Transcript
So, Judge, let's switch gears to the Texas Legislature. Ahead of the 89th session, one of the things your county did was release a list of legislative priorities. At the very top of that list, you called for an end to taxpayer-funded lobbying. So, for folks watching the show, uh this is one of the most concerning practices in Texas where local governments hire contract lobbyists, you know, a hired gun here in Austin to come and speak for them and lobby really against the interests of taxpayers here at the Capitol. From your perspective as a county judge, why is this practice so problematic? Because the lobbyist will often do what's in their best interest or in the interest of their association. And we have a perfect example here. We had a campaign where we tried to eliminate our county treasurer, feeling that that office was out of date. And Texas Association of Counties, at least through their associations, did everything they could to stop us. Why they would care about us in Galveston County, I'm not really clear. But we had a candidate who ran on the issue of eliminating that office. He won a three-way race against a long-term incumbent. The citizens of Galveston County clearly wanted that treasurer's office demolished, and Texas Association of Counties decided that was not in their best interest. So, you touched on something that's pretty interesting. But before I get to it, do you think most citizens realize that this practice is ongoing, you know, taxpayer-funded lobbying? Do you think they're aware of it or understand the concept? No, I don't think they do because it's not just Texas Association of Counties, there's also Texas Municipal League. I think there's a few others. The school districts have an association. And again, they are going to be self-serving, and most taxpayers wouldn't really realize that.