Craddick Hoses East Texas, Water Bill In Jeopardy
May 26th, 2007 at 6:07 pm
Life under Tom Craddick.
When the five conferees were read today for SB 3, the omnibus water bill, Rep. Stephen Frost, an East Texas Democrat, waited confidently for his name to be called out. He heard the clerk read the names of four urban reps as well as East Texan Mike “Tuffy” Hamilton, but not his own. Frost couldn’t believe it. He was livid. The lead man fighting the proposed Marvin Nichols reservoir and Lake Fastrill, Frost had been assured a seat at the table.
“I was lied to,” Frost said, looking genuinely hurt and surprised.
And so goes the House under Speaker Tom Craddick, where gentleman’s agreements mean nothing.
Frost said he had a deal with Rep. Robert Puente, a Craddick D and the sponsor of SB 3, that he be recommended for the conference committee along with Rep. Mike “Tuffy” Hamilton, another East Texan. In exchange, Frost agreed to withdraw a point of order on Wednesday that could have killed SB 3.
With an additional promise from Puente, in writing, to vote against Marvin Nichols and Lake Fastrill, there would have been three anti-reservoir votes, enough to hobble the reservoirs. Now, the chances of that happening are much, much slimmer.
Puente said he submitted Frost’s name to Craddick, and then the decision was out of his hands. “I’m not the one that appoints,” said Puente.
Still, Frost feels utterly betrayed. “If I had believed that the agreements we had made would not be honored I would have killed the bill [with the point of order],” said Frost.
Craddick told him in a meeting earlier today, with Puente present, that Puente had submitted Frost’s name but had also included “other options.” Whatever the details, Craddick clearly stuck a knife in Frost’s back, giving the upperhand to greedy Dallas water developers over East Texans struggling to preserve a way of life.
“I just don’t believe I was done right in this whole process,” Frost remarked. He said he will now find a way to bring SB 3 down altogether. “[T]he integrity of the body is at stake when this type of thing happens.”
UPDATE: Reportedly House conferees voted 3-2 on a version of SB 3 that contains Marvin Nichols and Lake Fastrill. Landowner protections were stripped as well, said Rep. Hamilton, who cast a nay vote along with Rep. Puente. The swing voter, Bill Callegari (R-Houston), “weaseled out” and sided with the urban pro-reservoir reps on the conference committee, said Rep.Hamilton. The slighted Stephen Frost is somewhere, we imagine, looking for a point of order. We’ll let you know what happens tomorrow.
