“For thirty years, Republicans have ruled Texas with an iron fist, taking away cities’ ability to pass any kind of progressive legislation.”
TEXAS —The results from the elections held in Texas are rippling throughout the state. Now that Democrats have been elected in a total sweep of the statewide positions, local leaders are feeling emboldened to change course and it’s not even January yet.
For thirty years, Republicans have ruled Texas with an iron fist, taking away cities’ ability to pass any kind of progressive legislation. I’m reminded of how Denton passed a referendum in 2014 to prevent fracking within the city, but the next year the state legislature passed a law that only the state can regulate the oil and gas industry.
Already, leaders of the large Democrat-led cities are proclaiming they will no longer cooperate with the Greg Abbott/Ken Paxton regime. John Whitmire, the mayor of Houston, announced he will no longer direct the city’s police department to call ICE when apprehending an immigrant on a stop, unless it is for a jailable offense, as required by state law. Austin’s mayor Kirk Watson has directed the city’s police department to draft similar direction. It is expected other large cities will follow.
The Austin school district has decided it will no longer cooperate with the state’s Republican Comptroller who has been investigating how the district spends its money and has been asking for data about school libraries, sex education and students.
Expect to see more efforts by cities to break away from the stranglehold the state government has had over them for a very long time.
Karel Riley works with the People’s Tribuneand Tribuno del Pueblo, as a writer and contributor on human rights and women’s issues. “I’ve been a feminist since early adulthood. As a clerical worker, I joined a union drive with AFSCME seeking comparable wages to men for female-dominated jobs, and we were partially successful. In the mid-80’s our union participated in the historic Hormel strike in Minnesota. Later, I joined support for a local welfare rights organization,” she says.
