Gallegos Contest Dismissed
By Byron LaMasters
Most of the focus has been on the three state house contests (now two) by Republicans Talmadge Heflin and Eric Opieda. The contest by Jack Stick against Mark Strama was dropped last week. But there was a fourth contest as well - this one on the senate side. It was a frivolous challenge against Sen. Mario Gallegos (D-Houston) which was dismissed today:
The Senate State Affairs Committee on Monday dismissed an election challenge filed against state Sen. Mario Gallegos by a former opponent who is his former mistress.
The panel found that Susan Delgado "failed to state the grounds necessary to maintain an election contest" against the Houston Democrat. Committee members voted 9-0 to send the report to the full Senate for a vote.
Delgado had contended that Gallegos lived in the 11th District, although he represents the 6th District. Gallegos, who has represented the eastern Harris County district since 1995, was overwhelmingly re-elected in November.
Delgado, a former stripper who claimed that she had a 17-year affair with Gallegos, ran as a write-in candidate against him. She contended that Gallegos took a homestead tax exemption on a house outside of his district. But Gallegos is registered to vote at his mother's house within the 6th District and claims to live there.
So, what's that? Two down, two to go?
As for the Hubert Vo contest, I attended the rally for Vo on the south steps of the capitol yesterday, and I'll post some pictures when I have the chance. For the latest on the Vo challenge, read the posts of Off the Kuff and Greg's Opinion from yesterday.
Posted by Byron LaMasters at January 12, 2005 08:09 PM
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Ironically, this was actually the election contest that had the most merit. It is an "open secret" that many politicians do not live in their districts, and many just turn a blind eye. (When Dallas had 8 Democratic house members, half of them did not live in their Distticts, and one of our Democratic Senators did not either at the time).
Gallegos has a homestead outside his District, which means he stated under oath in one public document that he lived outside the district, and then he stated under oath in another document that he lived in his Senate district.
This is not the case where one recently moves and innocently forgets to change the homestead exemption. We really need to cut this crap out and insist that our politicians live in their Districts to avoid any challenge of impropriety. (FYI, Republicans are guilty too, I just am more familiar with the Dem. side).
