Nila: Special HD 46 election 'does not have to happen at all'

Strange things are afoot in HD 46.

Circular firing squads consisting entirely of the Austin political establishment are fine with us. Yet the Republican challenger for House District 46 reminds East Travis County voters that a high-stakes elimination contest among the local Democratic elite to replace Rep. Dawnna Dukes does not have to take place at all.

And it may not have had to happen if any of the Democrats throwing their hat into the ring for this (as-of-yet entirely hypothetical) special election race would have actually bothered to challenge Dukes in the Democratic Primary! See below for Gabriel Nila's latest submission for more reasons why he is "the one" to represent East Travis in the 85th Texas Legislature.

Stop Dawnna Dukes’ Cynical and Selfish Waste of Taxpayer Dollars

By Gabriel Nila 

Late last week we learned that Rep. Dawnna Dukes (D-Austin) was not just announcing she would resign on January 10, 2017, if she was reelected to another term while under criminal investigation.

As the Austin American-Statesman reported, her retirement announcement was specifically timed to prevent the Travis County District Attorney from taking her case to a grand jury and indicting her. 

This news is truly sad for House District 46 and its citizens. But it is also entirely unsurprising. 

A lot has been said recently about which ambitious Democrat is the predicted winner of a spring 2017 special election for Texas House District 46. 

It’s disturbing enough that none of these political insiders bothered to challenge Dukes in the Democratic Primary. 

But what if I told you that this expensive special election does not have to happen at all? 

If you elect me on Nov. 8, we won’t have to worry about it. I would be your representative in the Texas House of Representatives and will serve this district faithfully. 

Allow me to make my case for your vote. But first, let’s review why there’s an upcoming, expected vacancy in the HD 46 seat. 

For many months Dawnna Dukes has been under serious criminal investigation for alleged misuse of taxpayer resources. She is now proposing a further waste of taxpayer resources. 

On Monday, Sept. 26, the Capitol affairs publication Quorum Report broke the news that the embattled Dukes, who represents a House district stretching from East Austin to Manor and including parts of Pflugerville, is planning to retire from office on January 10, 90 days after she made the announcement and less than 50 days from the election, due to health reasons. 

While my wife Maria and I wish Dawnna a complete and full recovery from whatever health challenges she is facing, we’re left with a nagging question: 

How can she know what her health will be in January — more than three months away? 

If Dukes’ health challenges are serious enough that she feels she must resign from elected office because she can no longer serve, shouldn’t she resign immediately? 

Therein lies the rub.

Dukes is doing this for political reasons and for financial reasons. It’s a cynical, selfish, self-enriching scheme. 

Let’s understand all the factors: 

First, Dawnna Dukes has been under criminal investigation for many months. We do not yet know the conclusion of that investigation, but the allegations are very serious. One could reasonably surmise that her resignation could be an attempt to avoid a criminal indictment. The Statesman reported that this was the case on Sept. 30. 

Second, Dukes and local Democrats do not want an immediate resignation, because it would harm her meaningless reelection campaign, where I am the Republican nominee. Instead, Democrats want a safe, low turnout special election in March or April next year, after the new legislative session has begun. Several ambitious Democrat have already announced they are considering running for a Special Election that may never occur. They don’t care that the winner may take office too late to file any bills. If on Nov. 8 Representative Dukes wins election to a new two-year term that she plainly does not plan to serve in, then this district’s new representative will be last in seniority (150 out of 150) and will be starting late to build an experienced staff, seek committee slots, and get up to speed for the session, if they get seated before it ends (a special election runoff could occur in May or June). 

Third, undoubtedly Dukes wants to get “credit” for beginning a new legislative term, which will increase her pension when she resigns. This will cost taxpayers even more money, for the rest of her life. According to the Statesman, she is due to receive a $70,000 annual pension when she retires. 

For once, Dawnna Dukes should put the district and the taxpayers first and immediately resign. 

Fortunately, the voters have a choice. 

I am running as a mainstream Republican. I believe my background in education and community service makes me a counterbalance to the years of neglect inflicted on HD 46 by Dukes. 

I have been actively campaigning for over a year, and I regularly attend events in East Austin and in Spanish-language neighborhoods to listen to voters and introduce myself. 

Since the investigation against my opponent began, I kept my message clear: strengthen the family, fight gentrification, prevent children from having to tell their teachers and friends that their mom or dad is in jail for a non-violent offense, and improve employment opportunities for small businesses. 

I have not seen Dawnna Dukes even once in this district as I have been campaigning. The truth is that she effectively retired long ago. 

The voters of HD 46 have a choice — although the Democratic monopoly in East Austin will try to make it appear as an intra-party contest. I need your support to win this race.

We can do better. 

Gabriel Nila is the Republican nominee for Texas House District 46.