TSEU points to Gov. Abbott’s mismanagement of state government and Valdez’ background of public service as reasons.
On Tuesday, September 18th in Dallas, members of the Texas State Employees Union made public our endorsement of former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez for Governor of Texas. What follows is a transcript of the announcement made by Micah Haley, TSEU Executive Board member for North Texas. A full video of the event (including remarks made by Sheriff Valdez) is posted below.
My name is Micah Haley. On top of working as a Unit Supervisor with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Parole Division, I also serve on the Executive Board of the Texas State Employees Union, representing north Texas. It is in that role as an elected union leader that I am here speaking today with an important message.
State employees and the citizens of Texas can no longer afford Governor Abbott. His administration’s disregard for the needs of everyday, working Texans has caused a lot of pain and misery for folks who depend on state services, and for the state employees, like me, who work every day to serve our state.
Governor Abbott’s first term in office has been dominated by contracting scandals, mismanagement of state services like the Medicaid Managed Care program for vulnerable children, refusing to use the state’s Rainy Day Fund for critical needs, and disastrous budget cuts for critical state services, all just to score some cheap political points.
During his state of the state address last year, Governor Abbott blindsided state agencies, universities, and state legislators by announcing a surprise hiring freeze. This freeze was completely unnecessary and unjustified. It put an enormous strain on already overworked state employees, like myself, who provide critical services to the people of our state.
The effects of this freeze were quickly realized when Hurricane Harvey hit the gulf coast. Health and Human Services Eligibility workers had to work mandatory overtime to keep up with the increased demand while also handling the workload of nearly 600 eligibility positions that had not been replaced due to the ill-advised hiring freeze. This led to long waits for emergency services for Texans who had just lost everything in the storm. Even though that freeze has been lifted, state agencies and universities have still not fully recovered from the blow dealt to them by Governor Abbott.
Texas needs a new Governor, one who will stand up for all of us and not just the wealthy, one who will not let the Lieutenant Governor bully them into wasting time and tax payer money on bathroom bills and silencing the voices of working people. We need a governor who will treat State Employee’s with the respect our hard work and dedication deserve.
The Texas State Employees Union stands with Lupe Valdez for Governor of Texas. As Governor we are confident she will be able to shift the state’s priorities back where they belong. Texans deserve a governor who has their interests at heart, one who’s willing to invest taxpayer money in taxpayer services. Lupe Valdez will be that governor for Texas.
That is why we’re gathered here today, to make public our union’s endorsement of Lupe Valdez for governor of Texas. As the leader of a public agency here in Dallas, she knows the importance of strong public services in criminal justice, providing a social safety net, taking care of Texans who are sick or elderly or in danger of abuse and neglect. She knows first-hand the struggles that every day Texans face- and she knows that you have to stand firm for what is right. We’ve seen what four years of Abbott have done to our state, and we’re here to say “enough is enough.” We need Lupe Valdez for governor to bring Texas back for regular folks.
With that I’d like to invite Sherriff Valdez to say a few words.
Important 2018 election dates:
-
Tuesday, October 9th – last day to register to vote
-
Monday, October 22nd – first day of early voting
-
Friday, November 2nd – last day of early voting
-
Tuesday, November 6th – ELECTION DAY