Political People and their Moves

Former Rep. Rick Noriega won’t run for Mario Gallegos’ Senate seat, leaving that race to former Harris County Commissioner, Rep. Carol Alvarado, D-Houston, and Republican R.W. Bray, who lost to the late Gallegos in the November election. And to anyone else who wants to jump in before the filing deadline. “The time is not right to take on this race, and the fundraising needed, for the Noriega family,” he said in a speech written for delivery at an SEIU state meeting. Gov. Rick Perry chose a Saturday election for that open seat, setting January 26 as the date. Candidates have until closing time on December 27 to file.

The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas announced the appointment of Dr. Margaret L. Kripke as the agency's chief scientific officer. Kripke, formerly of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, will oversee the agency's research portfolio.

Check the interesting language in the announcement of new management at the Employee Retirement System. That agency says Paula Jones, its general counsel and chief compliance officer, will be acting executive director “during the entirety of Ann’s temporary leave of absence.” The Ann in that sentence is Ann Bishop, who is serving as Gov. Rick Perry’s chief of staff. Temporarily, apparently. 

Buddy Garcia, who left the Texas Railroad Commission earlier this month, leaving government after 22 years, announced his entry into the lobby. He’ll hang a shingle of his own and partner with Eric Wright, Eric Woomer and Gregg Knaupe on some business.

Meanwhile, Garcia’s early exit made way for Christi Craddick’s early entry. Craddick, who won a term in last month’s election, is taking office a couple of weeks early, appointed by Gov. Rick Perry to fill what’s left of the term.

Austin adman David Weeks sold his political and corporate advertising and public affairs firm,  Weeks&Co., to R&R Partners, based in Las Vegas. Both he and Suzanne Hofmann Erickson will continue with the buyers, running the Austin offices for R&R.

Emily Fourmy Cutrer has been named sole finalist for the position of president of Texas A&M University-Texarkana. Cutrer is currently the provost and vice president for academic affairs at California State University San Marcos.

W. Bradley Parker of Fort Worth is the new president of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association. And the new president elect is Michael Guajardo of Dallas. They’re both Texas Tech law school grads.

Gov. Rick Perry has appointed Robert Moore of Bryan and Ronald Poynter of McKinney to the Texas Commission on Fire Protection. Moore is director of the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service Emergency Services Training Institute. Poynter is a regional sales manager at Sklar Instruments.