Speaker-apparent Joe Straus capped the week by saying former Rep. Clyde Alexander will be his chief of staff.
Alexander, who served as a Democrat from Athens, now lives in San Antonio and is friends with the new speaker. He's been involved in the transition since Straus announced he had the votes to become speaker. He'd been rumored for the job from the outset and has been helping Straus to put a game plan together for the session.
Former Bexar County Judge and state sen. Cyndi Krier, also of San Antonio, will stay on as senior advisor into the legislative session.
Though he served as a Democrat, Alexander as a political contributor has been more generous to Republicans since 2002, giving $62,453 to their candidates while giving $20,345 to Democrats. His biggest beneficiaries include Gov. Rick Perry, $20,000; Carole Keeton Strayhorn, $19,000; Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, $6,000; and $5,000 each to Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and to House Speaker Tom Craddick. The contributions to Perry, Dewhurst, and Craddick were all made in December 2002 — the month after the elections when the Republicans took solid control of the statehouse. Rep. Patrick Rose, D-Dripping Springs, has been Alexander's biggest Democratic beneficiary, pulling in $10,005 in contributions. John Sharp got $5,000, and Sen. Kirk Watson got $3,000.
Krier's $54,482 in contributions mostly went to Republicans, though $13,139 went to the state and federal political action committees at USAA, where she worked after leaving public office. She contributed $12,000 to the Associated Republicans of Texas, $7,500 to Perry, $1,000 to Straus, $3,000 to Comptroller Susan Combs, $3,000 to George Antuna, who ran against Rep. Joe Farias, D-San Antonio, in 2006.
Here's his press release:
With the near unanimous support of Members and Representatives-Elect of the Texas House of Representatives supporting his election as Speaker, and operating in an extremely compressed period of time in which to organize the House for a productive beginning of the 81st Regular Session, Representative Joe Straus has today asked former State Representative Clyde Alexander of San Antonio to serve as his Chief of Staff. Mr. Alexander, who represented the East Texas counties of Freestone, Henderson and Navarro in the House from 1989-2003, accepted the appointment.
Representative Straus will continue to have the counsel of former Texas Senator and Bexar County Judge Cyndi Taylor Krier in the ensuing days as Senior Adviser.
Statement by Representative Straus
"This has been an extraordinary week for all of us in the Texas House. I am gratified by the support and friendship of so many Members, uniting to serve the people's business.
I am honored that Clyde has accepted to return to his beloved House, in a fulltime role at my side. Clyde's insights and advice are essential to me. Clearly, Clyde shares my fervent desire to do what is best for the body.
Cyndi's counsel at this critical time is invaluable to me and to Clyde. I have asked Cyndi to continue indefinitely in her volunteer role as my Senior Adviser."
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