Redrawn maps set up fight for Cagle
Redistricting means longtime incumbent must win over voters new to Precinct 4
Voters in Harris County Precinct 4 are set to choose between a political newcomer and a familiar name on the ballot this year as former Democratic County Court at Law Judge Lesley Briones challenges incumbent Republican Commissioner Jack Cagle.
Though Cagle has held the job since 2011, his jurisdiction was redrawn last year, costing the incumbent a great deal of name recognition as he attempts to win over constituents who were, until recently, in a different precinct.
This general election will be the first under the new map approved by the Democratic majority on Commissioners Court in a 3-2 party line vote. Democrats
now have an advantage of 12 points in Precinct 4, while Republican voters are disproportionately crammed into Precinct 3, giving the GOP a 20-point advantage there, according to an analysis of election results from 2016 to 2020.
Despite Democrats’ redistricting efforts, it remains unclear
how the balance of power on Commissioners Court will shake out in November. Three out of five seats on the court are on the ballot this year, with each incumbent facing a competitive challenger.
The changes to the Precinct 4 map make it the top race to watch in Harris County, according to Renée Cross, the executive director of the University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs.
“Essentially, Jack Cagle’s incumbency is wiped out by this map because he’s pretty much starting over in terms of name ID,” Cross said. “To a certain extent, he and Briones are starting out even. On the flip side, though, he will have a record that Briones can point to in the county. So, while she’s out making her name known, she can also point to his time as county commissioner.”
Quorum combat
Four years ago, the majority flipped from Republican to Democrat when County Judge Lina Hidalgo ousted incumbent Ed Emmett, and Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia beat incumbent Jack Morman. Since then, the court has fallen into its current pattern of 3-2 votes.
The two Republicans — Cagle and Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey — wield little control on the court, though they are in charge of large budgets for their precincts that give them substantial authority to determine the prioritization of infrastructure projects and services in their jurisdictions.
In the weeks ahead of the election, Cagle and Ramsey have used their position in the minority to prevent Democrats from passing their proposed tax rate and budget for fiscal year 2023. By skipping recent meetings, they have compelled Democrats to adopt a budget based on what is known as the no new revenue rate, a levy that brings in the same amount of tax revenue as last year from existing property, along with an additional $45 million from property added to the tax rolls this year.
While the Democrats’ proposed rate is lower than the previous year, Cagle and Ramsey argue it should be even lower to provide tax relief to residents.
Texas law requires a quorum of four members, rather than the usual three, to decide tax rates. That gives the court’s two Republicans power to negotiate, as the Democrats cannot pass their proposed tax rate unless at least one of the Republicans attends the meeting.
Cagle said he is motivated by concerns over the crime rate and inflation, though his opponent has sharply criticized him for skipping meetings and fighting the Democrats’ proposed tax rate.
Cagle’s legal name, Cactus Jack, comes from his grandfather, who nicknamed him after John Nance Garner, a Texas Democrat who went by Cactus Jack and served as a U.S. vice president in the 1940s. Like Garner, Cagle began his political career as a judge, winning his election in 2000 to preside over Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 1. He served in the role until 2011, when he was appointed to Commissioners Court to replace former Precinct 4 commissioner Jerry Eversole, who stepped down as part of a plea deal in a federal corruption case.
Cagle says while Democrats approach Commissioners Court as a platform for discussing national issues, he considers a commissioner’s responsibilities much more local and constituent-oriented: de-icing roads in a freeze, filling potholes, maintaining the bathrooms at county parks.
“We’re not there yet where the bathrooms look like Buc-ee’s, but we’re trying to get there,” Cagle said. “We want you, when you’re in the park, to feel comfortable.
“That’s not a very glamorous, glorious job, but I take pride in that’s what our role is,” he added.
Briones was born and raised on the border in Laredo. For eight years, she was chief operating officer at the Arnold Foundation, now Arnold Ventures. An educator and lawyer, Briones served as a civil court judge until she left the position to run for commissioner. Briones says one of her achievements as a judge was clearing a substantial backlog of cases she inherited from the previous judge.
“I had one of the few courts in Harris County without a backlog, and it was great trying to find ways to enhance efficiency — creating more dockets, smaller dockets, decreasing wait times, making sure we were moving trials even during the pandemic,” Briones said.
She made it through a competitive primary and runoff earlier this year, though Cagle argued she is the Democratic establishment’s choice.
“My opponent was hand picked, announced and endorsed a couple of days after redistricting,” Cagle said. “This was all part of a plan of the majority to get a super majority because I’ve been an advocate for the taxpayer.”
The court has not yet reached an agreement on the proposed tax rate, though after skipping two meetings, Cagle pitched his own compromise plan that called for 200 more law enforcement officers and raises for existing officers, an additional $45 million for the public hospital system and a fully funded flood control district, plus an additional $24 million in discretionary funding.
This is not the first year Cagle has broken quorum over the tax rate. He also skipped a meeting in 2019, along with former commissioner Steve Radack, to block a tax rate increase.
According to both candidates, however, the choice between them is about more than taxes. The two have fundamentally different philosophies about county government.
Like the other Republicans running for Commissioners Court, Cagle says the court should stick to its traditional role of providing basic services, while Briones is in step with other Democratic candidates advocating for the more expansive view they have implemented since 2018.
“Absolutely, some of the things that they’ve put into government over the last four years are good things,” Cagle said. “Are they necessarily the things that we in the county should be doing is a whole other question.”
Health care debate
In June, the county made a $48 million investment in child care services that Hidalgo said will help families and child care providers recovering from the pandemic. The three-year program is paid for with federal American Rescue Plan Act funding, which the Biden administration encouraged officials to use to address the child care crisis caused by COVID-19.
“Should the county get involved in providing free day care? I would say that’s not our job,” Cagle said. “Our job is public safety, cops, flood control, parks, the libraries.” Briones disagreed.
“We can do both,” she said. “We can do the roads, the bridges, the infrastructure, the parks and public safety — and health care is of fundamental importance, for example.”
Cagle and Briones also disagree on the $1.2 billion bond package Harris County voters will consider in November.
Briones supports the proposed debt, which the county budget director has called a “meat-and-potatoes bond” that simply maintains and marginally improves infrastructure.
The ballot will include three separate requests: $900 million earmarked for roads; $200 million for parks; and $100 million for public safety bonds.
Cagle has argued the bond proposal does not give voters enough information about how the money will be spent. At a July 19 Commissioners Court meeting, Cagle questioned whether the funding would be allocated equally.
“Will it all be going to Precinct 1 because it all needs to be done through the equitable view of the commissioner of Precinct 1?” Cagle asked. “And that prioritization framework, are we going to let the public know in advance what we’re going to do, or are we going to change what the prioritization is after they vote on it?”
Briones said Cagle’s proposed budget compromise would result in reduced public health services for vulnerable residents.
“I believe that it is part of our role as county government to provide indigent health care, and we know that Harris Health is the largest public hospital system in Texas,” Briones said.
Briones has criticized Cagle for his stance on abortion rights, though county commissioners have little to no authority over the issue. In May, Cagle voted against a resolution calling on Congress to take immediate action to protection abortion rights.
“It’s appalling to me that my kids are growing up with fewer rights than their grandmothers,” Briones said. “And it is appalling to me that he has not spoken out about the fact that we do not even have exceptions for rape and incest.”
Early voting runs from Oct. 24 through Nov. 4. Election Day is Nov. 8. Harris County residents can vote at any polling location in the county. Updated maps of the redistricted Harris County precincts and polling locations are available at HarrisVotes.com.