Vol 28, Issue 32 Print Issue

Chancellor Dr. Fransisco Cigarroa at the University of Texas Board of Regents meeting in Austin on May 11, 2011.
Chancellor Dr. Fransisco Cigarroa at the University of Texas Board of Regents meeting in Austin on May 11, 2011.

For Higher Ed, Something Completely Different

The warring parties in the state’s ongoing debate over higher education reform experienced something new in the wake of this week's University of Texas System Board of Regents meeting: consensus.

Gov. Rick Perry listens to U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann's speech at an event in Waterloo, Iowa, on Aug. 14, 2011.
Gov. Rick Perry listens to U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann's speech at an event in Waterloo, Iowa, on Aug. 14, 2011.

Look Who's Talking

What a difference a year makes. Gov. Rick Perry wouldn't debate Bill White in the governor's race, but he's agreed to a couple of debates already in his presidential quest. 

Presidential candidate Rick Perry makes a speech at the Iowa 80 "World's Largest Truck Stop" at Walcott, Iowa on August 16, 2011.
Presidential candidate Rick Perry makes a speech at the Iowa 80 "World's Largest Truck Stop" at Walcott, Iowa on August 16, 2011.

BFFs, with Numbers

It's a synergy thing. Super PACs can spend all they want to advance a candidate or cause, with certain limitations and — importantly — without talking to the candidate or the campaign. So here's Make Us Great Again, a new Perry-centric Super PAC releasing a poll of Iowa voters that shows — surprise — the governor doing well there. 

Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, during debate on higher education bill SB5 on May 3, 2011.
Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, during debate on higher education bill SB5 on May 3, 2011.

Campaign Chatter

Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, says he'll seek another term in 2012. Fun facts from his announcement: "Among his younger-life experience, he worked as a paper boy, TV station copy boy, waiter, dishwasher, library clerk, and taxicab driver."

The Week in the Rearview Mirror

With Texas suffering through the worst one-year drought in state history, a new warning from the state climatologist hits especially hard. The forecast for the upcoming winter and new year includes a 50 percent chance for the continuing influence of La Niña conditions. If that happens, drier-than-normal weather could persist, leading to continuing trouble with reservoirs across the state. Their levels have dropped from 81 percent at the beginning of the year to 68 percent.

The state’s power grid is still struggling to keep up with record-breaking demand. As Texas’ heat wave persists and temperatures stay above 100 degrees, the grid operator, ERCOT, again this week declared a level-two emergency, when the power supply fell short of grid operators' expectations. One hundred large industrial customers were asked to shut down for more than two hours on Wednesday to avoid forcing rolling blackouts.

School funding lawsuits may be on the horizon as district officials and administrators across the state grapple with $4 billion in funding cuts. Groups that expected the state to devise a more equitable school finance plan were frustrated with the lack of a system overhaul in a school funding bill. Since the 1989 Edgewood v. Kirby case, the state has faced a continuing string of school funding lawsuits.

A judge will allow Williamson County District Attorney John Bradley to remain in place as investigator in a 25-year-old murder case. New DNA evidence tested in the 1986 Michael Morton case revealed that a former California inmate’s blood was found on a bandana containing blood and DNA from the victim, Christine Morton. Judge Billy Ray Stubblefield declined to remove Bradley, the former head of the Forensic Science Commission, from the case, but warned investigators not to drag their feet and called for another hearing on Sept. 27 to review updated findings.

Two years ago, the Texas Department of Transportation spun off a new agency, the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, to handle vehicle registrations and administrative tasks centering on sales and purchases of vehicles. After an unflattering consultant review of the organization was published at the end of July, its executive director, Edward Serna, submitted his resignation, effective Aug. 31. Serna faced criticism for not facilitating customer service.

U.S. Rep. Ron Paul celebrated his 76th birthday by raising $1.6 million in a 24-hour campaign. In a press release, Paul’s campaign stressed the grassroots nature of his fundraising and pointed to what it called an impressive finish in the recent Iowa Straw Poll. So far, though, Paul is not polling anywhere near the top in the crowded primary field. A RealClearPolitics average of polls ranks him sixth in the list of hopefuls.

The state parole board is making preparations to comply with a law going into effect Sept. 1 that directs state officials to deport some of the foreign citizens incarcerated in Texas prisons. More than 11,000 Texas prisoners identify themselves as citizens of foreign origin, and legislators have viewed them as a drain on an already overburdened prison system. Releasing them to their home countries could save the state millions in tax dollars, though parole board members have expressed concern that convicts released might not be deported, leaving them on the streets of Texas.

Political People and their Moves

Gov. Rick Perry named Dan Friedkin of Houston chairman of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission, and appointed Bill Jones of Austin to the commission. Friedkin is chairman and CEO of The Friedkin Group, with responsibility for companies and investments principally in the automotive industry, including Gulf States Toyota. Jones is an attorney and owner of the Jones Law Firm.

Perry appointed five members to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board: Robert “Bobby” Jenkins Jr. of Austin is president of ABC Home and Commercial Services. Munir Lalani of Wichita Falls is president and CEO of Lalani Lodging. James H. Lee of Houston is president of JHL Capital Holdings. Janelle Shepard of Weatherford is a registered nurse, board certified case manager and director of medical management at the Texas Health Resources Fort Worth Hospital. David Teuscher of Beaumont is an orthopedic surgeon and partner at the Beaumont Bone and Joint Institute, and a team orthopedist for Lamar University’s men and women’s NCAA teams.

The governor also appointed three members to the University of Houston System Board of Regents. Spencer Armour III of Midland is managing partner of Armada Gas and Oil. Roger Welder of Victoria is retired CEO of J.F. Welder Heirs, and current vice chair of the First Victoria National Bank Board of Directors. Welcome Wilson Jr. of Houston is president and CEO of GSL Welcome Group.

Luke Marchant, son of the congressman from Dallas County, is back in Austin, where he's working as a political consultant with Chris Britton. They hope to work on races in Texas and other states.

Indicted: Austin lawyer Marc Rosenthal, on charges of conspiring to bribe a state district judge and witnesses in state and federal cases. Rosenthal, an active financier of Democratic legislative candidates in the state, denied the allegations. This is part of the same investigation that netted former state Rep. Jim Solis, one of Rosenthal's law partners. Solis pleaded guilty in April and awaits sentencing.