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Ross Ramsey co-founded The Texas Tribune in 2009 and served as its executive editor until his retirement in 2022. He wrote regular columns on politics, government and public policy. Before joining the Tribune, he was editor and co-owner of Texas Weekly. He did a 28-month stint in government with the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Before that, he reported for the Houston Chronicle, the Dallas Times Herald, as a Dallas-based freelancer for regional and national magazines and newspapers, and for radio stations in Denton and Dallas.
Anguish over property taxes is at or near the top of the list of what politicians hear most often from Texans. This is not a complicated part of the civic compact: Voters are peeved. Politicians aim to please. Lowering taxes would make a politician popular with voters. Full Story
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Candidates run to the things that help them, run away from the things that hurt them and leave the rest alone. Republicans are not running from President Donald Trump, an indication they don't think voters want them to. Full Story
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A famous name can be a blessing in politics. If it's famous, that is, and if the voters connect the candidate to someone they hold in high regard. Full Story
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The most conservative Republicans have made a strong run for the "establishment" flag, and they’re trying to strengthen their position in this year’s elections. Full Story
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You’ve heard about “snowflakes” on campus — the people who melt when they hear things they don’t want to hear or cannot deal with? Here’s your opportunity to see some elected snowflakes in action. Full Story
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Speculate all you’d like, but there are ways to tell if 2018 will be an election year for the Democrats or one for the Republicans. Full Story
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The early Texas primaries force some quick deadlines on candidates and campaigns. Early voting begins on Feb. 20 — just seven weeks from now and two weeks before Election Day. Full Story
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Recovering from historic storms can take a long, long time, as the Texas Gulf Coast knows. And we’re entering an election year in which the voters will have a chance to grade incumbents on the longer-term response to Hurricane Harvey. Full Story
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TribTalk is a place for opinions and editorials and even poetry (sometimes, if it’s great) written by people who are usually in the audience instead of on stage. Here are the best columns from this year. Full Story
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The end of the year is when property owners have to pay their taxes — an increasingly large bill in Texas that’s a key part of the state’s rickety school finance system. Here’s a sampling of columns tracking that debate in 2017. Full Story
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