BIKE: Fresh juicy info on the Texas road game

[Roger Baker]

[Can anyone seriously wonder why there is practically no money for  
adequate bike facilities coming from TxDOT? How many campaign  
contributions could a Texas politician possibly get as a result of  
handing out measly little Texas bikeway construction contracts? --  
Roger]



Perry’s Political Tollbooths
Line $1 Billion of State Roads Contractors & Governor Paving Way for  
Highway-Spending Spree.

  “Tire tracks all across your back—I can see you’ve had your fun.”
  —Jimi Hendrix, Crosstown Traffic In recent years Governor Rick Perry  
raked in $235,133 from highway contractors that landed almost $1  
billion in state contracts in the past nine months. It’s enough  
patronage to make a conservative tax and spend.
  This ex-A&M cheerleader barnstormed Texas this summer promoting a  
road-spending spree. He:
       •     Hit Harlingen, Laredo and Corpus to unveil $100 million in  
expedited road funding;
       •     Visited Houston to announce an acceleration of a $952  
million Katy Freeway expansion;
       •     Trumpeted Texas’ $1 billion transportation budget hike; and
       •     Is only promoting two amendments on the November  
ballot—both of which let the state go into debt to lay pavement.1



  The governor covered so much road so quickly that reality did not  
catch up with him until this month, when the media reported that the  
Department of Transportation (TXDOT) has shot its wad. For the  
immediate future, the state will delay rather than expedite road  
projects.
  House Appropriations Chair Rob Junell was reportedly angry that he  
learned about this budget crunch after lobbyists for the Associated  
General Contractors.2
  TXDOT contractor contributions to Perry are troubling because the  
governor appoints the three commissioners who oversee TXDOT’s $2.2  
billion annual construction budget.
  Perry appointed a friend, ex-legislator Ric Williamson, to the  
commission in April. While ex-Governor Bush appointed commissioners  
John Johnson and Robert Lee Nichols, every member has given Perry at  
least $6,000 in recent years.
  Perry also is benefiting from contractor expenditures to pass the two  
road proposals on the November ballot. Highway contractors have  
contributed $91,750 in the past two months to the “Yes on 2 & 15” PAC,  
which Hilco Partners lobby firm created to pass the amendments. The PAC  
has bought a full-page Texas Monthly ad that prominently features  
Perry’s photo.
  TXDOT’s top two contractors, Houston’s Williams Brothers Construction  
and San Antonio’s H.B. Zachry
  Co., together have landed an astonishing $528,570,233 in TXDOT  
contracts so far this year.
  Since 1997, Perry has received $75,000 from Williams Brothers Chair  
James Pitcock, Jr and another $33,000 from H.B. Zachry (most of which  
came from H. Bartell Zachry, Jr.). In the 1998 and 2000 election cycles  
alone, Pitcock spent $239,750 to influence candidates for Texas’  
statewide and legislative offices.
  Pitcock is a political pragmatist, giving all of his state political  
money to incumbents in the 2000 election cycle. The only non-incumbents  
receiving Pitcock money in 1998 ran for open seats. One of these was  
Democrat John Sharp ($6,000), who Perry defeated with just over 50  
percent of the lieutenant governor vote. Pitcock has since filled this  
Perry pothole, giving Perry $50,000 in the 2000 cycle and another  
$25,000 since.
  Political clout is a valuable commodity for a leading TXDOT contractor  
that has a history of going over deadline and budget. A 1998 Houston  
Chronicle investigation found that the average state highway contractor  
was penalized for late work 18 percent of the time, while Williams got  
late penalties 57 percent of the time.3
  Most states have the authority to prevent chronically late contractors  
from bidding on new jobs. But two lobby groups that Pitcock once headed  
helped prevent Texas from adopting this policy in 1996 and 1997.4
   
    Since January, TXDOT Has Awarded Almost $1 Billion To Highway  
Contractors Who Gave Gov. Perry $235,133 Highway Contractor Base  
Donations To Perry* Value of TXDOT Contracts Since Jan. 2001 No. of  
TXDOT Contracts
  Williams Brothers Construction Houston $75,000 $213,128,721 10
  H B Zachry Co. Sn Antonio $33,000 $315,441,512 5
  TX Aggregates & Concrete Assn Austin $25,000 NA NA
  Dean Word Construction Co. N.Braunfels $21,683 $38,246,094 2
  Assoc. Gen'l Contractors of TX Austin $19,000 NA NA
  Garey Construction Co. Austin $11,750 $6,182,454 3
  Assoc. Builders & Contractors Austin $11,000 NA NA
  J D Abrams, Inc Austin $8,500 $45,754,477 3
  Austin Industries (Bridge & Road) Dallas $8,000 $40,360,786 18
  Champagne-Webber Inc. Houston $3,500 $70,423,930 11
  Reece Albert Inc. Sn Angelo $3,000 $38,779,808 6
  TX Sterling Construction Houston $3,000 $2,377,528 1
  Young Contractors Waco $3,000 $39,488,561 12
  Zack Burkett Co. Graham $2,700 $13,485,196 10
  Houston Contractors Houston $2,500 NA NA
  Ramming Paving Company Austin $1,500 $1,614,501 2
  Coalition for Better Transportation Dallas $1,000 NA NA
  Hunter Industries Sn Marcos $1,000 $99,331,074 26
  Jones Brothers Dirt and Paving Odessa $1,000 $22,148,210 7
    TOTALS: $235,133 $946,762,852 116
  *Perry contributions cover June 1997 through June 2001.  Road Warrior  
James Pitcock Gave Texas Politicians $239,750 in 1998 and 2000  
Politician or PAC Pitcock
Contributions
  George W. Bush  $52,000
  Rick Perry $50,000
  Pete Laney $20,000
  Tony Garza $12,500
  Clyde Alexander  $10,000
  Asc. Gen'l Contractors $10,000
  John Cornyn $10,000
  Bill Ratliff $10,000
  Todd Staples $10,000
  Mike Jackson $7,500
  John Sharp $6,000
  Ken Armbrister $5,000
  David Bernsen $5,000
  Fred Bosse $5,000
  Buster Brown $5,000
  David Dewhurst $5,000
  John Whitmire $5,000
  Rob Junell $2,500
  Debra Danburg $1,500
  Dennis Bonnen $1,000
  Joe Crabb  $1,000
  Paul J. Hilbert $1,000
  Scott Hochberg $1,000
  Steve Ogden $1,000
  Kyle Janek $500
  Tracy King $250
TOTAL: $239,750




  1Amendments 2 and 15 would allow the state to finance road projects  
with bonds.
  See:  
http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/voter/ 
constitutionalamendments.shtml
  2“Roadwork on Hold As State Fund Runs Low,” Austin American-Statesman,  
October 16, 2001.
  3“King of the Road,” April 26, 1998. See also the Chronicle’s: “No  
Love Lost For Unfinished Bridge,” January 23, 1995 and “Penalties Pave  
Way On Freeway,” July 1, 1995.
  4The Association of General Contractors and the Texas Good Roads and  
Transportation Association helped defeat this proposal before a 1996  
Sunset Commission and again in the 1997 legislative session.
   


   
  #  #  #
  Texans for Public Justice is a non-partisan, non-profit policy &  
research organization
 which tracks the influence of money in politics.

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