Burnt Orange Report

Ratliff Disenchanted with Partisanship

By Byron LaMasters

The AP ran a story this weekend on State Sen. Bill Ratliff - the GOP State senator who announced in July (before the Texas 11 went to New Mexico) that he opposed any redistricting map. Ratliff is probably the only Republican in the legislature that I can genuinely say that I admire and respect. There's a few others that I think are genuinely decent people, but none of them have the courage to buck their leadership and special interests the way that Ratliff does. I disagree with him a lot, but he makes the Texas senate a better place with his presence. Even though I'm pretty much a straight-ticket Democratic voter, it's a shame that he's considering running for re-election (even if his district could possibly be won by a Democrat if it were open, election of a right-wingnut would probably be most likely):

The legislative redistricting war in Austin is over. The pink-domed Capitol is 250 miles away. And Bill Ratliff, one of the state's most respected senators, is trying to decide whether he wants to go back.

The 67-year-old East Texas Republican is tired, disenchanted and wondering if there's still a place for a moderate in an increasingly partisan lawmaking body.

Known for voting his conscience rather than following the party line, Mr. Ratliff fought his own party leaders for months as they pushed for new political districts intended to put more Republicans in Congress. He argued that some versions of the map would dilute rural representation.

More than anything, Mr. Ratliff said he feared the redistricting battle would destroy the friendly working relationship Republicans and Democrats had enjoyed for decades in the Texas Senate.

"I never wanted to go to Congress because I never wanted to serve in a body that was so blindly partisan," Mr. Ratliff said. "And I truly believe that's where we're headed."

He said he is almost certain, largely for personal reasons, that he won't run when his term expires in 2006. He is still considering whether to retire early.

"Bill Hobby always used to say, 'You never make that decision until after you've been home for a while,' " Mr. Ratliff said, quoting the former lieutenant governor.

Some in Mr. Ratliff's district are worried about losing a longtime statesman whose quiet problem-solving, cool head and nonpartisan approach have made him a powerful influence in Austin.

Senate colleagues have nicknamed him Obi-Wan Kenobi after the wise man of Star Wars fame. Mr. Ratliff was chosen by colleagues to lead the Senate as lieutenant governor when Lt. Gov. Rick Perry replaced George W. Bush as governor in 2000.

"Texas needs Bill Ratliff," said Ken English, Mount Pleasant school superintendent. "If he's not in the Senate, not only will the Senate district be much sadder for it, but I think the state of Texas will be, too."

When Mr. Ratliff took a stand against redistricting in the summer, hundreds of supportive cards and letters from San Antonio to Nebraska arrived at his Capitol office and his nondescript brick office off the square in Mount Pleasant.

Even constituents such as Bill Holda, who has disagreed with Mr. Ratliff on policy issues, are pressing him to stay.

"There are times that he wins battles and loses battles, but I don't ever sense that he makes people an enemy if you get in the way of his issues," said Mr. Holda, president of Kilgore Community College. "That's what separates him from many of his colleagues."

When Mr. Ratliff announced he might leave the Senate, Mr. Holda helped sponsor a "re-energizing" event. About 150 people showed up to show support, Mr. Holda said.

"For him to retire at any time is the worst possible time," said Bill Hartley, chairman and CEO of Southside Bank in Tyler. "We elected him for four more years to serve. That's what I want."

Influential start

Mr. Ratliff, a former civil engineer, won his seat in 1989. He immediately made his presence known by authoring the half-cent sales tax that rural and medium-size towns use for economic development.

During the 1990s, he authored Texas' share-the-wealth school-finance system. He rewrote the entire Texas education code for the first time in 45 years, giving districts more local control. And he helped create the Technology Infrastructure Fund, which put computers in schools, libraries and hospitals across rural Texas.

Mr. Ratliff bucked the party line as acting lieutenant governor, naming a Democrat as finance committee chairman and voting for a bill that strengthened punishment for hate crimes.

This year, he helped shepherd a compromise on a divisive lawsuit-limitation bill.

Mr. Ratliff said he has been touched by letters of support, though they probably won't sway his decision on whether to leave. His colleagues, however, might have some influence.

"I've had a number of senators say, 'I hope you don't. You're still a leveling influence in this body,' " he said. "When I hear that, I have to at least ponder whether or not there's enough truth in that to convince me that I can actually help dig us out of this quagmire."

In the end, the advice of his wife, Sally, probably will lead to a solution.

"What she counseled me to do is not make this decision in the heat of the moment," Mr. Ratliff said. "She said, 'Go sit on the end of a log somewhere and decide what you're going to do.' "