Mary Denny
R Aubrey
SHE GOT MARRIED on the House floor in early May, so congratulations are in order. Unfortunately, we’ve picked out a gift that wasn’t on her bridal registry: a spot on the Worst list. Sorry, no exchanges or returns.
When she took over as chair of the Elections Committee, two things became clear: First, the committee would not be the placid backwater it had been in the past, and second, she was a pawn for a partisan agenda. Early in the session Denny filed a bill “to investigate criminal conduct related to political funds and campaigns.” The statement disguised the bill’s practical effect, which was to prevent such investigations: Any prosecutor would first have to submit his evidence to the see-no-evil Texas Ethics Commission. Was this a shot at Travis County DA Ronnie Earle, who had been probing possible campaign finance violations by, among others, Speaker Craddick? “My only motivation was to get [prosecutors] some help,” Denny said innocently. Thanks, but no thanks. Then she entombed the major ethics bill of the session, a bipartisan effort to clear up the legal ambiguities that had led to Earle’s investigation.
The bill that sealed Denny’s fate required voters to show a photo ID in addition to a voter registration card if they wanted their ballots to be counted. Democrats objected that the elderly would be disenfranchised; Republicans countered that they were trying to prevent fraud. The bill died in the Senate, only to have Denny resurrect it with a parliamentary maneuver, despite what Democrats said was her pledge not to do so. The flap over the violation of trust killed the bill again, leaving little doubt about whether her performance was for better or for worse.
R Aubrey
SHE GOT MARRIED on the House floor in early May, so congratulations are in order. Unfortunately, we’ve picked out a gift that wasn’t on her bridal registry: a spot on the Worst list. Sorry, no exchanges or returns.
When she took over as chair of the Elections Committee, two things became clear: First, the committee would not be the placid backwater it had been in the past, and second, she was a pawn for a partisan agenda. Early in the session Denny filed a bill “to investigate criminal conduct related to political funds and campaigns.” The statement disguised the bill’s practical effect, which was to prevent such investigations: Any prosecutor would first have to submit his evidence to the see-no-evil Texas Ethics Commission. Was this a shot at Travis County DA Ronnie Earle, who had been probing possible campaign finance violations by, among others, Speaker Craddick? “My only motivation was to get [prosecutors] some help,” Denny said innocently. Thanks, but no thanks. Then she entombed the major ethics bill of the session, a bipartisan effort to clear up the legal ambiguities that had led to Earle’s investigation.
The bill that sealed Denny’s fate required voters to show a photo ID in addition to a voter registration card if they wanted their ballots to be counted. Democrats objected that the elderly would be disenfranchised; Republicans countered that they were trying to prevent fraud. The bill died in the Senate, only to have Denny resurrect it with a parliamentary maneuver, despite what Democrats said was her pledge not to do so. The flap over the violation of trust killed the bill again, leaving little doubt about whether her performance was for better or for worse.
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