From Owners Bench to Park Bench

In the latest edition of "news from the shameless," Gov. Rick Perry has appointed Peter M. Holt, chairman and principal owner of the San Antonio Spurs, to become presiding officer of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission.

However, environmentalists may blanch a little at Holt's day job. He's chief executive officer of Holt Cat, the biggest U.S. Caterpillar dealership. That means he makes his money selling earthmoving vehicles like backhoes and excavators.

The commission is supposed to set policies for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Holt currently serves as an ordinary member for the nine-member commission and will replace outgoing chair and wildlife rancher Joseph B.C. Fitzsimons.

The beleaguered agency briefly became a cause celebre for the Lege last session when it became clear that many parks and historic sites were crumbling due to a decade of woeful underfunding. But since Fitzsimons' term actually finished on Jan. 31, and Holt's appointment is just a desk-swap, it doesn't seem the governor really put much thought into a major talent search.