Quote of the Week: “It is exactly the Stenholms of the world who will disappear … the moderate Democrats. They will go so that no Texan need grow up thinking that being a Democrat is acceptable behavior.” — Leading Republican gasbag and anti-tax crank Grover Norquist, responding to comments from a bitter U.S. Rep. Charlie Stenholm, D-Abilene, about the congressional redistricting crusade. See Beyond City Limits for more redistricting news.
The 78th Legislature is sine-dead — at least until October, the current favored date for a near-inevitable special session to wrangle with school finance. See Adiós! for the lowlights.
A total of 15,502 Austin voters — 3.9% — voiced their choice for either Brewster McCracken or Margot Clarke in early voting for the Place 5 City Council run-off. Election Day is Saturday. Time Warner digital-cable subscribers who remain undecided can replay McCracken and Clarke’s News 8 Austin debate at will — it’s video-on-demand Channel 1301. See It’s All Over But the Votin’ for more on the Place 5 race.
On the City Council agenda today (Thursday): six different items related to the Seton/ Mueller deal for a new Children’s Hospital (see Children’s on Fast Track); the third and final(?) reading of the smoking ordinance (see Austin@Large); and yes, of course, superduplexes (see <a href="pols_feature11.html"Judge Triana vs. Superduplex) and neighborhood planning. Council Member Daryl Slusher also has an item directing staff to explore crafting an ordinance to regulate parking-lot sealants — the all-but-certain culprit behind the Great Barton Springs Toxic Crisis.
Arts and civic philanthropist Angela Topfer died Tuesday following a lengthy battle with cancer. Topfer and her husband, former Motorola and Dell executive Mort Topfer, donated millions to Austin organizations through a family foundation they established in 2000.
This article appears in June 6 • 2003.