Williamson County Democratic Party chair Greg Windham holds a peculiar view of voters’ perception of the party he was elected to lead.
Windham said Moving Wilco Forward and Annie’s (List) play into anti-Democratic stereotypes, making Williamson County residents and other Texans “afraid of Democrats.”
“They [voters] think we are here to kiss their men, kill their babies and take their guns,” Windham said.
In an interview with Round Rock Leader editor Brad Stutzman, Windham echoed derisive stereotypes that Republicans frequently use to bash Democrats. During his brief tenure as the head of the local party, these sentiments have sparked conflict with a number of precinct chairs on the party’s executive committee.
Stutzman provides a balanced summary of the disagreement between Windham and the executive committee members who voted to spend about half their cash to fund a voter registration drive conducted by a coordinated campaign representing all local Democratic candidates. However, Windham’s comments quoted in the story reveal that he is fixated on opposing the treasurer of Moving Wilco Forward, the political action committee managing the coordinated campaign.
Robert Jones is a Democratic political consultant with a remarkable track record of success, serving as the political director for Annie’s List, a statewide “organization dedicated to electing progressive women to office.” Jones formed Moving Wilco Forward in December 2008 with the express purpose of electing all the Democratic candidates in Williamson county.
In voting to move $5,000 over to Moving Wilco Forward, the majority of executive committee members expressed greater confidence in the organization’s ability to execute the voter registration program than Windham.
Windham said he believes volunteers should use “elbow grease,” going door-to-door to register voters.
Hard work is part of the plan, and the coordinated campaign will do a significant amount of door-to-door canvassing; however, the coordinated campaign will also be using mail pieces and targeting new residents of Williamson county, many of whom may have neglected to move their voter registration. Take the average street in your average neighborhood, for example. Perhaps 1 in 20 homes on that street will have moved in the past year. “Elbow grease” is wasted knocking on the other 19 doors.
Windham may not have been aware of this, which may explain why he was in a very small minority voting against the proposal. After all, Windham has only run one political campaign, a failed bid for County Commissioner in 2008.
After the executive committee voted to write the check to Moving Wilco Forward, Windham fired off an antagonistic email to a large number of local Democrats.
It would be responsible for wasteful spenders to be eradicated in order to combat the stereotypes that prevent us from winning elections. We are living in an age of consequences and it would be refreshing for some people to wake up and realize it.
One is led to wonder how to “eradicate” members of the executive committee who disagree with him. The executive committee believes the best chance for success in November is with an organization that has the experience and tools to register more voters. They believe that a Moving Wilco Forward-led coordinated campaign will make a much better case than Windham that the Democratic Party better represents the interests of Williamson County’s working families.
The top concerns of voters this election, contrary to what Windham says, are Texas’ highest-in-the-nation electric and home insurance rates, the difficulty in finding a job or getting enough hours to make ends meet, the expense of sending a child to college, the fear of being one illness away from bankruptcy and the strain of toll roads and fuel prices on the family budget.
In ways that directly impact the lives of families in Williamson county, the Democratic Party represents positive change, greater transparency and accountability. All the better ideas for government are Democratic. The Republican party deals in fear, distrust, delay, stagnation and corruption. The Republican party is sorry that BP was asked to pay for the damage caused by their negligence. The Republican party wants to eliminate Social Security and terminate unemployment benefits. The Republican Party wants to give $3 million to each of the richest 120,000 taxpayers.
Local Democratic activists feel a sense of urgency to act now to take back government and use it to defend working families instead of giant corporations like ExxonMobil or BP. Every election that passes without voters hearing our message, more children fail, more homes are foreclosed, more workers become jobless, more jobless become homeless and summers keep getting hotter.
Greg Windham needs to heed his own advice: “We are living in an age of consequences and it would be refreshing for some people to wake up and realize it.” Wake up, Greg. Realize that you’re hurting the very cause you were elected to champion. Either that or step down and allow someone who actually believes that informed voters will side with the Democratic Party.
I stopped by the TxDOT Open House-Style Public Meeting in Austin yesterday. It was an opportunity to look at some maps, population estimates, and make sure our state’s transportation planners were aware of my 2 cents, (I was nice, but direct), regarding what I would like to see in the future. My message could be boiled down to , “Let’s stop the neglect and get back to building and paying for roads the way we used to in Texas, when we were the envy of many”.
Population growth estimates predict the number of people living in Texas will double by 2040.
On Thursday at the Brazos Center, residents were invited to give their input as to how the Texas Department of Transportation should manage long-term plans to accommodate the expected boom of new motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists flocking to the state.
About 50 people either stopped by the open house Thursday or gave input Wednesday at the Brazos Valley Council of Governments meeting.
“Instead of having a project-specific plan, this will be more of a visionary document to tell us what direction to head in,” said Bob Appleton, director of transportation, planning and development for TxDOT’s Bryan district.
Residents were encouraged to fill out surveys that will be used to craft the long-term plan. Questions on the form ranged from asking what types of transportation participants use to asking for a ranked order of transportation-related problems and solutions.
Appleton said the agency received criticism recently for not having updated its long-term plan since 1994. Now, the long-term plans for 2035 and beyond, he said, will be reviewed and updated every four years.
The good news is that other then the freebies that were available at the hearing, (pens, notepads, and rain gauges), everything else can be seen and done online. At TxDOT’s web site there is a page that has all the Meeting Handouts, as well as maps, which can be viewed online. But most important of all is this link where anyone can submit their own comments to TxDOT regarding the long range plan.
Let them know what you would like to see in the future. If you don’t tell them then how will they know? It’s your duty as a Texan.
Around Williamson County today there are many city council and school board elections. Click here to go to the County Elections page to see where to vote. There are 15 Precincts that have no election today.
Community Impact has a great VOTE 10 page setup with articles on certain races, and links to all the races (below).
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is asking for the public to cooperate with them in planning the Statewide Long-Range Transportation Plan 2035. It will be finalized in 2011 and will be the blue print for the “multimodal statewide transportation” in Texas for the next 24 years. There will be 26 meetings around the state of Texas, (From El Paso to Beaumont, and from Amarillo to Pharr), May 4th – 16th. (click here for the complete list.)
TxDOT has taken heat, and deservedly so, during it’s undertaking of the Trans-Texas Corridor for not involving the public and affected areas in the planning process. It looks like they’ve learned from that, and good to see that this time they are making a point of involving the public from the beginning. Here area few excerpts fromTxDOT Executive Director Amadeo Saenz words to the people of Texas:
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is currently updating the long-range, multimodal statewide transportation plan, and I would like to personally invite you to participate in its development.
[...]
The Statewide Long-Range Transportation Plan 2035 is not a listing of projects (although it will include the project listing included in the Unified Transportation Program), but a “blueprint” for the planning process that will guide the collaborative efforts among TxDOT, local and regional decision-makers, and all transportation stakeholders to reach a consensus on needed transportation projects and services. This Plan requires a cooperative process among TxDOT, metropolitan areas, cities, counties, various public and private transportation organizations, and you – the traveling public.
[...]
I encourage you to participate in the planning efforts at both the state and local levels. We want to ensure that your voice is heard, and your ideas and concerns are taken into consideration as decisions are made with regard to your transportation system and the services you depend on for your quality of life. I invite you to provide written comments at an open house-style public meeting, by mail, or on the TxDOT website. Your input is essential to TxDOT’s ability to serve the citizens of and visitors to the State of Texas and to be responsive to your transportation needs.
All of us who complained now owe it to our state and TxDOT to get involved, one way or another, and be heard on the future transportation needs of our state. Get involved or don’t complain in the future. There are many ways to get involved, via the TxDOT web site:
Lawrence Lessig’s latest, Ctrl+Alt+Del. Check it out if you have 50 minutes, no one explains the concept of why our government is broken and how to fix it.
Talk at the Rebooting Democracy 2010 conference in Bend, OR, March 27, 2010: Inspired by the Reverend, I’ve reworked the argument about what we should do. This is the first time out, so a bit rough in parts. Too hard on politicians (there are many many great ones, but my point is that we need a CITIZENS movement too). And profanity once (apologies). But feedback welcome at comments@lessig.org. Thanks.
Today at noon, Georgetown and Austin area students and community members, in partnership with SEAK (Students for Environmental Activism and Knowledge) at Southwestern University, held a press conference and awareness rally at the Williamson County Courthouse in regards to the proposed nuclear reactors by the South Texas Expansion Project and CPS Energy of San Antonio.
Three speakers presented arguments against the proposal and Georgetown’s support of it. Connor Hanrahan, SU Senior and president of SEAK, spoke about the lack of transparency in the Georgetown City Council’s energy policy process and the inappropriateness of the City’s support of a plan that has public opposition in San Antonio. Matthew Johnson of Public Citizen’s Texas Office spoke about the unnecessary financial risk associated with the plan.
“Given that the estimated cost of the nuclear expansion at the South Texas Project has doubled since Georgetown’s city council approved a 25 year power generation plan,” Johnson said, “there’s a strong case to be made that rethinking that plan with new assumptions would be appropriate to protect ratepayers.”
Noting that LCRA has requested the current drought be classified as worse than the 1950s era “drought of record,” Trevor Lovell of ReEnergize Texas expressed concern about the impact the new nuclear reactors would have on water flowing in the Colorado River.
“In a drought year the 2 reactors currently at STP consume half the flow of the river. Adding two new reactors will put wetland wildlife at substantial risk and may wipe local rice farmers out completely.”
The coalition plans to speak at the Georgetown City Council meeting next week and deliver a letter to each Council member asking them to rescind their support of the project and reconsider their commitment to 30% nuclear in their current 2035 energy plan.
Both sides in the contentious nuclear debate made one last attempt to sway CPS Energy’s board in the face of the upcoming decision to spend another $400 million on the project.
Opponents of the plan to add two more reactors to the South Texas Project outside Bay City continued to hit on the themes of unknown and potentially skyrocketing costs and the lack of a long-term solution to nuclear waste.
Several called for a voter referendum. Supporters for the first time at a public meeting included leaders from three electric cooperatives around the state that want to buy electricity from the expanded facility. These were the Kerrville Public Utility Board, Central Texas Electric Cooperative and the city of Georgetown.
State Representative Diana Maldonado (HD-52) will host a Higher Education Community Forum Thursday October 22nd, to discuss current higher education programs as well as increased opportunities that are planned in House District 52.
The Community Forum is open to the public and will consist of a panel discussion involving experts from the Round Rock Higher Education Center, Austin Community College, and the East Williamson Higher Education Center (EWCHEC).
“Ensuring our students have access to a quality and affordable higher education is paramount to building a strong economy and a vibrant community,” Maldonado said. “With numerous educational institutions located throughout Williamson County, this area is well positioned to become a regional leader for students and educators.”
What: Community Forum on Higher Education
When: Thursday, October 22nd at 5:00 p.m.
Where: Round Rock Higher Education Center, 1555 University Blvd., Round Rock
This is the second in a series of Community Forum’s Maldonado will be hosting to discuss issues of importance facing communities and residents throughout House District 52.
Maldonado is serving her first term in the Texas House of Representatives and represents House District 52 which encompasses a portion of Williamson County, including Round Rock, Taylor, Hutto, Thrall, Coupland and part of Georgetown and Austin.
Texas State Rep. Scott Hochberg (D-Houston) has a page on his web site for getting information on all 11 amendments on the November ballot.
I’ve provided a page of information for each amendment, which you can read by clicking the corresponding link on the right side of this page. On each page, I’ve included a summary of what the amendment does, some arguments for and against its passage, and links to more detailed information as well as the exact wording of the changes to the Constitution that each amendment would make. I do not recommend how you should vote on these proposals, but rather provide information so you can make informed decisions.
The Texas Legislative Council has a full blown analysis (65 pages) and a condensed (13 pages) information. The House Research Office has a Focus Report[.pdf] on the amendments.
This year there are 11 proposed amendments for a document that a long series of cowardly legislatures have thoroughly transformed from a statement of basic governmental principles into a confounding laundry list of miscellaneous regulation that should instead have been confined, for good or ill, to the representative legislative process. (That’s why we elect representatives.) As a result, we generally encourage voters to consider rejecting all the propositions, as exercises in misleading choice and fake democracy, indeed a mockery of democracy.
For those who prefer finer distinctions, we note that of the 11 propositions, only two (Proposition 4, creating a new higher education fund, and Proposition 9, addressing public ownership of beaches) approach constitutional importance. The rest are either ill-considered (1, 2, and 11), or so trivial that it’s a waste of public money and energy for us to be voting on them. Here’s the ballot language, along with our recommendations. Vote as you will.
As with most of these “off-year” constitutional amendment elections in Texas turnout is likely to be very low, and almost all of the propositions pass, unless there is significant opposition. Inform yourself on the propositions and go vote.
Monday, October 19 thru Saturday October, 24 8am to 6pm No Sunday Voting
Monday, October 26 thru Friday, October 30 7am to 7pm
Main Location:
Williamson County Inner Loop Annex, 301 SE Inner Loop, Georgetown
Branch Locations:
Parks and Recreation Admin. Bldg, 101 N. College, Georgetown, TX Sun City Social Center, 2 Texas Dr.,Georgetown, TX McConico Building, 301 W. Bagdad St., Round Rock, TX Kinningham Park, 1000 South Creek Dr.,Round Rock, TX Brushy Creek Community Center, 16318 Great Oaks Dr.,Round Rock, TX Round Rock ISD Performing Arts Center, 5800 McNeil Dr., Austin, TX Anderson Mill Limited District,11500 El Salido Parkway,Austin, TX Cedar Park Public Library,550 Discovery Blvd., Cedar Park, TX Cedar Park Randalls, 1400 Cypress Creek Rd., Cedar Park, TX Pat Bryson Municipal Hall,201 N. Brushy,Leander, TX Taylor City Hall, 400 Porter St., Taylor, TX Hutto City Hall, 401 W. Front St., Hutto, TX
Mobile Temporary Locations 10am-6pm (Location varies daily)
Seton Medical Center Williamson
Monday Oct 19
Granger City Hall
Tuesday Oct 20
Weir Fire Hall
Wednesday Oct 21
Jonah Community Center
Thursday Oct 22
Liberty Hill Annex
Friday Oct 23
Florence VFD
Saturday Oct 24
Andice Community Center
Monday Oct 26>
Bartlett First United Methodist Church
Tuesday Oct 27
Thrall VFD
Wednesday Oct 28
Round Rock Higher Education Center
Thursday Oct 29
Jarrell Memorial Park
Friday Oct 30
Ballot Style 1 (Constitutional Amendment Election) Ballot Style 2 (Constitutional Amendment Election and City of Hutto Special Election)
This Saturday the West Williamson County Democrats and the East Williamson County Democratic Club are co-hosting a guest speaker in the second of our public forum series, “Meet the Candidates.”
What: The October “MEET THE CANDIDATES” public forum
Where: Moody’s Restaurant, 309 N. Highway 183, in nearby Leander.
Date: Saturday, October 10, 2009
Time: 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Our featured speaker will be Dr. Lorenzo Sadun who is running for the Texas’ State Board of Education, District 10. Dr. Sadun will discuss his views on education, his assessment of the SBOE, why he wants an opportunity to change the direction of SBOE, and why it is so critical we remove our current representative.
For those of us who have not yet begun to examine the candidates for SBOE, the current representative for District 10 (which includes Williamson County, Travis County north of the Colorado River, and 14 additional counties) is Cynthia Dunbar who has asserted that she believes public education is unconstitutional and who in her book, “One Nation Under God,” calls public education “tyrannical” and “a subtle instrument of perversion.”
We need a person of reason with a solid background in education to represent us. It is critical that our SBOE representive believes in the public education system and is committed to improving it.
In August you heard Dr. Judy Jennings, the other Democratic candidate for this office. Now come hear Dr. Sadun. Let’s make sure that we each are prepared to make the best decision we can make when we have to decide at the voting booth in the March primary which of these two great candidates we want to represent us on the Democratic Party ticket in the November election!