Victoria Advocate from Victoria, Texas • 9

If. WW. Setuniry October Souls mavopai race I tee i i i i mmmm mmm mmmmm in I If; Incumbent facing iVo city: councilmen in Nov. 6 election if Career Day P'rtglilns Penny, toft and Pete ere closely observed by Edna Bbfess' second-frade class at Cambridge Elementary School In Sin Antonio on Friday. The school conducted Career Day and had pi from many professions visit Including, personnel from Sea I who care for the Penguins.

filed Jiird lawsuit 4 't, HOUSTON (AP) Despite a career dominated by public safer jobs, Lee Brown's bid lor a third two-year term as the city's first black mayor could be derailed by a public safety issue. Brown, 84, faces two dty council-men, Chris Bell and Orlando Sanchez, and three other unfunded candidates in the Nov. 6 race for the top job in the nation's fourth-largest dty. The election will be his last since the former police chief in Houston, Atlanta and New York City is barred by term limits from seeking a fourth term. BeU, 42, is an attorney and former radio newsman who has been on the council for four years.

Sanchez, 43, is a former probation officer and construction industry consultant who is winding up his third term as a councilman. Brown is urging voters return him to maintain his four-year momentum, pointing to new businesses, downtown development and a reduction in crime. They've been good years, years of growth and progress," he says. "Pick any Indicator you can think. All are In the right direction." His opponents accuse him of budget mismanagement and point to torn-up streets, broken sewers and water mains, and undermanned fire trucks.

Firefighter staffing became the dominant issue following the Oct 13 death of a fire captain responding to a blaze in a high-rise apartment building. The captain's widow, speaking at his funeral, suggested the dty policy of three-person trucks one below the level recommended by national firefighting standards contributed to his death. Brown responded by announcing a $16 million plan to boost fire department staffing. He said the idea had been in the works since the September terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. His opponents suggested other- ill bonfire collapse holds up a time-remaining card for the mayor' Houston city councilmen Orlando Sanchez, left, and Chris Bell, center, listen to Houston Mayor Lee Brown during a debate In Houston as a timekeeper statement.

Brown, the city's first black mayor, It terjc rannlnf for a third two-year term. services that have drawn barbs from his opponents. "One thing people are sick and tired of in town is what they view aj mismanagement of dty says Bell, who proposes computer ized tracking of services to sav money and become more emcien He'd also give private contractors shot at fixing streets and sewers. He also contends that eridlockei Four years ago, Brown succeeded popular Bob Lanier and inherited much of the backing from the dry's power brokers after winning a runoff in 1997. Two years ago, he easily took the general election with 63 percent of the vote.

The Sept 11 terrorist attacks fited Brown by diverting the public's attention from the election and keeping his opponents from getting their names and faces in the news, Stein said. In the most stressful period of his tenure, Brown received good grades for his management and visibility during flooding from Tropical Storm Allison in June, a $5 billion deluge that inundated neighborhoods and crippled freeways, downtown streets and the dts medical center. It's the more routine munidpal wise. i The public and council would have more confidence in the proposal if it did not simply appear to be'a politically expedient knee-jerk response," Bell sail Sanchez, who had made the issue a cornerstone of his campaign even before the fireman's death, called Brown's response a "self-serving, despicable and cynical act" While the mayor's race is nonpartisan, Brown is an unabashed Democrat who served as the nation's drug czar in President Clintons Cabinet and stumped for Al Gore in last year's presidential campaign against Texas Gov. George Bush.

Bell also is a Democrat but has downplayed any party affiliation, while Sanchez is a Republican and has courted GOP support CbtlGE STATION CAP) University administrator and student leaders are accused of negHfeence by relatives of an Aggie sophomore who died when the bonfire log'pile collapsed. Theldwsuit, the third filed in con-nectidtf with the 1999 collapse that killed 12 Aggies and the second legal actibh this week, seeks compensation for the parents ofChad Powell, a 19-yearold computer engineering major from Keller. Grfegoiy and Beverly Jill Powell, both of Keller, are seeking unspecified damages in a jury trial before a Tarrant County probate judge. Papan) filed Thursday in the lawsuit named oas defendants Ray Bowen, Texas i president; J. Malon Soumerland, vice president fcr student affairs; pill KMer, an associate vice president for student afEairs; and Russell Thompson, Bonfire staff adviser.

AlsoHamed as defendants are senior "rod pots," top student leaders of the tradition, from 1998 and 1999; junior rd pots for the 1999 Bonfire; two construction companies; and two crane operators, one of whom was a student at the time of the collapse. Powells want the offi-dak'o are responsible to stand up and accept responsibility that their actions caused a trade loss of life," traffic contributes to Houston's pollul tion problems. A Sanchez victory would make hirrj Houston's first Hispanic mayor in city that is becoming increasingif Hispanic. The 2000 Census showed Hispanics with the largest slice of Houston's 1.95 million residents, accounting for 37.4 percent Whites make up 31.5 percent; blacks, 25.3 percent; and others, 5.8 percent GenoBorchardt, the Fort Worth attorney who filed the lawsuit, told the Bryan-College Station Eagle in Friday's editions. He said the Powells also want to ensure that no students die while working on future bonfires, should the tra-dition The younger Powell, an Eagle Scout and valedictorian of his Keller High School class, was a freshman coordinator of the bonfire project Powell also was president of the National Honor Society, a National Merit Scholar and a member of the academic decathlon team that finished third in the state last year.

The student had hoped one day to open a computer store and design software. Bowen and the other three istrators are accused in the lawsuit of negligently failing to limit the risks associated with the bonfire, a 90-year-old annual tradition at the school The student leaders likewise negli-genuy allowed the 59-foot-high, wedding cake-like stack of more than 5,000 logs to be built in an unsafe manner, according to the petition. The unfinished bonfire stack collapsed early on Nov. 18, 1999, as dozens of students worked to complete it Twenty-seven other students wereinjured. High $297 i i i iii As Chairman of the Governor's Task Force on Homeland Security, David Dewhurst encourages you to support President Bush and the brave men and women of our Armed Forces as they fight to eliminate terrorism and vork to restore confidence in our economy.

l--eclm- Rocker I V- S98 I I Reclina- I I Rocker r- 11 i sajfin vn 1 Redina I Rest I ReclinL Resf fl s. i. 'v- i Ik. A campaign ad for Texas' homeland security Chairman David Dewhurst InTfexasMoirthrslHHvsanunldetrffl In tjie uniform of the Luftwaffe against the backdropoftheU.Flag.A campaln aide said the picture of the Luftwaffe officer was used In or rori i Mistake places German dfficr in Dewhurst's ad cy 1 -fX Mi I Reclina- Rocker 5gc Heat Massage Hleg Classic AUSTIN (AP) Land Commissioner David Dewhurst a candidate for lieutenant governor, said Friday he wqukl continue discussing his role as Texas' homeland security chief on the campaign trail, but promised he coud 4i) it without being political. The Republican has been criticized 1- a.

i. by Dmocrats for showcasing his se- curt Ile campaign ads, Including Leather I Finesse mistakenly used a photo of a soldier in front of an Ameri- Jl-color Texas Monthly maga- cai rlni stafl.6 hit newsstands this week aiat "As Chairman of the Gov- shop," said Kelly Fero, spokesman for the Texas Democrats' coordinated campaign. Dewhurst, however; said people ask him about security issues and that hell continue to mention his appointment on the campaign trail. Not in a way that politicizes what Tm doing for the state," he said. "Almost every time I speak to a political group they want to ask me questions about homeland security.

I make a point of saying 'All right we've stopped talking about politics. We're going to talk about a state issue and let me tell you what my thoughts Perry said Friday that Dewhurst can legitimately note his security service to voters. Perry said he would list anything he believed qualified him as a legitimate candidate. Td be surprised if other people dorft say here's what Tve done in my life, take a look at me," Perry said. "I donl think it's pandering to people's The ad caused additional problems for Dewhurst when it was reported that the soldier standing in front of an American flag was a German Air Force officer.

Dewhurst said he had onfy approved the words the ad and hadn't seen the photo unul Wednesday. I Rocker 1 I '599 I I Leather Finesse 5 ernbr'j Jask Force on Homeland encouraged Tex-ans tp iupport President Bush and Amtrja's armed forces "as they fight Eliminate terrorism and work to tpetoVe confidence in our economy." to it to do over again, I would have said the same words. I might nbt have said it 'as chairman of the 0 jrnor's task force on homeland security Dewhurst said. Demojjrats accuse Dewhurst of trying jx capitalize on his appointment by Rick Perry andpolitldz-ing th task force. bejnk wasn't dry yet on the ap-polfitmcnt when he was sending out pouica brochure copy to the print I'V GEEK, MocHngbMLm, u.

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