The Mignon Memo

2015 is here, and the countdown to session is closing in…

• 6 days remain until the 84^th Texas Legislature convenes on Tuesday, January 13, 2015. The swearing in ceremony for state representatives and state senators will take place at noon in the House Chamber.

• All three special elections held on January 6, 2015 are headed to a run-off, date to be determined.
  • Senate District 26 (being vacated by Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio): Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer (D-San Antonio) won 44% of the vote, and will face Rep. Jose Menendez (D-San Antonio), who won 25% of the vote. Van de Putte is leaving to run for Mayor of San Antonio. She will continue to serve in the Senate until her successor is elected.
  • House District 17 (being vacated by Tim Kleinschmidt, R-Lexington): John Cyrier (R), a general contractor who won 46% of the vote, will face Brent Golemon, businessman/entrepreneur, who won 24% of the vote. Kleinschmidt is leaving to serve as general counsel for the Texas Department of Agriculture.
  • House District 123 (being vacated by Mike Villarreal, D-San Antonio): Diego Bernal (D), a former San Antonio city councilman, won 47% of the vote and will face Nunzio Previtera (R), an insurance agent, who won 21% of the vote. Villarreal is leaving to run for Mayor of San Antonio, and his seat will remain vacant until his successor is elected.

• A fourth special election to fill the House seat vacated by recently sworn-in Senator Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham), will be held January 13, 2015—the first day of session.

• Today, Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Commissioner David Lakey announced he will leave the agency, effective January 30, 2015, to start in his new role as the University of Texas System’s Associate Vice Chancellor and UT Health Science Center’s Senior Vice President for Population Health.

Only in Austin…

Local foodie haven, Foreign & Domestic, will host its third annual Indie Chefs Week, a week of dining and drinking featuring food from more than 30 chefs from around the country. The weeklong event takes place January 6-10 at the North Loop restaurant and features a different group of seven or more chefs from around the country collaborating nightly on meals. Festivities culminate on January 10^th with all of the chefs joining forces to produce a 15-course feast.

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and Instagram!

Holiday Hustle:

• In Saturday’s special election for Senate District 18, State Representative Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham) won a five-way race, with 55.69% of the vote, to replace Comptroller-elect Glenn Hegar. The district reaches from Katy down to Corpus Christi, up through Victoria, and includes the area just outside of College Station. Senator-elect Kolkhorst will serve the remainder of Hegar’s four-year term.

• Governor-elect Abbott announced his priorities for the upcoming session—education, border security, infrastructure needs of the state for water and transportation, and economic development. He also announced his key staff. A full list can be found here.

• Terry Keel is leaving the Texas Facilities Commission on January 9, 2015 to become Assistant Commissioner of Agriculture. This newly-created position by Agriculture Commissioner-elect Sid Miller oversees enforcement, consumer protection, and border security.

Only in Austin…

If you have never been, you have through December 21st to visit the Trail of Lights, the Zilker Christmas Tree, and all the other festive displays along the 1.25 mile path. This year marks 50 years for the Trail of Lights, and a wheel has been added to commemorate the anniversary. The Trail of Lights at Zilker Park is also in the running for USA Today’s Reader’s Choice for “Best Public Lights Display.” We agree. We love this Austin holiday tradition!

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and Instagram!

First week of December download:

• Betty King, who served as secretary of the Texas Senate from 1977-2001, passed away Monday. Ms. King was known for her grace, refinement, and ability to run the Texas Senate seamlessly. The committee room directly behind the Senate chamber and a public service award were named for her upon her retirement.

• The Legislative Budget Board (LBB) voted unanimously to adopt the spending cap for the state’s next budget. The growth rate of 11.68% is about 1% higher than the spending cap for the current budget. The growth rate is set based on an estimated rate of growth in Texans’ personal income over the next two years.

• The next time you are in the Senate Chamber, check out the floor. New historically accurate carpet from England has been installed. Workers hand-sewed the seams together over 8 weeks to lay the custom green carpet.

• Governor-Elect Greg Abbott and five other incoming governors will meet with President Obama at the White House Friday to discuss job creation. The governors will also have an opportunity to meet with Vice President Joe Biden.

Only in Austin…

This week the Texas Christmas Tree Growers Association delivered the official Christmas tree to the Capitol. With help from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the State Preservation Board installed the 19-foot Virginia Pine in the House Chamber. The tree is on display from December 5, 2014 – January 2, 2015 and will be decorated with ornaments from each House district.

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and Instagram!

The lineup continues to change:

• Comptroller-Elect Glenn Hegar has announced he will resign his Senate seat as of December 5, 2014. A special election to fill Senate District 18 will be held December 6, 2014. State Representative Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham), Gary Gates (R-Richmond), and Charles Gregory III (R-Simonton) have all announced their candidacy and have been actively campaigning.

• Should Rep. Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham) win the special election for Senate District 18, Austin County Judge Carolyn Bilski (R-Sealy) and geologist Becky Berger (R- Schulenberg) plan to run for her vacated House seat in District 13. Berger previously ran for the Texas Railroad Commission, the agency responsible for oil and gas regulation.

• The names of key staff hires have started to roll in. Comptroller-Elect Glenn Hegar will replace current Chief Revenue Estimator John Heleman with Tom Currah, who currently manages the data analysis division at the Comptroller’s office. Attorney General-Elect Ken Paxton has named Chip Roy as his First Assistant Attorney General, as well as the rest of his advisory team.

• Thursday, U.S. Senator John Cornyn was formally elected as the Senate Majority Whip. This makes him second in command, behind Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, in the U.S. Senate.

Only in Austin…

In September 2010, Noble Sandwich Co. opened in a humble location off of RR 620 sandwiched (ha!) between a dry cleaners and gas station convenience store by Corpus natives John Bates and Brandon Martinez. Today, Noble Sandwich Co. has 2 locations—a much larger RR 620 location, Burnet Road—and also serves its sandwiches at Oasis, Texas Brewing Co. on Lake Travis. The Noble Sandwich Co.’s specialty? The Noble Pig, of course, with spiced ham, pulled pork, provolone, mayo, mustard, and bacon served with a side of TNP Fresh Pickles. The sandwiches are so good that you’ll want to lick the brown wax paper they’re served on.

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and Instagram!

Transition Talk:

• Daniel Hodge, the current First Assistant Attorney General, will lead Governor-elect Greg Abbot’s transition team. Hodge is expected to go with Abbott to the governor’s office.

• Yesterday, Greg Abbott announced his intention to appoint Cameron County Judge Carlos Cascos as the next Secretary of State. The Secretary of State serves as Texas’ chief election officer and advises the governor on border issues.

• The San Antonio Mayor’s Race is creating waves in the Texas Legislature.  Representative Mike Villarreal (HD-123) recently submitted his resignation to Governor Perry in order to focus on his campaign for mayor. Rumors of whether Sen. Leticia Van de Putte (SD-26) will leave the Senate to run for mayor have prompted Representatives Trey Martinez Fischer (HD-116) and Jose Menendez (HD-124) of San Antonio to state interest in running for her Senate seat. As of today, one special election will be called in order to fill Rep. Villarreal’s seat. More could follow.

• Pre-filing of bills for the 2015 Legislative Session began Monday. A total of 371 bills were filed—257 in the House, using the new e-filing system, and 114 in the Senate. To take a peek at bills that have been filed, visit Texas Legislature Online.

Only in Austin…

Whislers, a cool Eastside cocktail bar in the former Rabbit’s space, recently celebrated its first year of business. Owner, Scranton Twohey, is no stranger to the business of bars. He opened and ran Bridget Dunlap’s bars on Rainey Street. At Whislers, he takes pride in making and serving craft cocktails without being pretentious. A unique addition to Whislers is its upstairs, Mezcaleria Tobala, where you can get a taste of Oaxaca (and its mezcals), without leaving Austin.

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and Instagram!

Wednesday, November 5, 2014: Election Results

The results are in! The fast and furious facts about last night’s election results:

• Texas has a new Governor for the first time in 14 years.
• Texas Republicans continued their winning streak in statewide elections, easily sweeping all 15 statewide elections. After early voting returns, Republican candidates led their Democratic opponents by at least 20 points, and held on to dominating leads.
• Texas continues to have low voter turnout with around 33% of eligible voters voting.
• Two Texas House races ended in upset losses for incumbent Democratic Representatives Mary Ann Perez (HD 144-Houston) and Philip Cortez (HD 117-San Antonio).
• The Texas Senate will have 8 freshman Senators. (A special election will be needed to replace Glenn Hegar, who was elected Comptroller. The Texas House will have at least 24 new members.
• The Texas Senate will have 20 Republican Senators, a Republican Lt. Governor, and 11 Democratic Senators.
• Republicans picked up 3 seats in the Texas House, for a total of 98 Republicans and 52 Democrats. Two seats shy of a Republican super majority.

For a detailed breakdown of votes by race and/or county, check out the Secretary of State’s website here.

Proposition 1

The constitutional amendment authorizing the state to split a portion of oil and gas severance tax revenues between the Rainy Day Fund and the State Highway Fund was overwhelmingly supported and passed with over 80% of the vote. An estimated $1.7 billion will be transferred in the first year and used to fund transportation.

Congressional races

New Faces

CD 4 (northeast Texas bordering Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana; includes Rockwall and Collin counties): John Ratcliffe (R-Rockwall) ran unopposed.

CD 36 (southeast Texas, including parts of Harris, Liberty, Chambers, and Hardin counties): Brian Babin (R-Woodville) defeated Michael Cole (D-Orange).

Hot Races

CD 23 (covers as far west as El Paso and as far east as San Antonio): Will Hurd (R-San Antonio) defeated incumbent Pete Gallego (D-Alpine).

Statewide Races

U.S. Senate

Incumbent John Cornyn (R), with 61.6% of the vote, defeated David Alameel (D), 34.3%.

Governor

Greg Abbott (R), with 59.3% of the vote, defeated Wendy Davis (D), 38.9%.

Lieutenant Governor

Dan Patrick (R), with 58.2% of the vote, defeated Leticia Van de Putte (D), 38.7%. Van de Putte will return to the Senate to serve the remainder of her 4-year term.

Attorney General

Ken Paxton (R), with 58.8% of the vote, defeated Sam Houston (D), 38%.

Comptroller

Glenn Hegar (R), with 58.4% of the vote, defeated Mike Collier (D), 37.7%.

Land Commissioner

George P. Bush (R), with 60.7% of the vote, defeated John Cook (D), 35.3%.

Agriculture Commissioner

Sid Miller (R), with 58.6% of the vote, defeated Jim Hogan (D), 36.8%.

Texas Railroad Commission, Place 2

Ryan Sitton (R), with 58.3% of the vote, defeated Steve Brown (D), 36.5%.

Key Judicial Races

Chief Justice, Texas Supreme Court: Nathan Hecht (R) defeated William Moody (D).

Texas Supreme Court, Place 6: Jeff Brown (R) defeated Larry Meyers (D).

Texas Supreme Court, Place 7: Jeff Boyd (R) defeated Gina Benavides (D).

Chief Justice, 3rd Court of Appeals: Jeff Rose (R) defeated Diane Henson (D).

Texas Senate

New Faces

SD 2: Bob Hall (R-Mesquite) won. No major party opposition.

SD 4: Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe), comes over from the House (elected in an August 2014 special election).

SD 7: Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston) defeated Jim Davis (D-Spring).

SD 8: Van Taylor (R-Plano), another transplant from the House, won. No major party opposition.

SD 16: Don Huffines (R-Dallas) won. No major party opposition.

SD 28: Charles Perry (R-Lubbock), the third former House member to join the Senate (elected in a September 2014 special election)

Hot Races

SD 10: Konni Burton (R-Colleyville), with 52.8% of the vote, defeated Libby Wills (D-Fort Worth), 44.7%.

Texas House

New Faces

HD 1: Gary VanDeaver (R-New Boston) ran unopposed.

HD 4: Stuart Spitzer (R-Kaufman) won. No major party opposition.

HD 10: John Wray (R-Waxahachie) ran unopposed.

HD 15: Mark Keough (R-The Woodlands) ran unopposed.

HD 16: Will Metcalf (R-Conroe) defeated Michael Hayless (D-Montgomery)

HD 53: Andrew Murr (R-Junction) won. No major party opposition.

HD 55: Molly White (R-Belton) ran unopposed.

HD 58: Dewayne Burns (R-Cleburne) defeated Greg Allen Kauffman (D-Crowley).

HD 66: Matt Shaheen (R-McKinney) won. No major party opposition.

HD 76: Cesar Blanco (D-El Paso) won. No major party opposition.

HD 81: Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa) won. No major party opposition.

HD 83: Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock) defeated Max Tarbox (D-Lubbock).

HD 90: Ramon Romero (D-Fort Worth) ran unopposed.

Hot Races

HD 21: Dade Phelan (R-Port Neches) defeated Gavin Bruney (D-Nederland).

HD 23: Wayne Faircloth (R-Dickinson) defeated Susan Criss (D-Galveston).

HD 43: Incumbent J.M. Lozano (R-Kingsville) defeated Kim Gonzalez (D-Kingsville).

HD 50: Incumbent Celia Israel (D-Austin) defeated Mike VanDeWalle (R-Austin)

HD 94: Tony Tinderholt (R-Arlington) defeated Cole Ballweg (D-Arlington).

HD 105: Rodney Anderson (R-Grand Prairie) defeated Susan Motley (D-Irving).

HD 107: Incumbent Kenneth Sheets (R-Dallas) defeated Carol Donovan (D-Dallas).

HD 108: Morgan Meyer (R-Dallas) defeated Leigh Bailey (D-Dallas).

HD 113: Incumbent Cindy Burkett (R-Mesquite) defeated Milton Whitley (D-Mesquite).

HD 115: Matt Rinaldi (R-Irving) defeated Paul Stafford (D-Irving).

HD 117: Rick Galindo (R-San Antonio) defeated incumbent Phillip Cortez (D-San Antonio).

HD 129: Dennis Paul (R-Clear Lake) defeated John Gay (D-Webster).

HD 132: Mike Schofield (R-Katy) defeated Luis Lopez (D-Katy).

HD 144: Gilbert Pena (R-Pasadena) defeated incumbent Mary Ann Perez (D-South Houston) by 155 votes.

HD 149: Incumbent Hubert Vo (D-Alief) defeated Al Hoang (R-Alief)

State Board of Education

SBOE-2: Incumbent Ruben Cortez, Jr. (D-Brownsville) won. No major party opposition.

SBOE-3: Incumbent Marisa Perez (D-San Antonio) defeated Dave Mundy (R-Gonzales).

SBOE-4: Incumbent Lawrence Allen (D-Fresno) defeated Dorothy Olmos (R-Houston).

SBOE-7: Incumbent David Bradley (R-Beaumont) defeated Kathy King (D-Port Neches).

SBOE-11: Incumbent Patricia Hardy (R-Fort Worth) defeated Nancy Bean (D-Arlington).

SBOE-12: Incumbent Geraldine “Tincy” Miller (R-Dallas) defeated Lois Parrott (D-Dallas).

SBOE-13: Erika Beltran (D-Fort Worth) won. No major party opposition. Incumbent, Mavis Knight, did not seek re-election.

Your right to vote.

Early voting begins today, October 20^th and runs through October 31^st. Most locations are open from 7am-7pm. Avoid the lines on November 4^th and VOTE EARLY!

Polling Locations:

During the early voting period, you may vote at any location in your county. For a list of local polling locations, please visit your county registrar’s website. A list of county election sources can be found here.

Photo I.D. is required to vote in this election. Acceptable forms include:

• Texas driver license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)
• Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS
• Texas personal identification card issued by DPS
• Texas concealed handgun license issued by DPS
• United States military identification card containing the person’s photograph
• United States citizenship certificate containing the person’s photograph
• United States passport

What’s on the ballot?

Everything from U.S. congressional races to local city council races (depending on your location), and one constitutional amendment to the Texas Constitution—Proposition 1. For a glimpse at a sample ballot, click here. To read an analysis written by the House Research Organization on Prop 1, click here.

Constitutional Amendment, Proposition 1: Vote “For” or “Against”

“The constitutional amendment providing for the use and dedication of certain money transferred to the state highway fund to assist in the completion of transportation construction, maintenance, and rehabilitation projects, not to include toll roads.”

• Texas has $23 billion in debt from road construction. Proposition 1 authorizes the state to split a portion of oil and gas severance tax revenues between the Rainy Day Fund and a state transportation fund. If Prop 1 passes, an estimated $1.7 billion will be transferred in the first year and used to fund transportation.