Tomorrow Texas House reps will cast their votes on whether to keep incumbent Tom Craddick as House speaker or give the leadership role to challenger Jim Pitts.
Although he has made some friends as Speaker of the House, it’s no secret that Tom Craddick has also made plenty of enemies. Craddick’s willingness to push through bills that further his own agenda and kill those that hinder it has prompted many to call him a bully.
Legislators who openly criticize him would, however, like to keep secret the vote in tomorrow’s speaker race. They point out that a bully would likely become even testier against those who stand up to him.
Unfortunately, the vote for a secret ballot itself won’t be secret. If a legislator chooses to keep the ballots private, it will be clear to anyone with half a brain that he plans to support Pitts. And should Craddick emerge victorious, he’ll then know who to pick on at lunch time. — Julia Youssefnia
This article appears in Jan 4-10, 2007.
