Top Tens of 1997 Council Watch

1) "In fact, we have a two year old named Cooper who is living proof -- and it wouldn't take a DNA test to figure out that Cooper is Kirk's son. All you have to do is see how short he is to see the relationship." -- From a letter written by Mayor Kirk Watson's wife, Liz McDaniel Watson, clarifying that the mayor lost only one testicle to cancer, not two as the Chronicle erroneously printed.

2) "Mexican men do not talk like that in public about women. How could [Gus Garcia] when I'm Hispanic and he's Hispanic?" -- La Prensa publisher Cathy Vasquez-Revilla explaining her decision to file a slander lawsuit against Councilmember Garcia for saying that she was perceived as being "in bed" with real estate development corporation Freeport-McMoRan.

illustration by Doug Potter

illustration by Doug Potter

3) "Where are my environmental friends who said they would come and support me? Maybe I'll come and support them next time they want to save a salamander or some bugs and bees." -- Eastside activist Joe Quintero, protesting the BFI Recycling plant in the East Austin Gardens neighborhood.

4) "Because I would not have sex with Willie Lewis, me and my three babies were put out of our home." -- The opening line of a letter said to have been written by Lewis tenant Janice Brown and faxed to local media and churches by Eric Mitchell's Place 6 campaign. Following a talk radio frenzy, Brown admitted that Lewis never suggested sex or touched her and that, because her rent was federally subsidized, Lewis had no power to evict her.

5) "When he goes after somebody he always starts by putting his left hand over the knot of his tie and saying `Help me understand this.' When he starts that way, you know he's gonna tear the head off that son of bitch." -- Councilmember Gus Garcia, describing the formidable debating techniques of trial lawyer Mayor Kirk Watson.

6) "Don't worry, I'm not a lawyer." -- Councilmember Jackie Goodman's conciliatory opening in her questioning of activist Mike Blizzard who came before council to defend the Our City, Our Choice charter amendment immediately following Mayor Watson's brutal 45-minute cross examination of Blizzard's cohort Kirk Mitchell.

7) "It's the dumb deal of the decade." -- Beverly Griffith's assessment of the Park West land swap suggested by city staff and tossed out by council. If passed, the land swap would have raised the money to purchase pristine park land for preservation by selling off equally pristine land for high-density retail development directly across the street from the preserve.

8) "Krusee told me on the house floor that he would make going after the City of Austin his number one priority in the next session. And my response was `How will we tell the difference?'" -- A joke told in May by state Rep. Glen Maxey (D-Austin) to political consultant David Butts, foreshadowing the amplification of state Rep. Mike Krusee's (R-Round Rock) stated vendetta against Austin during the city's recent annexations.

9) "Shout out." -- City Manager Jesus Garza's entreaty for a speaker to make herself heard above the din of the 500+ crowd at the Circle C annexation hearing in the Bowie High School gymnasium. Mistakenly hearing his request as "shut up," the crowd erupted with anger and several Circle C residents rushed the council's table.

10) "You don't want honesty. You don't want integrity. You don't want responsibility. You want a house nigger, and you got one." -- From former Councilmember Eric Mitchell's bitter concession speech to Willie Lewis on the night of the run-off elections.

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TOP TEN POLITICAL FASHION STATEMENTS OF 1997

Kirk Becker goes for the casual look. photo by Alan Pogue

Eric Mitchell dons a bow tie photo by Alan Pogue

1. Jesus freak. Normally buttoned-down in both dress and manner, City Manager Jesus Garza became the target of teasing after showing up for a casual meeting with City Council last August in a tie-dyed T-shirt.

2. Coming out. Former Councilmember Eric Mitchell, well-known for his elegant windsor-knotted silk ties, showed up to give his "pulling the sheet off Austin" concession speech on the night of the run-off flanked by several bow-tied Nation of Islam supporters. Their style may have inspired his choice of a black-and-white patterned bow tie of his own for the evening.

3. Brother can you spare a box top? Mayoral contender and homeless person Kirk Becker made an appearance at the swank Real Estate Council of Austin candidates forum sporting the requisite prop -- his choice being a hand-made cardboard campaign sign that he explained could double handily for a bed.

4. Regular Ronney. Ronney Reynolds also knows the value of fashion when it comes to a run for the mayoral money. In the upscale CPA's case, though, a little dressing down was in order to bring his message to the people. That's probably just the brainstorm which brought us campaign literature picturing a pensive Ronney with thumbs in Wrangler front pockets, no tie and a big ol' belt buckle. A few weeks after the election was over, though, Reynolds was back in his old faithful suit pants and red silk tie with dollar signs printed down the front. The Snoopy tie also deserves a mention.

5. Every dog has his day. Smart, persistent, quick-witted -- maybe. But fashionable, safe to say, is something Brent White of Austinites for a Little Less Corruption is not. Still, White cleans up pretty good when victory is afoot. On the day ALLC's campaign finance amendment was voted onto the election ballot by council, the normally disheveled activist showed up as conspicuously jacketed-and-tied as a kid in Sunday school.

6. Retraction pronto. The head of the University of Texas' Students for Access and Opportunity, Oscar de la Torre, was literally a fashion victim when the Daily Texan ran a cartoon of the anti-Hopwood activist, portraying him as a stereotypical sombrero-wearing Mexican bandit. The fashion statement sparked an uprising of the Texan staff against its editorial board, and eventually evoked an apology from Texan editor Colby Black.

7. Head like a sieve. The hard work, and in some cases jail time, of community activists are to thank for the repeal of the bicycle helmet law. But kudos also go out to the anonymous cyclist who saw fit to comply by strapping a metal colander on his head.

8. Badge of horror. For whatever reason, July 12 saw the pinning on by Indonesian dictator Suharto -- a shareholder in Freeport-McMoRan's Grasberg mine -- to Freeport CEO Jim Bob Moffett of Indonesia's development medal of merit. To catch a glimpse of Jim Bob looking very serious in a silly hat, check out /issues/vol17/issue02/pols.naked.moffett.html

9. Annexation without dramatization. Ever the thespian, community activist Eric Anderson made the local news by dressing up in Revolutionary War garb to help stage the anti-annexation Austin Tea Party. He was outdone that night only by the mayor's own two-dimensional visage humorously displayed on paper masks all over council chambers.

10. Jennifer Gayle wannabe. Never bashful, Mayor Kirk Watson proved his exceeding self-confidence by strapping on a pair of massive chakas, a puffy bonnet, and a three story skirt to play Mother Ginger in the Nutcracker. Shake it, Mama Watson.