...Adrian Garcia. Councilman Garcia (District H) got the nod from the council Wednesday after M.J. Khan, the mayor's initial nominee, withdrew his name.
Mayor Pro Tem is, in many ways, a minor appointment. The councilmember thus anointed has the duty of running meetings when the mayor steps away to take a call or get coffee. But the Mayor Pro Tem also is the backup mayor, who steps in and assumes major governmental powers should the mayor become sick, disabled, or pass away. So the office has potential for major influence.
Most importantly, the title seems to look good on a political resume, especially for those seeking higher office. It almost sounds like "Mayor," if you sort of mumble the last two words, which are Latin anyway ("for the time being").
There's a number of theories about why Khan withdrew: Khan is said to be considering a run for Controller in 2009. Councilman Ronald Green has his eye on that office too. One rumor is that Green kicked up a fuss at the possibility of Khan becoming Mayor Pro Tem, as if this might give him some sort of increased visibility and unfair advantage. But Green denied this, saying he didn't ask any council member to vote for or against Khan.
Another possibility floated about is that council members were uncomfortable with Khan as Mayor Pro Tem, because of uncertainty about whether he actually lives in Houston.
Whatever actually happened, the beneficiary is Garcia. Does anyone think this new title will help him in his recently-announced bid to become Harris County Sheriff?
source: www.chron.com, January 02, 2008.
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