On Tuesday, city councils and commissioners courts (including ours) passed proclamations in support of Bullying Prevention Month. Eloquent words were said over this proclamation in many forums. But, it would be hard to find a more moving statement than that of Fort Worth Councilmember Joel Burns’ describing his unjustified shame and justified fear as a gay teenager and his subsequent joys and pride as a gay adult.

This is REAL heroism. Send him a thank you note at:

Councilmember Joel Burns
District 9
1000 Throckmorton St.
Fort Worth, Texas 76102

We’re making plans through 2035 for our courthouses, the jail and administrative offices and would love community input.

I remain a supporter of the MoPac managed lanes. However, I did vote against the “Terms and Conditions” document negotiated exclusively by the CTRMA and TxDOT because it did not state a quantifiable goal for the inclusion of transit and High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes.

Best practices on managed lanes projects strongly suggest that balancing goals of generating revenue and providing incentives for HOV lane use should be clarified at the outset. I am gratified that the Terms and Conditions states vanpools and public transportation may access the managed lanes without paying a toll. I am further gratified that the CTRMA has verbally stated a goal of maximizing “people throughput” on the managed lanes rather than “vehicle throughput.” However, the Terms and Conditions relating to transit and HOV are discretionary (the CTRMA Board may adjust the policy at its sole discretion) and restrictive (the free passage is available only to registered vans or buses with a capacity of 16 or more).

I seek a firmer commitment from the CTRMA Board on transit and HOV goals as a percentage of the overall managed lanes capacity. I believe the CTRMA can and is willing to make such a commitment as long as it is balanced against the revenue-generating goals of the project. And I remain committed to working with the CTRMA to memorialize these transit and HOV goals in some document, if not the Terms and Conditions recently approved by the CAMPO Board.

I fully support the press questioning the value taxpayers receive for the salaries county commissioners are paid.  As you report in your editorial of August 2, the Commissioners Court voted a 2.5% increase to the ceiling of salaries available to the elected officials of Travis County (excluding district judges who are paid by the State).  This 2.5% increase results in a $92,362 salary ceiling for county commissioners.  Any of the 48 elected officials in Travis County may make their own salary determinations within the salary ceiling provided.  For instance, I have taken less salary than was budgeted all four years I have been in office and I have reduced my office expenses in FY 10 and expect to keep them at the reduced level for FY 11. Read More »

While I have been and remain a persistent critic of the toll road regime in Texas, the MoPac Managed Lane is a vastly superior model for a toll road trend that I cannot stop. Read More »

[April 22, 2010 is the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day; below is an e-mail from Charles Williams, Travis County Conservation Coordinator. Enjoy! - SE]

Earth Day, a day to reflect on our relationship with the planet. But we need more than an Earth Day. We need more than a week, a month, or even a year. We need an Earth Generation. We need to be the Earth Generation.

Sustainable living has certainly become a buzz phrase. More and more people are looking at ways to reduce their ecological footprint: driving less, eating less meat, wearing sustainable fashions. As individuals, we are increasingly aware of the impact we have on the planet and our fellow humans. But is greening our own lifestyle enough? Read More »

We have seen hatred on a grand scale and at the street level this week. We have seen hatred propel a plane into an office building with the intent to kill people because they worked for the IRS. We have seen hatred assail two men in a parking lot with the intent of harming them because they are gay. Our community is sick with an addiction to hatred. Read More »

“If he would have talked to my dad, my dad would have helped him” said Ken Hunter of his father Vernon Hunter, who died from Andrew Joseph Stack III’s attack on the IRS offices where Vernon Hunter was a manager. Praise the resounding humanity of both Mr. Hunters and try to recognize the humanity silenced by rage in Mr. Stack. Which is the better tool for improving our society, compassion or rage? Look at ourselves, our thoughts, our words, our deeds – which tool are you using?

On Tuesday, January 26 Travis County approved a floodplain permit for TXI to locate a gravel mine atop natural beauty and amidst thriving agricultural and residential neighborhoods at Hunter’s Bend along the Colorado River. Under the law and the facts available to us, Travis County could not prevent the TXI mine from happening. But, Travis County can influence how the TXI mine functions. Read More »

Many have contacted me regarding the sensitive and very personal topic of abortion services provided by contractors with the Travis County Healthcare District (TCHD). The issue understandably is an emotional one. Whether and to what extent abortion services will be included among the array of services provided by the TCHD is not my decision to make. That decision resides with the TCHD Board to which I have some say over the appointment of five out of the nine members. Read More »