ustxtxb_obs_1978_06_23_50_00017-00000_000.pdf

a a a a s o a 3 0 ANSV.toke,44E .N., #1,/TURA pal” MIST. Mal ILIZall mai ILL=II 414 BARTON SPRINGS AT SOUTH 1ST AUSTIN, TEXAS 512/476-4838 TAISteri ,”Wr. ,Wens , ,00,7 .4pr “‘SOW likereft#9#10202C. ,… arse Printers Stationers Mailers Typesetters High Speed Web Offset Publication Press Counseling Designing Copy Writing Editing Trade Computer Sales and Services Complete Computer Data Processing Services FlUITILIPRA 512/442-7836 1714 South Congress P.O.Box 3485 Austin, Texas 78764 Smith.” Smith, says the Observer’s source, called upon a deputy commissioner of agriculture familiar with people in the LCRA hinterlands “to recommend people [for board membership] who would be favorable to Herring.” Four Smith apointees eventually took office and “they’re what got Herring his job in 1973,” Petri says. Petri, the four new ap Charles Herring pointees, and three other members formed the majority vote for Herring. Since his aye vote, Petri says, he and the g.m. have “never come down to the lick log. We just don’t see things the same.” It’s the other 14 directors who grease inently well-off, non-boat-rocker types enjoy the perks and prestige of board directorship and the vicarious contentment of letting Herring do their job for them as policy-maker, as well as manager, of the water fiefdom. “Like a lot of powerful people or organizations, after a number of years they get careless,” says a legislative legal counsel who’s been a long-time student of Texas river authority politics. “The board’s got a massive p.r. problem. They’ve never really had to watch their p’s and q’s like other people. And I don’t know whether it’s just arrogance or ignorance, but whatever it is, it doesn’t make them sensitive to what people want or need.” Replacing the present go-along, getalong directors with a new board, consumer-oriented or not, will mean resisting a tradition that’s seen board members appointed to term after term LCRA customers and employees think the election of a new governor this fall should bring the first chance in years to bring a few new faces onto the board. If John Hill is elected governor, he’d naturally replace Dolph Briscoe’s appointees with his own. Let’s hope that they would regard board service as a public trust. 0 Vicki Vaughan is an assistant editor of the Observer. 404000 90.;_Sktni .” zw i t .1’.1V 7,4 k e. 9 14.44191. 474/AZ s MAR s+W ” 1/4N.A114. 4…..4414Pic6 4000. 044 2467044.1. V.-NOW r VARk s. “1/4. .1117%. 411101v1.. ..&11/044.116-1, , Au It i bt THE TEXAS OBSERVER 17