Port Aransas South Jetty (Port Aransas, Tex.), Vol. 9, No. 45, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 1, 1980 Page: 3 of 8
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MAY 1, 1980
SOUTH JETTY
PAGE 3
A lot of people are seemingly
unaware of the awesome power
vested in the Texas Railroad
Commission.
I think that’s natural. Really.
After all, when was the last
time you rode a train? About the
only contact most Texans have
with a railroad is when they drive
across one.
So, when we go to the polls to
vote and come to the candidates
for Railroad Commissioner there’s
a tendency to skip over to the
next race, or to check the first
name on the list, or - and here’s
where the stinger is - we vote for
the name that sounds familiar.
You see, the Railroad Commis-
sion does a lot more than regulate
the dwindling affairs of the
railroad industry. As a matter of
fact the Interstate Commerce
Commission and the Federal
Railroad Administration exercise
the most control over rail lines
operating in Texas.
Most of the Railroad Commis-
sion’s time is devoted to the oil
and gas industry, to the contro-
versial strip mining activities, to
the trucking industry and bus
lines.
And to approving frequent
increases in utility rates!
Created by the Texas Legisla-
ture to serve as a watchdog for
the people, the Railroad Commis-
sion has become, in the words of
one critic, “a lapdog for indus-
try.”
Electing those candidates who
are backed and financed by the oil
and gas industry and the utility
companies to positions on the
Railroad Commission is about like
hiring a fox to guard your hen
house! If that sounds cynical, your
attention is directed to recent
utility bills as well as to the
Commission’s overall performance
in all matters relating to energy.
Yet those are the names you’re
likely to check almost without
thinking, since they’re the only
ones you remember hearing
anything about. They have a lot of
money to use for billboards,
newspaper ads and television
commercials. Money that you and
I contribute - under industry
coercion!
In a day when profits continue
to mount for the oil and related
industries, many of our poor and
elderly are simply not able to pay
their utility bills. They are not
able to maintain their homes.
They don’t have enough money
for all of life’s essentials - food,
housing, medical attention.
I am not so naive as to think
that changing two of the faces on
the Railroad Commission will
bring immediate relief to all our
problems. Really, I’m not.
But I am convinced it will help.
It’s a step in the right direction.
It’s a declaration of independence
for ordinary folks trying to
make-do with ordinary resources.
Two of the Democratic candi-
dates are campaigning without
financial assistance from industry.
Buddy Temple is a member of a
wealthy family and able to finance
an aggressive campaign on his
own. Jim Hightower has depend-
ed on the contributions of
consumers like us - and has not
had enough money to gain
wide-spread name recognition.
Hightower and Temple, in my
opinion, are the better choices in
their races.
If you’re voting in the Republi-
can primary, my choice is John
Thomas Henderson.
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SOUTH JETTY
Rhudy Wins
City Runoff
Don Rhudy will join the two
other newly elected members of
the City Council, following Satur-
day’s runoff election in which he
defeated Keith Searcy for the
Place 4 seat by a margin of 119 to
101 votes. In the April 5 council
election, which resulted in the
Rhudy-Searcy runoff, Rhudy
scored 221 votes to Searcy’s 142.
Breaking up the three way race
was Sue Frishman with 101 votes,
which forced the runoff.
Rhudy will join new council
members Bob Flood and Joe
Kelley, and mayor Dennis Dreyer,
who was re-elected to a fourth
term in April. Remaining on the
council with one more year of
their two year terms to serve are
Ralph Keene, Ed Tichy and Ken
Williams.
Support
JIMMY MALEK
A Registered Professional Assessor
Certified By The State Of Texas
8 Years Experience In The County
Tax Office
TAX ASSESSOR-COLLECTOR
Of Nueces County
in the 1980 MAY PRIMARY
Pol. Adv. Pd. By Linda D. Saldana, Treas., 2006 Home Road, Corpus Christi, TX
BEN CASH
• 19 Years Experience
• Highest Achievement
Award Earned
From State
• Instructor In
Police Science
• Totally Committed
To You & Your Family
• Office Open To You
24 Hours Daily
THANKS
CONSTABLE
For Further Information:
Islander Real Estate
P. O. BOX 1529
Port Aransas, Texas 78373
TeIephone: 512/749-69^)6
Now Being Offered At
Pre-Construction Prices
Clines
Condominiums & Club
ELEGANCE AT THE WATER'S EDGE . . .
YEAR 'ROUND
IN PORT ARANSAS
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Frishman, Steve. Port Aransas South Jetty (Port Aransas, Tex.), Vol. 9, No. 45, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 1, 1980, newspaper, May 1, 1980; Port Aransas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth601514/m1/3/?q=Lamar+University: accessed June 5, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Ellis Memorial Library.