'Chronicle' Endorses Huber for County Commish Pct. 3

As a sign of what a finely tuned, well-oiled machine we have down here at One Chronicle Tower, we forgot to include the following in the print version of our Democratic Primary endorsements. Sorry about that.

Travis County Commissioner, Pct. 3: Karen Huber
When GOP incumbent Gerald Daugherty was first elected in 2002, he was followed into the county’s polling headquarters by supporters chanting “No more traffic!” Um, how’s that working out for you, guys? Surely by now residents of Oak Hill, West Lake Hills, West Austin, and the Lake Travis area can see that reelecting a supporter of more roads and opponent of mass transit offers no sensible vision for western Travis County, or Central Texas as a whole. We believe environmentalist Karen Huber is the Democrat most likely to undo that mistake. She has an activist but pragmatic vision for slowing and regulating growth, including exploring the limits of how state health and public safety laws might be applied to new developments. Yet with her background in the real estate industry, she has an understanding of the practical issues rarely found in enviro circles. Her opponent, Albert Gonzales, makes much of her recent formal defection from the Republican Party, and contrasts it with his lifelong efforts on behalf of Democrats. Unfortunately, that is central thrust of his campaign; his knowledge of the Commissioner’s office itself seems limited. His argument would make more sense if the he were running for Party chair, but in a precinct as conservative as this one, a recovering Republican who has seen the light will make the best arguments to sway moderates who have realized that we can’t keep paving over the Hill Country.