Quote of the Week: “I’m basically pretty ignorant about it. I’m just kind of pro-white. Doesn’t mean I’m anti-anybody.” — Former Williamson Co. sheriff’s Deputy David Gay, testifying in his lawsuit alleging that his firing for joining a Ku Klux Klan group violated his First Amendment rights. (The leader of the group testified that “black people have no souls” and that imminent racial war “would only leave pure white Christians standing.”) The suit by Gay and another fired officer was dismissed this week.
As we write, the Legislature is not in session to consider congressional re-redistricting; the second called session, thwarted by the absconding Senate Democrats, expired this week. See “On the Lege” and “Capitol Chronicle,” right. Gov. Rick Perry is considering whether to call another special session immediately or to wait until after Labor Day or even beyond the Sept. 13 constitutional amendment election. Perry says only that he’ll make the announcement “at the appropriate time.”
On Wednesday morning in Laredo, federal District Judge George Kazen said he’ll ask a three-judge panel to hear the claims by Senate Democrats that Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Senate Republicans have violated the Voting Rights Act and the Dems’ First Amendment rights. Kazen did not grant a temporary restraining order against any arrest of the senators should they return to Texas, but also rejected requests that the suit be dismissed. The panel is expected to hear the case in two to three weeks.
More budget trauma at City Hall, as firefighters continued their public combat with City Manager Toby Futrell and fire Chief Gary Warren (see “Austin@Large“), and Mayor Will Wynn proposed permanently closing parks, libraries, and other facilities to ease the budget crunch (see “The Budget Battles, Round 3“). Also on the budget front, Austin ISD passed its budget for 2003-04 this week (see “‘The Perfect Storm’: AISD Board Adds by Subtracting), and Capital Metro presented its spending plan for next year (see “Cap Metro Makes Its Numbers).
The Austin ISD board voted this week to hand off the district’s own investigation into the death of Ortralla Mosley — murdered by her former boyfriend at Reagan High School — to the defense lawyer hired to represent the district in an expected civil lawsuit from Mosley’s mother. See “AISD Hands Off Mosley Case“.
Early voting starts today (Thursday) for the Sept. 13 constitutional election — including the odious Proposition 12, designed to tort-reform civil justice out of existence in Texas. See our endorsements on all 22 proposed amendments.
This article appears in August 29 • 2003.