Dispute could leave 850,000 Houstonians without representation in the Texas Senate

[Elderberry]

Houston Chronicle By Jeremy Wallace 8/23/2018

More than 850,000 people in and around Houston could be left without a state senator to represent them when the Texas Legislature convenes in January because of a dispute between Gov. Greg Abbott and State Sen. Sylvia Garcia over the wording of her “intent to resign letter.”

As Abbott and Garcia staffers blame each other, there is a growing threat that people living on Houston’s East End, South Houston, part of Pasadena and all the way out to Baytown will have no representative in the state Senate when the Legislature meets on Jan. 8.

If a replacement is not in place for Senate District 6, it could leave Democrats even more short-handed than they are now. Of the 31 Texas Senators, just 11 were Democrats in the last session. Without Garcia or her replacement, Democrats would have a 10-member caucus — the smallest ever in modern political times in Texas.

The fight is over Garcia’s “intent to resign” from the Senate letter from late July. In it, the Democrat said she intends to resign on Jan. 2, 2019 when she will likely be heading to Washington to represent much of the same area in Congress. Garcia won a primary for the 29th Congressional District in March and is heavily favored to win the general election versus Republican Phillip Aronoff in November.

Garcia could resign now, but has said she does not want to leave the people of Senate District 6 without representation.

By submitting the intent to resign in July, Garcia told Abbott she left him enough time to set a special election in November to coincide with the general election on Nov. 6.

In order to put an item on the Nov. 6 general election ballot, a governor must issue a proclamation 78 days before the election. That deadline passed on Aug. 20.

---Abbott’s office responded on Thursday by saying Garcia can clear up everything if she just submits a letter that makes it clear that she is resigning, even if she wants to set a future effective date.

“The governor’s position is that ‘intent’ to resign is insufficient to constitute an official resignation,” Abbott spokeswoman Ciara Matthews said. “The governor has made clear the only thing the Senator must do to submit an effective resignation is delete the word ‘intent.’ The ball is in her court.”

More: https://www.chron.com/news/politics/texas/article/Dispute-could-leave-850-000-Houstonians-without-13178009.php