{"id":28384,"date":"2022-02-02T22:39:11","date_gmt":"2022-02-02T22:39:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/2022\/02\/02\/education-crime-transportation-divide-state-sen-john-whitmire-primary-challenger-molly-cook\/"},"modified":"2022-02-02T22:39:11","modified_gmt":"2022-02-02T22:39:11","slug":"education-crime-transportation-divide-state-sen-john-whitmire-primary-challenger-molly-cook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/2022\/02\/02\/education-crime-transportation-divide-state-sen-john-whitmire-primary-challenger-molly-cook\/","title":{"rendered":"Education, Crime, Transportation Divide State Sen. John Whitmire, Primary Challenger Molly Cook"},"content":{"rendered":"

[ad_1]<\/p>\n

\n Austin, TX<\/span>, 21 seconds ago<\/span> \u2014<\/span><\/span> The longest-serving member of the Texas Senate plans<\/a> to leave the legislature to run for mayor of Houston in 2023.<\/p>\n

His retirement may become an early replacement if challenger Molly Cook wins the Democratic primary for his Senate seat.<\/p>\n

Cook is the sole Democratic opponent<\/a> for state Sen. John Whitmire (D-Houston), incumbent for the safe<\/a> blue Houston seat. The two candidates participated in a virtual discussion<\/a> on Tuesday night where Whitmire touted his seniority and experience while Cook billed herself as a more progressive grassroots alternative.<\/p>\n

Education and <\/b>Abbott\u2019s Parental Bill of Rights Proposal<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Whitmire and Cook mostly agreed on education policy, with both criticizing vouchers, school choice, more stringent state oversight, and efforts to ban critical race theory or \u201cCRT\u201d in public classrooms. Cook made up for a lack of policy disagreement by pointing out Whitmire\u2019s plans to run for Houston mayor in 2023<\/a>, an ongoing wedge issue in the race.<\/p>\n

\n

\"The

When prompted to opine on Abbott\u2019s \u201cParental Bill of Rights<\/a>\u201d plan<\/a>, both called it a right-wing political stunt.<\/p>\n

\u201cGreg Abbott is trying to out-Trump Trump. You saw him in Montgomery County two nights ago. He goes as extreme as he can,\u201d Whitmire said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou now see that this bill of rights he wants to put in the constitution is going to allow choice or vouchers. Vouchers would ruin public education in the state of Texas. It would certainly shut down our rural schools. In the urban areas, you do have other options, but in mid-size or small communities, if you allow students to take their vouchers and go to their church schools, Brenham for instance would just lose their ISD. It\u2019s nothing but demagoguery. It\u2019s hard-right to appeal to the Trump core.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cook echoed Whitmire\u2019s criticisms but tacitly compared rumors of a presidential run for Abbott to Whitmire\u2019s mayoral plans.<\/p>\n

\u201cI agree with much of what the Senator said. He has criticized Governor Abbott for running for president and how that has changed the way he approaches the issues. I am concerned about the Senator running for mayor and how that will change his approach to issues,\u201d Cook said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe focus of the lege should be on funding public school equitably, protecting the rights of all children to play, getting kids insured \u2014 we rank last for child insurance rates \u2014 improving maternal health outcomes, protecting schoolchildren from environmental hazards like unclean air from nearby freeways, and supporting, not punishing, local ISDs.\u201d<\/p>\n

State law currently lists parental rights in the Texas Education Code<\/a>. On the campaign trail recently, Abbott proposed cementing certain rights into the Texas Constitution to \u201creinforce that parents are the main decision-makers in all matters involving their minor children.\u201d Proposals in his plan include expanding parental access to course materials and giving parents the option to decide if their children should repeat a grade. The plan does not mention vouchers.<\/p>\n

Criminal Justice<\/b><\/p>\n

The two candidates diverged more widely when crime entered the conversation. Cook blamed Houston crime trends on high gun ownership and an imbalanced focus on nonviolent criminals and pinned a gun-friendly record on Whitmire.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are people sitting in jail downtown charged with nonviolent Class B and C misdemeanors awaiting trial simply because they can\u2019t pay bail<\/a>. Meanwhile, murders go unsolved. This is about a misalignment of resources and priorities,\u201d Cook argued.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 2011, Senator Whitmire voted in favor of SB 1581, which was concealed carry on college campuses. In 2013, he voted to expand firearm manufacturing in Texas. And in 2017 he voted<\/a>\u2026 to reduce the application fee for the license to carry a handgun<\/a>. Two important policies that I would back are limiting stranger to stranger sales, which Lt. Governor Dan Patrick himself says that he even supports, and universal background checks<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Senate Bill (SB) 1581<\/a> dealt with public universities\u2019 fiscal policy and Whitmire did not vote for it<\/a>. He did vote to let the Senate consider a campus carry bill<\/a> directly afterward on the same day, but that motion failed, meaning the Senate never actually voted on the bill itself. In 2013, Whitmire voted with 23 other senators<\/a> in favor of a bill<\/a> that would have incentivized the \u201clocation, expansion, and retention\u201d of gun manufacturers to Texas.<\/p>\n

In response, Whitmire touted his support for a red flag bill<\/a>, a proposal to let courts confiscate guns from people that show signs of willingness to hurt themselves or others. He further specified that he supports crackdowns on gangs, a \u201czero tolerance\u201d policy for weapons crimes, and legislation to stop bail bondsmen from financing the bond for defendants.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have the toughest penal code in the nation, which I sponsored in 93. We also have the best treatment program in the United States. But what we have to do is hold people accountable,\u201d Whitmire said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we have to have a zero-tolerance for anyone that uses a weapon in the commission of a crime. I worked with Former Chief [Clarence] Bradford, I talked with Chief [Troy] Finner Saturday afternoon, and I would not hesitate to have the DFPS come in and run an anti-gang task force. The juvenile gangs are really what are perpetuating most of our crime.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whitmire later expanded on his focus on juvenile crime, claiming that junior high principals have told him gang activity is a top issue at schools like Francis Scott Key Middle School.<\/p>\n

The gap between Cook and Whitmire widened as the conversation shifted to punishment. Cook accused Whitmire of taking donations from \u201cprivate prisons,\u201d a model that Whitmire defended as a success in mental health treatment for inmates. Whitmire credited his juvenile justice reform efforts for trimming the state\u2019s incarcerated youth population, boasting closures of five juvenile facilities and 10 adult facilities since 2007. Cook claimed the closures were due to budget shortfalls.<\/p>\n

Air Quality, Carbon Emissions, and Transport<\/b><\/p>\n

When asked about strategies to improve Houston\u2019s air quality and decrease greenhouse gas emissions, Whitmire cited his local efforts to improve air quality but said the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)<\/a> will stymie progressive environmental proposals as long as Republicans control the governorship.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe TCEQ is a board appointed by Governor Abbott, before that, Perry, before that, Bush\u2026 It\u2019s tough when you\u2019re dealing with the TCEQ,\u201d Whitmire said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a hundred percent rating by the Air Alliance. It took my seniority to stop a batch plant in the African American community of Acres Home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though Whitmire has been rated one of the most liberal members of the Texas Senate<\/a>, Cook positioned herself to his left in her response, accusing Whitmire of siding with conservatives on environmental issues and voicing support for policies to discourage car usage.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe obviously need to decrease car dependence throughout the state\u2026 We have to address the root causes and assumptions of these issues that are failed and are biased toward continuing down our car-centric paradigm,\u201d Cook said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe senator voted to prohibit localities like Denton from banning fracking in 2015 and has a history of vehicle emissions testing moratoriums, supported raising taxes on electric vehicles.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to The Texan\u2019s<\/i> Texas Partisan Index<\/a>, redistricting did not lighten the strong blue hue of Whitmire\u2019s district. 64 percent of voters in the new map voted Democrat in the statewide general elections of 2018 and 2020, the same percentage as the old map.<\/p>\n

Whitmire enjoys a strong fundraising lead over Cook with over $11 million in cash on hand compared to Cook\u2019s modest war chest of about $17,000. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n