Sharp tapped as hurricane recovery czar
AUSTIN — Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp was appointed Thursday to head a new blue-ribbon state commission that will oversee the rebuilding of Houston and Texas’ coastal areas devastated by Hurricane Harvey.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said Sharp, 67, a former Democratic officeholder known in recent years for his special appointments from Republican governors, will lead the Governor’s Commission to Rebuild Texas that will focus on restoring destroyed and damaged public infrastructure such as roads, bridges, schools and government buildings — and to “future-proof ” the Texas coast from similar storm damage in coming years.
“I have a simple charge for Commissioner Sharp, and that is to rebuild Texas ahead of schedule, under budget and with a friendly smile of constant consumer service,” Abbott in announcing the new commission with Sharp at the governor’s office. “Although the storm is over, the recovery process is just beginning, and it will require a Texas-size response. This new commission … will ensure victims get everything they need, and seamlessly provide resources to these devastated communities.”
As Abbott’s recovery czar, Sharp will coordinate with mayors and county officials in the 350-mile stretch of the coast hammered by Harvey. And he’ll have the authority to tap the resources of all state agencies to ensure fast action.
“The road to recovery will be long, but Texans are a tough breed,” Sharp said. “We will rebuild Texas, even better than before.”
‘One-stop shop’
The huge challenge facing Sharp and his new commission was evident Thursday in new publicsector damage totals compiled by state officials: 135 jurisdictions reported a total of more than $432.9 million in damage to public facilities, including $101.6 million in Harris County — with the tallies expected to increase by the day as inspections continue.
Sharp, 67, who has served as the A&M chancellor since 2011, said his commission will serve as “a one-stop shop for access to state and federal resources,” with personnel located in each of the 58 counties covered by disaster declarations. He said the Federal Emergency Management Agency will oversee the repair and replacement of private homes and buildings, as well as housing and business-recovery programs.
Sharp will work from his College Station headquarters, using his government, academic and private-sector expertise to speed Texas’ recovery efforts. Perhaps the most controversial aspect of the job: Exploring limiting development in Houston and other areas to mitigate the damage from future storms.
Abbott has said he expects the damage tally from Harvey to exceed $150 billion, more than from Hurricane Katrina that struck New Orleans in 2005, or Hurricane Sandy that devastated New Jersey and New York in 2014. The U.S. House on Friday is expected to give final approval to a $15.25 billion down payment on restoration.
Harvey has been labeled the most damaging storm in U.S. history, even as Hurricane Irma — at Category 5, a stronger storm that Category 4 Harvey — was headed on Thursday to Florida. Federal officials said the damage from Irma could exceed Harvey’s destruction.
Abbott said one of Sharp’s goals will be to “cut red tape and speed the rebuilding process” — a process that state officials have said will take years.
Sharp’s new job is unpaid, and he will keep his job as chancellor, which pays $900,000 annually.
Both Abbott and Sharp said the new task force will coordinate state, federal and local rebuilding initiatives to ensure there is no duplication or delay. “We’re going to treat this (recovery) money as if it were our own money,” Sharp said.
Housing plan readied
Sharp, a highly regarded former Democratic state legislator who served on the Texas Railroad Commission, as state comptroller and was a twice unsuccessful candidate for lieutenant governor in an era when Republicans cinched their hold on all statewide elective offices, has been a go-to helper in recent years for Republican governors in Texas. Rick Perry named him to head a tax-reform task force that recommended improved education funding, and again in 2007 to help gain voter approval of a cutting-edge cancer research program.
As state comptroller from 1991-1999, the affable Sharp oversaw the successful startup of the Texas lottery. He became known for his scrubbing reviews of state spending that resulted in new efficiencies.
Sharp, who was born in Placedo, a coastal community not far from Victoria, starting work immediately after Thursday’s announcement. He joined Abbott and other top state officials in a tour of at least five hard-hit communities along the coast, including Richmond and Corpus Christi. The entourage is to meet with Houston officials on Friday.
In announcing the Rebuild Texas initiative, Abbott also said that a transition housing plan for the Houston area is being put together to allow evacuees whose homes were destroyed to soon transition from shelters and into more stable living accommodations — including hotels and apartments.