Delisi’s Appointment as Highway Commission Chair Appears Imminent
I started out to write about the news that TxDOT plans to reduce maintenance by $4.9 billion over the next eleven years. In the process of researching the story, I have learned from a source close to Kirk Watson (NOT Watson) that the Austin senator will not object to the appointment of Deirdre Delisi to succeed the late Rick Williamson as chairman of the Texas Highway Commission. Watson has been the primary roadblock–so much so that speculation was rampant that Perry would name a chairman who was not controversial, and then Delisi would take over the running of the agency, a position for which no Senate confirmation is required. However, Watson had previously objected to the appointment of Ron Wilson to the Public Safety Commission, and the best way I can think of to put it is that Perry was playing hardball and Watson didn’t think that busting a second Perry appointee was a good career move. The appointment will likely be announced within the next couple of days.
Delisi’s ascendancy will be greeted with intense skepticism by many senators, including Transportation chair John Carona, who told me, “She’s not qualified, she’s a political placeholder, and she has a horrid history of working with the Legislature. The governor couldn’t be sending a worse signal.” Nor is David Dewhurst a Delisi fan.
One Perry intimate suggested to me that Delisi is someone who has the ear of the governor and might, in a Nixon-goes-to-China sense, get him to modify his insistence on comprehensive development agreeements that privatize toll roads. That’s a lovely fairy tale, but it isn’t Perry’s style. Or Delisi’s.
The battle over Delisi is just one of many fronts in the controversy over transportation policy. The decision to cut maintenance was a big news story, but it ultimately was not a major shift in policy. The embattled agency has around $28 billion to spend over the next decade of so, around $10+ billion of which is nondiscretionary spending. The real issue has been how to divide the remaining $17+ billion or so between new construction and maintenance. (To give you an idea of the extent of TxDOT’s problems, the real maintenance needs over the next decade or so are over $20 billion.) The decision is to spend $12.5 billion on maintenance and $4.5 billion on new capacity–that is, new roads and new lanes on existing roads. The $12.5 billion on maintenance represents a reduction of around $350 million a year that will be shifted to new construction. TxDOT currently claims that 87% of its roads are in “good or better” condition, a figure that will fall to 80% under the new spending pattern. The Dallas Morning News story about the decision said that pavement conditions on one in five Texas roads would be substandard by the end of the planning period. This is mathematically correct, but it is not necessarily an accurate forecast. A transportation lobbyist who is familiar with the process told me that characterizing road conditions is more art than science.
The Legislature’s primary push has been for TxDOT to start issuing bonds for road construction that were authorized by a constitutional amendment, which the voters approved in 2007. So far, TxDOT has been slow to respond, which has not exactly endeared TxDOT to legislative policy makers (not that TxDOT has many friends in the Capitol anyway).
Another problem for the agency is that it is currently up for Sunset review, and the staff report will probably come out in late May. The early word is that Perry wants the Sunset bill to be narrowly drawn and not get into the big issues, such as how to finance toll roads. If these issues are part of the Sunset bill, and they do not come out to the governor’s liking, he would have to veto the bill–but it’s not easy to veto a Sunset bill, because Sunset bills have to pass, or the agency ceases to exist. All indications are that Sunset chairman Carl Isett is on board with the governor and is not seen as a change agent. This is disappointing, because Isett certainly has the intelligence to take on the reform of TxDOT but apparently not the will.
In addition to Sunset, another challenge is looming. In 2009, the moratorium expires–but so does the authority for comprehensive development agreements. The Legislature will have to deal with these issues. And it will also have to deal with the primacy issue, whether local toll authorities will have the authority to make the decision about financing their projects without having to get the blessing of TxDOT. Finally, there is the issue of funding. If the Legislature would raise the gasoline tax (or give metro areas the authority to raise it) and index it to inflation, the need for CDAs would be greatly reduced, and the control of toll roads would remain in the public sector. Chairman Delisi is going to have a busy time.
Anonymous says:
Carona is absolutely right. The choice of Deirdre Delisi sends a disastrous message to the Legislature about any reforming of TxDOT.
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Bodhisattva says:
Maybe Bill White will pick his hand up off the Bible in January, 2011, and fire her as his first official act.
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Bubba Watson says:
I know that we are supposed to believe that John Carona should pick the transportation commissioner, but that pesky Constitution gets in the way.
Delisi isn’t Carona’s choice, but he doesn’t like the strong willed. Delisi certainly is that. She will tell Carona when she thinks he’s wrong, where most of the appointees from Hou/Dal, etc. just roll with it.
Perry won’t appoint someone who won’t have the gray matter and guts to stand up to the Lege. Watson is no dummy, he knows Delisi is smart enough to get a good deal for Central Texas.
I don’t think that Delisi is similar in style to Williamson. Honestly, God can only make one Ric Willliamson. Regarding the overall transportation policy, we are in the same pickle we are always in. Less Money, more need — what else is new?
The stuff above on Dewhurst is just totally wrong. He may have told Carona what he wanted to hear, but was working behind the scenes to help Delisi.
Paul is right about one thing. It will be very busy for her, but I know she’s smart and tough. She will need to be both.
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Anonny says:
Ditto Bubba. Congrats to Delisi, she will be fantastic commimssioner.
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Anonymous says:
As an aside, does anyone else think Bill White looks Ross Perot’s great grand pappy?
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cow droppings says:
You know, I don’t recall anyone asking John Carona if he was a policy-subject expert on transportation before he became chair. Does that disqualify him?
The fact is Deirdre Delisi has lived and breathed this subject ever since the TTC was proposed. I think the real issue here is senators like to hear, “yes sir” instead of fact-based analysis.
There is not a better combination of policy and politics in one mind in all of state government than Deirdre Delisi. Anyone who interacted with the governor’s office knows it, whether they like her or not.
The Dewhurst comment is any interesting one. Not sure whether it is right or not, but I suspect he can’t name one Perry chief of staff he ever liked. When he awakes in the morning and looks in the mirror, he sees a face meant for Mt. Rushmore. Why listen to mere mortals when you have an infinite supply of knowledge?
Sure, Perry could play the insider game and appoint someone at TxDOT that Carona and the senators all fawn over, or he could go with his gut (and face it, he is about the only one in that pink building showing guts on transportation — while everyone else says what they are against, he had the guts to say what he was for, and now we’re all debating his plan.) His gut told him that Deirdre knows this issue inside and out, and that she will do the right thing even when it is unpopular — not a quality some in the senate are known for.
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Anon says:
Bubba Watson and Cow Droppings summed her up pretty well. I’ve been on many a battleground with Delisi. She is as tough and capable as anyone in Texas State Government. She can be a great ally or a terrible enemy–the choice is yours…
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Anon says:
Oh, and I forgot–Ha, ha, Sally Costello.
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Jerome says:
CDAs are the Perry/TxDOT tool created to hold back public disclosure, public debate, legislative oversight, open and transparent government and local control. The short history of the CDAs have already proven to be rife with secrecy.
1) Attorney General opinion states Cintra must release CDA to Houston Chronicle:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/3212402.html
2) Cintra sues Attorney General to keep CDA a secret: http://corridornews.blogspot.com/2006/03/txdot-cintra-zachry-sue-attorney.html
3) San Antonio Lightning acquires CDA and Cintra threatens lawsuit: http://www.sanantoniolightning.com/snitchzach.html
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Fan of Isett says:
Paul:
I am not sure why you say that Carl Isett is on board with the Governor and is not seen as a change agent. Isett has said repeatedly that he wants to be aggressive and use the Sunset process for real reform. I have never heard or read that aggresive reform to not include TxDOT. I would be interested in hearing why you say that he lacks the will to implement real reform at TxDOT. Are you simply speculating or are you basing your comments on real facts?
Also, Isett’s new Sunset Vice Chair, Glenn Hegar, has consistently opposed the TTC staring when he was a House Member. If memory serves correctly, Hegar and Lois Kolkhorst were at times the only two house members who spoke out against the dangers of the TTC. Hegar has not changed his stance, is certainly not afraid of tajing on Perry (as witnessed by his staunch opposition to the Governor’s HPV Vaccine Mandate) and represents a Senate District opposed to the TTC. I look for Hegar to be a strong voice for real TcDOT reform on the Sunset Committee and I don’t see Isett as someone who will try to silence him.
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paulburka says:
I am not speculating about Isett. I am passing along the observations of people who watch this stuff closely. I’m sure some people will say, Oh, Kolkhorst is trying to undermine Isett. No, not so; their offices are working well together. The perception of the people I trust in this area say Isett is on board with the governor. I pass that along for what it is worth.
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Lefty says:
Why is busting another Gov. appointment not a good career move for Watson? KPW is the junior member in the minority party, Perry is not going to be Governor forever, but the policy decisions and roads built and the methods by which they are financed are going to be around a long time. What does he have to lose? not having any of his legislation signed in the 09 session? might be small price to pay considering the amount of legislation he would likely get through the process anyway.
I’d suggest that negotiating something in return for not holding up the nomination is more likely Watson’s play, and his style. Not sure what he would negotiate for: more funds for Austin and central Texas is the obvious.
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jason says:
is it just a coincidence that dierdre is the daughter of diane, one of rick’s political cronies, who also happens to represent a district that will house the TTC? is it also just coincidence that brother ted, also a perry crony, has political ties to trmpac, karl rove, senator cornyn (also representing a ttc district), and all kinds of scandal? How about women in government and merck, yet another scandalous delisi-perry money maker?
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Karl_Rove_%26_Company
http://www.bushfiles.com/bush_beat_1999.html#focus
is it just me or does the delisi family now stand to gain millions of dollars from txdot? is no one picking up on this? where is robert bryce when you need him?
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James says:
Deirdre Delisi get credit for guts with me for taking the job on. She could have done a lot of other things that pay better and have less grief attached to them.
However, she brings one advantage that is subtle: being personable.
If she makes the rounds with legislators and starts rebuilding relationships, a lot can happen between now and next January.
However, the Texas Legislature also needs to look into the mirror to see some of what is wrong with transportation. They plundered it for cash to balance state budgets for decades. If they don’t like Perry’s plan, then come up with a better one. But merely griping ain’t getting lane-miles built. They will have to match their alternative vision with a realistic financing plan.
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