Posted on 10/03/2006 6:58:38 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Democratic Texas Supreme Court nominee Bill Moody said Monday that a construction firm may be using political contributions to win favor from the state’s highest civil court in a potential eminent domain lawsuit about the Trans-Texas Corridor.
“My opponent and other members of the Supreme Court have taken sizable contributions from the Zachry group, well-knowing there is going to be an eminent domain case,” Moody said during a Waco campaign visit with the Tribune-Herald editorial board.
Moody cited contributions from Zachry Construction Corporation’s political action committee and executives to his opponent, Republican Texas Supreme Court Justice Don Willett, and four other sitting justices.
The San Antonio firm is expected to collaborate on the $8.8 billion toll road, railroad and utility network project with the Spanish firm Cintra.
Willett, the only Baylor University graduate on the state’s highest civil court, said his contributors know he will not consider their support while weighing cases.
“Every contributor understands my commitment to decide each and every case on its legal merits, without fear or favor,” Willett said. “My commitment to evenhandedness is unshakable, and I’ll never put a finger on the scale or a finger in the wind.”
Gov. Rick Perry appointed Willett, a former U.S. and Texas assistant attorney general, in August of 2005 to the seat formerly held by U.S. 5th Circuit Court Justice Priscilla Owen.
Running a statewide campaign requires “tremendous resources,” Willett said, choosing not to address the Zachry contributions separately.
“I’m honored by the tremendous breadth and intensity of the border-to-border support I’ve earned from across Texas,” he said.
Zachry executives and the company’s political action committee have donated at least $8,350 to Willett and also have contributed to the campaign funds of Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson and Justices Nathan Hecht, Phil Johnson and David Medina. The contributions represent just a small portion of their overall campaigns.
Zachry public affairs director Vicky Waddy said the company is backing Willett based on his sharp legal mind, not on any future cases. She also said Zachry would not be party to an eminent domain case because the Texas Department of Transportation would oversee all land acquisition by eminent domain.
But Moody said any eminent domain decision would influence the Trans-Texas Corridor’s success, thus affecting Zachry.
“I know they have a very strong interest in how the Supreme Court will rule,” he said.
He said that if Zachry had given him money, he would be uncomfortable accepting because, “Maybe you would think I was bought.”
Trans-Texas Corridor critic Rick Wegwerth called the contributions “politics as usual,” and said most people would not give thousands of dollars to candidates if they did not expect something in return.
Texas taxpayers deserve to have a clear view and know the details of a huge proposal for toll roads. State transportation officials and the giant road-building consortium Cintra-Zachry released important information on part of the Trans-Texas Corridor last week.
Finally.
The 1,600 pages of documents came to light after being withheld for more than a year. They provide more information about the schedule, scope and cost estimates for a project known as TTC-35, which includes hundreds of miles of toll roads and possibly rail and pipelines.
The keenly timed release is political manna for Gov. Rick Perry, the chief cheerleader for the Trans-Texas Corridor. Perry is running for re-election in November against opponents who've criticized the sweeping plan as a secretive land grab.
Cintra-Zachry, a union of Spanish and American interests, entered into a multimillion-dollar design contract with the state last year. Details of the agreement were kept private because company officials said their release could hamper the consortium's competitiveness on future bids.
In response to an open records request, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott issued an opinion last year calling for the information to be made public. Initially, the Texas Department of Transportation and the consortium jointly sued Abbott's office to keep the information sealed.
As Texas continues to look toward public-private partnerships to finance the state's growing and much-needed transportation complex, all involved should be more forthcoming with the public.
State leaders are often criticized for negotiating backroom deals with Big Business, and toll roads are already controversial. It should not take a legal opinion to force the release of documents on highly significant state projects.
Next time around, state officials should be more sensitive to the public's right to know what action its government is taking. Texas taxpayers deserve that.
Trans-Texas Corridor protestors send bags of soil to Perry
Trans-Texas Corridor PING!
Since the lamebrain media is so against it.
We have the best government money can buy. The problem though is we aren't the ones cutting the checks.
BTTT
I wonder what Bill Moody thinks about all the money the Texas trial lawyers inject into the campaigns.... Guess he'd support them even though they may have a case coming before the court also.
B BTTT TTT!
Thanks for the ping!
You're welcome.
Duh.
The media is not "deadset against this toll road."
In fact, DFW newspapers have endorsed a proposal to move it closer to their cities than the original plan. Other media outlets are just disseminating information.
Don't know where you got that idea, but t'aint so.
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