It was rumor and now it’s reality.
Mike Toomey, a former lawmaker and lobbyist who had served as Gov. Rick Perry’s chief of staff for nearly two years and served as a chief architect of Perry’s legislative initiatives, announced today that he will resign on Labor Day.
A replacement was not immediately announced. Kathy Walt, Perry’s press secretary, said the governor plans to “move rather quickly” to fill the key post, but she gave no timetable.
[…]
Toomey, 52, could not immediately be reached for comment on his plans. His departure to return to lobbying and government consulting had been rumored for several weeks.
No word in any of the stories I checked on if there’s any progress in or connection to the various grand jury investigations and Toomey’s possible role in them. There was one interesting tidbit in this News8 story:
The governor’s office says the resignation was anticipated because Toomey agreed to serve and help the governor through the 2003 legislative session. Now that session is over, Toomey plans to return to the private sector.
One might reasonably conclude from that there will be no more special sessions on school finance this year.
UPDATE: More from the Chron. No mention of the grand jury, but they did note his connection to a gambling industry lobbyist.