Eckels: The Son Also Rises

The county judge comes into his own on Commissioners Court

Comments (0) By Craig Malisow Thursday, May 5 2005

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Eckels has helped craft the $82 billion Regional Transportation Plan. Endorsed by Houston Mayor Bill White, it calls for a 60 percent increase in highway lane miles and a 349-mile rail network.

But while Eckels may be identified mostly with transportation, he says he'll continue working on other concerns.

Eckels says cooperation is one key to his success.

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He is confident that improvement is possible with continued cooperation. Infighting can plague Harris County just as easily as it sours relationships in other areas, as exemplified by Dallas's bickering over where to place a proposed football stadium. Eckels likes to say that Dallas is trying to build a stadium, while we're trying to build a city.

And in case you missed it the first time, Eckels is convinced that, more than anything in the last 15 years, city and county leaders are setting aside private agendas to create a clean, safe, enjoyable city for everyone.

"The overall theme," he says, "is that we're a city that works together."