Grits for Breakfast breaks the news on a rumor that has indeed been floating around Austin political circles. As we continue to wait for a decision from current Travis County DA Ronnie Earle as to whether he's running for re-election, Judge Jeanne Meurer may be looking to add her name to the list of candidates "running if Earle doesn't run".
I heard a rumor last night from a reliable source that the Governor offered retiring Democratic Travis County District Judge Jeanne Meurer a job "running" the Texas Youth Commission (my snitch didn't know if it was the commissioner or the conservator's slot), but she turned it down because she would not have the authority or budget to fix the agency's problems. The source speculated Meurer may instead run for Travis County District Attorney instead when long-time incumbent Ronnie Earle steps down from the post.
I have to say, if the rumor's true, at this point it's hard to blame Judge Meurer for passing up TYC. Without significant resources and enough clout to reverse many bad decisions and hires from the last nine months, the job would be an endlessly ungratifying headache.
