Last week, the Star-Telegram reported that state Rep. Phil King, R-Weatherford, had accepted free Super Bowl tickets in 2004 from a top lobbyist for CenterPoint Energy.
But King, R-Weatherford, wasn't the only elected official to have accepted CenterPoint's largesse.
The same 2004 lobby report from CenterPoint Vice President Scott Rozzell that shows free tickets for King and his son also shows free tickets for Republican Michael Williams and his wife.
King chairs the House Committee on Regulated Industries. Williams chairs the Texas Railroad Commission. CenterPoint has business before both.
Watchdog groups have said it's improper to accept such gifts because it gives the impression that policymakers are too close to the industries they oversee.
But Williams, like King, said he did nothing wrong. Both are running for re-election
"It's legal and it's ethical and it's consistent with state law," said Williams. "It was reported who purchased the ticket, who I went with, who went with me and so forth. Voters can make their own judgments."
King earlier denied to the Star-Telegram that CenterPoint has paid for his ticket. But after being asked about the old lobby report from Rozzell, King acknowledged that he accepted the freebie.
King faces former Weatherford Mayor Joe Tison in the Republican primary. Williams is unopposed in the Republican primary. However, three Democrats are vying for that party's nomination to run against him.
Thank you for helping the light flood over self-interest and political back-scratching. I'd missed this article and am glad you brought it to my attention.
Energy price gouging and the refusal of those elected to regulate to protect the people of Texas from unsafe, energy development practices has cost several Texans their lives since the last election. Water contamination and encroachment of gas drilling into densely populated urban areas must be properly regulated --- yet Mr. Williams and others on the Railroad Commission continue to fail to protect the people.
Ironically in the 2006 race, the person who is most likely to represent the people's interest is the one retired petroleum engineer in the race! Dale Henry spent his career as a safety expert working to prevent industrial oil and gas field accidents, to save lives and to protect from water contamination. He knows, and tells Texans, that there is no guarantee that drilling a well will not contaminate the water. The well must be fracked before the concrete casing can be poured into the well! When the well is fracked, there is usually a layer of salt water that is above the layer where the gas or oil is deposited. Seepage cannot be prevented until the casing is poured.
Dale also explains that it is impossible to guarantee that the concrete casing will not crack or have weak spots. In horizontal drilling, this there is greater chances that there will be imperfections in the concrete casing. Fracking requires incredible pressure and there is no assurance that the process will not cause further ruptures. The gas or petroleum or water with chemicals can erupt through the upper layers to the ground in areas where the land contract men usually assure prospective "signers" that there is "virtually no likelihood of such things occurring." Dale tells the citizens the truth, understands what regulations are needed, and understands what regulations are excessive or ineffective. We need him on the Railroad Commission. The Railroad Commission needs to be overhauled and we need someone with Dale's expertise on the Commission during this critical overhaul.
I know Dale, and I can assure you that he won't accept Super Bowl Tickets or other gifts from anyone in the industry he is elected to regulate for the people of Texas. He totally self-financed his previous races for RR Commission. He was relunctant to allow any fundraising for his current race. Fundraising is his lowest priority and the contributions reflect his hesitancy to accept contribution. He is determined to answer only to the people once on the Railroad Commission.
Posted by: Faith Chatham | February 12, 2008 at 07:37 AM
It must be nice for Mr. Henry to have a personal fortune which allows him to run for office. Other candidates should be so fortunate to have such a personal war chest.
Not all politicians are personally wealthy like Mr. Henry. Some put their name out their for the simple purpose of serving the public. In order to run an effective campaign in a state the size of Texas, they must ask for financial help. As long as anyone who contributes to Mr. Williams is known to the public and no laws were broken, I don't see the problem.
Mr. Williams has always proven to be an upstanding official and has represented our state well. He has my family's support in November.
Posted by: Wes | February 12, 2008 at 01:55 PM