On the campaign trail

A great Democratic Rally was held on Saturday at a beautiful home on the banks of the Guadalupe River outside New Braunfels. Speakers included Barbara Ann Radnofsky, Jim Jordan candidate for Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court, Judy Hall, speaking for Senator Obama, Dan Grant who spoke for Rep. Noriega, running for the US Senate, and me. A large crowd enjoyed the view, live music good food and listening to outstanding speakers.

The bracken VFW Potato Pancake benefit was a great event hosting lots of enthusiastic potato pancake and applesauce lovers. Happy folks, friendly and raising money for the fire department – we all had a good time together. It is always a treat to be in the lovely new Garden Ridge Municipal building. One neat thing – outside under the sunshade – was a man making homemade ice cream using an old John Deere tractor engine to power the churn. Very interesting and the ice cream was delicious. He also had other antique John Deere engines on display. Growing up working with my father, an auto mechanic, I always enjoy looking at engines.

Tuesday was the last candidate forum of the election cycle. Sponsored by the Canyon Lake Retired Teachers Association, it was held in Sattler, at Rio Raft. There was a lively discussion of issues with many questions asked of the candidates. Mr. Miller, when asked about gambling, said that he is not in favor of casinos. I asked him why he then accepted large donations from gambling interests that do favor casinos. Mr. Miller did not stay to talk about issues after the forum ended.
It turns out that Mr. Miller, within the last month has also accepted donations from Exxon Mobil, Valero, Texas Oil and Gas PAC, Liberty Mutual Insurance, Merck Pharmaceuticals as well as the gambling interests. My donations are from people who care about water, schools, growth and the beauty of our hill country – not special interests.

The Bexar County Metro Planning Organization (MPO) meeting also held on Tuesday made the decision to not make a decision about extending their boundaries into the New Braunfels and Boerne areas. The New Braunfels Mayor, Bruce Boyer, spoke eloquently, indicating that this was a matter for joint discussion and consideration. I spoke to the group regarding Item 10 – advocating the development of light rail, connecting outlying areas of New Braunfels – and - to eventually connect with Austin (to alleviate congestion on the highways by providing affordable transportation for students, the elderly and our working populations).

The New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce hosted the Living Legends dinner in the new Civic-Convention Center on Wednesday evening. About 400 people attended to honor this year’s recipients: Jack Ohlrich, Roxolin Krueger and Arno Becker. The Braunfels Foundation Trust is a nonprofit organization emphasizing education programs and scholarships for young people. A silent auction, good music and delicious food rounded out a fine evening for a worthwhile cause.