Big news for fans of drinking and floatin’: On Friday New Braunfels City Council Member Ken Valentine lost his recall election 508-438.

If you think you vaguely recognize the name, Valentine has been at the forefront of cutting down on drinking and rowdiness on the Guadalupe River. He was hounded from office by a group called Keep NBNB, headed up by local activist Kevin Webb. In response, Valentine had his own, ahem, political action committee, Keep Ken. Both sides have said this is a family values issue: Webb et al. say Valentine is being autocratic, while Valentine says he’s just trying to cut down on topless beer-bongers peeing in the river.

It’s actually a sad tale of political allies becoming enemies, as Valentine had appointed Webb to the city’s River Activities Committee. Webb quit last November, accusing Valentine of treating him as nothing more than a political proxy. He’s now talking about running Keep NBNB candidates to run for the empty seat. Never before has so much (or possibly any) attention been paid in Austin to the New Braunfels District 6 City Council elections.

This article appears in May 11 • 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.