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Buzz By Date May 13, 2008 4:24 PMDEM CAUCUS VICE CHAIR JESSICA FARRAR FAULTS SPEAKER CRADDICK FOR UPROAR OVER LEGISLATIVE STAFF EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES"Because of Tom Craddick every member of the Texas House is being investigated. Every member is being thrown under the proverbial bus because Craddick shot and missed three of his opponents."In a memo sent to fellow House Democratic Caucus members this week, Rep. Jessica Farrar (D-Houston) attempts to explain at length the uproar over the hiring of "full time" employees at salaries not commensurate with a 40-hour workweek. And while the Caucus vice chairwoman has some advice for lawmakers who might find themselves subject to open records requests soon, she blames Speaker Tom Craddick for the controversy. "Last week, (Rep.) Larry Phillips and (Speaker) Tom Craddick announced that all House members are currently under investigation regarding employment practices, including employment compensation arrangements," she wrote. "Thanks to Mr. Phillips and Mr. Craddick, everyone’s Fall opponent will now be saying, 'Rep. John Doe has been under investigation by the General Investigating Committee, the Texas Attorney General...' "Never mind that the investigation is now discredited and pretty well agreed to be unnecessary. You can call Tom Craddick and Larry Phillips when the mail pieces arrive in your district in October."
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May 13, 2008 4:03 PMSUPREME COURT REFUSES TO HEAR CHALLENGE TO JUDGE IN NATHAN MACIAS' RECOUNT LAWSUITJustices deny writ of mandamus; Judge James Clawson remains on bench to hear suit.The Supreme Court today stopped efforts by Rep. Nathan Macias (R-Bulverde) to remove the judge scheduled to preside over his lawsuit challenging the results of the March primary. The Court's denial of Macias' Emergency Petition for Writ of Mandamus was announced today. This means that Judge James Clawson remains the presiding judge in the case. Trial was set to begin May 19. It was not immediately clear if that schedule has been altered due to Macias' legal challenges.
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May 13, 2008 3:43 PMTEXAS MONTHLY PUBLISHER MIKE LEVY WILL RETIRE AUG. 31TM's founder calls it a day after 35 years at the helm of the influential publication.Texas Monthly founder and publisher Mike Levy announced today that he will leave the magazine Aug. 31, after more than 35 years with the publication. Typically, he made the announcement via a mass e-mail. We reprint a portion of his valedictory below: "To paraphrase my friend George Pratt — who rose through the ranks at Southwest Airlines from working on the ramp and sweating in 737 baggage holds to ultimately becoming a key executive responsible for operating various regions of the country — to walk away from a labor of love is not an easy task. At last week’s TEXAS MONTHLY Talks taping with Evan Smith, Lyle Lovett said, 'Anybody who gets to do on a daily basis what he likes to do is very lucky.' "It started in 1973 with an idea, the premise still true today: Texas is a huge expanse of geography, but in essence it’s really a defined community of interest ... And from our first issue in February 1973 to the newest one on the newsstands, I have always believed that our success has been due first, foremost and primarily to the magazine’s publisher always having surrounded himself with colleagues far smarter and more capable than he. "But it worked! Beyond anything I had dreamed possible."
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May 12, 2008 5:08 PMROMNEY AND GINGRICH WILL SPEAK AT RPT STATE CONVENTIONA pair of national figures at home with the Republican grassroots base will address this year's state convention.Former presidential candidate Mitt Romney and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich will both address the Republican Party of Texas' state convention next month, according to RPT spokesman Hans Klingler. Until he withdrew from the race earlier this year, Romney was cited as one of the favorite candidates of the social conservative wing of the GOP. One of the pivotal events of Romney's candidacy occurred in Texas, namely, the speech he made explaining his view of the role of religion in public life. He delivered that speech in College Station. Klingler said, though, that Romney never had the opportunity to address the grassroots in Texas. His speech at the Friday night banquet of the convention will allow him to do that, he said. The RPT covention takes place the second weekend of June in Houston.
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May 12, 2008 1:37 PMSTRANGE BEDFELLOWS APPLAUD NEW SALES TAX HOLIDAYSenator Ellis, flanked by a dishwasher and other appliances...The long term cost benefits of energy efficient appliances are clearly demonstrable. Individual consumers reap lower utility bills while the state benefits from having to produce less energy to power those appliances. However, the higher upfront costs of energy efficient appliances remain a hurdle. An Energy Star-rated clothes washer is more expensive than a basic model. A compact fluorescent light bulb costs more than a basic incandescent model. State Sen. Rodney Ellis (D-Houston) is trying to address that cost hurdle by introducing a sales tax holiday for Texans looking to upgrade their appliances to more energy efficient models. Tacked onto last session’s omnibus energy efficiency legislation, the first sales tax holiday will take place Memorial Day weekend. Flanked by a dishwasher and other appliances, Ellis threw his weight behind the effort in a presser today, encouraging Texans to go out on Memorial Day weekend and purchase energy efficient appliances.
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May 12, 2008 1:29 PMMARK SANDERS TRIUMPHANT IN ELECTION BIDScores 70% of voteWhen they think of Mark Sanders, most folks recall his role as press secretary for the failed gubernatorial efforts of Democrat Tony Sanchez in 2002 and Independent Carole Strayhorn in 2006. Before that, he worked for Strayhorn at the Comptroller's office and before that, public relations for Republican Rob Mosbacher who was looking at statewide office in the '90s. Since his most recent career forays, Sanders has gone rural. He now has a horse ranch in north east Texas
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May 9, 2008 4:32 PMEDD O’DONNELL: WHY AMERICANS ARE SO MAD AT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENTS STUPIDITYWho knew we were publishing the musings of a terrorist. Apparently the federal government thinks soHere’s a tale that, at best, tells you why Americans have such frustrated anger toward their government and, at worst, explains why unbalanced citizens find themselves justified in emptying a streetsweeper in a government office. I have been profiled by the passport division of the U.S. Department of State as a potential terrorism suspect. Yup. That’s what I said. Well, you say, "O’Donnell, what the hell do you expect after years of pushing that militant moderate crap and pointing out the criminal silliness in politics and government?" I expect my government to secure my well being without impeding my freedom by creating a lot of dumb ass policies based on some bureaucratic moron’s knee jerk reactions. So, on March 11th I spent the $160 and change to file for a fast-track passport merely so I can go in and out of Canada starting May 1 in pursuit of some political stories. I send them along my original birth certificate from 1944 in Hudson County, New Jersey. In ten days I get a form letter signed by the regional director of State’s Houston passport office, Jacqueline Harley Bell, informing me that my birth certificate is NOT adequate to prove my citizenship for passport purposes. That’s real strange. That birth certificate, complete with official seal and ribbon, was adequate enough to get me in the military to kill people in Southeast Asia. It has been good enough to get me into the Social Security system and to vote and to get a driver’s license for 64 years. What the hell is going on here?
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May 9, 2008 4:30 PMDRILLING DOWN ON TWO RECENT TEXAS SENATE POLLSMay be a partisan shift going on, but internal problems undermine pollsDemocrats are hailing the results of two new polls this week showing their candidate for the U.S. Senate, Rick Noriega, within four points of incumbent John Cornyn. In each case, Cornyn’s lead is within the margin of error, meaning the race is a toss-up even though Cornyn has a massive advantage in fundraising. But are the polls to be believed? Today’s poll was sponsored by the progressive blog Daily Kos which makes no pretense of the fact that it is working to defeat Cornyn. And while the blog prints the poll questions as well as data on the party affiliation, age and sex of the respondents, pollsters contacted today by QR say that the poll does not provide other information needed to help evaluate the poll’s validity.
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May 9, 2008 4:01 PMTDP WILL CHALLENGE FEDERAL JUDGE'S RULING ON ELIGIBILITY OF BILL DINGUS TO RUN IN HD 82State Democrats file notice today that they will take matter to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals; a federal judge last month said Dingus was not eligible to run because he had not resigned his Midland City Council seat.Last month, a federal judge ruled that Bill Dingus, who is running as a Democrat against House Speaker Tom Craddick, was ineligible to run because he had not resigned his seat on the Midland City Council. Today, a spokesman for the Texas Democratic Party said that the Party will appeal the ruling to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. "The TDP remains committed to protecting the rights of all voters who reside in HD 82," said TDP spokesman Hector Nieto, "and we will do everything we legally can in order to make certain those voters have the option to vote for their preferred candidate for state representative."
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May 8, 2008 8:31 PMDMN REPORTS SHAPIRO WEIGHS RUN FOR US SENATEPaper says she is considering creation of exploratory committee.The Dallas Morning News story is here.
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May 8, 2008 2:44 PMPATTERSON: PUBLIC OFFICIALS NEED TO UPHOLD THE CONSTITUTION, ALL OF ITIn a response to an FWST editorial from this morning, Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson explains why he continues to insist on the right to carry guns in the Christmas Mountains.(Below you will find a response from Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson to an editorial that appeared in this morning's Fort Worth Star Telegram. However, we somehow omitted the editorial from our NewsClips this morning. You can find the editorial here.) "I, Jerry Patterson, do solemnly swear or affirm, that I will faithfully execute the duties of the office of Commissioner of the General Land Office of the State of Texas, and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States and of this State, so help me God." I understand that solemn oath as a commitment similar to the oath I took decades ago as an officer in the United States Marine Corps to "uphold and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic". I do not regard such affirmations as mere anachronistic formalities. I feel compelled to uphold these commitments even at the risk of my political future in the case of the oath of office as Commissioner, or of my life in the case of my past career as a Marine. You'll note that the above recitation DOES NOT STATE I "will preserve, protect, and defend the constitution and laws of the United States and of this state" ONLY WHEN APPLICABLE TO THE DUTIES OF LAND COMMISSIONER. The 2nd Amendment provides that, "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." The rest of Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson's column can be found in today's R&D Department.
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May 8, 2008 2:11 PMCORRECTION ON HOUSE DUST-UP STORYRodriguez was not a registered lobbyist when in Goolsby's employeYesterday we referred to Ethics Commission listings for 2004 when stating that Jennifer Shelley Rodgriguez was a lobbyist during the time she worked for House Administration Chair Tony Goolsby. In a followup, Chairman Goolsby informed us that Rodriguez' lobby registration ended in December of 2003 and did not resume until April 6th of 2004. The late registration was not evident in the online Ethics Commission listings. In other words, Rodgiguez was not a registered lobbyist at the time she worked for the Chairman in January-March, 2004.
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May 8, 2008 1:09 PMTEXAS OPTS OUT OF NATIONAL AGREEMENT TO POLICE FACEBOOK SITELike the MySpace.com agreement, Abbott says the agreement does not go far enough in preventing sexual predators.State Attorney Generals today announced an agreement to police the Facebook social networking website against sexual predators and,as was the case with a similar MySpace.com agreement, Texas will be the only state that that has not signed onto the agreement. According to a news release today from the National Association of Attorney Generals, the agreement calls upon Facebook to participate in a task force on implementation of age and identity verification software. Facebook also has agreed to provide automatic warning messages when a child is in danger of giving personal information to an unknown adult; restricting the ability of users to change their listed ages; acting more aggressively to remove inappropriate content and groups from the site; and requiring third party vendors to adhere to safety and privacy guidelines. According to an article posted on CNET this morning, Facebook's chief privacy officer said the MySpace and Facebook agreements were essentially different because the MySpace agreement focused on site changes, while the Facebook agreement focused on the deployment of age-verification technology.In a letter sent to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg today, Attorney General Greg Abbott wrote that the agreement constituted a starting point rather than a conclusion. Abbott wanted full assurances that the yet-to-be developed age-verification software worked properly before he signed onto any agreement. He also called the agreement vague on issues such as the steps Facebook.com would take to work with law enforcement.
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May 7, 2008 5:28 PMSPEAKER'S OFFICE RESPONDS TO HOUSE DUST-UP QUESTIONSWe asked two questions earlier today--the response came moments after posting. We publish prominently as promisedQuestion #1. Do you know of any other ocassion where the Speaker's office has used House resources to publicly go after sitting members? To develop this story line on House employees required a co-ordinated effort between the House Business Office, House Administration and probably Lege Council Response from Craddick spokesperson Alexis DeLee: Your first question assumes facts that are untrue. The speaker's office was unaware of this matter until the open records requests were received and the media contacted us. Here is the sequence of events. A member of the media made an open records request to the Comptroller seeking information about all House employees. A few days later, a second request was received that narrowed his focus. Chairman Tony Goolsby then contacted the members whose personnel files were in question to let them know an open records request by a reporter for their personnel files had been made. This has been his standard operating procedure for years.
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May 7, 2008 5:03 PMHK: HOUSE EMPLOYEE DUSTUP -- LET THE MUTUALLY ASSURED DESTRUCTION BEGINHouse Administration Chair had at least two $500/month full timersThe recent dust-up about House employees was obviously intended to damage only a few targets, but everyone in the political community understood that once it began, there would be no immunity. So, let the mutually assured destruction begin. It did not escape notice that the first three targets were highly public critics of Speaker Tom Craddick. Both House Democratic Caucus chair Jim Dunnam (D-Waco) and Craig Eiland (D-Galveston) have even been mentioned as possible speaker candidates should the House flip into Democratic control next November. Byron Cook's (R-Corsicana) personal privilege speech last session was remarkably forthright in referring to Speaker Craddick as corrupt. Most recently, Garnet Coleman (D-Houston) was named in a story for hiring an Asian woman to help with Asian outreach. In his press release on May 2, General Investigating Committee Chairman Larry Phillips said, "On April 7, 2008, Speaker Tom Craddick's office notified the House General & Investigating Committee..." Three weeks later, the Speaker's office apparently formally notified the three members referred to the General Investigating Committee of their problem with an Austin American Statesman story by Mike Ward.
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May 7, 2008 4:41 PMEILAND RESPONDS TO GOOLSBY ABOUT EMPLOYEE HOURSOvertime for staffers during session; how about lunch?Responding to House Administration Chairman Tony Goolsby's "demand letter" last week requiring an explanation of his hiring practices within ten days, Rep. Craig Eiland (D-Galveston) responded with his own four page letter with a series of questions demonstrating the difficulty of the road about to be traveled. Among myriad other issues, he pointed out that no mechanism is in place to log workers’ hours and with their bosses, i.e. the lawmakers, often away from the Capitol, Eiland wondered how staffers’ hours would be verified. Would staffers be forced to punch a time clock or swipe a badge when they enter the Capitol parking garage, he asked? How was lunch to be treated?
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May 7, 2008 4:26 PMHARRIS COUNTY DEMOCRATS ORGANIZE TO MAINTAIN ENTHUSIASM FROM PRIMARYRepublicans taking their own steps to deal with newly energized DsAs far as budding resumes go, Bill Kelly has got a good one. Already able to boast of his work with Bill White’s Houston mayoral campaign in 2003 and then the successful House campaigns of Ellen Cohen and Hubert Vo, he’s started the year with even bigger challenges. First was his work with Michael Skelly’s campaign against Republican Congressman John Culberson in western and northwestern Harris County. And this week he took over a new effort by Harris County Democrats to coordinate efforts to take power in the county. In an interview yesterday with QR, Kelly said that he was hired by the Harris County Democratic Party in an attempt to harness the excitement stirred by the presidential primary and focus that energy on winning contests in November. As an example of that newfound energy, he said the number of Democrats participating in caucuses in Harris County was close to the number of Republicans voting in the primary. He added that the enthusiasm seeped into downballot races as well. He said that in Sylvester Turner’s House district, 83 percent of the people voting in the presidential primary voted in the House race, too.
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