For the 42 years I have lived in Texas and covered state government, I have considered the State Comptroller of Public Accounts to be the state’s bean counter in chief.
He or she has been charged with telling the Legislature how much money they can spend each legislative session. The comptroller keeps immaculate count of the money that’s on hand.
Now, though, as the Texas Republican Party primary campaign draws to a close, we are seeing the bean counter in chief’s office being portrayed as a stern policy maker, a place where the man or woman at the top can make Texas great again, how it can follow the Donald Trump lead in fighting drug cartels, illegal immigration, ban Sharia law.
What the hell is going on here?
I never knew the Texas comptroller had that kind of authority or desire to get mixed up in policy fights with legislators and other politicians. I am wondering if the GOP kingmakers are asking the next comptroller to step out of his or her lane for the sake of making headlines.
It reminds me of a similar ploy enacted in the late 1980s by a Democratic attorney general. A University of Texas student was kidnapped and murdered in Mexico. The governor brought in the Texas Rangers to lead the investigation into the murder. That wasn’t good enough for AG Jim Mattox, who donned his hip waders and trudged through muddy fields south of the Rio Grande, vowing to bring the bad guys to justice.
But … wait a second. The attorney general’s office is a civil law practice. The AG is responsible for administering child support payments, alimony settlements and defending the state in lawsuits brought by those who have a bone to pick with a state agency. I still don’t think of the AG as a top-dog crime fighter.
The same kind of evolution appears to be taking place in the GOP campaign for Comptroller of Public Accounts. Silly me. I just want someone who can count money into the billions and issue timely reports to the legislators who we elect to know how to spend it wisely.