Heir to the Throne

How would Gov. Rick Perry work with the city of Austin? Very politely, says Sullivan. But don't look for him to be jumping on the local-control-for-Austin bandwagon any time soon. Though former Democrat Perry has a "friendly and civil" relationship with Mayor Kirk Watson and other community leaders, Sullivan admits that there's an "ideological gulf" between his boss and what he calls the "vocal minority in Austin that take issue with people like Rick Perry and George Bush, and most if not all the statewide elected officials now."

And there's yet another scenario making the rounds at the Capitol -- the suggestion that Perry, like Bush, will have ambitions that call him prematurely away from the governor's office. It goes like this: Perry makes a deal with U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, whereby she quits in 2002 to run for governor of Texas (she's thought to be a shoo-in), and he appoints himself to fill her Senate seat. A neat and tidy exchange of power. Then maybe in the next Senate election, we could get a Rick Perry vs. Kirk Watson showdown. For Austinites, that would be one worth buying a ticket for.