Kelly Siegler, playing catch-up to Jim Leitner, has called for her boss's, Chuck Rosenthal's resignation.
Better a month late than never, I always say. But Jim and Kelly are not the subjects of this post.
The subjects of this post, referenced in the title, are DA candidates Doug Perry and Pat Lykos, who "said they were neutral on whether Rosenthal should remain in office."
How can a candidate for DA, aware of the situation in the DA's office and the CJC, be "neutral" on whether Rosenthal should resign? Suddenly both Lykos and Perry seem irredeemably unqualified for the post they seek.
Is the fix in? Did Kelly get word that Chuck's resignation is in the cards? Has a back-room deal been cut for Governor Perry to place Kelly at the helm of the Office before the primary (one of the few things that might secure her the nomination)? All questions above my pay grade. Safe to say, though, that this will be an interesting week.
11 comments:
I'm not certain just how highly Harris County politics registers on Gov. Perry's radar. Besides I don't know how much being an incumbent would help you with the primary only 1 month away.
I'd think that there might be a whole lot of heat on Chuck after the primary sorts itself out.
Gov. Perry has never been quick to pull the trigger on appointments. Still, my guess is that if there's a "fix" in, it's to appoint Lykos should Chuck resign. Kelly is not politically connected in the party and I doubt she carries any stroke with Perry. My guess is Lykos wants Chuck to stay on through the primary, knowing that every day he clings to office is a day Kelly has to wear him around her neck like an albatross.
I agree with both Ron and J.
Ron is right that the heat on Chuck isn't going to really turn up until after the Republican candidate is decided on. However, I hope that Perry (Rick, not Doug) exercises some discretion on that. Appointing the Republican nominee is going to look bad bad bad. He would be much better appointing a non-political caretaker.
J is right because if the governor was going to appoint somebody right now, it would be Lykos. Not that he really cares about Harris County politics, but he will listen to the Harris County bigwigs on who they want. And you can bet your last bottom-dollar that Lykos wants Chuck to stay in for the exact reasons that J stated.
Thanks for the comments. The last thing I have any clue about is party politics, but it seems to me that Lykos would benefit more from being named DA than from having Chuck continuing to twist in the wind.
Anyway, anyone who gives a rat's ass about having a functioning criminal justice system in Harris County wants Chuck out ASAP. . . . I'm still neutral myself. Heh.
Food for thought: Perhaps Chuck hasn't resigned because he's aware of the likelihood that Lykos would be appointed. Further, maybe he plans to step down once the Republican candidate is determined, assuming it's not Lykos. I can't name a single defense attorney or ADA that wants to see Lykos as DA...
cjclawyer,
Thanks for the post. You make an interesting point. :-)
I know of a couple of defense lawyers who would like to see Lykos as DA, and many more who see Lykos as a lesser evil than Siegler.
Forgive me! I'm new to the blog and didn't read all the archives before commenting. But I'm glad to learn I'm not the only person that considered that possibility!
There are at least a half-dozen solos who would make a better DA appointment than Pat Lykos. Ever practiced in front of her?
Lykos' silence when Jim and Kelly stuck their necks out to call for Chuck's resignation speaks volumes about the level of character we want in this job.
County Seat,
I have never practiced before Lykos, but yours seems to be the consensus view. Unfortunately, the Republican Party isn't backing the consensus view, and Lykos is reportedly a great campaigner.
"Jim and Kelly stuck their necks out" in calling for Chuck's resignation? Give me a break! Talk about saying the obvious. What an act of courage! Puts them in league with Quanell X when it comes to bravery.
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