Turning environmental values into priorities for Texas
Monday, November 03, 2008

Houston Chronicle Endorses Pro-Conservation Texans

The Houston Chronicle endorsed some excellent candidates and incumbents in Harris County. These were also endorsed by the TLCV-PAC:

Votes for these leaders will be a breath of fresh air for Houston.

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Thursday, October 30, 2008

It's toxic, and it's coming from the TV!

"Toxic Mike" TV

The message that Sen. Mike Jackson is toxic for Texas voters is catching on! Watch the TV commercial here.

For months, the League's "Toxic Mike" site has been the go-to place for information about Sen. Jackson's record - or lack thereof - on conservation issues like clean air and clean energy when it comes to representing the concerns of citizens in his district. Hurricane Ike also washed up information about Jackson's insurance company campaign contributors, like the commercial points out.

Election Day is Tuesday, and times have changed. Texans need new leadership for new times. "Toxic Mike" isn't going to build the clean energy economy for the future, and he isn't going to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that make hurricanes more powerful and more frequent.

Joe Jaworski is endorsed by the political committee of the Texas League of Conservation Voters because he's the clean air alternative to "Toxic Mike" Jackson. (and Friends of Joe Jaworski put out that "Toxic Mike" video).

The TV commercial and the website both show that "Toxic Mike" doesn't seem like the right choice for clean air, clean energy - or a clean legislature.

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Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Jaworski earns Chronicle endorsement

Texas League of Conservation Voters knows how to pick 'em. Last month, we endorsed Joe Jaworski over incumbent Senator "Toxic Mike" Jackson for District 11.

Today, the Houston Chronicle followed our lead. The Chron wrote:

In a district that includes portions of hurricane-ravaged Galveston, constituents need a forceful and energetic senator to promote their interests in next year's legislative session. The Chronicle believes the right candidate for the job is Democratic challenger Joe Jaworski, an attorney and fourth-generation Texan from a prestigious line of litigators, including his grandfather, Watergate special prosecutor Leon Jaworski.

The candidate lives in Galveston with his wife and two children and has already compiled a record of distinctive public service there. Jaworski served three terms on Galveston City Council, the last as mayor pro tem. He chaired the city's ethics commission and promises to push ethics reforms with high standards for public officials in Austin....

Need we add that Jaworski will also be a strong vote for environmental conservation, clean air, and good stewardship of our environment in the Senate? And may we remind you that, if elected, Joe will replace Sen. Mike Jackson, who never met a good environmental bill he didn't hate?

It's time to clean up the Texas environment by cleaning Mike Jackson out of the Texas Senate, and Joe Jaworski is the man for the job.

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Friday, October 10, 2008

We still don't know all about Ike

Tom Curtis, a friend of mine from Galveston who evacuated during Ike, writes a "Letter from Galveston" in the latest Texas Observer issue. Tom points out that Texans and Americans haven't seen the full destruction and tragedy from hurrican Ike because, "[C]ity leaders don't even seem to want their own citizens, much less outsiders, to see their island in this sad state of dishabille or, worse, battered and stark nakedness."

And Tom suggests that the reason officials don't want the world to see what Galveston really looks like post-Ike is because they're afraid it will impact the election. The local newspaper publisher is quoted as saying the efforts to keep eyes shut to Galveston is, "a desparate effort to avoid embarassment for the Republican administration in charge of FEMA." He goes on: "It is, after all, about six weeks from a presidential election. Nobody wants another Katrina this time." Indeed.

There are local elections going on, too, including an interesting one for state senate that pits incumbent Senator Mike Jackson against challenger Joe Jaworski (the League has endorsed Jaworski). Perhaps the candidates could debate and lay out their visions for hurricane recovery, even discuss how to minimize the damage from future storms? Not gonna happen. Jackson failed to show up for a debate yesterday. Apparently, the strategy - from FEMA on down to Mike Jackson - is to keep the cameras off, don't talk about it, close their eyes and keep their fingers crossed until Election Day.

I'm reminded of folks who chose to ignore the threat of Ike and stayed on the island. They, too, crossed fingers, closed their eyes and hoped for a minimal damage. No doubt some of them now regret their choice.

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Thursday, October 02, 2008

Senate Endorsements

Today the Texas League of Conservation Voters Political Committee endorsed three candidates for the Texas Senate.

Joe Jaworski is a great candidate who will deliver sound environmental leadership in the Senate. But just as importantly, he will replace Sen. "Toxic Mike" Jackson. Senator Jackson has been the opposite of a friend to the Texas environment during his tenure representing District 17, which stretches along the Gulf Coast in the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Ike. Because so many Texans have been displaced and uprooted as a result of Ike, assuring that everyone in the District has an opportunity to vote is the most important priority for electing a pro-conservation senator for District 17. Voter registration closes on Monday, October 6th, and the State of Texas has NOT decided to extend voter registration in the hurricane-impacted areas.

Mike and Ike - both are bad news for Texas.

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