Naked City

Two prospective suitors are courting Christopher House in a big way. The closing of the comfy residential facility for people with AIDS has sparked the interest of the City of Austin and Hospice Austin, both of which want to buy the place. Carol Cody, Christopher's executive director, says proposals from potential buyers are due May 27, after which the Christopher board will decide on the new owner. Cody said the facility will not necessarily go to the highest bidder, but rather to the "most appropriate" new keeper. One point of debate is whether Christopher House should continue its mission of serving exclusively people with AIDS. Hospice Austin, a non-profit, home-care outfit, serves people with all types of terminal illnesses, and wants to use the facility as an inpatient hospice center. The city wants the place for outpatient medical offices in its efforts to relocate the city-owned David Powell Clinic. To be sure, the board faces an agonizing, heartbreaking task...

Despite arguments to the contrary at the Lege, hate crimes in Texas increased 7.7% in 1996, according to new stats released this week by the Texas Dept. of Public Safety. This contrasts sharply to 1995 figures that showed a 13.1% drop in hate crimes compared to 1994. Of the total 1996 figures, hate crimes based on race and sexual orientation made up the lion's share of the offenses. Proposed legislation that would beef up penalties against offenders is pending in the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee...

Here's a tale about a van that was rockin' and a cop that came a'knockin' -- and found none other than a former aide to Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos and a Hidalgo County lobbyist-to-be "engaged in a sexual act" of a not-too-private nature. The door of the van -- a 1997 Hidalgo County Suburban -- was flung wide open, police said of the early morning April 10 incident. Austin Police Department spokeswoman Michele Walker said a pedestrian in the Sixth Street area flagged down a patrol car to complain of the couple's behavior in the 400 block of Neches. Police high-tailed it to the scene and found Richard Alvarez, 37, of Edinburg, standing outside the van and Lisa Guerrero, 33, of Austin, "partially inside the van," according to police. The couple was arrested and charged with public lewdness, a Class A misdemeanor. Police say they also found a small amount of cocaine on Alvarez who, until the incident, was oh-so-close to landing a nice lobbying contract with the already scandal-ridden Hidalgo County. (At press time, Alvarez could not be reached.) And the county commissioners who traveled to Austin and then loaned Alvarez the keys to the county van are also being looked at askance. Guerrero, who chairs the Austin Tejano Democrats, was unavailable for comment Wednesday. A Barrientos staffer confirmed that Guerrero worked in the senator's office "several years ago"... -- A.S.

Gov. George W. Bush wasn't happy that Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt decided to add the Barton Springs Salamander to the Endangered Species List last week. But Bush's scathing press release on the listing decision may also have been fueled by a rather amusing gaffe in Babbitt's April 22 letter to the governor. Babbitt's letter was addressed to "Honorable George W. Bush, Jr." The guv's no Jr. -- Bush's father (and former president) is named George H. W. Bush. Oops... -- R.B.

Banking on Henderson

Invoking what he called the "great words of Arnold Schwarzenegger," former Dallas Cowboy Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson vowed "I'll be back and I'll be back and I'll be back," in the face of zoning holdups to a proposed bank in East Austin.

A hearing on a zoning change at last Thursday's council meeting generated heated debate over the fate of a Henderson-owned lot on Lovingwood Drive, near 18th & Airport Blvd. Henderson says the site would be suitable for a yet-to-be-named bank in an underserved area of the city. The lot is part of the Martin Luther King Neighborhood Association (MLKNA), where opposing neighbors gathered a mere16 signatures against the proposed bank.

Henderson had sought a zoning amendment for the site, from family residential to neighborhood commercial, but neighbors argued that the change would increase traffic through their neighborhood. To counter the MLKNA argument, Henderson produced a 1,040-signature petition favoring the proposed bank, along with a large contingent of supporters to cheer him on before council.

"Most people in East Austin think that HEB and Foodland is a bank," argued Henderson, saying that his proposal would increase living standards for area residents. "I have no agenda. I'm a black man trying to do something in East Austin. Is there anything wrong with that?" he asked.

Audience members wearing "Eric Mitchell for Place 6" T-shirts were on hand to voice their support. "Why would we have a negative attitude about a bank?" wondered the Rev. Bernice Daniels, president of the McKinley Heights Neighborhood Association.

Dorothy Turner, Michell's favorite civil servant, also showed up, despite her assertion to the council that she was "sick of looking at all y'all's faces." She went on to say that "all the councils have been racist and that's why you don't see nothing East of [I-]35. We're pulling your sheets off!"

Proving there was more city council election buzz than zoning issues at hand, Place 6 contender Willie Lewis came to take advantage of the free air time. Facing the pro-Mitchell crowd, Lewis wisely claimed neutrality toward the bank and, after raising a few specific zoning questions, quickly left the council chambers.

Besides the petition, the MLKNA did not have much of an argument to back up its opposition to the bank. After one resident argued that the bank's ATM machine would increase armed robbery in the area, resident Sammie Lee Blakemore stepped up to mumble that the Bible should be more of a concern for East Austin than money. Mayor Bruce Todd had to interrupt Blakemore to ask if she favored the bank, and she answered, "Yes, yes, yes," but was quickly interrupted by her friends saying, "No! No, she doesn't." After that, Blakemore grumbled angrily all the way back to her seat.

Despite the packed, pro-bank chambers, council sided with the neighborhood's traffic concerns in a 5-1-1 vote against the proposal, with Mitchell casting the lone yes vote and Councilmember Jackie Goodman abstaining. Before the chambers could erupt in protest, however, Councilmember Beverly Griffith offered a compromise motion that would zone the area for offices only, negating the possibility of retail shops and grocery stores -- and more traffic -- in the area. Griffith's proposal passed 6-1 on first reading, with Mitchell waiting until everyone else had voted to cast his pouting protest vote. -- K.V.

Rancor Over Cencor

Although representatives from the Hyde Park Neighborhood Association (HPNA) have been involved in good-faith negotiations with Cencor Realty on the proposed Triangle Development, they're also allowing dissenting opinions to be heard -- in the Pecan Press, the HPNA newsletter. In the April issue, a leader of the Neighbors of Triangle Park was given three quarters of a page to express outright opposition to the development.

Unlike the HPNA, which has been content to simply try to minimize the impact of the development on surrounding neighborhoods, Neighbors of Triangle Park is seeking ways to completely block Cencor's plans to build a Randalls grocery store and various other retail outlets on land between 45th, Lamar, & Guadalupe, owned by the Texas Department of Mental Health/Mental Retardation (MHMR).

In his opposition article, Elliot Young, a resident of the North Hyde Park neighborhood, said, "In spite of the tireless and valiant efforts of our representatives, Cencor's plan has not been modified to address the neighborhoods' major concerns."

Chief among those concerns is that almost all of the grass will be replaced with impervious cover, including massive parking lots that could substantially increase traffic headaches in the area. However, lead HPNA negotiator Cecil Pennington says Young's comments are "not totally accurate." He noted that Cencor has hired a traffic-calming consultant, but confirms that the developer's most recent plans still fall short of satisfying the neighborhood groups affected by the development.

Refuting the idea that opposing Cencor and MHMR is quixotic, Young cited the examples of Northwest Austin residents who recently blocked construction of an Albertson's grocery store, and neighbors of Camp Mabry who prevented the sale of that land, so that it could continue to be used as a recreational facility.

In other news relating to the anti-Cencor movement, the Fresh Plus Grocery at 43rd & Duval -- a store with an obvious vested interest in blocking the incoming Randalls -- has been allowing the Neighbors to display information and newspaper articles on the campaign in its front window. -- L.N.

Newt, Bob & Ann

Two weeks ago, Newt Gingrich announced that he is borrowing $300,000 from former Gov. Ann Richards' newest co-worker to pay a fine levied against him by the House of Reps for ethical violations, including lying to House investigators. Gingrich could have borrowed the money from lots of sources. The fact that he chose former U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Bob Dole as his personal banker brings up a whole set of questions regarding Washington's revolving door -- particularly since Dole himself raised the revolving door issue during a 1995 speech on the Senate floor.

And yet Dole, like many others before him, has followed the same well-worn path. Last week, Dole landed a lucrative job at Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson & Hand, one of Washington's most powerful lobbying firms, at a reported salary of more than $600,000 per year.

While it is unclear what role Dole will have at the firm, he will join former governor Richards and another Texas political refugee, Lloyd Bentsen, as members of Verner Liipfert's all-star cast. Richards joined the firm three months after losing her re-election bid. Since then, she has worked for a variety of clients, including the City of Austin, which hired the firm to lobby in Washington for money to complete the new Bergstrom airport. Richards works out of Verner Liipfert's local office, which is located at 98 San Jacinto. -- R.B.