By PEGGY FIKAC, San Antonio Express-News
Lawmakers should look at allowing voters, rather than the governor, to choose the overseer of the Texas Department of Transportation, a member of a legislative body studying the controversy-stirring agency said Tuesday.
"I think that we ought to have everything on the table," said Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon, D-San Antonio, a member of the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission, at a hearing on possible changes at TxDOT. "We ought to look at leaving it like it is. We also ought to seriously look at an elected commissioner."
McClendon asked Sunset staff — who earlier issued a report urging other major changes at the agency, citing an atmosphere of frustration and distrust — to study the pros and cons of an elected commissioner.
Critics of TxDOT and the commission that oversees it applauded the idea, and one man said, "Amen!"
The idea was seconded by Rep. Linda Harper-Brown, R-Irving, who said the proposal would make a "bold statement" that the agency must rebuild trust and address the state's transportation needs.
She said 76 percent of people who have commented during the review process want an elected commissioner.
"I think that if we did not look at that, we would be as guilty as TxDOT is of not listening to the public," Harper-Brown said. The idea met with resistance from Gov. Rick Perry's office. His spokeswoman, Allison Castle, said that TxDOT "is part of the executive branch of government, and the governor believes that's where it should stay."
Read the rest of the story HERE.
7/17/2008
Governor Perry rejects call for voters to choose TxDOT head
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12 comments:
WTF? We ellect a RailRoad commish, but we shouldnt vote on a TxDOT commish... can we pick a side of our mouth and stick with it?
Crooks like Gov. Perry and Sen. Watson don't want us to vote for the head of TxDOT or vote if our freeways get toll taxed (or not).
They want ALL the control. They want ALL your money.
What should the public expect from Perry? He surely doesn't want people to have a say with electing the Transportation Commission members - he doesn't like elections at all - but he took his 39% approval by voters as a mandate to do what the hell he wants ! The public is just "mis-informed", per his statement many times! What a bigot.
Rick is a DICK-tator.
Great - we'll reject his right to remain governor in a couple of years. Anyone notice that the politicians have been real quiet since the TTC69 changes? I have tried to get several of them to answer me on the need for a supplemental DEIS and "mums the word". It fortifies my suspician that nothing has changed. I encourage everyone to challenge anyone running against an incumbent this fall to keep the heat up on the TTC issue. It should be a major portion of every candidate's platform. We really need to get them to answer what they will do in the next Ledge session before we cast a ballot.
Perry realizes that 39% doesn't mandate true elections.
Can't wait till the state government elections of November 2009!!! Of course Perry could manipulate the electronic voting machines so that he can win again by another "slim margin". I wouldn't put it past this cockroach and all his little cockroach spawn.
Actually, regarding my last post- is the next governors race in November of 2009 or 2010?
Response to anon. @ 4:22: I think it's 2010. I agree with you that the roach will very possibly pay-off a hack to "tilt" the election in his favor. But since the "Independent" candidates helped him so much last time, I could see him pushing against this American two-party system. In Germany on March 13, 1932 there were four candidates for the Presidential Election. The results were:
Hindenburg 49.6 percent
Hitler 30.1 percent
Thaelmann 13.2 percent
Duesterberg 6.8 percent
Then, Hitler's party caused some chaos throughout Germany, and less than a year later...
"On January 30, 1933, President Hindenburg appointed Adolf Hitler chancellor of Germany. Although the National Socialists never captured more than 37 percent of the national vote, and even though they still held a minority of cabinet posts and fewer than 50 percent of the seats in the Reichstag, Hitler and the Nazis set out to to consolidate their power. With Hitler as chancellor, that proved to be a fairly easy task."
Sound familiar? If we would learn from history, we'd know that four candidates for an Executive election makes for a majority of the people voting AGAINST the winning candidate.
Gov Perry is only concerned about his needs. Forget the people that voted him in. If he cannot appoint the next TxDOT head then he cannot snake his way to what he wants.
You must first appoint the puppet before you can pull the strings. There is alot of money tied up in TxDOT, and he gains from it even if you dont see it.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5896253.html
They also want to waste taxpayer dollars for advertising / misadvertising their schemes.
Perry's control of TxDOT and his ability to appoint TxDOT commissioners must go. For that mattter Perry must go. TxDOT's current commissioners must go. TxDOT's executive director must go. TxDOT's deputy executive directors must go. TxDOT's chief financial officer/accountant must go. What a bunch of sorry, worthless, lackluster, self-indulgent, insidious, incompetent, liars and thieves.
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