Tag Archives: Land Commissioner

You get a severance! And you get a severance!

Posted on May 24, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Everybody gets a severance package! Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush has spent nearly $1 million in taxpayer money to entice dozens of people fired by his administration to agree not to sue him or the agency, a practice that … Continue reading →

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Don’t expect Congress to pay for a Gulf Coast floodgate system

Posted on April 25, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I sure don’t. After nearly a decade of bickering and finger pointing, Texas scientists and lawmakers finally seem to agree that building some version of a “coastal spine” — a massive seawall and floodgate system — would best help protect … Continue reading →

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Remember the Alamo lawsuit

Posted on April 1, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Release the lawyers! Earlier this month, Texas General Land Commissioner George P. Bush fired The Daughters of the Republic of Texas, longtime managers of the Alamo, effective July 10. In a letter to the group, Bush cited 10 contract violations … Continue reading →

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A Denton fracking overview

Posted on December 26, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib has a long piece on the Denton fracking fight, also published in Politico to help non-Texans understand what this was about. It’s a good read that goes over all the main points if you need a refresher on … Continue reading →

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Denton responds to fracking ban lawsuit

Posted on December 3, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Game on. One day before its first-in-Texas ban on hydraulic fracturing is set to take effect, Denton called the oil and gas extraction technique a “public nuisance” that the North Texas town has the right to regulate. “Those activities have … Continue reading →

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2014 Day 10 Early Vote totals

Posted on October 30, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Here they are, and here are the full 2010 EV totals. The debate about what the turnout numbers mean continues apace. You already know what I think about that, so let me introduce a different perspective. We’ve been talking about … Continue reading →

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Interview index

Posted on October 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

For your convenience, here is a list of all my interviews and judicial Q&As for the November election. This includes ones I did for the primary and runoff. Interviews US Senate – David Alameel Attorney General – Sam Houston Comptroller … Continue reading →

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Interview with John Cook

Posted on October 13, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The office of Land Commissioner is often overlooked, but it has a role to play in a whole lot of aspects of state government. From state parks to beaches to mineral rights, from the Alamo to veterans issues to the … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Probate courts

Posted on October 9, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron makes its endorsements for Probate Courts, and as they have done recently stayed mostly with incumbents while having nice things to say about the challengers. The one Democrat they recommended out of the four races was as follows: … Continue reading →

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More on the Denton fracking referendum

Posted on July 29, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I think everyone agrees the Denton anti-fracking referendum will wind up in court if it passes. It’s just a question of how wired the courts will be for the plaintiffs. Voters will decide whether the city will become the state’s … Continue reading →

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Mayor Parker discusses her possible political future again

Posted on July 1, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

After making a rousing speech at the TDP convention, Mayor Annise Parker talked about some possible paths she could take for a future statewide campaign. Parker said she would be interested in running for any number of statewide positions when … Continue reading →

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Convention coverage

Posted on June 29, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Wendy and Leticia and a whole host of others rally the crowd in Dallas. Wendy Davis and Leticia Van de Putte shared the spotlight at the Texas Democratic Party convention on Friday night, promising to change the direction of the … Continue reading →

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Who’s afraid of the Republican slate?

Posted on April 7, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I was reading this story about a kerfuffle in the Republican runoff for Railroad Commissioner when a thought struck me. A Republican candidate seeking a post that regulates the state’s oil and gas industry said he won’t cut ties to … Continue reading →

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The Galveston oil spill

Posted on March 26, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

This is just awful. While the oil spill resulting from Saturday’s collision between a ship and barge was small by global standards – less than a third of what it would take to fill an Olympic-size swimming pool – the … Continue reading →

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January finance reports for Democratic statewide candidates

Posted on January 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

With the exception of a stray missing report here and there, all of the January campaign finance reports for state office holders and seekers are up on the Texas Ethics Commission webpage. Here’s a brief look at the reports filed … Continue reading →

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Parker 2018

Posted on January 3, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It seems pretty certain that a statewide candidacy is in Mayor Parker’s future. LSQ: What’s next for you after your term expires at the end of 2015? There’s been a lot of talk that you will run for statewide office … Continue reading →

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We’ll always have Kinky

Posted on July 24, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Like cicadas on a four-year cycle, he keeps coming back. Kinky Friedman doesn’t know if he’s ready to jump back into Texas politics. But the cigar-chewing humorist and musician — known for the black attire and cowboy hats he normally … Continue reading →

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We may have our first Democratic statewide candidate

Posted on July 20, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

And it’s John Cook, outgoing Mayor of El Paso. Former El Paso Mayor John Cook will seek the Democratic nomination for Texas land commissioner in 2014, he told the El Paso Times Wednesday night. “I think it’s an embarrassment to … Continue reading →

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George P Bush is ready for his closeup

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

You may now give him his due. Ending months of speculation, Fort Worth attorney George P. Bush announced he would run for the office of Texas Land Commissioner with a Twitter message, after confirming that current Commissioner Jerry Patterson would … Continue reading →

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Baby Bush ready to claim his birthright

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Perhaps we should just skip straight to the coronation once George P. Bush figures out what office he wants. George Prescott Bush is gearing up to run for a little-known but powerful office in a state where his family already … Continue reading →

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School Land Board votes to transfer $300 million to Available School Fund

Posted on January 11, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From the Trib: The School Land Board voted Tuesday to release $300 million into the Available School Fund for public schools. The money will be released in two $150 million installments, one in February and the other on June. The … Continue reading →

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DRT vs OAG

Posted on November 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Nothing like a little holiday week controversy. A blistering report released Tuesday by the Texas attorney general’s office outlines a long list of problems and dysfunctions in the past management of the Alamo by the Daughters of the Republic of … Continue reading →

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Forget the Alamo

Posted on August 25, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

At least, forget about using it in a slogan. Even if it’s possible to get too drunk to remember the Alamo, the state agency that oversees the shrine says that’s nothing to brag about on a T-shirt or frilly undergarment. … Continue reading →

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Land Board throws the Lege a curveball on school finance

Posted on July 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. In the waning days of the 82nd Legislature, state lawmakers came up with a plan to help cushion the blow of $5.4 billion in cuts to public education. State Rep. Rob Orr, R-Burleson, proposed a constitutional amendment that he … Continue reading →

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Can ban lawsuit moves back to Comal County

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

From last week: Travis County District Judge Scott Jenkins removed two state agencies from a lawsuit filed against New Braunfels by a coalition of businesses over the law banning disposable containers on the rivers — popular tubing routes. Jenkins dismissed … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit sends open beaches lawsuit back to district court

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Unfortunately, the headline makes it sound like better news than it is. A federal appeals court Monday ruled that the Texas Open Beaches Act is unconstitutional in the case of a Galveston Island property, a ruling that puts the fate … Continue reading →

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Can ban lawsuit moves to Travis County

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Some new plaintiffs, too. A group of river-related businesses has sued the City of New Braunfels, Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson and Mark Vickery , executive director of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, over a ban on disposable containers … Continue reading →

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Federal court refuses to throw out Open Beaches lawsuit

Posted on October 5, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I hadn’t realized that there was federal court action on the Galveston open beaches case. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied a request by the General Land office that it throw out the case because the beachfront house … Continue reading →

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What next for Sugar Land prison property?

Posted on September 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Now that the Central Unit in Sugar Land has been closed, what will happen to the empty facility? The fate of the Central Unit site will be decided by the three-member School Land Board, which oversees real estate investments on … Continue reading →

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Patterson to run for Lite Guv

Posted on July 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

With Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst running for the Senate, everyone else in state government that’s been waiting for a chance to move up is undoubtedly making plans to do so. At the front of the line is Lanc Commissioner Jerry … Continue reading →

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State asks Supreme Court to vacate Open Beaches ruling

Posted on July 4, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Apparently, the original litigant no longer owns the house in question. San Diego, Calif., attorney Carol Severance, who brought the lawsuit challenging the Open Beaches Act, sold the storm-battered property last week to the city of Galveston. Money for the … Continue reading →

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Supreme Court rehears Open Beaches case

Posted on April 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Not sure it’ll be any different this time around, but at least there’s a chance. The Texas Supreme Court appeared closely divided Tuesday during a second round of arguments in a turf battle over who controls the beach after a … Continue reading →

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The House finds a few extra bucks

Posted on April 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Where has this been all along? State Rep. Rob Orr, R-Burleson, introduced two bills to the House Appropriations Committee that could add several million dollars to the public schools budget over the next two years. HB 2646 proposes allowing the … Continue reading →

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Supreme Court will review Open Beaches ruling

Posted on March 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This is encouraging. Faced with a tidal wave of legal protests, the Texas Supreme Court Friday agreed to reconsider a California woman’s lawsuit that ended in a controversial ruling last November that left public access to some beaches in question. … Continue reading →

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