The Travis County Justice of the Peace Precinct 2 is the last remaining office in Travis County held by a Republican and that Republican choose to retire. While the work of a JP is largely non-partisan, there is no reason to not support a good qualified Democrat to bring this final seat into the Democratic fold.
We endorse Karin Crump in the Democratic primary. As a mediator, lawyer, and UT graduate we're excited to support a young yet fully capable candidate for this office. We hope you will make her the Democratic nominee and then support her when she faces openly gay Republican Glenn Bass in the general election.
Nearly 12 years ago, the office of Travis County Justice of the Peace was wide open and an intense primary ensued between two candidates. One of those candidates was now 200th District Court Judge Gisela Triana. The other candidate was described as running for JP and having "no ambition to go further."
That second candidate was Herb Evans and twelve years later we offer him our endorsement to continue serving in the same seat he was elected to in 1998. Evans, a calm, measured, and honorable man has earned our support to continue serving his Central Austin district.
Often overlooked on the ballot due to their expansive nature and the difficulty of campaigning, this year will provide a banner year for voters to make real choices about the future of the Texas State Board of Education. With only 15 districts statewide, these gerrymandered seats have forced a handful of moderate Republicans and a minority Democratic caucus to control right wing anti-science, anti-education Republicans from rewriting history in Texas textbooks.
Austin is home to two State Board of Education seats, both held by Republicans and stretching off into the hinterlands. For those voters south of the river, we encourage you to vote for Rebecca Bell-Metereau in the Democratic primary.
Rebecca Bell-Metereau is a Professor of English and Film at Texas State University and given decades of service to the field of education. We encourage you to review her extensive qualifications and educations background. The State Board of Education needs more rational voices and more experienced board members who have proven their commitment to our state's intellectual future. Rebecca Bell-Metereau has done so and we are proud to endorse her campaign in District 5.
Our endorsement of Hank Gilbert for Texas Agriculture Commissioner can be summed up in 2 words.
Kinky Friedman. Or Todd Staples. Take your pick.
Gilbert was our 2006 Democratic nominee and we'd like to see him make a second run and win this time. His primary opposition has always been unacceptable for us at Burnt Orange Report, and lest you need reminding, you can review why we will never endorse Kinky Friedman for anything here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, especially here, here, here, here, here, and here.
It's been an interesting year for Hank. He stepped up to the plate to create a race for Governor when it appeared no one strong would bring more than the medium heat. We applaud him for that. He rightfully vacated that race when Bill White stepped in, but exited with an eye raising endorsement and subsequent collateral damage. In the grand scheme of things, these have been minor distractions, but distractions nonetheless towards his most immediate goal- winning the primary.
Hank Gilbert needs your vote to become the Democratic nominee.
Give him your vote and let's move on to a real barnburner of a race against sleazy Todd Staples.
We were a little nervous as the filing deadline approached and the only announced Democratic candidate was former Henderson County Justice of the Peace Bill Burton. While Republican incumbent Jerry Patterson is one of the only tolerable, albeit eccentric, Republicans in elected statewide office, voters deserved a legitimate choice on the November ballot. Luckily, voters will have a real choice, one that is a vast improvement over Burton as well as the 2006 Democratic nominee VaLinda Hathcox.
We endorse and encourage Democrats to support Hector Uribe for Texas Land Commissioner.
While Uribe has had a light hearted entry into the race, befitting of the banter often expressed by Patterson, there are serious points of contention with which we side with Uribe on. Commissioner Patterson's General Land Office has repeatedly attempted to sell Texas' public lands to private interests, something which Uribe opposes.
Patterson's insistence on selling the 9,269-acre tract follows other controversial attempts by the state to sell public land to private interests. Last year the General Land Office presided over the proposed sale of 400 acres at Eagle Mountain Lake in Fort Worth, and in 2005 the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department tried to sell 46,300 acres at Big Bend Ranch State Park to a wealthy developer.
Hector Uribe promises to run a real campaign, something his primary opponent Bill Burton can't hope to do. And given the added importance of the office of the Land Commissioner (it is one of the 5 seats on the Legislative Redistricting Board) we believe Democrats will be best served by nominating, and then hopefully electing Hector Uribe as the next Land Commissioner of Texas.
The Democratic primary for the Lieutenant Governor's race has been, to this point, less than exciting for a lot of Texas Democrats, except for one important sub-group: those people who have had the privilege to hear directly from Linda Chavez-Thompson.
Perhaps that's why this is the one race where the staff of BOR is exercising our editorial judgment over the voting preference of our readers. After all, the recent poll on the Lieutenant Governor's race showed Chavez-Thompson with 18%, former Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle with 16% -- and, to quote the Texas Tribune, "a whopping 58 percent remain undecided on the eve of early voting." It's not surprising to us that our BOR readers -- a majority of whom reside in Austin -- would support Earle, if for no other reason that they know something about him and they don't know a lot about Linda Chavez-Thompson.
So let us tell you about Linda Chavez-Thompson, the Democrat we endorse for Lieutenant Governor.
Linda Chavez-Thompson got her first job in Texas at the age of ten, working for thirty-cents an hour hoeing cotton with her family. She picked cotton, cleaned homes, and learned English when she should have been finishing high school -- all so she could support her family. In her youth, she learned the values of protecting Texas families and ensuring every Texas child has the best education possible. It is amazing to hear Linda Chavez-Thompson talk about how her days growing up in Texas instilled in her the strength, intelligence, and passion she has carried with her throughout her life.
The rest of her lifetime of public service is well documented. From a ten-year old picking cotton in West Texas, she became the first woman and first person of color to serve as Executive Vice-President of the National AFL-CIO. And in that time, she -- unlike her wealthy billionaire opponent, incumbent David Dewhurst -- always put the best interests of Texas families first. One fellow blogger wrote passionately about why she is supporting Linda Chavez-Thompson:
Until we elect somebody like Linda, who understands what the rest of Texas goes through, our state won't develop policies designed for everybody to succeed. Linda Chavez-Thompson has been working for those less fortunate not just her entire career, but her entire life.
We agree. We endorse Linda Chavez-Thompson for Lieutenant Governor, and hope you get to hear her story directly very soon.
It has been a long seven years since we first started writing about Texas politics here at Burnt Orange Report. Founded during the apex of Republican power in Texas in 2003 we have seen countless scandals, budget cuts, and naked power grabs at the hands of the GOP, too many to begin to name or list here. During this time, one man has come to embody the Republican Party of Texas- Rick Perry.
After 10 long years, it almost feels like we have become accustomed to and almost desensitized by his failure to lead. We have fallen so far as to accept open talk of secession as acceptable political discourse.
Texas cannot afford 4 more years of Rick Perry's crippling assaults on the public good.
That's why today, our staff offers its unanimous and unqualified endorsement of former Houston Mayor Bill White in his bid to become the next Governor of Texas.
Describing Bill White can be difficult. Unassuming and quiet at first glance, his vast intellect, intense curiosity, and diverse life experiences provide a powerful force in solving problems as he has in Houston for the past decade. His ability to command a room is uncanny and one he has used direct the attention of private industry to improve the good of the public as he did after Hurricane Katrina.
In his three terms of service to Houston, Bill White has been a strong mayor- not because of the powers vested in him by Houston's "strong mayor" system of governance, but by the initiative he has taken to lead his city forward. White has taken science seriously and has set Houston on a path to retooling its energy economy in preparation for the next generation of energy production post-petroleum (all while reducing energy consumption as the city has grown). White took on polluters and won. White experimented with educational reforms that have become a model for other school districts to follow. And as a numbers driven policy wonk, he retooled Houston's finances to free up money from paying debt to parks and libraries.
The difference in leadership between Bill White and Rick Perry is clear.
Bill White has chosen to engage the interconnected societal challenges of public health, educational access, and economic opportunity in preparation for the next generation. Rick Perry has chosen to mortgage Texas' future for short term political gain and a blind adherence to a failing ideology that looks back, not forward.
It's time to move forward. It's time for Bill White.
Many of our readers would probably not believe us when we say that this endorsement above all others was the most difficult to make. In fact, while we were prepared to offer endorsements in the council races weeks now, our staff did not settle on a consensus until recently. We debated issuing no endorsement or a joint endorsement but felt that neither properly accounts for political realities or our personal feelings.
In addition to the paragraph cited in our Place 1 endorsement, we wish to reflect on these words written by KT after the conclusion of last year's municipal elections. This quoted text is important to read to understand the context of this endorsement.
This is an open mayoral seat, a chance for Austin voters to step up, engage the candidates, and pick someone to lead their city that expresses what they want to see in their city. It's a free for all, and a chance to really select a Mayor in a different way than we select our council members. There is something that draws in and engages an expanded set of voters in selecting a Mayor, and it's an opportunity to have a much different conversation about who we are as a city and where we want to go.
Austin is a unique place- with energy, with youth, with growth, with different ideas of what it's future should be. Our mayor should be someone who reflects that. A mayor with character. Just like Austin.
I recognize there are prospective candidates from the current council, as many as three. But this race should be much more than a simplistic insiders debate over "Brewster or Lee" which I find rather small-picture and for the most part, unexciting.
...
All said- this our chance to elect a new mayor without it being under a cloud of scandal, without particular local issues driving the race, or without certain ballot questions taking priority. Who knows, that could all change in a year, but for 2009, my personal feelings about the race for mayor are ones based upon thinking beyond the insider narratives of today.
This is largely the problem with this year's Mayoral race. The insider narratives of a year ago, possibly even longer, haven't changed in the slightest. This race has been entirely about "Brewster or Lee". The only other major challenge comes from a candidate immediately unacceptable to us (and hardly "new and inspiring") in the form of Carole Strayhorn, who was a joke from the beginning.
For now, the political realities of Austin prevent Brewster McCracken's message from reaching electoral victory, even as a majority of the staff finds it more in sync with our call for a leader who inspires the city. At the same time, we're not entirely convinced that Brewster McCracken is the right messenger for his own message. But that point is muted by the fact that Austin's campaign finance laws and as a result, it's consistently traditional electorate, have made it impossible for all leading candidates to have a real conversation about the future.
Cookie cutter elections lead to cookie cutter campaigns. Let us hope that we reform or shock the system soon lest cookie cutter campaigns lead to cookie cutter candidates.
All this said, we believe Lee Leffingwell should, and will be the next Mayor of Austin. We stand by that. Even though Leffingwell's spent less time on the city council then Brewster McCracken, we feel he is more in tune with the citizens and other key community members who will work together to move the city forward. We have no concerns about where his loyalties lie, whether we can trust his word, or if he will work to protect and enhance the average citizen's quality of life as Mayor. Lee is relatable, he is humble, and he is grounded.
There is something to be said about candidates that get elected with concerns about their ability to represent the eclectic citizenry that makes Austin, Austin. We remember a candidate that could have been described as moderate, steady, or even milquetoast who stepped into office without a runoff against more entertaining contenders. We call him Mayor Will Wynn. And even those who had concerns recognize that he's become the Mayor we are proud to call Austin's own. (And that extends beyond jumping off bridges or doing the Thriller).
We agree with Brewster McCracken on this: The office of the Mayor is about promoting Austin.
But what is Austin? The people are Austin. Without you, there is no Austin.
Lee's in it for Austin because he's in it for you.
That's why we endorse Lee Leffingwell for Mayor of Austin.
Members of the Burnt Orange Report staff employed by campaigns abstain from voting on those races. Endorsements are made based on a weighted consensus of the staff, which guides the type and tone of endorsement.
We are encouraged by the fact that regardless of whether Perla Cavazos or Chris Riley is elected to fill the remainder of Councilman Lee Leffingwell's term, the City of Austin will be in good hands. Judging from the split nature that the endorsements from across Austin have run in this race, voters are enjoying the opportunity to pick a side and vision that best fits their views (as well as doing so with a minimum of personal attacks or politics). Similar to the rest of Austin, our staff has supporters on both sides of this race.
The greatest challenge the city council has faced in recent years is its evolution into a mediocre, consensus driven body, often bereft of the passion, hope, and big-city vision which powers its citizens and creative economy on a daily basis. This is not to say that every member must be a champion or an advocate- it is just to say that an occasional clash of ideas based upon personal philosophy rather than personal politics would be nice.
The values expressed in that statement strongly guide our choice of Chris Riley over Perla Cavazos in this election. Our staff has met with and talked directly with the candidates on multiple occasions. We see how the candidates have reacted to questions in multiple forums. Those interactions and experiences lead us to the following conclusions.
Chris Riley wants, needs, and deserves to be on the city council. His passion for good city government is obvious. His vision for a model next-generation city that respects our environment is clear. His values are rooted in the Austin of old, the one he was born in raised in, while his education and lengthy public service give him the credibility to plan for the Austin of tomorrow. Chris Riley brings more than a new vote to the council, he brings a new perspective. He lives what he advocates.
The City Council we elect this year (combined with Randi Shade and Laura Morrison newly elected last year) has a high likelihood of governing Austin well into the next decade. Chris Riley's energy and enthusiasm for "what could be" is needed to create a working coalition that will turn the tide against mediocre, consensus driven policy bereft of imagination at city hall.
Call Chris Riley a geek, call him a nerd; either way we'd also like to call him "Councilman".
Members of the Burnt Orange Report staff employed by campaigns abstain from voting on those races. Endorsements are made based on a weighted consensus of the staff, which guides the type and tone of endorsement.
We wish more councilmembers would be like Mike Martinez. In the past three years, if one looked for the dynamic voices and proactive members of the council Mike Martinez would have been hard to miss. He's provocative, engaged, and invovled in the community. There's not question he's willing to lead and we hope he continues to do so in the future wherever his persuits and interests take him. He's not been shy about expressing his Democratic bonafides and we're not shy in expressing our support for his re-election.
We enthusiastically endorse Mike Martinez for Place 2.
