Perry Withdraws Texas Prison Board Nomination

Gov. Rick Perry withdrew his nomination of Annette Raggette of Austin to the Texas Board of Criminal Justice on Wednesday.

“Concerns were raised about potential conflicts of interest, and our office chose to withdraw her name out of an abundance of caution and move forward with a new appointment,” said Lucy Nashed, a spokeswoman for Perry. “We hope to have a new appointee before the committee as soon as possible.”

Raggette was once employed by Oliver Bell, chairman of that board, raising questions among some of the senators who would have to confirm the nomination — concerns that prompted a story in the Austin American-Statesman. The Senate Nominations Committee postponed a vote on her appointment earlier this week.

“I’m not surprised because I think there are a lot of concerns. It surprises me that the governor’s office doesn’t do a fuller review,” said Sen. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, a member of the Senate Nominations Committee. “It appears to us there was a business relationship and we have reason to believe there was a family relationship. We thought brother-in-law deals were a thing of the past.”

Editor's note: This story was updated to include Sen. Sylvia Garcia's comments.