Watson Wire

Don’t Forget

Tuesday, August 31, 2010 |

I rarely have a good excuse for not spending my typical 60 to 70 hours each week working on the Watson Wire.  (Go ahead.  Try to remember a Watson Wire that didn't seem like it took a week and a half to write.)

But, this week, I have a really good one.

The Watsons all went to New Orleans for the weekend to celebrate Preston's 21st birthday.  A couple of his buddies joined us.

It was a truly fun weekend.  Very little work was done.  Just sayin'.

Lots of eating, though.  I'm now fasting.

Anyway, I do have a couple of reminders this week.  You'll want to remember these things, so keep reading.

Go to www.facebook.com/KirkPWatson. Seriously.

First, if you haven’t done it yet, go right now to www.facebook.com/KirkPWatson, and click on the “Like” button at the top of the page.  Then harangue your friends until they do the same thing.

And don’t forget what we talked about last week – I’m going to give away 10 pairs of tickets to my Concert Under the Stars party at Zilker Park to folks who are signed up on the Facebook page.

As usual, it’ll be the event of the season – good folks and a great park all to ourselves.

Oh, and Robert Randolph will be there too.  You know – Robert Randolph.  Dazzling guitar player.  One of Rolling Stone magazine’s top 100 guitarists of all time.  Seriously, he’s not to be missed.

So don’t miss him.  It's as simple as that.  Sign up on Facebook, or head straight to the website for a ticket.  You don’t want to feel left out.

A town hall ... at your place

Also, don’t forget, tonight at 6:30, we’ll kick off our series of live, online video town hall meetings with candidates running for re-election to the Texas House of Representatives.

We’re leading off with a good one – Representative Chris Turner, who represents the Arlington area in North Texas.

It seems like I’ve known Chris forever, but I guess that it’s really only been 13 years.  He sent around a note this week reminding folks that I sort of gave him one of his first jobs in politics when I put him to work on my campaign for Austin Mayor back in 1997, right as he was graduating from UT.

He did a great job for me back then, he’s doing a great job for the people of Tarrant County right now, and he’s going to keep doing a great job for the people of Texas.  So I hope you’ll tune in to ask us a question about the big issues facing us, and to watch the show.

We’ll be broadcasting over UStream.tv.  You can also watch it on a special tab we’ve put up on the Facebook page.

And you can ask a question anytime – during the event or right now – via Facebook, Twitter, and UStream.

So ask.  Then watch.  It’ll be fun.

Things you should know about me

It’s also been a pretty good couple of weeks out on the campaign trail as I run for re-election.

First of all, the Sierra Club endorsed me last week.  I appreciate the group’s support – not just in this re-election campaign, but also in the Capitol, where it works on so many vital issues – clean air, clean water, green energy, you name it.

It’s going to be a tough session next year.  I’m looking forward to continuing to work with the Sierra Club and so many others to keep the environment clean and safe.

To that point, I’m also proud to have received the Outstanding Government Official Award at the Clean Air Through Energy Efficiency conference in Austin.

As you probably know, clean air is one of my real passions.  It was the focus of my first appointment in public service when Governor Ann Richards, back in 1991, named me Chair of the Texas Air Control Board (which merged with other agencies to become what’s now the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality).  And I’ve worked hard in the legislature to pass bills that improve air quality just as they protect the Texas’ economy, businesses and jobs.

Energy efficiency is obviously a vital tool in that effort, so I’m honored to have been recognized by such a great organization.

And earlier this month, I was recognized by the Governor's EMS & Trauma Advisory Council for my work in the last legislative session to prevent injuries to our fellow Texans.

That’s the kind of work that makes it so rewarding to serve in the Texas Senate.  I’m looking forward to more of that service – and to working with all of these great groups – when the legislature reconvenes in January.