Anyone But O’Day: DiNovo Endorses Randy Weber for State Representative in the Texas HD 29 Runoff

In a previous posting I mentioned that there are only 149 filled Texas State House seats, and that Anyone But Craddick candidates need only 75, not 76 votes to win the speakership. Well, they have Dr. Anthony DiNovo to thank for that. Because he ran an aggressive campaign in a Republican-dominated district in a low voter turnout special election, Mike O’Day did not win a majority, and was forced into a runoff election in January. On January 1st, Rick Perry signed the Special Runoff Election Proclamation. The election will be held on Tuesday, January 16th, 2007. A week after the speaker vote.

Thanks for the huge favor, Dr. DiNovo! One less vote for Craddick!

Now he’s doing another great thing for the voters of HD 29. He is endorsing Randy Weber, one of his Republican opponents in the special election.

Tammy, his campaign manager, was good enough to send me his press release, but it’s now up on his website. Here it is below (but do read the stuff at the bottom of the quoted text, you won't be disappointed):

I hope everyone has had a Good Christmas season. My thirteen months of campaigning is over, and though I didn’t do as well as I had ultimately hoped, there are two candidates remaining and the election will continue.

I ran this race to see what an intelligent person only motivated by civic pride could do. I am proud that I stepped up to do what so many people have thought about, but never dared to do themselves. Thanks to everyone that believed in me, but whether I would ever do this again is another question!

Now as someone who has now been through the ringer, I have gotten an insiders view of Brazoria/Matagorda politics. And I have learned that a voter in this district should look closely at why a candidate is running. There is a reason that both Gorman and myself are firmly behind Weber in the run-off. We have seen how the other candidates behave, know what they really think, and who is backing them and why.

I have to say, of the two remaining candidates; unequivocally Weber is the real deal.

Weber has been active at the local level as an election worker, election judge and trying to make a difference for years & years. O’Day on the other hand, who has never been in that part of the elective process has (as of December 11th,) thrown
$91,000.00 at this race. Heaven only knows what he has spent since then. In my opinion, he is trying to buy the election. Why would a rich developer work at a thankless job that makes 7 thousand dollars a year? I have serious doubt he will be able to separate his business interests from the public’s interest.

Some people might think a politician is good when he promises everything to everybody. I don’t want someone who is compromised before they ever make their first day in office. I want someone who is fighting for us. Someone who might actually excite people to get taxes lower and common sense reforms in social issues. I want Randy Weber to represent me because he is the one left running who actually intends to do what he is talking about.

I believe Webber will go to Austin to work for the people of this community. In the end, good government can only come from good people in office. And ultimately that is what we all want: good government.

Thank you and God bless you always. I will get back to my work. I probably make a better doctor than a State Rep anyway!

Anthony A. DiNovo, M.D.

Nice, huh?

Want to know why Dr. DiNovo is supporting a Republican? Because he simply cannot abide Mike O’Day’s politics and attitudes. O'Day is a political disaster that will come home to roost in HD 29 like a bad dream. Do you know that there is an O’Day Road in Pearland? An O’Day Hardware? It was just down the street from the DiNovo HQ. Mike O’Day is the owner of a water well drilling company and a local property developer. Honestly Pearland is almost like Potterville.

But the best reason that DiNovo, and his Republican opponent are both endorsing Randy Webber is yet to come.

I have it on good authority that O’Day pressed too hard on election night, and got on the wrong side of one of his Republican opponents, John Gorman, who finished in 4th place.

The story goes like this:

It was shortly after all returns were reported on Election night. John Gorman called Randy Weber to congratulate him on making it in the run-off. He then called Mike O'Day and did the same. During that call, O'Day invited Gorman over to their celebration party. So he went. (Jeez, the guy has guts). But just as soon as he got a drink, O'Day walked over and ripped into Gorman. It was reported that O’Day began poking at Gorman’s chest and in his face. He said that Gorman had cost him the election and that everyone there (at the party) was loyal to him and that if Gorman “wanted an ‘IN’ that he would have to ‘feel the love’ and ‘prove’ that he was loyal.”

No, I am not making this up. Here we have Mike O’Day, taking a page from Tom Craddick’s book, and bullying his opponent. And the man cannot even add. Gorman took 116 votes from O'Day (or maybe even from Weber!). 1.58% of the vote.

At that point Gorman thanked him for the drink and left.

So all three candidates who opposed O’Day in the election, oppose him in the runoff election.

And a Republican and a Democrat, have both endorsed Randy Weber. And by my providing the link to his website, I heartily endorse this Republican, also.

Can Weber pull it off against a well-funded Mr.Potter-esque opponent? Well I’ll tell you, if the same voters show up on the 16th of January that showed up on the 19th of December, and vote their candidates endorsements, Weber wins by 306 votes. But you know me, I am pessimistic. I still had my doubts before the endorsements, had still more doubts after, but now that Tammy is working on Randy Weber’s campaign, I think O’Day is in deep, deep trouble. It's going to take more than bullying and Developer Dollars to get him elected. He doesn't know what's coming at him, I can assure you.

Tammy, get some sleep!