ustxtxb_obs_1982_06_18_50_00003-00000_000.pdf

The governor rejected Estelle’s request. “I do not think it’s right for the state of Texas to start that billion-dollar program with a down payment when we’re talking about multi-projects,” he said. “I just think it’s wrong, it’s precipitous.” The legislature, after briefly considering such “progressive” criminal justice approaches as work-release programs, halfway houses, and early paroles, agreed with the governor and appropriated $51 million for emergency construction needs, and an additional $4.5 million to handle the increase in the number of prisoners being released because of overcrowding. Though the governor took his obligatory swipe at the judge “Judge Justice is doing a grave injustice to the state of Texas. He’s disruptive to an orderly process.” he conveniently ignored his own responsibility for the mess. Since taking office in 1979, he has vetoed about 22% of the paroles recommended by the 3-member pardons and paroles board almost twice as many as any previous governor and he has pushed through the legislature a long list of anti-crime laws that make it easier to put lawbreakers behind bars and keep them there longer. He also vetoed a $30 million appropriation for prison construction in 1979, although he says prison officials assured him the veto would cause them no problems. CLEMENTS SAYS he is in the process of reconsidering some of the 1,200 parole recommendations he vetoed during the last eight months. “We’ve been looking at about 90 from last year,” he said at his weekly press conference, “and if they’ve behaved themselves since that time, they’ll be paroled this time.” Estelle told legislators about 9,000 of the state’s 34,000 inmates about 26% of the total prison population could safely be returned to their homes with adequate supervision. Clements told Estelle, essentially, to mind his own business. The legislature also approved three other constitutional amendments for the Nov. 2 ballot: exempting farm and ranch machinery from all property taxes; raising interest rates on certain state general obligation bonds to 12%; correcting problems with the constitutional amendment approved earlier to raise the welfare ceiling limit to 1% of the state budget. The legislature did not take up Sen. Walter “Mad Dog” Mengden’s proposal to outlaw social promotion in the public schools. Gov. Bill Clements was at his toy bulldog best during a recent press conference, barking and raging about Buddy Temple’s withdrawal from the governor’s race, calling it a backroom deal between two politicians that circumvented the wishes of the voters. Could there be any comparison, he was asked, between the Temple decision and the Republican maneuver of switching candidates after the Democratic nominee has been chosen. Doesn’t that leave Republicans open to charges of ballot-rigging and circumventing the primary process? The governor, of course, saw no comparison. As the Observer goes to press, Donald Hebert, a Waller farmer and the Republican nominee for agriculture commissioner, has withdrawn his name, and the Republican powers that be have named Fred Thornberry to replace him. Thornberry, 45, who according to Republican state chairman Chet Upham has been approved by the governor, comes from Reagan Brown’s old stomping grounds = the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station at Texas A&M where he is a poultry expert. He said he considered running for agriculture commissioner before the primary, but he didn’t want to run against friend Brown. “Gov. Clements undoubtedly thinks he has been clever in pulling off this trick, but he’s fooled no one but himself Austin Jim Mattox of Dallas and Garry Mauro of Austin are the Democratic Party’s nominees for attorney general dnd land commissioner, respectively each nudging out runoff opponents by relatively small margins. Mattox, the former U.S. Rep. from Dallas, beat former U.S. East Texas prosecutor John Hannah; Mauro beat longtime state Senator Pete Snelson of Midland. Mattox polled about 51 percent against Hannah’s 49 percent. Mauro did a bit better against Snelson ending up with about 53 percent. Mattox faces Republican state Senator Bill Meier of Euless in November. Mauro’s GOP opponent is Woody Glasscock, former mayor of Hondo. Mike Andrews polled about 58 percent of the Democratic vote in one of the state’s three new U.S. House districts the 25th, Houston against John R. Harrison. He will face Republican Mike Faubion in November. and maybe the professor,” Democratic nominee Jim Hightower said in a press release. “The voters of Texas, including Republican voters, resent this kind of sneakiness, and it is going to backfire on Clements and his nominee. There are two kinds of things not long for this world: dogs that chase cars and politicians who try to fool the people.” Texas Republicans are also doing the same thing in the treasurer’s race, although original nominee Millard Neptune of Austin was a bit recalcitrant. Clements pushed to replace him with Allen B. Clark, a former aide to the governor and briefly a deputy head of the U.S. Veterans Administration. The 39 year-old Clark is assistant to the president of an Austin-headquartered oil company, a West Point graduate, and was a Green Beret officer in Vietnam, where he lost both legs and earned several medals for gallantry and meritorious service. Democratic nominee Ann Richards called the GOP maneuvering absurd and accused Republicans of trying to tailormake candidates, depending on which Democrats they face. Democratic chairman Bob Slagle predicted that Democrats will ask the next legislature to ban such “shameful substitutions.” J.H. In the new 27th South Texas district, Sheriff Solomon Ortiz of Corpus Christi got 56 percent of the Democratic votes, defeating former state Rep. Joe Salem, also of Corpus. Ortiz squares off in November against former Corpus Christi Mayor Jason Luby. In District 16 -El Paso and environs former state Rep. Ron Coleman defeated former El Paso County Judge Udell Moore, grabbing 57 percent of total Democratic votes. Coleman will face Republican El Paso Alderman Pat Haggerty in November. In District 9 southeast Texas Republicans nominated John Lewis, against Fran Urbanic. Lewis faces incumbent U.S. Rep. Jack Brooks, dean of the Texas House delegation, in November. Brooks beat four opponents in the first primary. In the new Dallas district District 3 the Republicans named Steve Bartlett over Kay Hutchison. Democrats nominated James McNees in May. The November Faceoff THE TEXAS OBSERVER 3