BIKE: Correction to my last post

[Roger Baker]

On Nov 25, 2004, at 8:48 PM, Roger Baker wrote:

>  The TTC appointees who dispense the gravy are nearly all rich friends 
> of the Texas governors who appoint them.

I should have said that the Texas Transportation Commissioners are only 
often rich friends of the Texas Governors who appoint them. Like TTC 
chair Ric Williamson is an oil man and was a friend of Rick Perry when 
they served in the Texas legislator together.

The TTC tend to be rich or very rich, and often political supporters of 
the governors, and part of the good 'ol boy/girl network that runs 
Texas. Cases in point would be John Johnson who is very rich and Robert 
Nichols who seems smart but only average rich. Former commissioners Bob 
Lanier, Robert Dedman, and Robert Bass were all super-rich.

I'm not sure about the two new TT Commissioners they just added. I've 
heard that the reason they added them is to provide non-term limited 
political continuity so that a future governor can't easy undo Rick 
Perry's current plan that the road lobby strongly supports. -- Roger