Oct
30
Written by:
Mark Lavergne
10/30/2009 3:23 PM
LSR reported in this week's issue on the controversy between Democrats and the Harris County tax office regarding voter registration operations.
The story is publically viewable here.
One detail not included in the story: Democratic Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan fired Andy Taylor, outside counsel to the county in the lawsuit. The attorney he brought on to replace Taylor, John Odam, is himself a former Harris County Democratic Party Chairman.
In talking with LSR earlier this week, Ryan said his handling of the case was "completely non-partisan."
And it looks like the resolution agreement reached between the Democrats and Harris County hasn't quieted the the war of words, which continues this week between Harris County Tax Assessor Collector Leo Vasquez and Texas Democratic Party Chairman Boyd Richie ...
Richie has released a statement today going after Vasquez, who on Wednesday released the following statement:
It’s all about good government, and this agreement should finally put the baseless allegations behind us. This was the worst example of a nuisance lawsuit and ill-informed lawyers run amok. As I have always held, this lawsuit proved to be completely without merit.
That apparently did not make TDP Chairman Boyd Richie feel warm and fuzzy. He replied in his statement today:
A week ago, Leo Vasquez shook hands and agreed to a legal settlement that will change voter registration practices that denied thousands of eligible Harris County citizens the opportunity to register to vote in 2008.
Yet just two days after the Harris County Commissioners Court voted unanimously to accept the settlement, Mr. Vasquez insulted Harris County taxpayers and his fellow County officials by issuing a statement that described the lawsuit he settled as ‘frivolous’ and ‘without merit.’
For honorable Texans, a handshake is enough to seal a deal, but the comments Mr. Vasquez made yesterday raise serious concerns that he may not honor a legally binding agreement.
Yesterday, a Houston Chronicle editorial essentially rebutted Mr. Vasquez’s statement by stating the obvious: the changes in voter registration procedures required by the settlement make it clear the lawsuit wasn’t frivolous, while noting that it was a shame it took a lawsuit to secure those changes. We couldn’t agree more. It’s a shame that we still have to go to court in 2009 to protect the right to vote.