Tx Capitol Report

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas El Paso from the Texas Capitol.

I hope everyone will have a great holiday season.

Memorial service for Riverside High teacher

A memorial service has been set for Gustav Erick Djerf, the Riverside High School art teacher whose remains were identified last week by authorities.

Djerf, 47, will be remembered at a service at 10 a.m. Jan. 9 at Zion Lutheran Church, 2800 Pershing. 

"I thank all of you for your friendship with Erick," Djerf's mom, Peggy Djerf, said in an email. "He was a wonderful person and all of us will miss him greatly."

The longtime educator disappeared in August from a campsite near the Rio Grande between Fort Hancock and Sierra Blanca.

Last month, a skull was found by a rancher in the area where Djerf was camping. Testing of the skull determined it belonged to Djerf.

 
 

Attorney General has not made ruling yet

Yesterday this blog said the Attorney General's office issued a favorable decision in support of County Attorney Jo Anne Bernal.

The office actually released a copy of paperwork submitted by Bernal but has not rendered an opinion. That opinion will not come for another 180 days.

The county attorney's office and Ethics Commission Chairman Stuart Leeds disagree over the issue.

Leeds said Wednesday he continues to look forward to the opinion of the Attorney General, which he hopes will accept his arguments that the county attorney's office should not advise the commission because the office itself is subject to the ethics code and may have several conflicts of interest while representing other county officials and employees.

"Multiple representation carries with it multiple ethical issues with the state bar," said Leeds, who explained that he is speaking for himself and not the board . "Attorneys are under the gun all the time not to accept multiple representation. This is why I am hoping the attorney general does the right thing."

A quote that was attributed to the Attorney General's office was actually a statement made by Bernal in her request for the opinion.

"Finding the existence of such a comprehensive conflict would achieve an absurd result," Bernal said in her request. "The Ethics Commission members themselves are subject to the provisions of the Code of Ethics and the jurisdiction of the Commission and the same blanket conflict would apply to them - they could never hear and rule on any Ethics Code complaints."

Attorney General sides with county attorney

The Attorney General's office on Tuesday said County Attorney Jo Anne Bernal can serve as legal counsel for a newly formed Ethics Commission.

Responding to a request for an opinion from Bernal, the Attorney General's office said the county attorney has the "duty to provide advice and representation in all legal matters to the Commission." 

It also said the commission cannot seek outside legal counsel without the consent of the county attorney.

The county attorney's office and Ethics Commission Chairman Stuart Leeds have been at odds over the issue.

In November, Leeds wrote an op-ed piece in the El Paso Times saying that the county attorney's office should not advise the commission because the office itself was subject to the ethics code and may have several conflicts of interest while representing other county officials and employees.

But the Attorney General's opinion said there is no blanket conflict of interest that would prohibit the county attorney from giving legal advice.

It said the county attorney can serve as the Commission's legal counsel despite the fact that she is subject to the commission's jurisdiction and represents other county entities and officials that fall under that jurisdiction.

"Finding the existence of such a comprehensive conflict would achieve an absurd result," the opinion said. "The Ethics Commission members themselves are subject to the provisions of the Code of Ethics and the jurisdiction of the Commission and the same blanket conflict would apply to them - they could never hear and rule on any Ethics Code complaints."

   

Candidate for governor to visit El Paso

Houston mayor and gubernatorial candidate Bill White will make a stop in El Paso Sunday to accept endorsements from several area politicians.

His staff said they are still trying to work out details for the trip. It is tentatively scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at the Wyndham El Paso Airport Hotel.

Staffers would not specifically say which El Paso politicians would be endorsing White on Sunday. They said that announcement would come later this week.

White entered the Democratic race for governor last week as one of the party's lead candidates. Humorist Kinky Friedman, hair care mogul Farouk Shami and teacher Felix Alvarado of Fort Worth are also contenders for the Democratic nomination.

Friedman has hinted that he may drop out out of the race. Some have speculated that he may instead run for land commissioner.

If Friedman steps down, White and Shami would be the only two candidates with the ability to raise millions of dollars for their campaign bids.

White has already raised more than $4 million for the race.

Shami has pledged to invest up to $10 million of his own fortune on his bid for governor.

It's official. Bill White is running for governor

Houston mayor Bill White announced today that he wants to be the next governor of Texas.

Nearly two weeks ago, White said he was considering the possibility of running for governor on the Democratic ticket.

Another Democratic candidate for governor also made his own announcement today.

Hank Gilbert issued a statement saying that he was dropping out of the governor's race to run for Agriculture Commissioner. He endorsed Farouk Shami for governor.

Read more in Saturday's El Paso Times print edition.

First day to file for office draws Perry and others

Gov. Rick Perry today officially filed for re-election.
He is one of hundreds of candidates throughout the state who are taking advantage of the first day of the filing period for the March 2 primary.
The last day to file for the party primaries is Jan. 4.
His opponent U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison announced that she would file on Monday.
State Rep. Chente Quintanilla and State Rep. Marisa Marquez filed earlier today.
At noon, former County attorney Jose Rodriguez plans to file for the senate and State Rep. Norma Chavez expects to file for reelection to represent District 76.
State Rep. Joe Pickett is out of town and will file on Monday.

Luis Rene Diaz, a candidate for District 78, also announced that he would file later today.

Check back for more updates.

Money brings House speaker to El Paso

Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, will be in El Paso today raising money for his re-election campaign.

Straus will take a short tour of Texas Tech's Paul L. Foster School of Medicine before heading to a fundraising lunch at Cafe Central.

Businessmen sponsoring the fundraiser include Foster, Woody Hunt, Robert Brown and Marty Peisen.

Straus' office said that he is looking forward to touring the medical school and hearing about issues that are unique to El Paso and the border but made it clear that this is a campaign stop.

"A lot of times we visit with representatives from the area to see if there is anything they want to show us or if there are projects they are working on," said Gordon Johnson, senior counsel to the speaker.

Johnson said he was not sure if Foster or one of El Paso's representatives in the House suggested the visit to the medical school.

Straus will leave El Paso after the fundraiser.

No decision yet

Sen. Eliot Shapleigh said a decision would come after Thanksgiving.

The problem is that he never said exactly when.

On Monday, he told the El Paso Times that an announcement on his future plans would come sometime before Jan. 3. The last day to file for a place on the ballot is Jan. 4.

"Right now we are enjoying life," Shapleigh said. "I visit with dozens of friends across the state and nation on options and when I am resolved how to best serve, I'll be sure and let you know."

Shapleigh announced last month that he would not seek reelection for his senate seat in 2010.

Back then he hinted strongly at the possibility of running for statewide office. He said the work that needed to be done in Texas had to be done at higher levels.

For weeks, speculation over Shapleigh's plans has centered around two statewide seats: governor or lieutenant governor.

Recently, though, he endorsed Houston Mayor Bill White for governor.

When asked if he was considering a possible bid for governor or lieutenant governor, Shapleigh brushed aside the governor's race.

"I believe Bill White will be the next governor," Shapleigh said. "He is a consensus builder. He solves problems. He has strong backing in Houston. He can raise the money and he is trusted."

Shapleigh would not say which statewide office, if any, he plans to seek but did say that raising money is a factor.

"Nearly every decision is a funding issue in public or private life," Shapleigh said.

Margo has joined the race

Businessman Dee Margo has decided to run against State Rep. Joe Moody for the District 78 seat.

The chairman and CEO of JDW Insurance told the El Paso Times two weeks ago that he was not interested in the state senate but was instead considering a rematch against Moody.

Margo beat longtime Republican House member Pat Haggerty last year in the primary for the seat but lost to Moody in the general election.

He said Moody had an edge because of the high number of voters who showed up at the polls for the presidential election between President Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain.

Before Margo can face Moody in the general election, he will have to beat two Republican challengers in the primary this March.

Jay Kleberg, a former recruiter who brought corporations to the El Paso region, and former bank manager L. Rene Diaz have already said they would join the Republican ballot.

Margo said he is ready to face his opponents.

"We did some polling last week. It was very positive," Margo said. "Based on as much "empirical" data as we could come up with, we decided to do it."

This is the third time Margo will seek a state office. He lost to Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, in 2006.