ustxtxb_obs_1993_12_24_50_00024-00000_000.pdf

Postmaster: If undeliverable, send Form 3579 to The Texas Observer, 307 W. 7th St., Austin, Texas 78701 POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE VON YOUR MARKS. Another Travis County grand jury indicted Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison on charges she used state personnel and equipment for personal and political purposes and some Republicans, including former Gov. Bill Clements, are calling for a “standby” candidate for the March 8 primary in case Hutchison is convicted. Meanwhile, a Democratic primary for her Senate seat is shaping up with former Attorney General Jim Mattox, former Ross Perot supporter Richard-Fisher and U.S. Rep. Mike Andrews of Houston. Henry Cisneros, the Hamlet of Housing and Urban Development, resisted the blandishments of Gov. Ann Richards and others in the Democratic establishment who were seeking to head off Mattox. The Secretary took himself out of the race while Mattox styled himself a “tough guy for the people” and staked out as two of his priorities law enforcement, where he called for prevention and rehabilitation as well as punishment, and health care reform, where he called for universal health coverage as a right. WITH A JAN. 3 deadline to file for the March 8 party primaries, the only other statewide Democratic fight shaping up is Portland Rep. Robert Earley’s challenge of Railroad Commissioner Jim Nugent. Lloyd Doggett opened up his seat on the Supreme Court to run for Congress after Jake Pickle announced his plans to retire after 30 years. Doggett represented Travis County in the Texas Senate in the 1970s and early 1980s but like many other Austin politicians he despaired of ever seeing Pickle retire. By the time Pickle was ready to pack it in, Doggett had lost a bid for the U.S. Senate and won a seat on the Supreme Court, only to see a progressive majority on the Court turn into a three-justice progressive bloc during the past two years. Frustrated with the role of writing dissents and facing what figured to be a well-funded opposition from the business community next year, Doggett did not appear to anguish over the choice of Congress over the Court. Meanwhile, the decision of Jimmy Carroll, chief justice of the 3rd Court of Appeals in Austin, to seek Doggett’s Supreme Court seat may keep it in moderate Democratic hands. Texas Lawyer reported that Carroll is acceptable to both the Texas Trial Lawyers and the Tekas Medical Association. Also seeking the seat is Margaret Mirabal, a Democratic justice on the 1st Court of Appeals in Houston, and Priscilla Owens, a Houston lawyer. Alice Oliver Parrott, chief justice of the 1st Court of Appeals, turned down a federal judgeship to run as a Democrat for Republican Nathan Hecht’s seat on the Supreme Court. No challengers have arisen to conservative Democratic Justice Raul Gonzalez, who is seeking re-election. V DEMOCRATS RUNNING for Andrews’ Congressional seat include Ken Bentsen Jr., nephew of Lloyd Bentsen; former state Rep. Paul Colbert; and lawyer Carrin Patman. Tony Polumbo, a justice of the peace and former state representative, is also considering a race. Two statewide Republican primary races are shaping up, with John Marshall of Dallas and Pat Lykos and Don Wittig of Houston, all state district judges, all advocating a crackdown on crime and all running for attorney general. Austin accountant Teresa Doggett wife of John Doggett, who rebutted Anita Hill’s testimony in the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearingsand Austin banker David Hartman both are running for state treasurer, opposing incumbent Martha Whitehead’ s proposal to abolish the office. V BACK IN AUSTIN, some supporters were disappointed Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos passed up a Congressional bid, but his decision to stay in the Senate may have saved the county from losing most of its remaining legislative clout going into a session when developers are mobilizing to reverse local environmental initiatives; Reps. Elliott Naishtat and Sherri Greenberg were ready to pair off for the Senate while Wilhelmina Delco and Libby Linebarger already have announced their retirements, which would have left Glen Maxey, with one and one-half terms, as the county’s senior legislator. Others who are leaving office include Jim Rudd, D-Brownfield, who plans to become a lobbyist, and Garfield Thompson, D-Fort Worth. Rep. Ric Williamson of Weatherford announced he will switch parties and seek reelection as a Republican. The race for state Senate District 6 in Houston is expected to include Reps. Mario Gallegos, Yolanda Navarro Flores and former state Rep. Roman Martinez. V POINTS FOR PROGRESS. State District Judge Scott McCown may have reduced the potential role of the new public school finance plan in the next election campaign when the state district judge in Austin ruled the plan, while unpopular with rich and poor districts, generally satisfies the state constitution. McCown set a Sept. 1, 1995, deadline for the Legislature to come up with a plan to equalize funding of school facilities. The Texas Supreme Court, which had agreed with district courts that struck down three previous school finance plans, will rule on the appeal of this plan. V LAND SAVINGS. As some major activities of the Resolution Trust Corp. on Oct. 1 were shifted to the new Savings Association Insurance Fund, administered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., conservation groups are urging the FDIC to retain the RTC’s system for identification, screening and notification of properties with special values that it acquires from foreclosed banks and savings and loans. As of September 1993, the RTC had made $50 million from the sale to conservation and recreation organizations of 50 properties totalling 33,000 acres in Texas and other states. The Trust for Public Land, working with grassroots groups in San Antonio, negotiated to protect 4,700 acres of ecologically sensitive Government Canyon lands in the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone; environmentalists also went to court to block the sale to a development group of Playa del Rio, 12,500 acres of wetlands at the mouth of the Rio Grande. The Texas Center for Policy Studies helped identify sensitive lands that had come under federal control. With the purchase of those lands by conservation organizations, they “created something positive from the debacle of the savings and loan crisis,” but as it phases out the S&L project, the Austin-based center recommended that the RTC and FDIC develop a policy to donate to park authorities undeveloped lands that have special resource attributes and no reasonable recovery value. V EASY AS APPLE PIE. First Williamson County Commissioners Court Continued on pg. 22 24 DECEMBER 24, 1993 17441.W.11,411.11/ -…..”,,,,k urr…. .,,Ole -k .rqro