Karen Huber for Travis County Commissioner


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Link to
Austin American Statesman
election coverage on Karen's primary victory.

On February 11, 2008, a press conference was held to officially announce the endorsements of Karen Huber by three public safety officer organizations. This video contains endorsement statements by Brett Spicer of the Travis County Sheriffs Law Enforcement Association, Glenn Trubee of the Hudson's Bend Firefighters Association and Stephen Truesdell, President of the Austin Firefighters Association.

Austin American Statesman Endorsement February 29, 2008 Karen Huber is best Democratic pick for Travis County Commissioner By The Editorial Board \| Thursday, February 28, 2008, 01:32 PM ENDORSEMENT — TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT Precinct 3 County Commissioner Gerald Daugherty is a rare figure in Travis County politics, a Republican officeholder, first elected in 2002 and re-elected in 2004. Precinct 3, drawn to stuff as many Republicans into one precinct as possible, covers much of the western half of the county, where rapid growth has driven the demand for roads but also heightened concerns about spoiling the Hill Country environment that draws so many newcomers. Daugherty, who has been a supporter of new roads, is running unopposed in the Republican primary. But the Democratic primary on Tuesday has drawn two would-be challengers: Karen Huber, 61, a retired management consultant, and Albert Gonzales, 60, a retired recruiter for human resources departments. We recommend that voters back Huber, a newcomer to local Democratic Party politics. She previously has voted in Republican primaries but has drawn support from some prominent local Democrats, such as former state Rep. Ann Kitchen. Gonzales is earnest, active in local Democratic politics and concerned about traffic. But we don’t think he could match Huber’s extensive business experience in overseeing county government. Huber has experience in economic development programs across the country and in real estate, which could prove useful to a county commissioner. And she was among those who prodded Pedernales Electric Cooperative Inc. to start disclosing more information about its internal operations. Huber, who lives on Lick Creek in far western Travis County, said she is not anti-growth: “I’m all about growth, I really am.” But county government needs to take a more active role in overseeing land development, she said, though she also acknowledged that the Legislature “hasn’t given us the authority we need.” We’ve complained about the same thing for years. According to Huber, Daugherty only reacts to problems as they arise rather than anticipate them and seldom follows through. She said she would be a better listener, more polite and ensure that all “stakeholders” are at the table when, if elected, she takes on a problem as commissioner. We haven’t heard from Daugherty yet, so we aren’t making an endorsement for this seat this fall. But we think Democrats have an easy choice in favoring Huber on Tuesday. Link to the original article on line
Austin Chronicle Endorsement "Travis County Commissioner, Pct. 3: Karen Huber When GOP incumbent Gerald Daugherty was first elected in 2002, he was followed into the county’s polling headquarters by supporters chanting “No more traffic!” Um, how’s that working out for you, guys? Surely by now residents of Oak Hill, West Lake Hills, West Austin, and the Lake Travis area can see that reelecting a supporter of more roads and opponent of mass transit offers no sensible vision for western Travis County, or Central Texas as a whole. We believe environmentalist Karen Huber is the Democrat most likely to undo that mistake. She has an activist but pragmatic vision for slowing and regulating growth, including exploring the limits of how state health and public safety laws might be applied to new developments. Yet with her background in the real estate industry, she has an understanding of the practical issues rarely found in enviro circles. Her opponent, Albert Gonzales, makes much of her recent formal defection from the Republican Party, and contrasts it with his lifelong efforts on behalf of Democrats. Unfortunately, that is central thrust of his campaign; his knowledge of the Commissioner’s office itself seems limited. His argument would make more sense if the he were running for Party chair, but in a precinct as conservative as this one, a recovering Republican who has seen the light will make the best arguments to sway moderates who have realized that we can’t keep paving over the Hill Country." Lee Nichols, Thu Feb 14, 2:26pm Link to the original article on line