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Texas: Dallas County

November 8, 2009 - 09:17 am
NEWS FEED: Bay Area Houston

Leo Vasquez punked by Paul Bettencourt

By johncoby@sbcglobal.net (John Coby)

Did Harris County Tax Assessor, Leo Vasquez, know what kind of poo Paul Bettencourt left him in when he quit just days after his re-election? Obviously not.

Harris County Commissioners Court voted unanimously to accept a settlement of a lawsuit filed by the Texas Democratic Party against Paul Bettencourt's Voter Registration Office. Included in this settlement:

  • The voter registrar must now comply with all Texas Election Code deadlines. In sworn discovery, Bettencourt's staff admitted that more than 11,350 timely submitted applications were not processed and on the voter rolls when voting started as required by law.
  • The voter registrar's employees can no longer have employment or financial interests in outside companies that provide voter information to candidates or political parties, a practice Bettencourt allowed and Vasquez defended regarding moonlighting Republican political consultant Ed Johnson.

Read More at Bay Area Houston >
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March 2, 2009 - 06:41 pm
NEWS FEED: Dallas Morning News

Why Dallas County isn't on TexDOT list of stimulus-funded road jobs

By Robert T. Garrett

Rep. Carol Kent, D-Dallas, just got an explanation from TexDOT officials of why Dallas County isn't on a list of new road projects that may be built using the the state's share of federal stimulus money for highway and bridge construction.

"What do I say when I go back to my constituents in Dallas and see there's a zero sign for Dallas?" Kent asked, holding a statewide list of projects being considered for pieces of $1.2 billion in stimulus money.

TexDOT official John Barton said DFW transportation planners decided to plunk down the region's stimulus money on a "legacy project," fixing the so-called "funnel" where several highways merge north of DFW Airport.

Read More at Dallas Morning News >
There have been 31 comments posted in response to this story.

February 28, 2009 - 01:00 am
NEWS FEED: Burnt Orange Report

Burnt Orange Report's Letter to the Republican Party of Texas & SREC

By Phillip Martin

Ed. note: The following is an online copy of a four-page letter BOR sent early Monday morning, February 16, 2009.

TO: Members of the Republican Party of Texas & the State Republican Executive Committee

DATE: Monday, February 16, 2009

RE: Your Plans to Deal with the Failure of Your Party

To Grassroots Conservatives in the Republican Party of Texas:

Texas Republicans' obstructive opposition to over 269,000 Texas jobs, more than $27 billion in Texas' share of funding, and what may end up amounting to the largest tax cut in our nation's history is going to lead to massive electoral defeats for your Party. We're incredibly curious what exactly it is that you -- the grassroots conservatives of the Republican Party of Texas - plan to do about it.

Read More at Burnt Orange Report >
There have been 44 comments posted in response to this story.

February 25, 2009 - 01:01 pm
NEWS FEED: Dallas Morning News

An invitation for George W. Bush

By Gromer Jeffers Jr.

It would be cool if President Bush attended the Dallas County Republican Party's Reagan Day Dinner tomorrow night.

A lot has changed since he was a fixture in Dallas. The county has turned blue, with Democrats holding every major countywide office.

The former president could help local GOP Chairman Jonathan Neerman figure out how to reverse the trend.

The event is being held at the Westin Park Central Hotel in Dallas.

Read More at Dallas Morning News >
There have been 42 comments posted in response to this story.

February 23, 2009 - 06:45 pm
NEWS FEED: Houston Chronicle

Casino resort bill to be filed

By Lisa Sandberg

Some lawmakers are betting that this might be the year casino gambling comes to Texas.

Sens. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston and John Carona, R-Dallas, and Reps. Jose Menendez, D-San Antonio, and Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, are planning to file a bill tomorrow that would bring 12 huge destination resort casinos to the Lone Star State.

"We're talking about very large destination casinos, with hotels and restaurants and other entertainment in addition to gaming, casinos that would bring in a whole new clientele, not just to gaming but people who'll come just for the hotels or the restaurants," said a spokesman for Ellis, who asked not to be named because he wasn't authorized to speak publicly.

Read More at Houston Chronicle >
There have been 46 comments posted in response to this story.

February 2, 2009 - 10:52 am
NEWS FEED: Texas Monthly

The Gallup Poll: Is Texas Blue?

By Paulburka

The Gallup organization released a nationwide poll last week showing the partisan preference in every state. The daily tracking poll, conducted during the election campaign, sampled 19,415 adult Texans concerning their self-identification by political party and found that 43.4% identified themselves as Democrats compared to 41.0% who identified themselves as Republicans.

Do I find the results credible? To some extent, yes. There is no shortage of evidence of a Democratic trend: the Democrats’ sweep of Dallas County offices in 2006; similar. but less, success in Harris County this year; and the huge turnout for the 2008 presidential primary. But I question the accuracy of a poll about party identification that is based upon interviews with adults, period.

Read More at Texas Monthly >
There have been 50 comments posted in response to this story.

Tue, 11/04/2008 - 12:40

Dallas election official: Turnout 'not as heavy as we hoped’

By Jason Thurlkill, PolitickerTX.com Reporter

Dallas County elections administrator Bruce Sherbet said turnout is not what he had hoped, especially when compared to early voting totals. He said there were not long lines at most polling stations around Dallas.

"The turnout is not as heavy as we hoped it would be. It's presidential type turnout, but it's not anything to compare with what we saw in early voting," he told PolitickerTX.com.

Read More >
There have been 54 comments posted in response to this story.