?”
Judge for yourself.
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March 9, 2009
Rove lunches at Texas Capitol with Katharine Armstrong
Karl Rove, the former senior White House adviser to George W. Bush, once routinely walked the corridors of the Texas Capitol. Rove was back today, stopping for lunch in the cafeteria in the Capitol Extension.
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January 14, 2009
Watson on the move to Brown McCarroll
State Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, started a new job today as a partner in the law firm of Brown McCarroll LLP, though he spent the bulk of his Wednesday engulfed in a heated Senate debate.
Adam Hauser, the firm’s managing partner, said Watson is a “perfect fit” for Brown McCarroll given his deep roots in public service and the Central Texas business community. He will also be involved in litigation, Hauser said.
Watson, who moves from the law firm K&L Gates, “is known and has built his reputation on his skills as a litigator,” Hauser said.
Brown McCarroll, which has been in Austin since 1938, has 125 lawyers in Austin, Dallas, El Paso and Houston.
Watson was unavailable for comment Wednesday afternoon as the Senate was deep into rules debate.
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January 13, 2009
Pomp and circumstance
With just an hour to go before the 81st Legislature is gaveled into session, some scenes at the domed pink-granite statehouse:
Long lines of spectators snake from the first floor to the third to get into the House Chamber Gallery, mostly friends and family of legislators — along with a few city and county officials. No lines on the Senate side, so far.
Among those waiting: Austinite James Clarke, 71, who says he’s been coming to the Capitol “every year since I was grown” to see the Lege begin. His dad worked for Gov. Price Daniel in the 1950s.
“I like to see the show, is all,” he explained. “The grand building is the same. It’s just filled with different characters every time.”
In a downstairs hall, Jocelyn Hall waited for an elevator with her eight children — ages 4 to 14. “We’re homeschoolers and we came to see the government at work,” she said.
As for the pomp, a man in a tuxedo and a yellow rose in his lapel — who declined to give his name — wandered the entry lobby for a time at the Capitol’s south edge, opening the door, shaking hands and greeting folks with historical tidbits about the 1888 statehouse.
“Just say I’m a Texan who’s proud to be a Texan,” he said. “I took the day off. I love this place.”
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December 19, 2008
Bullock expects 4,000,000th visitor
The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum is about to make history itself.
Sometime on Saturday, probably between 2 and 2:30 p.m., the Story of Texas history mecca just north of the Texas Capitol is expecting its 4-millionth visitor since it opened seven years ago, on April 21, 2001 — the anniversary of revolutionary Texas’ victory over the Mexican Army at San Jacinto.
Museum Director Nashid Madyun said balloons, a commemorative certificate from Gov. Rick Perry, a limited-edition print, a year’s family membership pass, a basket of goodies from the museum’s store and other prizes await the lucky tourist.
“We average 800-900 people a day, though some days we have 2,000 people,” he said. “We’re larger (in attendance) than most other places in Austin except the Capitol, which has about a million visitors a year.”
In all, Madyun said, more than 450,000 people visit the Bullock museum annually.
But Saturday’s milestone will be special.
“It places us in the tops in Texas — with other museums, theme parks and other tourist destinations,” he said. “
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December 12, 2008
Nieto leaving as spokesman for Texas Democrats
Hector Nieto plans to step down as spokesman for the Texas Democratic Party next month to become chief of staff for an incoming state senator.
Nieto, 31, has served as communications director for the party through the rollicking presidential primary season. Party Chairman Boyd Richie has occasionally celebrated him as the party’s first Spanish-speaking spokesman. I found Nieto quite a quipster, though almost always off the record.
Nieto’s new post: chief of staff to Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth.
There’s no early word on who will take his place speaking for the party.
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November 12, 2008
Palin calls in to Austin radio show
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin called in to the J.B. and Sandy show on Austin’s radio station Mix 94.7 today on behalf of a cousin she said she has in Austin. The station shortly posted the audio, which can be heard here.
Palin made no news, but re-confirmed that she wanted to give a concession speech introducing Sen. John McCain on election night.
Asked what she expects to do next aside from returning to her gubernatorial duties, Palin replied:
You never know what will happen in life. That’s the exciting part of just where I am in life, putting my life in God’s hands and saying, you know, show me the next open door and I’ll plow right on through that.
Palin closed by saying she spent two summers as a teenager attending basketball camps in Texas and running on a track team in Beeville and George West and other communities in South Texas.
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June 19, 2008
Russert once tried to hold Texas-centered debate
The unexpected death of Tim Russert, NBC’s mainstay in its coverage of national politics, brought me back to the time I briefly interviewed him. It was the fall of 2002 and Russert invited the Texas candidates for the U.S. Senate, Republican John Cornyn and Democrat Ron Kirk, to debate live on his Sunday morning program.
Cornyn accepted, while Kirk declined to make the Washington trip.
Before deciding against the joint appearance on network TV, Kirk told the editorial board of the San Antonio Express-News (the paper that had me watching the race that year) that he wasn’t inclined to take time for Russert.
Kirk said then that he had not planned to leave Texas in the last month of the campaign to appear on TV or for any purpose. He also called Russert a “huff and puff,” though to this day he insists he would not have hatched such a tame descriptive.
Russert was the host of “Meet the Press,” which then reached 6 million viewers a week.
When I reached him about Kirk’s comment, he was mystified.
“What is a ‘huff and puff?’” Russert said. “Sometimes candidates get tired and say things. I’m here to do my job, and I want to do a debate with the candidates from Texas.”
Dave Beckwith, a Cornyn campaign adviser at the time lately serving as the senator’s Texas chief of staff, remembers the Russert-debate back-and-forth this way:
“In 2002, Russert was just starting his now-established practice of screening a full hour debate in competitive Senate races. He called both camps to issue an invitation. Attorney General Cornyn accepted almost immediately, nearly three weeks before the planned date in September. Kirk stalled, and delayed a decision.
“Meanwhile, NBC aired what I believe was Russert’s first such debate, between Sen. Wayne Allard and challenger Ted Strickland. Russert asked both candidates about their plans to resolve the Social Security crisis — raise taxes, cut benefits, or what else? Allard touted private accounts. Russert pressed Strickland repeatedly, but he could not come up with an answer. He looked foolish.
“Early the next week, Kirk announced he would not be accepting the Russert invitation. Russert later told me that he had mixed success arranging these debates that first year, and in every failed case, it was the Democrat candidate who had refused to come on his show.”
Justin Lonon, Kirk’s spokesman at the time, said this week that the issue came down to Kirk’s busy schedule, filled with campaign stops and fund-raisers. “Ron was getting a lot of national exposure,” Lonon said, recalling that national and international reporters were already touring with him. “Getting national exposure was not a problem for us.”
Kirk agreed with Lonon’s recollection, adding that the campaign took the debate offer seriously. “I wanted to do it. With the travel, I just couldn’t give up three days 10 days out front of an election.”
“I was a Tim Russert fan,” Kirk said. “I liked the show… I respected him. He was a good guy, he was tough, he was fair.”
Kirk dismissed Beckwith’s theory that he dodged the Russert opportunity after the previous Democrat who debated a GOP opponent struggled. Kirk said: “That’s (horse puckey). We were not afraid. I was not afraid of debating John Cornyn anywhere. For us, it was just an issue of time.”
That’s all I know about what could have been a significant Russert moment in Texas political history.
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June 12, 2008
Ron Paul getting out as candidate, but...
He’s going to tell supporters in Houston Thursday night that he’s proud to be fathering a new political committee to help freedom-loving candidates. I snagged him for a moment and he cheerfully posed for this shot:
In an interview, Paul played down the end of his candidacy, stressing instead the launch of a political group to help like-minded candidates, the Campaign for Liberty.
Paul’s campaign intends to shift about $4 million to the group, which will host a conference in September to coincide with the Republican National Convention in Minnesota.
Paul said he and supporters are simply changing the method of advocating beliefs in the U.S. Constitution, the withdrawal of U.S. troops from abroad and an end to federal income taxes, among his favorite topics.
He said he’s known since the day before he filed his candidacy that his journey wouldn’t end in the White House.
While he’s no longer a candidate, Paul said, “I never thought I was… I was just promoting a cause.”
“I’m really excited about what’s happening,” Paul said. “Really and truly, this is the beginning of something big.”
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Secretary Wilson stepping down
Texas Secretary of State Phil Wilson announced today he will step down July 6 to become the public relations chief for a Dallas-based energy company.
Wilson, 40, who served as Gov. Rick Perry’s chief of staff before being named secretary of state almost a year ago, will become senior vice president of public affairs for Luminant Energy on July 7, officials said.
“I have been honored to serve in this role for the people of Texas and am proud of the accomplishments we achieved during our time in office: overseeing the largest primary in Texas history, being part of bringing thousands of new jobs to Texas, and investing in our states future employers and technologies,” Wilson said.
Wilson, who has been Perry’s point man on economic development for several years, has served as Chair of the Governor’s Competitiveness Council and on the Border Security Council. As Perry’s chief of staff, Wilson oversaw the Texas Enterprise Fund and Emerging Technology Fund.
Acknowledging that Wilson has been “a trusted advisor and dear friend of mine and (first lady) Anita’s for many years,” Perry called him “a man of innovative thought and exceptional determination — attributes that have led him to success in both his professional and personal life.”
“He will be hard to replace.”
At Luminant, Wilson will oversee the firms community relations, communications, regulatory and government-affairs efforts, the company said. Luminant is the largest purchaser of wind-generated electricity in Texas and fifth largest in the nation.
Luminant is a subsidiary of Energy Future Holdings, formerly TXU Corp.
As secretary of state, Wilson is Texas’ chief elections officer in addition to overseeing business and public records filings. He also acts as the governor’s chief liaison for border affairs, and oversees international protocol.
Secretaries of state in Texas historically have been close confidants to governors, and the position often turns over every few years. While Wilson had served for just about a year, his predecessor, Roger Williams, served for about 2 1/2 years before resigning to pursue other interests.
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June 3, 2008
Yup, that was Mike Huckabee in Austin
A watchful wag spotted a guy who looked like Mike Huckabee in Austin’s airport over the weekend.
Bingo: Huckabee swooped in to give a paid speech at a conference on retailing; the exclusive gig shows up here — though it seems a little odd that the former Arkansas governor renowned for losing weight would attend a gathering that included, by my count, eight purveyors of fare such as donuts, chicken wings and fried chicken fillets. To be fair, Huckabee was the headline speaker over representatives from such food companies and other retailers.
I failed to draw a comment from his press spokeswoman, who might still be on a post-campaign vacation of indefinite duration.
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Lulu Flores: Clinton should fight on to convention
Austin lawyer Lulu Flores, president of the National Women’s Political Caucus, wants Sen. Hillary Clinton not to give up her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Flores, reacting to an Associated Press report Tuesday stating Clinton intends to concede to Sen. Barack Obama, said Clinton deserves a chance to persuade super-delegates — party dignitaries and Democratic members of Congress — that she would be the strongest November foe for presumptive GOP nominee John McCain, the Arizona senator.
The caucus, which endorsed Clinton for president in April 2007, has raised tens of thousands of dollars for Clinton’s campaign, Flores said, believing that her candidacy would be the one to finally place a woman in the nation’s highest elected office.
“We’ve waited. We have had 43 male presidents. We are probably about to elect our 44th. I hope not. I’m still not giving up,” Flores said.
Regarding Obama’s popularity, Flores said: “We are not selecting our next rock star. We are selecting our next commander-in-chief.”
Flores said she’d spend part of her afternoon telephoning voters in South Dakota and Montana, which have Democratic primaries wrapping up tonight. And, she said, she hopes Clinton puts off a concession to Obama — and that the super-delegates give her a chance to make the case that she’ll have a stronger chance of winning big states in the fall such as Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida.
Flores was in Washington over the weekend among Clinton supporters urging a national party committee to award Clinton the delegates she could have won for prevailing in early-against-the-rules primaries in Florida and Michigan. The party panel settled on an approach seating delegations from the states, with each delegate having half a vote at the national convention this summer in Denver — a result that diminished Clinton’s chances of closing much ground on Obama in pledged delegates.
Flores said some Clinton supporters were angry at the decision and threatening not to turn out for the Democrats in November; they chanted, “We’ll Remember in November.” Flores said she didn’t join that chant, but she did chime in on another signaling the battle for the nomination should go on to the national convention: “Denver!”
“I’d love to see it go to Denver,” Flores said.
“Let’s not be hasty,” Flores said of Clinton possibly ceding the nomination to Obama. “I really believe we might be making a serious mistake, a rush to judgment.”
Hear her off-stage advice here.
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May 27, 2008
Staples in Cuba, many, many miles from Houston
The Texas agriculture commissioner, Todd Staples, has made it to Cuba, his office reports. Of course, he’s expected to file updates to an agency blog tracking his trade mission to the island nation.
Staples, who is from East Texas, wrote in a pre-arrival posting: “It is only 900 miles between Houston and Havana but for several decades it might well have been a million miles.”
It’s just like a Texan to write “only” 900 miles. (It’s actually 925 miles, according to this site.) Then again, it’s only 975 miles from Austin to Mexico City. Give me a call when you get there?
Staples’ Cuba blog is here.
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May 25, 2008
Perry with a fourth grader, Dewhurst in France...
My story in Sunday’s newspaper, in our Insight section, draws from hundreds of pages of schedules kept by the state’s seven top elected officials (counting House Speaker Tom Craddick among them).
A surprise to me was Gov. Rick Perry granting an interview to Cole Blue, a fourth-grader from McComb, Mississippi. Blue’s parents drove him the more than eight hours from their home to the Capitol in Austin for the big sit-down. They thought an aide shot a video; when I asked Perry’s office for a copy, a spokeswoman said it had been erased. Still photos are viewable online here.
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst’s office redacted the names of about 70 individuals who he visited in the year’s first quarter, though Dewhurst later named many in an interview.
Dewhurst further volunteered that he’d gone to France for about a week to try to negotiate with the French government on expanding a museum devoted to Utah Beach to better display the role Allied air, army and naval power played on D-Day in World War II. Dewhurst said he learned more about his late father’s role as a pilot in the invasion last year.
Dewhurst said he was promised an answer on his expansion pitch by D-Day, June 6.
“The Legislature gets blamed for sometimes moving slowly,” Dewhurst said. “After spending a week trying to negotiate with the equivalent of an American governor and a United States senator in France, I now believe that the Texas Legislature moves with lightning speed.”
Remember his words when the 2009 session drags—if it ever does, of course.
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May 12, 2008
Mark Sanders wins council seat in Eustace
By drawing 69 votes, longtime Capitol campaign consultant Mark Sanders has landed on the city council in the East Texas town of Eustace.
The way it played out, he says, 93 voters cast ballots Saturday to fill three council seats. Under Eustace’s approach, voters could vote for up to three candidates on their ballots and then election officials tallied the number of total votes for each candidate. The top three finishers—Sanders says he ran second in the group—are due to be sworn into office Friday.
(Eustace, turns out, is easy to find, according to the city’s Web site. It’s 12 miles east of Mabank and 11 miles west of Athens.)
Sanders, 45, whose past clients included Carole Keeton Strayhorn, David Dewhurst, Jerry Patterson and Rob Mosbacher Jr., said Monday he’s intent on introducing a code of conduct for council members and the mayor that would require any one of them charged with a felony to resign immediately.
Sanders had made the plunge into life as a candidate after failing to persuade Mayor Laura Ward to resign; she was arrested in September after striking a woman outside a bar in Gun Barrel City.
The code of conduct, Sanders said, “is designed entirely to get rid of the mayor.”
So much for a honeymoon period.
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May 6, 2008
Bullock bio stirs Jan Bullock and longtime aides
My story in Wednesday’s editions about the Bob Bullock biography by Dave McNeely and Jim Henderson—peek here—yields the first post-publication comments by Bullock’s widow, Jan Bullock, on the book, which is in its third printing and has drawn favorable reviews. It is viewable here.
Several longtime aides to the late lieutenant governor are similarly disappointed in “Bob Bullock: God Bless Texas,” with some saying the authors made an insufficient effort to tap their knowledge and experiences of Bullock. McNeely told me they deliberately did not do so partly because they didn’t want to cause one of the Bullock-ites to hurry their own book into print.
Glen Castlebury, who worked for Bullock for 20 years starting in 1974, said the authors could have started their research by querying people closest to Bullock.
“I would have thought they would have gone to the Bullock loyalists probably first (for interviews); it would have been most obvious (approach),” Castlebury said. “Then you would have gone out to talk to all the other turkeys walking the street to see if they had something to say.”
My sense is that Henderson was permitted to listen to a few oral histories given by Bullock friends and associates, as reported, because librarians at Baylor University didn’t initially know he was teamed with McNeely, who had a testy relationship with Bob Bullock.
Jan Bullock cut off public access to the histories until the year 2009, she told me, because she figured McNeely wanted to finish his book before President Bush left office that same year.
Bullock and Ben Rogers, director of Baylor’s W.R. Poage Legislative Library, said the authors did not delve into thousands of available pages of materials in the Bullock collection including newspaper clippings and “opposition research” Bullock’s campaign put together that put him in a vulnerable light.
McNeely and Henderson said they were told by Rogers in 2004 that bound newspaper clippings were not available. The library said it has no record of the request; Rogers initially said he didn’t remember the authors visiting together in 2004, later insisting they did not visit together.
The authors did not interview Jan Bullock, but they contacted her.
Henderson called her in 2006, saying he tried again later, without leaving messages. He said he expected she would call him if she wanted to visit.
McNeely delivered a draft manuscript to Bullock in February 2007. She shortly e-mailed Henderson, saying: “I can tell you two certainly did your research.”
McNeely then solicited her corrections, suggesting they get together.
If “there are things that are inaccurate, we want to get them corrected,” McNeely said in a March 30, 2007 e-mail. “…So let’s do get together as soon as possible.”
On May 4, 2007, Bullock wrote him to say she couldn’t help. She made her decision after sharing the manuscript with aides to Bob Bullock. Her letter states that she found mistakes, urban legends, gossip and distortions.
Henderson, speaking to the negative reactions, said in a recent e-mail to me: “Jan wanted to write her own book about Bullock. Didn’t happen. Get over it. Then she did her best to obstruct the writing of this book. Didn’t happen. Get over it. Then she did her best to block publication. Didn’t happen. Get over it. She apparently wanted to control everything written about her late husband. Didn’t happen. Ain’t gonna happen. Get over it.”
Bullock earlier told me: “I would have loved to see a grand book about Bob. He certainly was not an angel. And he was difficult, temperamental - my god, he was every adjective in the book… I mean, I have great stories. I have love letters that he’s written me that people wouldn’t even believe.”
A longtime Bullock aide, Mary Jane Wardlow, identified factual errors in the book including a reference to one senator serving in 1991 who took office in 1993.
In another part, Bullock is described as introducing senators to his forceful leadership style by rushing through measures. It’s placed in 1991 though it occurred in 1995. And, Wardlow said, the book mischaracterizes the late action in a legislative session catching the Senate up after the death of its parliamentarian.
Wardlow also said the book incorrectly describes Bullock’s funeral. Bullock did not repose on a floral altar; his body was in his coffin next to sprays of flowers.
Carolene English, another longtime aide, inquired last year into the UT Press’s method of fact-checking as the book approached publication. The UT Press said the book was vetted by two outside experts it did not identify and cleared by its Faculty Advisory Committee, which unanimously approved publication.
English said this year that details were muffed such as the fact that Bullock had surgery to remove one third of a lung (not most of it), and that he had deeper Texas roots than stated. She said the authors also missed Bullock intervening in the 1980s to ensure that Democrats created legislative districts winnable by black and Hispanic candidates.
McNeely said the record isn’t so simple. And, he noted, Bullock is credited in the book with hiring and promoting minorities.
Castlebury and John Moore, a longtime Bullock aide, told McNeely last year that he mistold episodes from the years during which Bullock was a heavy drinker. The two also did not specify what was incorrect.
Their stance, Castlebury said, amounted to “don’t feed the snake.”
John Keel, a Bullock protégé, presented McNeely with letters from individuals last year saying incidents in the manuscript didn’t happen; two stories were removed before publication.
McNeely informed Jan Bullock—who knew Bullock for 22 years and married him in 1985—of the excisions with a comment she did not appreciate, writing: “I might remind you that all of these things happened before you and Bob were married and before he quit drinking, and do not involve you.”
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April 24, 2008
UPDATED: Arrangements for Lena Guerrero
Robert Earley, who was Lena Guerrero’s deskmate when they both served in the Texas House, has relayed the funeral arrangements for the former Travis County legislator:
Public visitation with the family is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday at Mission Funeral Home, 6204 S. First St. in Austin, with a rosary to follow at 7:30 p.m. in the funeral home’s Serenity Chapel.
A Mass is scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday—this is an updated time—at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 1206 E. Ninth St., followed by internment at the Texas State Cemetery. There will be a reception at the cemetery after that.
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Lena Guerrero dies
Lena Guerrero of Austin died Wednesday night in her sleep, a close family friend, Tom Duffy, said early Thursday. The former Texas House member and appointee to the Texas Railroad Commission was 50.
Guerrero was the youngest-ever president of the Young Democrats of Texas at age 21. She won election to the House in 1984 and served as an Austin representative until 1991. Energetic and intellectually curious, she quickly became a player on many fronts.
In January 1991, Gov. Ann Richards appointed Guerrero as the first Hispanic and first woman on the Texas Railroad Commission, targeting her for higher statewide office.
But Guerrero’s aspirations melted down when, while seeking election to the commission seat, she was forced to admit she had lied about having a University of Texas degree. Republican Barry Williamson easily defeated her.
Guerrero, one of several Texas Hispanic leaders who saw their promising political careers dissolve in the same generation, later called it a “pretty loaded question” when asked to analyze the effect of the Hispanic leaders’ falls from grace. (Former San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros and Former Texas Attorney General Dan Morales were undone by criminal charges while in office, Cisneros for lying to the FBI about payments he made to a mistress and Morales for steering money from a lucrative state settlement with tobacco companies to a lawyer-friend.)
“I think that you ought to expect the first layer of Latinos to be overly reviewed, to be highly at the front of the effort to be questioned excessively,” Guerrero said. “If any of us had done a number of the things that some of these other people — Democratic or Republican people — have done, we would have not been treated alike and have not been treated alike.”
Guerrero, speaking in 2000, three years after surgery for removal of two malignant brain tumors, looked forward, not back.
“What happened to Lena Guerrero is not nearly as important as what are we doing to grow Latinos and Latinas who can run and win and serve in public office and be leaders,” she said. “I don’t think we are spending enough time cultivating them.”
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January 29, 2008
Demo changes
After two years as the voice of the Texas Democratic Party, spokeswoman Amber Moon is moving to Houston, where she will head up communications for the Democratic Party in Harris County — her hometown.
Replacement: Hector Nieto, Moon’s deputy.
“With so many competitive races on the ballot, it’s a particularly exciting time to return to Harris County, and I look forward to a repeat of last cycle’s Dallas County success in my own home town,” Moon said in an e-mail.
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January 23, 2008
Huckabee coming to Austin for barbecue, money
Mike Huckabee, who raised money near Houston over the weekend (see an account here, plans to have an Austin summit/rally early next month, shortly after Tsunami Tuesday, the Feb. 5 balloting in more than 20 other states.
The former Arkansas governor, a GOP candidate for president, intends to have a barbecue and campaign rally at 11 a.m. Feb. 9 at Austin’s downtown Hilton Hotel. That’ll be less than a month before the once-considered-an-afterthought Texas primaries on March 4.
Fetch Huckabee’s invitation here. Or read up on country music singer Collin Raye, penciled in to perform that morning, here.
My hunch: Other presidential candidates are starting to contemplate Texas visits around the same time. Politicos should keep their calendars clear.
Permalink | Comments (6) | Categories: Comings and goings, Presidential race
January 22, 2008
Patterson sitting tight after Thompson departure
Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, co-chairman of former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson’s presidential campaign in Texas, declared no immediate plans to endorse another candidate in the wake of Thompson quitting the race Tuesday.
But Patterson sounded like he’s mulling a commitment to U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona. He said he won’t be aligning with former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani unless Giuliani (who has the support of Gov. Rick Perry) wins the party’s nomination.
“I want someone who’s straight even if I disagree with him,” Patterson said. McCain, he said, “is a straight shooter.”
Plus for McCain, in Patterson’s view: He’s “been right on the (Iraq) war all along,” a personal issue for Patterson, whose son Travis has done two tours as a Marine captain and helicopter pilot in Iraq.
Minus, in Patterson’s view: McCain is responsible for campaign finance reform that failed to improve the transparency of money in politics while loading up on reporting requirements; he voted against the federal tax cuts successfully sought by President Bush; he’s spoken out against waterboarding as torture; and he’s spoken favorably of getting a governmental handle on global warming.
Patterson wishes Thompson had stayed in the race through Florida’s primary. He attributed his departure half to campaign mistakes and half to abiding disdain in the media’s coverage of his candidacy.
Attorney General Greg Abbott, co-chairman with Patterson of Thompson’s Texas effort, offered no immediate comment on Thompson leaving the race.
Permalink | Comments (5) | Categories: Comings and goings, Presidential race
January 17, 2008
Perry, Bush reuniting at Washington fundraiser
Gov. Rick Perry will be reunited with President Bush at a February fundraiser in Washington. The gala organized by the Republican Governors Association (which Perry chairs this year) might give Perry a chance to publicly elaborate on why Bush has never been a fiscal conservative in Perry’s eyes. Perry aired his view at an Iowa stop in December that was placed on YouTube.com. (See our December account here.)
According to the invitation to the Republican Governors Association’s Feb. 25 “celebration of America’s leaders” — fetchable by clicking here — contributors can get in for as little as $1,000, though folks also have the option of volunteering to raise up to $500,000 for the association.
Mildly intriguing in the wake of Perry’s characterization of Bush in December: It looks as if Perry might not directly introduce Bush, his predecessor as governor, at the dinner. That’s because the dinner chairman is South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford.
Permalink | | Categories: Campaign finance, Comings and goings, Elections, Governor, Money, On a Lighter Note, Presidential race
January 15, 2008
Craddick's chief of staff departing after February
Nancy Fisher, who has been an aide to House Speaker Tom Craddick since he won the leadership post in 2003, will depart at the end of February, Craddick announced Tuesday.
The departure of Fisher, who was pretty much Craddick’s deliverer of bad news to House members and staff, stands to be studied around the Capitol for any signs of whether Craddick ultimately bent to members’ requests that she go — or whether she simply decided there are better ways to make a living.
“It has been an honor to work with the speaker in this capacity for the past five years,” Fisher said. “I appreciate the trust he placed in me, and the opportunity to play a small role in bringing historic changes in public policy. While I will greatly miss working for the speaker, the time has come for me to take some time off and pursue outside opportunities.”
Fisher joined Craddick’s office in 2003 when he was elected speaker by the newly-Republican House. She initially worked as his legislative director before becoming chief-of-staff in 2005.
“Nancy has done an excellent job as my top adviser,” Craddick said. “Nadine and I wish her all the best in this next chapter of her life, and we are incredibly grateful for her service and commitment to us.”
Craddick’s office offered no immediate word on a Fisher successor.
Permalink | | Categories: Comings and goings, House, Speaker's race
December 19, 2007
Busy Capitol bus stop needs to move, state says
Plans to change the flow of traffic and enhance security outside the Texas Capitol mean that the busiest bus stop in downtown Austin must move within a year, officials say.
The stop, in sight of the Governor’s Mansion, has long been on the north side of West 11th Street just west of Congress Avenue. It’s on 22 bus routes. Last year, an average of 1,455 people got off buses at the stop while 1,425 people got aboard, according to Capital Metro.
Gov. Rick Perry, saying the Capitol will be more secure with the changes, announced the plans Wednesday, a day after a representative of the State Preservation Board rejected Capital Metro’s pitch to postpone moving the stop until the Capital Metro transportation system gets restructured in 18 months to two years.
The state expects the stop to be moved by Nov. 6, a year after the date of the board’s initial letter to Capital Metro stating that the stop needed to be moved.
The state can order the stop moved because it’s on state land, which extends beyond the Capitol grounds to the middle of 11th Street.
Todd Hemingson, Capital Metro’s vice president for strategic planning and development, said the hunt will be on for alternative stops—with public hearings likely.
Hemingson, noting that the preservation board’s members include the governor and other state officials, said: “We don’t have much interest in getting into a huge public squabble over this. Our immediate plan… is to find a solution acceptable” to the state.
Plans set in motion in February by the preservation board will result in all vehicles on the Capitol grounds entering from 15th Street past a guard station on the north side of the Capitol. Driveways to the east and west will become exits only, along with the two driveways on the south that empty onto 11th Street east of the bus stop. The south exits will be synchronized with the city’s traffic signals on Congress Avenue to ease flow.
Allison Castle, Perry’s spokeswoman, said a factor in the state’s requirement that the bus stop move is that buses stacking up to reach the stop might block the south Capitol drives, potentially causing delays and accidents.
Castle said the entire project, costing $3.3 million, will be done before the 2009 legislative session.
Permalink | Comments (7) | Categories: Comings and goings, Governor
December 12, 2007
Dale Henry for RR Comish
Dale Henry, the Democrat who tried unsuccessfully last year for a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission, plans to try again.
Henry, a former Mills County commissioner and petroleum engineer, has scheduled a press conference nest Tuesday to announce he will challenge incumbent Republican Commissioner Michael Williams.
In 2006, he challenged GOP Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones.
He also ran unsuccessfully, as a Republican, in 2004.
Henry has his own video on YouTube, from an appearance at the 2006 Texas Democratic Convention.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Comings and goings
December 5, 2007
Bullock tales corralled in McNeely biography
Dave McNeely has completed his political biography of Bob Bullock, the rough-edged late lieutenant governor of Texas, and it’s rich with tales — including a recap of the night Bullock sat across from a reporter at Scholz Garden after placing a gun on the table between them.
As the book recaps, quoting from reporter Sam Kinch’s own earlier book: “I sometimes get so mad at you that I want to shoot you,” Bullock told Kinch. “I just wanted you to know that.”
McNeely, the longtime political columnist for the Austin American-Statesman, teamed with Jim Henderson, a veteran journalist whose Texas career included investigative work for the Dallas Times-Herald, to write “Bob Bullock, God Bless Texas.” It’ll be in bookstores in February but can be ordered online at a discount here.
I’m not going to spill many more beans. Suffice it to say the authors succeeded in corralling a broad subset of the tales attached to Bullock’s successes and failures.
Bullock’s reaction to getting denied Texas Senate confirmation as a member of the State Insurance Board in the early 1970s proves one of many dramatic elements in the book. I felt like I should have known already its punchline: Bullock took note of the senators who voted against his serving on the board and, as far as his friends knew, kept the list with him (as in tucked into his wallet) through his life. Given a chance, Bullock didn’t shy from reminding those senators how terrible it felt to be rejected for a state board.
Ultimately, the book underscores how Bullock ruled — the good, the bad and the ugly. It also underscores substantial achievements otherwise likely forgotten — including Bullock’s push as secretary of state for a change in law permitting college students away from home to vote in their college towns.
All in all, it’s a lively look back.
Permalink | Comments (5) | Categories: Comings and goings
November 7, 2007
Eltife, Watson cited by TML
Two state senators who are former mayors have new plaques for their office walls.
The Texas Municipal League today honored state Rep. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, as Legislator of the Year.
Austin state Sen. Kirk Watson received the League’s Distinguished Service Award.
“Senator Eltife was a strong supporter of cities and an outspoken critic of attempts to erode municipal authority. He is tough, knows the issues, and is a problem-solver.
Watson “continually played a key role in defending and preserving municipal authority and was a critical opponent of legislation that would have placed unnecessary property tax revenue caps on cities and counties,” said the group, which lobbies on behalf of Texas municipalities.
The awards were presented at a Dallas event.
Permalink | | Categories: Comings and goings
November 1, 2007
Wendy Gramm new TPPF chair
Wendy Lee Gramm, wife of former U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm, has been elected board chairman of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, officials just announced.
Gramm had previously chaired the foundation’s volunteer board of directors from 1999 until 2004. She succeeds Houston businessman William McMinn, who had served as chairman for three years and will remain on the board.
A Texas A&M grad who recently completed a six-tear term on the university’s board of regents, Gramm served as chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission from 1988 to 1993 and was administrator for Information and Regulatory Affairs at the Office of Management and Budget from 1985-88.
She also served as executive director of the Presidential Task Force on Regulatory Relief, and director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Economics during the Reagan Administration.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation is a non-profit, free-market research institute based in Austin.
Permalink | | Categories: Comings and goings
October 31, 2007
Sammy gone, Perry steps in by telephone
It’s big news in Austin radio that Sammy Allred is no longer on KVET FM 98.1 in the mornings.
Yet the bigger political pop of Wednesday morning’s used-to-be Sam & Bob Show might have been host Bob Cole calling Gov. Rick Perry’s cell phone live on the air. After a couple rings, Perry picked up.
Cole wondered aloud if he had the right number, asking if he had the governor.
“In the flesh,” Perry replied.
The pair, joined by ad guru Roy Spence (evidently in the studio with Cole), jawed for several minutes with Perry saying he thinks it could be two years before the overhaul of the Governor’s Mansion is done — that’s six months longer than projected.
And Perry noted that early one recent morning, he stepped outside the Perrys’ temporary quarters southwest of Central Austin and heard coyotes howling.
Cole encouraged Perry to revisit his remarks at a Tuesday award dinner thrown by the local chapter of the Boy Scouts of America. In his speech, Perry said his book on Scouting values will be published in February. He said it’ll be a defense of traditional Scouting values, which he described as inappropriately under attack — a message that civil rights lawyer Jim Harrington questioned.
Harrington, director of the Texas Civil Rights Project and a former Eagle Scout like Perry, told Peggy Fikac of the San Antonio Express-News he disagrees with the Boy Scouts’ prohibition on gay people as leaders, saying the group instead should focus on whether a person may be a danger regardless of sexual orientation.
“What the Boy Scouts should be about, and what I always figured we were about … (is) bringing everyone into the community, accepting differences — even differences that you don’t understand or necessarily agree with — to make a better society,” Harrington said. “And to teach boys how to work with each other … not to teach them hatred, and not to teach them division.”
If Cole dials up Harrington for a live chat, we’ll know KVET’s morning show has truly shifted gears.
In the meantime, could someone e-mail me Perry’s cell num? I’ll trade three numbers of your choice and a migas taco.
Permalink | Comments (16) | Categories: Comings and goings, Governor, On a Lighter Note
October 30, 2007
Brewer's funeral services set for noon Friday
Funeral services for Olan Brewer, the political consultant who died Saturday, are set for noon Friday at First Baptist Church at 901 Trinity St. in Austin, his family said Tuesday. Burial arrangements are pending.
Permalink | | Categories: Comings and goings
July 9, 2007
John Hill's family describes his life
From John Hill's family, a recap of his life and times (and perhaps the first reference ever to Austin journalist Ernie Stromberger as Ernest):
John L. Hill, Jr.
John L. Hill Jr. was born October 9, 1923 in Breckenridge, Texas.
His childhood was spent in Kilgore, Texas, where he received his early education.
He was National Debate Champion while at Kilgore University.
He attended the University of Texas as an undergraduate, where he was active in campus politics, Sigma Alpha Epsilon social fraternity, and was a member of the Texas Cowboys honorary service organization, where he served as Foreman (the president of that group.) He was also elected to the Friar Society, the oldest honorary society at the University of Texas.
He served in the United States Navy during World War II, serving in the Pacific. His rank was First Lieutenant.
After the War, he returned to the University Of Texas School Of Law, where he graduated in 1947. He received many awards during law school.
Judge Hill practiced law for over 60 years. He was an associate with the firm Helm and Jones, and then was a founding partner of Hill Brown Kronzer and Abraham, where he practiced for approximately 15 years. He was then a solo practitioner for several years.
Always active in politics, he was appointed Secretary of State of the State of Texas by Governor John Connally. He served in that office from March 12, 1966 until January 1968. While in that office, he instituted many reforms, including installing the Uniform Commercial Code and the many recording and informational policies and procedures which accompanied that code in its day to day application and use by lenders, borrowers, and others.
He returned to the private practice of law from 1968 until the end of 1972. In November of 1972 he was elected Attorney General of Texas, taking office on January 1, 1973. He served thereafter until January 1979. He revolutionized that office, particularly with the institutionalization of the opinion process, open records, and open meetings law.
He organized the environmental protections division, the consumer protection division, and was the first Attorney General to open regional offices around the state so that the office was more accessible to the public.
He then joined a firm titled Hughes and Hill, with offices in Dallas and Austin. He was a leading trial lawyer for the firm, with many interesting cases including assisting EDS with international issues concerning personnel and assets in Iran during times of international crises involving that country
In 1984, he was elected Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas, ably serving in that office until January 1988. He resigned to campaign for changes in the manner of electing or selecting judges to sit in the state judicial system.
He then practiced at the law firm which became Locke Liddell & Sapp. He retired from that firm in 2005. He then became a shareholder in the law firm known as Winstead, serving as a senior member of the Appellate Section.
Considered one of the best trial lawyers in the country, he was a member of the fellows of The American College of Trial Lawyers, the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, the International Society of Barristers, and the American Board of Trial Advocates. He was a member of the American Judicature Society, serving as president of the Texas Chapter.
He was a member of the Order of the Coif Legal Society. He served as President of Texans for Judicial Excellence.
He received many awards throughout his distinguished legal career, including the Leon Green Award for Outstanding Service to the Legal Profession, the America Judicature Society Herbert Hawley Award, the Freedom of the Press Award, the Marc Gold Award for Outstanding Service to the Mentally Retarded, the Karen H. Susman Jurisprudence Award, and the Lola Wright Foundation Award for Legal Ethics.
In 1991, Judge Hill was being named Distinguished Alumnus of the University of Texas. In 1997 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the University Of Texas School Of Law.
Along with family and friends, he established the John L. Hill Trial Advocacy Center at the University of Texas School of Law. Dedicated on April 2, 2004, the Center oversees the practical training of UT Law students in trial and appellate advocacy. The Center houses the John L. Hill Teaching Courtroom, as well as three additional teaching courtrooms named in honor of other distinguished UT Law Alumni.
With his friend Ernest Stromberger, he recently completed a book about his service as Attorney General of Texas. That book is slated for publication in the fall of this year.
John Hill had many interests, including golf, hunting, and fishing. He was a great friend, who worked hard at being a friend. The stories and humorous things he has done through the years remain a source of delight to those who knew him.
He loved spending time with family and friends at the Double LL Ranch in Dripping Springs, Texas. He particularly enjoyed driving visitors around the ranch, pointing out interesting trees, creeks, hill-top views, animals, and other things he observed. His entertaining and pithy comments were legendary.
Judge Hill was a very active member of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Houston. He served in many capacities, including service on the Board of Stewards and the St. Luke’s United Methodist Church Foundation.
John L. Hill and Elizabeth Graham were married in Olney, Texas on April 4, 1946. They recently celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary. Their loving devotion to each other was beautiful to behold and experience.
Judge Hill was preceded in death by his parents, John L Hill Sr. and Jessie Hoover Hill. He was also preceded in death by his sister, Laverne Collum.
He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Graham Hill of Houston. He is also survived by his children and their spouses, Melinda Hill Perrin and husband Michael W. Perrin, J. Graham Hill and wife Lindy M. Hill, Judge Martha Hill Jamison and her husband Bruce K. Jamison, all of Houston.
He is survived by one niece, Chris Collum Burkett and husband Harold of Grapevine, Texas.
He is survived by grandchildren, Elizabeth Perrin Eades and husband Jonathan, Carter Perrin and wife Elizabeth, Hunter Perrin and wife Mary Bonner, John Graham Hill, Jr. and fiancée Maria Alsen, Anne Taylor Hill, Peter Charles Hill, Randolph Bolton Hill, Matthew Thomas Clark, Meredith Virginia Clark, Samuel Luke Jamison. He is also survived by four great-grandchildren, Gracelin May Perrin, Eliza Eve Perrin, Oliver Michael Eades, and Elizabeth Graham Eades.
Pallbearers will be his grandchildren.
Permalink | | Categories: Comings and goings
July 5, 2007
John Hill hospitalized
John Hill, the former chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court and attorney general, is in serious but stable condition in a Houston hospital, a family spokesman said Thursday.
Hill, 83, had a pacemaker installed early last month, Ross Margraves said, and left the hospital. He shortly returned to St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital to regain his strength.
“He’s hanging in there,” said Margraves, managing partner of the Houston office of the Winstead law firm, where Hill is a senior partner. “He’s full of tenacity and he’s tough as a boot.”
Hill served as attorney general from 1973 through 1978, the year he won the Democratic nomination for governor before losing to GOP nominee Bill Clements of Dallas. Hill won election as chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court in 1984. He was previously secretary of state.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Comings and goings, Criminal justice
June 25, 2007
Legislative aide reaches Taiwan, sees mariachis
David Holmes, a Texas House aide who doubles in his private life as a Texas member of the Democratic National Committee, landed a DNC-sponsored trip to Taiwan. He made it there—though his first sight happened to be mariachis.
A flight-report excerpt from his trip blog:
“Oh, and the greatest thing about the menu of food was the choice between two breakfasts entitled ‘Western Delight’ - which sounded reasonable; a nice, Four Seasons style American Breakfast - or, ‘Chinese Superiority’ : Pickled mustard greens with minced pork, “marinated, small cucumber slice,” and plain congee just didn’t seem superior to me in any way.”
Peek.
Permalink | | Categories: Comings and goings, House, On a Lighter Note
June 21, 2007
She cooked for five House speakers
Laura Medlock of Austin lost a bump in retirement pay after Gov. Rick Perry vetoed a proposal last week.
Amazingly, she cooked for five speakers of the Texas House over 36 years, starting with Price Daniel Jr., followed by Billy Clayton, Gib Lewis, Pete Laney and Tom Craddick.
Tidbits from a visit this week:
—Medlock, 84, grew up in a three-room house on a farm on Duval Road in Austin. She remembers chopping cotton, pulling corn and picking other vegetables and fruits. Her grandfather, Jim Daniel, who had a farm near McNeil, had been a slave.
—She raised five children on her own after a divorce. She has more than a dozen grandchildren. One son works at the Capitol, in shipping and receiving.
—Before landing at the Capitol (where she got her cook’s post after seeing an opening advertised in the newspaper), she worked as a cook for Ruben Johnson’s family for 40 years.
—For two years, she held two state jobs—the one at the Capitol and the other, nights, at the Austin State School. She had to quit the latter job after state law was changed to bar anyone from holding more than one state job.
—At the Capitol, she’s cooked for many political luminaries. She’s got photos showing her with Gov. Ann Richards and, separately, with Walter Mondale, the former vice president and Democratic presidential nominee. She’s also got a photo of Gov. Bill Clements signed by Clements.
—Though she’s got several photos given to her by Speaker Lewis, who had the strongest appetite of speakers she served, she insisted she had no favorite among the speakers: “All of them was good to me, every last one of them.”
—She spent uncounted nights sleeping in a guest room in the House speaker’s apartment in the Capitol. That practice enabled her to be up very early for breakfasts.
—By her recollection, Lewis guided her against retirement at one time (though she did retire in 1988 only to return in 1989). “Don’t you do it,” she quoted Lewis saying. “You know what happens to old people when they stop to sit down; they die.”
—She singled out her hot rolls, biscuits, peach cobbler and preparations of wild hogs as favorite dishes. She once cooked up alligator tail for Lewis. And she was invited to make her biscuits in Washington by former Gov. George W. Bush—a request she didn’t accept.
—Since leaving the Capitol early this year, she misses people there. She’s thankful that Department of Public Safety troopers check up on her at her home in East Austin.
—She’s willing to share her biscuit recipe with those who seek it.
—Her closing comment: “I’ll tell you what I do love. I love to help people.”
Permalink | | Categories: Comings and goings, House
June 19, 2007
Labor leader retiring
At 64, Emmett Sheppard, president of the Texas AFL-CIO, plans to retire this summer.
The group issued this press release:
Sheppard to Retire as Texas AFL-CIO President
Texas AFL-CIO President Emmett Sheppard has announced he will retire at the end of his current term, completing a career of more than 40 years as a respected activist in the Texas labor movement.
Sheppard, 64, will serve as president until Saturday, Aug. 4, when delegates at the Texas AFL-CIO Constitutional Convention elect a successor.
“Serving as the state labor federation’s president has been the highest honor,” said Sheppard. “My career has coincided with huge changes in the economy that have posed major challenges to the industrial unions in Texas and the U.S.”
“The need for workers to organize and stand up for their rights never goes away,” Sheppard said. “The labor movement is beginning to understand what it will take for workers to succeed in a global economy. In this economy, management - especially non-union management - can arbitrarily move jobs around, cut health care, cut pensions, off-shore, outsource and change out experienced workers for young ones. But management can never repeal the pursuit of happiness. The rules have changed, but in the long run unions remain the most effective tool for workers to play by them effectively.”
A former city councilman in Groves, Sheppard worked for Gulf Oil and served in a succession of Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers positions before coming to the Texas AFL-CIO in 1989 as legislative and political director. Sheppard later served as secretary-treasurer and, since 2003, president.
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Permalink | | Categories: Comings and goings
June 13, 2007
Hunch: Phil Wilson poised to become secretary of state
After listing four individuals as possible successors to Roger Williams as Texas secretary of state this week, I am inclined to believe Perry is choosing his deputy chief of staff, Phil Wilson, to serve as the state’s next chief elections officer.
To my recollection, Wilson’s background includes work as an aide to then-U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm, R-Texas. He attended Hardin Simmons University in Abilene. For Perry, he’s focused on economic development projects. He also steered the dead-at-introduction proposal Perry offered this year to sell the Texas lottery to a private bidder, putting proceeds into endowments for public schools, health insurance and cancer research.
I failed to snag a biography or resume for Wilson from the governor’s office this morning nor did I field confirmation that he’s Perry’s pick. So don’t take this as a traditional news report—just a reporter’s hunch. What I don’t know is whether a Wilson choice will raise objections from anyone.
Side pocket shot: This probably means Brian Newby, Perry’s general counsel since late 2004, will fill the chief of staff position long held by Deirdre Delisi, who recently gave birth to twin boys.
Permalink | | Categories: Comings and goings, Elections, Governor
June 12, 2007
Remembering Harry Hubbard, labor president
Ed Sills of the Texas AFL-CIO recaps Tuesday’s service for Harry Hubbard, who died last week:
The memorial service for former Texas AFL-CIO President Harry Hubbard captured the integrity and calm that he projected throughout his life.
Assuming the celebratory tone that Hubbard wanted, Brother Hank Brown, former Texas AFL-CIO President, said during a eulogy at First Baptist Church in Bastrop, “He said he didn’t want us to grieve for him and I don’t think we should … He led a good life.”
“He’s a guy who could tell you what the average guy was thinking,” Brown said of Hubbard’s political acumen. “He had the pulse of the people.”
Much of the service focused on Hubbard’s passion for golf and how he incorporated his strong religious faith into his life.
Among the political dignitaries attending — and I apologize if I missed some folks in the full house — were former Gov. Mark White, former Attorney General Jim Mattox, former Comptroller John Sharp, former Railroad Commissioner Buddy Temple and former state Sen. Kent Caperton. The labor crowd, of course, was large.
Hubbard was laid to rest earlier in the day in a private ceremony.
Permalink | | Categories: Comings and goings
June 11, 2007
Williams confirms that he's stepping down
Secretary of State Roger Williams is stepping down as the state’s chief elections officer perhaps so he can run for a statewide office.
Williams confirmed his decision to resign, effective July 1, in a statement issued today.
“I am very humbled and appreciative that Gov. (Rick) Perry gave me this incredible opportunity to serve as Texas’ Secretary of State,” Williams said. “The Secretary of State is a great office with a rich tradition and I hope that I played a small role in continuing to ensure that Texas is the best place in America to live, vote and do business.”
Williams, a Weatherford car dealer and businessman appointed by Perry in late 2004, took office Feb. 8, 2005. He was previously a high-dollar fundraiser for President Bush’s campaigns.
Williams, 57, has not cloaked his ambitions. He said in March, for instance, that he’d be interested in a U.S. Senate bid should Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas try for governor in 2010.
“Certainly,” Williams said. “I’m an athlete. I have my track shoes with me all the time.”
The secretary of state oversees elections and doubles as liaison for the governor on border and Mexican affairs. The office also serves as the state’s repository for official and business records and publishes government rules and regulations.
It’s not unusual for secretaries of state to bid for elected office after they’ve held the post. Past secretaries include U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, and Tony Garza, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico who won election to the Texas Railroad Commission after serving as the secretary.
Former Gov. Mark White and former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk, the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2002, were also secretaries of state. The late Bob Bullock won election as state comptroller and then lieutenant governor after serving as secretary of state.
The office as a launch pad for politics “isn’t the same as having your name on the ballot,” Kirk recalled. “But it’s better than starting from scratch.”
Press release from the Secretary of State’s Office:
AUSTIN - Roger Williams today announced that he is leaving his position as Texas Secretary of State to pursue other opportunities. Williams’ resignation will be effective July 1, 2007.
“I am very humbled and appreciative that Governor Perry gave me this incredible opportunity to serve as Texas’ Secretary of State,” Williams said. “The Secretary of State is a great office with a rich tradition and I hope that I played a small role in continuing to ensure that Texas is the best place in America to live, vote and do business.”
During his tenure as Secretary of State, Williams worked aggressively with the Governor to promote job creation and economic development throughout Texas. He served as the Chair of the Governor’s Partnership Council on Economic Development working to bring more business and jobs to Texas. He also led numerous business recruitment missions around the United States through TexasOne, a privately funded program designed to market the state of Texas to companies and site selectors. Additionally, he led missions to Mexico, Canada and Japan to promote trade and increase Texas’ position as the leading exporting state in the nation.
“Roger Williams has been an incredible salesman for the State of Texas and his leadership will be missed,” Perry said. “He has been a tremendous asset to the state on elections, economic development, border affairs and a host of other issues. I am proud of the work he has done during his term as Secretary of State and, more importantly, proud to call him a friend.”
Over the last two and a half years, Williams managed a variety of responsibilities including: leading Texas to be among the first states in the nation to comply with the Help America Vote Act of 2002; serving as the chair of the Base Realignment and Closure Response Strike Force, a group consisting of representatives of 14 state agencies, boards and commissions working to minimize the impact of BRAC on the state of Texas; acting as senior advisor and liaison to the Governor for Texas Border and Mexican Affairs; and serving as Chief International Protocol Officer for Texas hosting foreign officials and businesses from around the world.
Permalink | | Categories: Comings and goings, Elections, Governor
June 7, 2007
Harry Hubbard, 1924-2007
Harry Hubbard, president of the Texas AFL-CIO from 1973 to 1989, died this afternoon at his home in Bastrop after battling leukemia. He was 82.
Ed Sills, spokesman for the AFL-CIO, said Hubbard “led the Texas labor movement with tenacity and class during his presidency and he was widely respected as a labor leader.”
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Comings and goings
May 30, 2007
Former Rep. Roberts dies
Passing along this notice…
Former State Rep. Wesley Roberts passed away in Austin on Wednesday afternoon following a long illness. Roberts, 81, represented the 99th district in West Texas from 1957-1963.
In 1965, Roberts moved to Austin and was a familiar figure among lobbyists while representing Southwest Airlines, Entex, the Texas Forestry Association and the Texas Statewide Telephone Cooperative. He hosted the legislative roundtable breakfasts at the Driskill, and later the Stephen F. Austin Hotel, a tradition that began in the 1960’s and continues.
Roberts served in the Navy during World War II and played football at Baylor. Born in Knott, Texas, he grew up in Andrews and returned there after college where his family ran the Andrews County News and later created Roberts Publishing, which continues to publish newspapers in West Texas today.
Roberts is survived by his wife, Flora, five children, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Services are set for 10 a.m. Saturday at the Texas State Cemetery.
Permalink | | Categories: Comings and goings, House
May 29, 2007
New chief tech officer
Veteran tech official Brian Rawson has been named the state’s new chief technology officer, officials announced today.
Aftere serving as the interim director, following the resignation of Larry Olsen last December, Rawson will now fill the $135,000-a-year post full-time.
The position of chief technology officer also serves as executive director of the state Department of Information Resources, which coordinates and oversees all state technology programs and operations.
”As a native Texan, and as someone who is passionate about public service, I can think of no better way to serve this state than as it’s chief technology officer,” Rawson said in a statement. ”Texas has a wonderful technology vision, and our focus now must be to deliver on that vision.”
Rawson has served as the interim CTO as well as interim executive director of the agency. With 23 years’ experience in the technology field, he previously served as the director of DIR’s service delivery division.
Rawson has a bachelors degree from the University of Texas at Austin, and an MBA from St. Edward’s University.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Comings and goings
May 26, 2007
Blues in the House, honoring Clifford Antone
Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin, rolled out a resolution honoring the “affable Clifford Antone,” Austin’s legendary night club impresario who died a year ago.
Antone’s family members were greeted; there was no musical interlude—not even a splash of saxophone.
Permalink | | Categories: Comings and goings, House
May 14, 2007
Update: Nancy McDonald dies
Former El Paso Rep. Nancy McDonald died Monday. Before she became known as Mom to Ann Richards’ spokesman Chuck McDonald, she focused on health and human services in the state budget — and sponsored legislation stepping up child immunizations and focusing on AIDS. Most impressive, perhaps: She embarked on her House career after starting a family that included 10 children.
Update: Visitation will be from 6-7 p.m. Wednesday followed by a Rosary at Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home, 3125 North Lamar Blvd.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Austin’s Catholic Church at 2026 Guadalupe St. in Austin, Texas at 10 a.m. Thursday followed by interment at the Texas State Cemetery.
Here’s a summary provided by Chuck McDonald’s office:
Nancy Hanks McDonald
Nancy Hanks McDonald, former member of the Texas House of Representatives from El Paso, died Monday at the family home in Austin. She was 72.
A registered nurse and the mother of 10 children, McDonald served in the Texas Legislature from 1984 to 1995.
As a state representative, she was a key figure in funding health and human services issues, authoring the state’s landmark 1991 Childhood Immunization legislation that was passed while Ann Richards was governor.
She was best known as an advocate for AIDS patients as the issue emerged as a major public policy issue when she entered the Legislature. Throughout her career she served on the Public Health Committee and as vice-chair of the Appropriations Committee, and a budget conferee, under Speaker Pete Laney. She also served on the Calendars Committee.
Her entry into politics came out of her activities with the Texas Nurses Association. McDonald was also active in the women’s movement and was a member of the National Organization of Women (NOW). She was very active in the effort to pass the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) and participated in the historic 1980 ERA march in Washington.
McDonald was elected to the Texas House in 1984 in a special election in a five-person race when the incumbent resigned. She served in a special session in the summer of 1984 (the Ross Perot Education Reform session under Governor Mark White), and was then elected in the November 1984 general election.
Her first full session was in 1985, when she entered the Legislature with another West Texas freshman, Rick Perry. At the time, she was the only RN in the Legislature.
She was re-elected in 1986, 1988, 1990 and 1992 and did not run for re-election in 1994.
Earlier this year she was honored for her accomplishments by the Texas Nurses Association at the organization’s 100th annual convention in Austin.
After she retired from the Legislature, she and her husband retired to Austin to be near her children — five of whom were living in Austin by then.
Survivors include her husband, Willis, a retired Army office; a sister, nine children, 27 grandchildren and two great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by a daughter, Elizabeth Rose McDonald, in 2005.
McDonald will be buried in the Texas State Cemetery in Austin.
The family asks that donations in memory of Nancy McDonald be made to the Seton Fund for the Elizabeth Rose McDonald Nursing Scholarship Endowment, 1201 W. 38th St., Austin, Texas 78705 or online at: www.setondfund.org.
Permalink | | Categories: Comings and goings, House
May 2, 2007
Sen. Janek might step down
It’s the wearying time of a legislative session and Sen. Kyle Janek, R-Houston, has thought about quitting his post to devote more time to his family (he’s got sons aged 8, 6 and 2).
And yes, Janek is house-hunting in Austin.
But the senator said this morning he’s making no decisions about his future until the end of summer. Resignation “is a possibility. It’s not my plan; it’s not my intent.”
“I am not resigning at the end of the session” May 28, Janek said. “I love my job. It’s not my intent” to become a lobbyist.
Janek, 49, whose term runs through 2010, said he plans to continue living and working as an anesthesiologist in Houston, treating the house he and his family are seeking in Austin as a second pad; he’s had weekend homes in the area dating back to 1991.
“I’m always thinking about what next,” Janek said, adding that a fatigue factor invariably kicks in when May comes around during the 140-day biennial sessions. “I do need to spend more time with my family.”
If Janek resigns, GOP Gov. Rick Perry would be left to call a special election for voters to choose someone to serve out his term. Prospects for the job could include Reps. Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, and Charlie Howard, R-Sugar Land.
Bonnen said today he doesn’t see an open seat at this time. Howard said he’d like to run for the seat if Janek moves on — and he’s been encouraging Janek to run for the U.S. House seat held by Rep. Nick Lampson, D-Houston.
Not gonna happen, Janek said. “I am not going to run for Congress,” he said.
Finally, Janek doesn’t need a real estate agent. “Got one, thanks,” he said.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Comings and goings, Elections, Senate
April 23, 2007
Molly's bench
Molly Ivins, the whiplash wit of politics and Texas who died earlier this year, could soon have a bench named in her honor in a park near her South Austin home.
This e-mail pitch from The Texas Observer spells out the deal:
REMEMBERING MOLLY IN STACY PARK
Molly’s neighbors in and around Travis Heights have secured
permission from the City of Austin to place a bench in Stacy Park in
her honor. It will be located as close to her house as possible. Now
they’re trying to raise the $2,000 needed for the bench and an
appropriate memorial plaque.
They’ve asked us to pass long information on how to donate for anyone who might be interested in helping out. Checks can be made out to the South River City Citizen
Neighborhood Organization (SRCC) and mailed to:
SRCC 1904 Kenwood Austin, Tx. 78704
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Comings and goings
April 2, 2007
In memory of Gov. Richards
House members committed Monday to adjourning in memory of the late Gov. Ann Richards, adopting a resolution offered by Rep. Pete Gallego, D-Alpine. For this onlooker, the highlight of Gallego’s presentation was his explanation for three Richards’ men standing in the front of the House chamber to accept the resolution—and no Richards’ women. “I am told that the women in her family are working today,” Gallegos said. Those workers would presumably include Richards’ daughters, Cecile and Ellen. Rep. Tony Goolsby, R-Dallas, told colleagues that Richards dubbed Goolsby and now-Sen. Kim Brimer, R-Fort Worth, her “token Republicans.” Goolsby especially remembered that legislators didn’t need an appointment to see her. “She was not a member of my party. But she was a great Texan and I’m glad to have known her,” Goolsby said. (The men fielding the resolution were Richards’ sons, Clark and Daniel, and Ellen Richards’ husband, Greg Johnson. Scotch the thought that none of ‘em works for a living.)
By: Gallego H.C.R. No. 23
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION WHEREAS, A Texas star has forever dimmed with the passing of the Honorable Ann Richards, 45th governor of Texas, on September 13, 2006, at the age of 73; and WHEREAS, Governor Richards once explained a profound lesson she had learned early in life: “that people liked you better if you made them laugh”; it was a truth that Ann Richards never ignored, and her engaging wit and charismatic presence, accompanied by a razor-sharp intellect, made her into a groundbreaking politician; just the second female chief executive in the state’s history and the first since the 1930s, Governor Richards achieved prominence on both the state and national levels as a role model and outspoken advocate for women and other underrepresented groups seeking a voice in government affairs; and WHEREAS, Born Dorothy Ann Willis on September 1, 1933, she was the daughter of Cecil and Ona Willis and grew up in the Waco area, first in the town of Lakeview and later in Waco itself; her abilities as a public speaker and her interest in politics emerged during her years at Waco High School; she became state debate champion during her senior year and took part in Girl’s State, a mock-government assembly of Texas female students, at which she was elected lieutenant governor; and WHEREAS, Governor Richards married while a student at Baylor University, where she earned her degree on a debate scholarship; together with her husband, she raised four children and lived in a succession of cities over the following two decades, including Washington, D.C., Dallas, and Austin, and she went on to earn a teaching certificate and to work as a middle-school educator; she was also active in Democratic party politics, helping found the North Dallas Democratic Women and assisting in several gubernatorial and senate campaigns; her first intensive involvement in government affairs occurred in the early 1970s, when she helped direct the campaign that elected Sarah Weddington to the Texas House of Representatives, and she later served as Ms. Weddington’s administrative assistant; and WHEREAS, Opting to become a candidate herself, Ann Richards was elected to the Travis County Commissioners Court in 1976, becoming its first female member, and she was reelected four years later; in 1982, she sought election as state treasurer and became the first woman to win a statewide office in Texas in 50 years; during her two terms as treasurer, she oversaw the modernization of the department’s technological processes, increased state revenue, and proved that a woman could excel in the highest levels of state government; and WHEREAS, Already a well-known figure in Texas, she stepped into the national spotlight by delivering a rousing keynote address at the 1988 Democratic National Convention in Atlanta; building on this momentum, she entered the Texas governor’s race in 1990, and after a hard-fought campaign, she became the state’s chief executive, proclaiming her inauguration as “the first day of the new Texas”; and WHEREAS, In the four years she spent in the Governor’s Mansion, Ann Richards undertook a wide range of important initiatives, including changes to school financing, government oversight, insurance regulation, prison construction, and criminal sentencing; moreover, in making appointments to state boards and commissions, she chose a large number of talented women and minorities, following through on her campaign promise to make Texas government more representative of the state’s population; and WHEREAS, Her tenure as governor came to an end in 1995, but she remained an important and beloved figure in Texas and throughout the country, and her jokes and insights were on full display during her many speaking engagements; in her professional endeavors, she became a senior advisor to a Washington law firm and worked for Public Strategies, Inc., a public relations and marketing firm; a devoted civic activist, she was involved with charitable institutions such as the Save the Children Federation and helped develop the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders, a public school that will open in Austin in 2007 and provide leadership training for young women, including many from economically disadvantaged families; and WHEREAS, Commenting on the legacy she would leave behind, Governor Richards once stated that “I’d like them to remember me by saying, ‘She opened government to everyone’”; that noble principle will certainly be among the hallmarks of this remarkable Texan, as will her efforts to improve the lives of the state’s residents; with her endearing humor and magnetic personality, she carried forth these ideals, and her career will stand as an enduring example of inspired public service that had an enormous influence on the State of Texas and far beyond the borders of the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the 80th Legislature of the State of Texas hereby pay special tribute to the life of Ann Richards and that deepest condolences be paid to the members of her family: to her four children, Cecile, Daniel, Clark, and Ellen, and their spouses, to her eight grandchildren, and to the many people across the nation she made extremely proud to call Texas home; and, be it further RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for the members of her family and that when the Texas House of Representatives and Senate adjourn this day, they do so in memory of Governor Ann Richards.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Comings and goings, Governor, House
March 29, 2007
Peter Bell, father to Chris Bell, dies in Dallas
Peter Bell died at home in Dallas early Wednesday, his family has announced. He was 84. His son, Chris, was the 2006 Democratic nominee for governor of Texas,
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Park Cities YMCA where the elder Bell loved to swim. The address is 6000 Preston Road, Dallas, TX 75205, Attention: Bonnie.
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March 26, 2007
Perry surprises with Texas House stroll
Gov. Rick Perry chatted with Texas House members in the House chamber this afternoon in what aides said amounted to his first stop in the House since he delivered the State of the State address there in early February. Perry sat in a window seat to chat with Rep. David Swinford, R-Dumas, chairman of the House Committee on State Affairs. That’s the panel poised to hold a hearing Wednesday on immigration-related legislation. The GOP guv also greeted Reps. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso, Byron Cook, D-Eagle Lake, and Dan Gattis, R-Georgetown, before ascending the raised dais in the chamber to visit briefly with House Speaker Tom Craddick, R-Midland. Perry, asked afterward if he wants to see any legislation on immigration from lawmakers beyond his request for $100 million to bolster border law enforcement agencies, indicated not. “The dollars are the main thing,” Perry said. Spokesman Robert Black said Perry intends to visit the House again, “regularly.” The session ends May 28.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Categories: Comings and goings, Governor, House
March 12, 2007
Agency abolition proposed, including 74 jobs
Companion measures filed late last week would abolish the state agency responsible for managing state buildings and grounds and procuring (buying) stuff.
Eliminating the Texas Building and Procurement Commission and folding its duties into two other agencies will save $10.8 million over two years by eliminating 74 full-time equivalent positions, according to a preliminary analysis.
Under the proposal, the General Land Office would assume responsibility for state facilities with the Office of the State Comptroller absorbing state procurement and support services functions.
Neither State Comptroller Susan Combs nor Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson are saying they ginned up the consolidation plan.
Patterson added Monday that he has no plans to stroll state properties with a weed whacker.
“I’m not saying that anybody is doing a bad job,” Patterson said. “We’ve just got to take a look at consolidation when it makes sense.” Translation: He’s waiting to learn more about the idea.
If memory serves, the existing commission came to be more than 10 years ago—the last time lawmakers tackled the state’s method of maintaining buildings and making purchases. Anyone remember the (late) General Services Commission?
Commission contacts didn’t immediately return calls for comment.
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February 28, 2007
Bushes salute Pete and Nelda Laney
Gov. Bush praised the House speaker today, with Laura Bush hailing the speaker’s wife.
Oops—1999 flashback.
But President Bush and the first lady did salute former House Speaker Pete Laney and Laney’s wife, Nelda, in a video tribute today at a fundraiser lunch for the Center for Public Policy Priorities, which advocates for programs that serve low-income Texans.
Forty-eight tables for 12 at Austin’s Four Seasons Hotel nearly filled for the gathering, which was described by the center as generating about $250,000. Former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk also gave Laney a tribute.
Typical for him, Laney committed no news. “I had one press conference the whole time I was in the Legislature,” Laney told the guests, “and that cured me.”
Laney was speaker from 1993 through 2002, the year voters elected a majority Republican House, which then chose Rep. Tom Craddick of Midland to replace Laney as speaker. Laney, who represented Hale Center in West Texas north of Lubbock for 34 years, did not seek re-election last year.
Another flashback came in video snippet featuring lobbyist Ralph Wayne, who preceded Laney in the House seat. Wayne recalled his slow-to-succeed recruitment of Laney as a candidate to succeed him.
“Man, I don’t want anything to do with politics,” Wayne quoted Laney saying before his 1972 House bid.
In milling before the lunch, Laney’s House successor, Rep. Joe Heflin, D-Crosbyton, shook Laney’s hand, saying: “You can sure draw a crowd.”
Guests included dozens of current and former House members, former House Speakers Gus Mutscher of Brenham and Gib Lewis of Fort Worth plus former Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby, former acting Lt. Gov. Bill Ratliff and former Gov. Dolph Briscoe.
“It’s hard not to be a little nostalgic,” Kirk said.
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February 26, 2007
TAMACC honors
Six Texas Hispanic leaders are to be honored tomorrow for leadership by the Texas Association of Mexican-American Chambers of Commerce.
At its biennial Legislative Awards Gala in Austin, state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, is to be honored with a Distinguished Leadership Award “for her inspiration to the Hispanic Community through advocacy efforts in Texas and across the United States.”
Van de Putte is a member of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators, of which she served as president from 2003 to 2005. In 2002, she served as Chair of the Senate Hispanic Caucus.
Former state Rep. Melissa Noriega, D-Houston, is to receive the Educational Leadership Award; U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-El Paso, is to receive the International Leadership Award; state Rep. Norma Chávez, D-El Paso, will receive the Humanitarian Leadership Award, and state Rep. Rep. Pete Gallego, D-Alpine, is to receive the Minority Business Initiatives Leadership Award.
The San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce will also be recognized with the Hispanic Chamber Legislative Leadership Award, according to sponsors.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Comings and goings
January 24, 2007
Watson, Powers to Mexico
State Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, and University of Texas President William Powers are scheduled to travel to Mexico City tomorrow as part of a special Texas delegation to exchange ideas on enhancing relations between Mexico and the United States.
The University of Texas at Austin and the International Partnership of Greater Austin are jointly involved in the initiative, which is sponsored by the law firm of Thompson and Knight.
Hosted by U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza, the two-day event will involve about 400 people from UT, Texas business, academic and government leaders and top-ranking Mexican officials. According to a preliminary itinerary, the events are to include business networking sessions and briefings designed to promote closer business and academic ties with Mexico.
Watson, a former Austin mayor and former chairman of the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, is on the Senate subcommittee on economic development and emerging technology.
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January 22, 2007
Bikers rally under dome
Several thousand leather-jacketed motorcyclists swarmed the State Capitol today for Biker Legislative Day.
The goal: Oppose helmet laws and support penalties for failure by other vehicles to yield right of way and legalization of charitable poker runs.
“We anticipate 7,500 riders to be there to express our desires to state legislators,” said a biker who goes by the single name of Sputnik, chair of the Texas Motorcycle Rights Association II, a leading motorcycle lobbying group.
Rep. Norma Chavez, D-El Paso, has filed House Bill 653 to clarify laws on charitable poker runs, which motorcycle clubs have used for years to raise money for a variety of charitable and community causes.
Permalink | Comments (9) | Categories: Comings and goings
January 18, 2007
Capitol oak falls victim to ice
Austin’s wintry ice storm has claimed another victim: A century-old oak on the Capitol grounds.
As temperatures warmed up slightly today, crews moved in to clean up several truckloads of limbs and other ice-snapped debris from the sprawling lawn, including much of a huge oak that was uprooted by the weight of ice on its limbs.
The oak, just east of the Capitol’s front driveway, was among more than a dozen statehouse trees that were damaged, officials said. Just like loads of other trees around Austin.
By late afternoon, the chainsaw work had the grounds spiffed up to almost normal.
Permalink | | Categories: Comings and goings
Capitol Joe is back
Call it Starbucks withdrawal.
After being closed for two days by icy weather, the so-called Lege Starbucks at 15th and San Antonio streets was open for business again today. (Or the Lobby Starbucks, or Official State Starbucks, depending on who you’re talking to.)
And you’d have thought the morning coffee crowd was in withdrawal, from lack of joe or Capitol conversation, judging from their comments as they streamed through.
“Missed ya,” said one regular to the barista, as he grabbed his latte, echoing remarks by a number of others. “Good to have ya’ back. I haven’t seen anybody at the Capitol for days because you’ve been closed.”
He then table-hopped his way to the door, glad-handing reps from the Attorney General’s Office to a Senate committee to the Governor’s Office. “They’re open, so state government can start functioning again,” quipped one suit-and-tie bureaucrat.
On any regular morning, you see, the place is a central gathering point for state officials, lobbyists, state employees and other assorted Capitol hangers-on.
Permalink | | Categories: Comings and goings
January 15, 2007
Are you hungry?
Take a look at the fixins’ initially planned for tomorrow’s Inaugural Barbeque, a Texas-sized feast designed to feed 12,000:
Mesquite smoked brisket: 800 whole
Smoked sausage: 2,000 lbs (1 ton)
Grilled chicken: 2,000 lbs (1 ton)
Eddie Deen Signature Bar-B-Que Sauce: 150 Gallons
Pinto beans: 300 gallons
Homemade yeast rolls: 16,000
Homemade potato salad: 450 Gallons
Fresh cole slaw: 250 Gallons
Vanilla buttermilk pies: 5,000 Slices
Chocolate pecan pies: 5,000 Slices
22,000 Coca-Cola products
Hungry now?
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Comings and goings
January 9, 2007
A familiar face
Spotted in a Capitol elevator this morning: former Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Carleton Turner, who recently stepped down after serving as the chief enforcer of rules for 20 years. Turner, who stopped by to pick up some mail, ran into old friends and greeted new arrivals (including state Rep. Valinda Bolton, D-Austin) during his Capitol visit. “Y’all have a good 140 days!” he said as he stepped off the elevator.
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January 3, 2007
LBB meeting canceled
Tomorrow’s meeting of the Legislative Budget Board has been postponed.
Official reason: State leaders need more time to discuss options before they set a spending limit.
“We are firmly committed to delivering the nearly $14 billion in local school property tax relief approved by the Legislature last May and promised to the people of Texas for the next biennium,” Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Tom Craddick said in a joint statement this evening.
“It is clear, however, that we need more time to discuss the options for setting a new spending limit to allow for this tax relief with members returning to Austin next week. For this reason, we have decided to postpone tomorrow’s Legislative Budget Board meeting until January 11, at which time we will adopt the lowest spending limit recommended by the LBB.”
The budget board is authorized to meet during the legislative session to set a new spending limit as long as no budget action has been taken, Dewhurst and Craddick said.
Craddick, in the middle of a hotly contested race to keep his job as speaker, was reported today to be campaigning hard with House members to keep his job.
Craddick allies insisted that the postponement was just coincidence.
Permalink | | Categories: Comings and goings
January 2, 2007
More Combs' senior staff
Comptroller Susan Combs today announced additional senior staff appointments, including several more top aides who worked for her as agriculture commissioner.
New director of policy and outreach: Delane Caesar, the former senior policy advisor for marketing and promotion at Ag.
General counsel: Martin Cherry, the former chief deputy counsel at the Comptroller’s office.
Director of local government assistance and economic development: Robert Wood, former assistant ag commissioner for rural economic development.
Director of innovation and chief technology officer: Victor M. Gonzalez, former deputy commissioner of administrative services and chief information officer at Ag.
Director of administration: Raette Smith Hearne, the former assistant ag commissioner for administrative services.
Director of internal audit: Gilberto F. Mendoza, former director of internal auditors at Ag.
Director of research and analysis: Lisa Minton, Combs’ chief of staff at Ag.
Director of communications: Allen Spelce, the former assistant ag commissioner for communications.
Spokesperson: R.J. DeSilva Gooneratne, a former KXAN-Channel 36 reporter and anchor.
Director of legislative affairs: Patricia A. Vojack, former chief of staff to state Sen. Kyle Janek, R-Houston.
Legislative liaisons: Trey Powers, former deputy ag commissioner for legislative affairs, and Marty De Leon, formerly with the Texas Association of School Boards.
Before Christmas, Combs announced that she had appointed Martin Hubert, her former deputy ag commissioner, to replace Billy Hamilton as deputy comptroller.
“I have carefully chosen a very competent and dynamic team of seasoned professionals to work with me at the Comptroller’s Office,” Combs said in a statement.
“The appointment of these highly qualified individuals will further build on our strategic planning, management and financial goals to serve the citizens of Texas … Each person I have appointed brings valuable experience, professionalism, expertise and proven track records of performance that will bring ideas and energy to our initiatives.”
The appointments became effective yesterday, Combs said.
Permalink | | Categories: Comings and goings
A t-shirt ban?
A misdemeanor crime? Just for a name?
True, if a bill filed by state Rep. Linda Harper-Brown, R-Irving, should become law.
The proposal would make it a crime to use the name or image of a fallen soldier in advertising without permission from the soldier’s family.
Punishment? A fine of up to $4,000 and/or a year in jail.
“The families of fallen soldiers have gone through enough, and House Bill 331 will help protect them from additional grief,” Harper-brown stated in a press release after she filed the bill in late November.
Two other states — Oklahoma and Louisiana — enacted similar laws last year. And last July, two bills were introduced in Congress — HR 5755 and HR 5772 — that would outlaw the unauthorized use of soldiers’ names. One-hundred six senators and 42 House members had signed on as co-sponsors by last month.
The reported target of the legislation? T-shirt sold by an Arizona shirt vendor that displays the names of soldiers killed in Iraq, with the words “Bush Lied” on the front and “They Died” on the back.
Dan R. Frazier, owner of CarryaBigSticker.com, the company that makes the shirts, said he has no plans to discontinue them — even though he has temporarily suspended sales to Oklahoma and Louisiana.
“When they bring the last soldier home from Iraq, we’ll stop selling the shirts,” he stated in a press release of his own. “If legislators really cared about grieving families, they would stop their posturing and start working to bring the troops home.”
In fact, Frazier insisted, the new laws have only helped boost his sales.
“It took me more than a year to sell the first batch of 100 shirts,” he said. “Then the new laws started getting media attention and my sales took off. I have probably sold close to 500 shirts in the last six months.”
Frazier insists the new laws are an unconstitutional infringement on free speech.
Though he now lives in Flagstaff, Ariz., Frazier grew up in San Antonio.
Currrent word on chances that Harper-Brown’s bill will pass into law? Iffy.
Permalink | | Categories: Comings and goings
