• Austin state Sen. Kirk Watson announced Monday his decision to step down as chair of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, the body of elected officials that drives transportation planning in Central Texas. Watson said he’ll step aside in January to open up more seats for Bastrop and Caldwell counties, which just joined CAMPO. Is Watson positioning himself to run for a higher office? His office says no.
• City Council takes a break this week – returning next Thursday, Dec. 10 – but issues continue to circulate around City Hall. See “City Hall Hustle.”
• Austin and Travis County want to get out in front of the 2010 census, which determines federal state funding and congressional representation. Monday, Mayor Lee Leffingwell and County Judge Sam Biscoe announced a citizen-powered “Complete Count Committee” encouraging and assisting everyone to answer.
• Elections again already? Filing opens Dec. 3 for a slot on the March 2, 2010, primary ballot. Speculation is still rampant about whether Democratic Houston Mayor Bill White will switch from the Senate primary to the governor’s race.
• Another Travis County court seat opens up with District Judge Charlie Baird’s decision not to seek re-election next year to the 299th bench, clearing the way for Assistant District Attorney Karen Sage to switch her judicial bid from the 147th court (leaving Cliff Brown as the sole Dem contender) to Baird’s seat. And in apparent noncampaign news, fired Travis County executive manager Alicia Perez says she’s not running against County Judge Sam Biscoe, contrary to rumors.
• As the multiyear drought rolls on, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has established an Office of Water, consolidating the existing offices of Water Planning, Water Supply, and Water Quality, and named Water Quality Director L’Oreal Stepney as its inaugural deputy director. TCEQ Chair Bryan Shaw said, the move was an attempt to get serious about water resources. There’s no time like the present.
• More questions about security at Texas Youth Commission facilities and more embarrassment for Gov. Rick Perry: One of his appointees, TYC ombudsman and ex-Judge Catherine Evans, resigned after being indicted for taking a knife into Crockett State School in East Texas.
Quote of the Week
“The path to peace and security will not be found through a wider war.”
– Austin Congressman Lloyd Doggett, responding to President Obama’s announcement of a troop surge in Afghanistan
This article appears in December 4 • 2009.