Mike Villarreal
D San Antonio
HIS CHOSEN ROUTE to legislative heights was bipartisanship, the north face of political ascents, and the treacherous slopes he encountered were not easy to negotiate. Shunned by partisan Democrats and distrusted by partisan Republicans, he nonetheless found a way to be a major force in tax issues. No Democrat did more to distance himself from the great blob of lawmakers from both parties who go through a session without distinction.
Villarreal led the floor fight against two attempts by Governor Perry and fiscal conservatives to restrict the ability of local governments to raise money. The first battle occurred over a plan to limit increases in property tax appraisals. Proponents planned to offer compromises that might make their proposal more attractive, a tactic Villarreal likened to putting “lipstick on a pig.” His counterattack was a clever parliamentary ploy that enabled him, in effect, to slaughter the pig before the other side could apply the lipstick. The next day, another Villarreal amendment gutted an attempt to allow voters to roll back the amount of revenue local governments could raise.
An Aggie with a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard, Villarreal is one of the few lawmakers capable of delving into the complexities of tax issues. He labored on the Ways and Means Committee to reform the franchise tax, but his efforts ultimately came to naught, as did the tax bill itself. In the end, he voted against the bill he had helped write, because it increased “taxes for the poor and working class while giving tax breaks to the wealthiest Texans”—alienating Republicans without mollifying Democrats. It’s cold and lonely up there on the north face. Maybe next session he’ll get some company.
My Library
