Chad’s Morning Brief: Wendy Davis is Running for Governor, Lubbock City Council News, and Other Top Stories
Here is your Morning Brief for the morning of September 27, 2013. Give me your feedback below and tune in to The Chad Hasty Show for these and many more topics from 8:30 to 11am. Remember, you can listen online at KFYO.com or on your iPhone/Android with the radioPup App.
Wendy Davis Is Running
Well it isn't the most shocking story in the world, but according to Politico Wendy Davis is running for Governor. Davis is set to announce her run next week on October 3rd. I guess yesterday's leak sorta ruined that.
Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis and her advisers have begun informing influential Democrats that she intends to run for governor in 2014, according to multiple sources familiar with Davis’s conversations.
The Fort Worth legislator made a national name for herself in June when she mounted a filibuster against new proposed abortion clinic regulations. Texas Republicans ultimately passed those restrictions into law in a special session called by outgoing Republican Gov. Rick Perry.
Davis advisers declined to confirm that she will enter the governor’s race, but Davis consultant Hector Nieto said the senator has made up her mind about 2014 and will unveil her plans next week.
“Sen. Davis has decided what she will do and she looks forward to making that announcement with her grass-roots supporters on Oct. 3,” Nieto said.
State and national Democrats have wooed Davis over the past few months for the uphill campaign against Republican state Attorney General Greg Abbott, the presumptive GOP gubernatorial nominee. She signaled in an email to supporters this month that she would state her intentions for 2014 at an event at the beginning of October.
It would be a major shock to her closest allies if she were to reverse course before that event and opt out of the election.
Davis, 50, has trailed Abbott in early polling on the gubernatorial election, which will be the first open-seat governor’s race in Texas since 1990.
Davis has no shot of winning, but she will bring in a lot of Democratic money. At least at first she will. Now it's time to watch for other Democrats to jump into state-wide races. Will they? No one really knows for sure. Davis though can't revive the Dems in Texas alone.
Lubbock City Council
The Lubbock City Council was busy last night and today on the show you will have a chance to call in and sound off on the decisions and debates that occurred last night. KFYO's Cole Shooter has a great write-up of last night's events.
At their meeting Thursday evening, the Lubbock City Council discussed a number of items, including removing a member of the City of Lubbock’s Electric Utility Board, which oversees a number of items forLubbock Power and Light.
The Council discussed the eligibility of now-former EUB member Dwight McDonald, after concerns arose that he was ineligible for the position.
Dwight McDonald, an attorney, works part time as a magistrate for the City’s Municipal Court, which the Council and City Attorney Sam Medina hold is a violation of the City Charter, which bars those employed by the City from being on the EUB.
Dwight McDonald said “I don’t expect to be treated any differently than anyone else. That’s my issue.”
McDonald specifically mentioned EUB members Marc McDougal and Carroll McDonald.
“Marc McDougal, their family has a contract with the city – $30,000 a month. My $20,000 a year pales in comparison to that, but he’s allowed to serve on this board,” said Dwight McDonald.
Carroll McDonald is a consultant for the West Texas Municipal Power Agency, and the City of Lubbock is one of the four municipalities which comprise the organization.
“I’m here to tell you that you appointed me in public, you can take me off in public. I’m not going to resign so that you can have it easy,” he continued.
McDonald said that he also believes that he will probably not be a City magistrate for much longer.
“I don’t think that I’ll be a City magistrate much longer, because I know how our mayor is, and I assume that somewhere down the line, my name is going to come up and I’m not going to get appointed again.”
McDonald’s allegations against Mayor Glen Robertson continued.
“My very first board meeting on LP&L in March, there was an agenda item to discuss comments made by the mayor in the public. I get there and they ask me to make a motion to withdraw that agenda item because the mayor has told two of our board members that if they talk about that in public, the city manager would stand up and read a letter that says that LP&L is under investigation by the FBI, and so they sat down and they were quiet,” McDonald continued.
Later in the meeting, Medina weighed in on the other two EUB members’ eligibility.
“Other issues have come up at this point, that, I tell you, I’ll be looking at now,” said Medina.
The Council unanimously voted to remove Dwight McDonald from the EUB due to ineligibility.
The Council also voted to name James Loomis as City Manager as opposed to his previous title of acting city manager.
The City of Lubbock will continue their search for a permanent city manager, and the 64-year-old Loomis still plans to retire within the next 18 months.
“I’m trying to see the benefit of changing the status quo,” said District 1 Councilman Victor Hernandez.
Robertson said “I think you need to treat employees with the respect they deserve, and I think Mr. Loomis is very deserving of the title of city manager…I don’t think acting city manager is a year-and-a-half job.”
Robertson continued, saying “I think he is ridiculously underpaid, not only for the job he’s doing, but also for the position.”
The Council set Loomis’ salary at around $200,000 per year when he was originally appointed in July. Former City Manager Lee Ann Dumbauld’s annual compensation was around $225,000 at the time of her firing.
The Council did not publicly discuss Loomis’ compensation any further.
Loomis weighed in, saying “This is an executive session issue. It’s a personnel issue, and I don’t know why we’re doing this in public because it is embarrassing to me. I will do the best job I know how to do no matter what it is or what you call me, but I don’t need to be embarrassed publicly like this.”
The Council approved naming Loomis as city manager 6-1, with District 3 Councilman Todd Klein voting against the measure.
The Council also chose to indefinitely postpone discussion over a work session item regarding a possible change in City Council meeting times.
Other Top Stories:
These and many more topics coming up on today’s edition of The Chad Hasty Show. Tune in mornings 8:30-11am on News/Talk 790 KFYO, streaming online at kfyo.com, and now on your iPhone and Android device with the radioPup App. All guest interviews can be heard online in our podcast section after the show at kfyo.com.
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