Does the loss of one politician signal loss of power?

Not much that comes out of Waco, Texas, interests me much anymore. I’m sad to say that because I do have a few friends there. But I look back upon the seven years I lived in Waco as a chapter in my life. Enough said.

I must confess that I was interested to hear that region’s incumbent state Sen. Kip Averitt was bowing out of his re-election effort citing “health reasons.”

Averitt is a Republican and is described and I believe is a moderate one. Another GOP-er from Burleson — south of Fort Worth — is on the ballot. No Democrats are running and the only opposition to GOP candidate Darren Yancy are some Libertarian candidates.

I knew Averitt and, although I didn’t agree with his Republican politics, he certainly threw whatever he had handy to help out in major local issues. Well, one might ask, isn’t that what a legislator is supposed to do? Perhaps, but sometimes legislators try to make themselves larger fish in their small pond. Averitt didn’t try to to that although he became, I think, fairly influential in the Lege. It didn’t hurt that he had as a mentor former Sen. David Sibley, another Waco Republican, as a mentor and boss. As well, it didn’t hurt Averitt that he represented and was of the same party as former governor and later President George W. “Gee Dubya” Bush.

Averitt, Bush and the Texas House equivalent of Democratic majority leader, Rep. Jim Dunnam, gave Waco some stature in the state politically. Along with the very sharp U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, who Nancy Pelosi talked up at one point as a possible VP candidate for Barack Obama, the Waco and transplanted (Bush) pols helped make Waco fairly formidable politically. This came in handy with certain problems Waco had, such as water pollution the city blamed on upstream dairies and a threat of closing the Waco VA hospital. The latter, of course, is a federal matter but Averitt’s political muscle didn’t hurt when appealing to fellow Republicans such as the state’s two U.S. senators.

Gee Dubya is now hanging mostly in North Dallas and no longer president and main draw to Crawford. He actually lived a few miles outside of Crawford, which is located along with Waco in McLennan County. With Averitt’s departure, one wonders how Waco will fare politically in state matters and political power?

Such changes do not signal a failed (portion of a) state. It happens and has happened in Texas since 1845.  Really, I guess, even before Texas was a state. State politics in Texas have seen influence alternate from rural to urban, East Texas to Central Texas, Central Texas to South Texas. And predictably some cities have had more pull at one time than others.

All in all, politics happens.

I wish Kip the best with whatever health problems he has. I can identify.  Mine, luckily, haven’t been life-threatening and I hope neither is his.