The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 79, No. 221, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 5, 2001 Page: 4 of 10
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4 The Baytown Sun
Thursday, July 5,2001
Opinion
JBaptoton snin
Founded 1922
Wanda Gamer Cash, Editor and Publisher i
Doug Janousek, Assistant Managing Editor
Whitney Jones, Managing Editor I
Fred Hartman, Publisher Emeritus
1950-1974
License plates support
appreciation for arts
The East Texas area is
bustling with activities,
such as the Texas
Shakespeare Festival at Kilgore
College, the Great Texas Balloon
Race, productions by the Longview
Community Theatre and the recent
Longview Opera, Symphony and ‘
Ballet annual productions to name a
few. These are the events that enrich
our lives by providing a diversity of
quality entertainment.
These activities don’t come
cheap. It takes a lot of work to raise
the binding to put on these produc-
tions. And it takes a lot of volunteer
work. Just ask any of the organizers
of AlleyFest or the Balloon Race.
Hundreds of people work behind
the scenes to make these events
happen.
Unfortunately, Texas has an
abysmal record when it comes to
funding the arts. The state’s contri-
bution comes to a measly 18 cents
per resident and makes the state
dead last among the 50 states and
six U.S. territories. The national
median for state funding is $1.12
per person.
The Texas Commission on the
Arts, the state agency responsible
for arts education, arts funding, cul-
tural tourism and other community
assistance and services for the arts,
has not been property funded by the
Legislature since its inception in
1965. It needs roughly $200 million
in a trust fund in order to develop a
program that would fund arts orga-
nizations in Texas. Our lawmakers
just can’t seem to work that into the
state’s budget, especially now.
But thanks to supporters of the
arts who buy the special State of the
Arts license plate?, the Arts
Commission has an additional $1
million to put into its grants budget
for fiscal year 2002. The additional
dollars will help the TCA fund 563
direct grants next year, or 98 per-
cent of the eligible applications
from artists and arts organizations
in 115 cities throughout the state.
The total grants distributed by the
TCA will exceed $4.6 million for
the year, which represents a 30 per-
cent increase over the past year.
The concept is simple. People
who support the arts can buy the
special State of the Arts license
plate, and the additional proceeds
go to the TCA.
From folklife festivals to the arts in
schools and cultural tourism pro-
grams, Texas offers a variety of activi-
ties, including visual and literary arts,
film and multimedia, music, dance
and theater. It’s nice to know that we
can help enrich these programs tty
buying the State of the Arts license
plates that proclaim our support.
This editorial first appeared in the
Longview News Journal on July 1.
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About Us
Our editorial board
The Baytown Sun's editorial board meets
weekly at 2 p.m. Wednesday. Individuals are
encouraged to visit the editorial board to dis-
cuss issues affecting the community. To
make an appointment, contact Managing
Editor Whitney Jones, (281) 422-8302.
Members of the editorial board include:
Wfenda Garner Cash, editor and publisher;
Whitney Jones, managing editor; Eric Bauer,
marketing director; Dee Anne Navarre,
business manager; and Doug Janousek,
assistant managing editor.
Let us hear from you
The Bay town Sun welcomes letters of up to
300 words and guest columns of up to 500
words on any item of public interest. Guest
columns should include a photograph of the
writer. Wfe publish only original material
addressed to The Baytown Sun bearing the
writer's signature. An address and phone num-
ber not for publication should be included. We
ask that submissions be limited to One per
month. All letters and guest columns subject
to editing.
The Sun reserves the right to refuse to pub-
lish any submission.
Letters endorsing or opposing political can-
didates or issues will not be published within
two days of an election, except in direct rebut-
tal to a letter previously published in The
Baytown Sun. Please send signed letters to:
Wfanda Garner Cash or Whitney Jones, The
Baytown Sun, P.O. Box 90, Baytown, TX
77522.
Or, fax them to: (281) 427-1880. Or, email
us at: sunnews@baytownsun.com.
Commentary
Redistricting maps could affect ballot
Dave
McNeely
when Bill Clements, the Republican
governor in 1981, used a veto threat
to get the Legislature to make
Democrat Jim Mattox’s 5th
Congressional District in Dallas into
a Republican seat.
Mattox decided it was time to run
for attorney general, which
Democrat Mark White was leaving
to run for governor.
By the time a federal court in early
1982 tweaked the district to make it
again favorable for a Democrat,
Mattox felt he was too far down the
road to back up. And he was right.
He won the primary and general
election, and was attorney general
for the next eight years. (Democrat
The statewide candidate list for
2002 — particularly for Democrats
— may be shaped by redistricting
this year.
Texas House and Senate line-
drawing is in progress by the
Legislative Redistricting Board, and
probably will be reviewed by the
courts. Congressional redistricting
wiH probably be done direcdy by
federal courts, since Gov. Rick Perry
is unlikely to call a special session.
Population growth in rural East
and West Texas, and some urban
areas, has lagged behind that of the
states suburban areas. As a result,
some legislative districts are going to
be altered, lost or combined.
Some legislators run statewide
simply because they think it’s time.
But if the past is a guide, some oth-
ers get a strong nudge by being \for the person redistricted — was
“paired” in a district with another
incumbent, or given enough new turf
that re-election looks tough.
The biggest example was in the
1982 elections, following 1981
redistricting. State Sen. Mike
Richards, R-Houston, saw every-
thing taken away from his district
except the number, and decided to
run for state comptroller. He won the
GOP primary, but was easily beaten
by incumbent Democrat Bob
Bullock, as part of a well-coordinat-
ed Democratic sweep.
Also in 1982, the late state Rep.
Dan Kubiak, D-Rockdale, suddenly
saw his district go away. He decided
to run for land commissioner. With
the help of the fact that Texas A&M
had a quarterback named Gary
Kubiak, the Rockdale legislator fin-
ished a surprising third in the
Democratic primary, almost nosing
Garry Mauro out of second place.
Mauro went on to win the runoff and
the job.
But the biggest example of
reshaped districts reshaping ambi-
tions with a happy result — at least
John Bryant used the opportunity to
become the 5th District congress-
man, a post he held for 12 years.)
Redistricting in 1991 didn’t pro-
duce many statewide candidacies.
One reason was that Democrats had
significant majorities in both House
and Senate, plus a Democratic gov-
ernor. They mosdy gave incumbents
of both parties districts favorable for
re-election.
Also, there just weren’t many
statewide slots available. Since Texas
switched in 1974 to four-year terms
for statewide non-judicial elective
offices, having the major statewide
slots up in the year following redis-
tricting now occurs only every 20
years.
In 1992, the only posts up for elec
tloh were a seat on the Texas
Railroad Commission — where
then-Gov. Ann Richards, appointee
Lena Guerrero was seeking election
to a full term, and Republicans
Barry Williamson and Carole
Keeton Rylander were already duk-
ing it out for the GOP nomination —
and three seats on both the Texas
Supreme Court and Court of
Criminal Appeals.
But 2002 is the 20-year cycle. And
with the Republicans and/or the
courts in control of redistricting,
don’t be surprised if the final maps
help some legislators find their way
onto the statewide ballot.
You may contact DaveJyfcNeely
at dmcneely@statesman.com or
(512) 445-3644.
Officials
Texas
Governor
Rick Perry (R) . 2002
State Capitol
P.O. Box 1242
Austin, Texas 78711
1-800-843-5789
Acting Lieutenant Governor
Bill Ratliff (R) (Appointed) 2002
State Capitol
Austin, Texas 78711
1-800-441-0373
Attorney General
John Cornyn (R) 2002
1-800-337-3928
Comptroller of Public Accounts
Carole Rylander (R) 2002
1-800-531-5441
Land Commissioner
David Dewhurst (R) 2002
512-463-5256
Commissioner of Agriculture
Susan Combs (R) 2002
512-463-7435
Senator, District 4
David Bernsen (D) 2002
877-800-2312 281-689-3066
Senator, District 6
Mario Gallegos (D) 2004
713-678-8600 512-463-0106
Senator, District 11
Mike Jackson (R) 2002
713-948-0111 512-463-0011
Senator, District 15
John Whitmire (D) 2004
713-864-8701 512-463-0115'
Representative, District 20
ZebZbranek(D) 2002
1-800-438-6202
Representative, District 127
Joe Crabb (R) 2002
281-422-2233 512-463-0520
Representative, District 128
Fred Bosse (D) 2002
1 -800-388-3359 713-453-6336
Railroad Commissioners
Charles Matthews (R) 2006
Michael Williams (R) 2002
Tony Garza (R) 2004
Harris County
District Clerk
Charles Bacarisse (R)
713-755-5711
District Attorney
Chuck Rosenthal (R)
713-755-5800
County Judge
Robert Eckels (R)
713-755-4000
County Treasurer
Jack Cato (R)
713-755-5120
County Attorney
Michael Stafford (R)
713-755-5101
County Clerk
B.F. Kaufman (R)
713-755-6405
Tax Assessor-Collector
Paul Bettencourt (R)
713-224-1919
City of Baytown
City Hall
2401 Market Street
Baytown, Texas 77520
281-422-8281
City Manager
Monte Mercer
Mayor
Pete Alfaro
281-420-6500
City Council
District 1 - Mercedes Renteria III
281-420-9796
District 2 - Scott Sheley
281-422-8008
District 3 - Calvin Mundinger
281-424-9289
District 4 - Don Murray
281-424-2300
District 5 - Ronnie Anderson
281-427-9084
District 6 - Coleman Godwin
281-422-4733
Goose Creek
School District
Goose Creek Administration Bldg.
1415 Market Street
P.O. Box 30
Baytown, Texas 77522
281-420-4800
Acting Superintendent
Dick Hallum (Interim).
Board of Trustees
District 1 - Phelitria Barnes
281-426-5812
District 2 - Rosa Rodriguez
281-420-2550
District 3 - Weston Cotten
281-426-5384
District 4 - James Lewis
281-428-7360
District 5 - Clarence Albus
281-421-5896
District 6 - Jepp Busch
281-422-8898
District 7 - David Havel
281-420-1947
Lee College
511 S. Whiting
Baytown, Texas 77520
281-427-5611
President
Jackson Sasser, PhD
Board of Regents
Bill Blake (2006)
281-427-9321
Keith Coburn (2006)
281-422-9451
Susan Fontenot (2006)
281-421-1296
Don Coffey (2002)
281-422-3232
Charles Huggins (2002)
281-546-8779
Peter Straub (2002)
281-422-6881
Wfayne Gray (2004)
281-422-8221
Ronald Haddox (2004)
281-422-0555
Jess D. Navarre (2004)
281-422-7052
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Cash, Wanda Garner. The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 79, No. 221, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 5, 2001, newspaper, July 5, 2001; Baytown, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1176753/m1/4/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Sterling Municipal Library.