Recent editorials from Texas newspapers

Here are excerpts from recent editorials in Texas newspapers:

Amarillo Globe-News. Feb. 4, 2019.

It was one of those questions Texas Tech University System Chancellor Tedd Mitchell could not directly respond to because it is something that takes place largely outside of his sphere of influence. Loosely translated, the question is this: What’s the latest word on new system regents?

The short answer: For now, mum’s the word.

The terms of no fewer than three regents expired Jan. 31. Typically, if there is such a thing in this process, appointments or reappointments are made public in the first three weeks or so of the legislative sessions. Here we are in early February with no announcement made. The decision rests with Gov. Greg Abbott, whose office has not responded to our request for comment on this matter.

For the record, the terms of Regent Chairman Tim Lancaster, former chairman Rick Francis and regent John Esparza have officially expired. As is customary, the three will serve until appointments are announced. The regents’ next board meeting is set for later this month in Lubbock. The board is made up of nine members who serve six-year terms. Each year a student regent also is appointed by the governor for a one-year (academic year) term. Three members’ terms expire every other January in conjunction with legislative sessions.

Francis, who is from El Paso, has served on the board since 2003. Lancaster is from Abilene, and Esparza is from Austin. Both were appointed in 2013. There are several possibilities going forward. The governor could announce new system regents (subject to senate confirmation) between now and the end of the session in late May. He could also take no action, and the three would continue to serve holdover appointments until the 2021 session.

The appointment of regents is a process shrouded in mystery until names are made public. The three regents, appropriately, aren’t commenting. Likewise, we’re not going to speculate on possibilities, only lobby for the best choices to be made for these important roles.

Following the appointments of 2017, the Tech board now has no women serving as regents. Former regents Debbie Montford and Nancy Neal (whose term expired in 2015) are the two most recent women to serve on the board. The governor’s office would be well-advised to take this into consideration while thinking about the newest round of appointments. Another factor: Lancaster and Mickey Long from Midland are the two who live closest to the primary Texas Tech campus (the Tech med school has a presence in both Abilene and Midland). Proximity to Lubbock should also be given serious weight.

Make no mistake, regents wield tremendous influence over the direction of the TTU System components, and while there was considerable controversy around some board members and the abrupt retirement of former Chancellor Robert Duncan last August, the focus now appears to be on moving forward in the best interest of not just Texas Tech but also all of West Texas. Mitchell indicated as much in his recent wide-ranging meeting with our editorial board.

The system has benefited from the capable leadership and devotion of all members of the current board. The hope here is Gov. Abbott acts so that trend can continue with what seems to have become considerable momentum. It is a critical juncture in the history of the TTU System, which is intent on building a veterinary school in Amarillo and a dental school in El Paso. It will be interesting in the days (or weeks) ahead to see how (and if) the governor addresses these appointments.

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Houston Chronicle. Feb. 5, 2019.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam should have resigned when he first admitted posing in blackface while he was a student at Eastern Virginia Medical School. The revelation prompted immediate calls for him to step down from all sectors of his state. It also poured water on the notion that America can transcend racism without confronting its roots.

Northam a day later took back the apology he made Friday for appearing in a 1984 yearbook photo of two individuals holding beer cans at a party, one in blackface and the other wearing a Ku Klux Klan outfit. The governor denied he was either person, but said he did remember darkening his face with shoe polish to impersonate Michael Jackson at a dance contest in San Antonio that same year.

Thirty-five years ago isn’t ancient history. It certainly isn’t so long ago that Northam should be confused about how many times he put on blackface. Twenty years after demonstrators marched against segregation, Northam should have known there’s nothing innocent about mimicking minstrel show entertainers who artificially darkened their skin to depict stereotypical images of black life.

Minstrel shows began before the Civil War and persisted well past the civil rights era. A 1982 profile of Panhandle Sheriff Rufe Jordan by Texas Monthly Reporter fondly recalled when he would put on black face to sing Irish songs in the Pampa Lions Club minstrel show.

The uncovering of Northam’s racist behavior three decades later comes at a time when America is struggling to counter efforts to preserve monuments that glorify Confederate generals and other cultural icons that promote racial division rather than unity.

Recognizing the need to address its past, the student government association at the University of Texas debated last April whether to retire its alma mater, “The Eyes of Texas,” because it was introduced at a Varsity Minstrel Show in 1903. The UT song kept its status, but Northam’s case is another matter. His position isn’t merely symbolic.

As governor, Northam’s job is to bring the people of his state together and many Virginians no longer think he can. The College of William & Mary rescinded its invitation for Northam to attend the inauguration of its president, Katherine Rowe, who said his behavior “stands in stark opposition to William & Mary’s core values of equity and inclusion.”

Some Republicans have been reveling in the fact that a Democrat is accused of racist behavior, but this isn’t a moment for more of the partisan rancor crippling Washington. It’s a time for reflection on what America was, what it is, and what it can become - if only it would look at itself with clear eyes.

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The Dallas Morning News. Feb. 5, 2019.

Life-and-death situations, such as an active shooter, should take priority for police over a stolen leaf blower from your garage. But when you feel you’ve been violated, even if it is a purloined leaf blower, then you want to see a police officer sooner rather than later.

This is where Dallas is coming up short, or in the eyes of the public, late. Dallas police last year responded to the most serious incidents in an average of 8.35 minutes, a slight statistical improvement from 8.47 minutes in 2017. However, response times for all other incidents worsened, according to the cops’ own stats. For the lowest priority calls, for example, a Dallas crime victim last year waited an average of 98.63 minutes, more than 15 minutes longer than in 2017.

Residents of this city need to have confidence that police take all calls seriously, and how quickly an officer arrives shapes that confidence. The highest priority calls, for the worst crimes, accounted for only about 5 percent of all calls during the past five years. Most people calling the cops waited and waited and waited.

Hopefully, the police department has gotten the message. Late last year, Police Chief U. Renee Hall assigned majors to work communications during peak hours, empowered dispatchers to assign officers to calls instead of leaving that decision to patrol officers and asked officers to explain their status if they weren’t back in rotation after 30- to 40 minutes on a call. Statistically, those changes cut response times for high priority calls to 7.79 minutes and lowest priority calls to 72.9 minutes.

One month isn’t a trend, and the improvement may not even be sustainable. Dallas continues to struggle to hire and retain officers and is on pace to lose more officers than it can hire.

A larger and more efficient force would improve response times. So would the better use of technology, such as an online reporting system to allow residents to report low priority crimes that the department hopes to roll out soon.

The department must continue its recruiting efforts to ensure enough badges are on the streets to keep us safe. A cultural change is in order, too. Every call is a chance to instill confidence in our community. Every call is important. As long as residents perceive that police officers are taking too long to respond, the trust that police officers need with the community will take hits and feed frustration and fear.