Endorsement watch: Two out of three ain't bad

Three more Legislative endorsements from the Chron today. I got two of them right.

Dwayne Bohac for Texas House District 138: Republican incumbent Bohac was born and raised in this northwest and west Houston district and has served in the Legislature since 2003. He has worked hard to revitalize deteriorating parts of the district, sponsoring a bill creating the Spring Branch Area Community Improvement District to boost economic development. "We have to do a better job of funding health and human services," says the incumbent. "We have to do a better job of funding public education and changing especially the funding formula."

Joel C. Redmond for Texas House District 144: For this seat formerly represented by Republican Robert Talton, the Chronicle feels the best candidate for the job is Democratic challenger Joel Redmond. Running in a district with a distinctly conservative bent, the home mortgage executive has the credentials to match.

Redmond, a Baylor graduate whose father is pastor of First Baptist Church Pasadena, founded the Peace by Believing Ministries, whose outreach services include helping prisoners prepare for gainful futures and assisting homeless people.

He pledges to work to increase state funding for public education and opposes a voucher system that would undercut public schools.

Brad Neal for Texas House District 150: In this district that runs across the northern rim of Harris County, the Chronicle endorses Democratic challenger Brad Neal, a Texas A&M University graduate and oil equipment business engineer. Neal sees the state budget as the most important matter facing the Legislature and hopes to rein in the state's bond debt.
As an advocate for District 150, Neal wants to bring in new industry through tax breaks and more efficient environmental permitting. And he wants tax relief for small business.

He further proposes to streamline the Children's Health Insurance Program to eliminate the bureaucratic hassles that curtail access to thousands of Texas youngsters.

Rep. Bohac demonstrates that it is possible to regain the Chron's endorsement once you've lost it, at least if you're not Debbie Riddle. As with John Davis, though, I have to ask: What exactly is it about Bohac's record that would make the Chron believe he's the least bit sincere when he says he wants to "do a better job" of funding education and health and human services? I mean, he's been a reliable foot soldier for Speaker Craddick since 2003, with all of the bad votes that entails. His priorities in office have been voter ID, appraisal caps, and taco trucks; if the Chron can point to any pro-education or pro-HHS bills for which Bohac has advocated, I'd love to know about them. And of course, Bohac owes his spot in the Lege in part to Tom DeLay and his illegal corporate cash from 2002. With a record like that, he must have had a heck of an interview this year to have fallen back in the Chron's good graces.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on October 16, 2008 to Election 2008