Buck Wood: Saving himself some ink Credit: Photo courtesy of Ray, Wood, & Bonilla

For anyone reading about Chris Bell‘s decision to sue Texans for Rick Perry and the Republican Governors Association over an alleged campaign finance violation, there may be one question pending. Why didn’t the former U.S. rep take this to the Texas Ethics Commission, the body that is supposed to be responsible for investigating such electoral violations?

According to Bell’s attorney, longtime campaign finance expert Buck Wood, it wouldn’t have been worth filing the paperwork. “The Ethics Commission is in such bad hands that I don’t even deal with ’em any more,” he said. “They ran off every long-term professional over there and replaced ’em with people who don’t know what they’re doing and give out ridiculous answers.

So what exactly is the commission spending its time doing? According to Wood, “They spend all their time investigating people who frankly started to run for office and didn’t hardly have the money for the filing fee. Anyone with any connections to the Republican leadership, they won’t do anything.”

This article appears in November 16 • 2007.

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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.