| Alicia Perez, the former the former exeuctive manager of Travis County administrative operations, has recently begun building support for a Democratic primary challenge to incumbent Travis County Judge Sam Biscoe. For those who have followed Perez's firing and subsequent battle with the Commissioners Court over a settlement, this development is not much of surprise. When Perez offered to settle with the county for a highly unreasonable $565,880, Biscoe told the Statesman that Perez had "declared war." If Perez does decide to enter the race, she may find it difficult to prove to voters that her candidacy is about something more than personal revenge against Sam Biscoe and the rest of the Commissioners Court. I am not an expert on the events surrounding her firing, but its aftermath has been a huge waste of county time and resources. Some have said that Perez has also recruited candidates to run against the incumbent Democratic commissioners who had voted to fire her. With the filing deadline looming in January, Perez will have to make her decision soon. If she does enter the race, she will face a clear uphill battle against Biscoe, a three-term incumbent who is widely respected and has strong Democratic credentials. But the entry of Perez, and everything that would likely come with it, would certainly make the race interesting. Update: The Statesman spoke with Perez in response to this post and she stated she would not be running. “I’m not saying that I would never do it,” Perez said of running for the county judge seat. But, “I’m trying to put (the firing) behind me.”
Whether Perez will ultimately decide to run herself, or instead focus on supporting the candidates she has recruited to run against incumbent county commissioners, she could have an input on next year's primaries in Travis County. |
