Rep. Kuempel: Everyone else is doing it, so why not him?

Yesterday, Newsdesk joked that maybe we’d have 12 candidates for house speaker before Christmas.

Seems like Rep. Edmund Kuempel, R-Seguin, has decided to make our Christmas wish come true by filing to run for the big seat. The vice-chair of the Culture, Recreation, and Tourism committee has been in the House since 1983. He’s been there so long, in fact, that due to redistricting he’s represented three districts – House Districts 45, 46 and now 44 – without moving, and was talked about as a potential speaker back in 2002.

Last session, his big legislative wins were structural reforms of the Texas County and District Retirement System and the Texas Municipal Retirement System (although he probably got the most column inches for House Bill 308, which allowed legally blind hunters to use laser sights.)

Austinites with a longer memory may remember him as the man that tried to gut both the McMansion and Save Our Springs ordinances. However, Rep. Donna Howard is bringing back his 2007 proposal to place the Lower Colorado River Authority under state sunset review (you can read more about what local legislators are planning for the upcomong session here.)

Newsdesk is now wishing for a pony.

This article appears in December 5 • 2008.

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The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.