On Monday, Public Safety Commission Chair Rebecca Webber introduced Rebecca Bernhardt as the body’s newest commissioner, replacing the recently departed Vice Chair Carol Lee, who passed away in September after a bout with cancer. Bernhardt, who is Council Member Alison Alter‘s appointee, has a long career in criminal justice, including stints as the policy director of the Texas Defender Service and as executive director of the Texas Fair Defense Project, where she played an integral role in forcing a change to the way the city of Austin jails the indigent. Bernhardt is currently public policy director at the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault. Replacing Lee as vice chair is Brian Haley, Ellen Troxclair‘s appointee, who until Monday was serving as a parliamentarian – though that’s subject to change in January if the individual elected to replace Troxclair chooses to appoint a new commissioner to the PSC.
This article appears in November 9 • 2018.