Denying Delisi
State Senator Glenn Hegar, R-Katy, says he plans to vote no on confirming the Governor's pick to head the Texas Transportation Commission. On Wednesday, the Guvnah (that's how they say it in SC, anyway) announced he would put in his former campaign manager and chief of staff, Deidre Delisi, as chairman of the TXDOT governing body. Hegar says he thinks that idea was a "squandered opportunity":
"I had high hopes that Governor Rick Perry would use the vacancy created by the untimely passing of former Transportation Chair Ric Williamson as an opportunity to appoint someone to lead the commission who would work to change the status quo, reach out to lawmakers, and work cooperatively with the legislature to address the concerns of the citizens we represent.The Senate Nominations committee (on which Hegar sits) must confirm gubernatorial appointments, but it won't meet to do this until next session, so in the meantime, Delisi will assume her new role. Hegar said in his email to the press that neither the Governor nor Delisi had contacted him or other members of the committee to discuss the appointment.I view Ms. Delisi's appointment as a squandered opportunity. It appears that rather than choose someone to head the commission who will reach out to lawmakers and work cooperatively with legislators, the governor instead has chosen a political "yes man" with little or no practical experience involving transportation issues other than carrying out the Governor's myopic vision that relies solely on building more toll roads and selling our highway infrastructure to the highest bidder, usually a foreign owned company."
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