Former gubernatorial candidate, congressman and Houston city council member Chris Bell joined Patton Boggs; he'll work in Texas for that Washington, D.C.-based lobby firm.
Former U.S. Rep. Henry Bonilla, R-San Antonio, is President George W. Bush's pick to be the U.S. representative to the Organization of American States. He lost his reelection bid in November. The new gig will require Senate confirmation.
Two more execs left the scandal-wracked Texas Youth Commission. Neil Nichols, the agency's general counsel and briefly, its executive director, and Linda Reyes, the deputy executive director, both quit. Neither's been directly blamed for any of the trouble at the agency, but they were in management when inmates were sexually abused by prison administrators and weren't disciplined. And like the board and others in top management, they're out.
She hasn't said whether or how to get the Texas Tomorrow Fund restarted, but Comptroller Susan Combs is reorganizing the management of that part of her agency. The manager and the accounting manager of that program — Zulay Sanchez and Pent Rector — were fired, and the comptroller has posted one job opening that combines their duties, for a manager who'll make up to $97,000 running the prepaid college tuition program and the related 529 college savings plan. Agency officials wouldn't give a public reason for the firings.
George S. Christian is the new president of the Texas Civil Justice League, succeeding Ralph Wayne, who'll be the tort reform group's chairman. Christian's been the group's general counsel for 20 years.
Laura Stromberg, a former reporter and most recently the spokesperson for Kinky Friedman's gubernatorial campaign, joins NFIB Texas as communications director.
Deaths: Banker and former El Paso Mayor Jonathan Rogers, a political and business player in that city for years, and the force behind a City Hall ban on neckties between Memorial Day and Labor Day every year. He was 78.
Department of Corrections: Rep. Frank Corte, R-San Antonio, is a full Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. We had him at a lesser rank last week because we figured the press release from his office would have the right rank. We missed a correction sent later, and for that we are sorry, sorry sorry.