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Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Will Angie Chen Button dodge a debate?

By Vince Leibowitz of Capitol Annex

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Sandra Phuong VuLe (D-Garland) has challenged Republican Angie Chen Button to a debate. The question now is, "will Button dodge a debate?"

Button, of course, is the DART board member from Garland who spent a ton of her own money to win the GOP Primary Runoff against Randy Dunning for the right to retiring Rep. Fred Hill’s seat in the Texas House.

In calling for the debate, VuLe noted:

"Voters deserve to know where the two of us stand on the big issues before we ask them to choose between us," VuLe said. "I hope my opponent will agree that we should put our ideas out there and let the voters see for themselves."

VuLe said she will make herself readily available for public forums in which she and her opponent can discuss the future of public schools, public health, public safety, and other important challenges facing Texas.

[…]



"Voters have a right to know where both of us stand on this critical issue," VuLe said. "I’m against taxpayer-funded vouchers that could bankrupt local schools and subject private or religious schools to unwarranted state rules and regulations that always follow the use of tax dollars."

Of course, Angie Chen Button will do what she can do dodge a debate. It is key in this race that voters in House District 112 actually get to see the two candidates debate because it is unknown where Button stands on plans floated by State Reps. Phil King (R-Weatherford) and Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola) to replace property taxes with a sales tax to fund public education. We already know from her website that Button is one of the pro-voucher, “anti-tax wingnuts” of the Republican Party. She’s against higher property taxes and actually wants to see the board members of appraisal districts elected (which would create a multi-million dollar layer of bureaucracy to burden Texas taxpayers).

In addition, Chen Button also has other baggage. For one thing, she managed to sit idle on the board of Dallas Area rapid transit (DART) while the agency went $900 million over budget and her only explanation was, “something happened:”

The Garland representative on the DART board, Angie Chen Button, briefed the Garland City Council on the discovery that DART was $900 million over budget on building the lines to Rowlett and Irving. Button says, “Something happened at DART.” No kidding. A $900 million something.

You’d think that Angie Chen Button, a member of DART audit committee, might offer an explanation why the DART audit committee was “shocked” to learn of this shortfall only in November 2007. Button admitted to the council that DART “staff members had some kind of feelings as early as 2004″ and “definitely in the summer of 2006″. But Angie Chen Button and the rest of the audit committee didn’t have a clue.

Button’s entire briefing sounds like a CYA exercise. She tries to sound noble by saying that she doesn’t “just come here and tell you good things”, she comes to “tell you good things and not so good things.” She can’t even bring herself to describe the $900 shortfall as anything more than a “not so good thing.” And she doesn’t even hint that she or the audit committee should be faulted for being caught napping. The weak Garland City Council fails to ask any tough questions of their DART representative.

Chen Button is also pro-toll roads:

Chen Button says lots of money can be collected from toll roads that can buy many things. They are good sources of revenue that can be spent to fund more government programs.

Button certainly has a lot of explaining to do. She’s far from a “mainstream Republican,” that’s for sure.


Pegasus News content partner - Capitol Annex

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Comments

geopunk

geopunk Anonymous

Those damn "anti-tax wingnuts"!!! Haha

2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

AnnMarie Wilson

AnnMarie Wilson Verified

So, shall we make bets on how many more Democrats take office?

That last sweep was only the start.

I cannot wait!

1 month, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

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