Dream on, Dream Team

Cedar Park Still Uncool

Suburban Democrats may be a dying breed, but enough of them -- 360, to be exact -- roused themselves to unseat House Dist. 45 incumbent Rick Green, R-Dripping Springs. Green, plagued by numerous ethical allegations and dubbed by Texas Monthly as one of the state's 10 worst legislators, lost to Democrat Patrick Rose in perhaps the closest race of any of Texas' 150 House districts. (As we write, Bexar County's still struggling with its vote counts.) Other Hays and Williamson Co. incumbents -- including state Rep. Mike Krusee, R-Round Rock; Williamson Co. Commissioner Frankie Limmer; and Hays Co. Judge Jim Powers and Commissioners Russ Molenaar and Susie Carter -- won with little trouble. All are Republicans.

Cedar Park voters put hockey on ice, handily defeating (58.5%) the city bond measure to build a $32 million ice rink and amphitheatre in partnership with the Dallas Stars. (On top of the usual Williamson Co. anti-tax, anti-government sentiments, Austin activist Mark Tschurr, vocal foe of taxpayer subsidies from City Hall, recorded an Election Day phone-blast message urging a no-vote for a subsidy to Stars owner Tom Hicks.) However, Georgetown and Liberty Hill voters actually voted to raise their own taxes -- each city adopted a new one-fourth-cent sales tax, in Georgetown for street repair, in Liberty Hill for a new library district.