Naked City

Edited by Audrey Duff, with contributions by Andrea Barnett, Louisa C. Brinsmade, Robert Bryce, Alex de Marban and Amy Smith.

MAX OUT: On Tuesday morning, October 10, longtime Austin City Councilmember Max Nofziger announced what many already suspected: He won't seek reelection next spring. The reason? "I feel like I need a breather. It's time for this veteran to take a rest and let fresh troops carry on in the trenches," said Nofziger in his announcement. Nofziger was first elected to Place 1 on the council in 1987, after running unsuccessfully for mayor several times. His term has been marked by several accomplishments - some large, some small - in the areas of environmental protection, recycling, and downtown redevelopment. Most recently, Nofziger rejuvenated the Downtown Subcommittee, and shepherded the sidewalk cafe ordinance through to council approval.

As for his future, the veteran councilmember says it is "possible - even likely - that I will seek office again in the future." Early last month, Nofziger hinted broadly in an interview with Chronicle reporter Mike Clark-Madison that he still may have a run for mayor left in him. "I'm excited about the new millennium; I like the idea of being mayor going into it. Those of us on board get to set the tone for the next 1,000 years."

As for who will run for Place 1 next spring, Chronicle senior writer Daryl Slusher could be a candidate. "I'll make my intentions clear near the end of the year, or in January," Slusher said Tuesday after Nofziger's announcement. In his run for mayor last year, Slusher forced Bruce Todd into a runoff, but lost by a slim margin with 49% of the vote. There is speculation he may be considering another mayoral run in 1997, up against such likely candidates as Councilmembers Ronney Reynolds, Gus Garcia, and Nofziger. "I want to decide the way I can have the most impact on local government," says Slusher. "I'll choose between the open seat, running for mayor in 1997, and continuing to write on local politics." - L.C.B.

STEEEERIKE THREE! What was supposed to be a baseball victory party in southeast Austin turned into a losers' lament last Saturday as more than 40 supporters gathered to watch the tallies for the $10 million stadium bond election trickle in. Even before the October 7 referendum rolled around, early poll results clearly showed that voters were against subsidizing a stadium to bring the Triple-A Firebirds from Phoenix to Austin.

"We're not surprised [we lost]," said Firebirds' campaign consultant David Weeks, in a statement that was echoed by several others gathered at the humble affair at the Pleasant Valley Sportsplex, just a baseball's throw from where the stadium would have been built. Notable public figures in attendance included Councilmembers Jackie Goodman, Eric Mitchell, and Ronney Reynolds.

"Well, the polls showed that for the most part we were trailing," said team owner Martin Stone when the total vote came in around 10pm, "but we'd thought it'd at least be closer than this."

The whopping stadium rejection, as most everyone knows by now, showed that 63%, or 30,910, of the 48,929 citizens who voted were against raising property taxes to help pay for the city's portion of the stadium. Only 37%, or 18,019, voted for the bond package. "We'll have to try to find another city," said Stone, whose team must leave Phoenix by the 1998 baseball season since a major league expansion team will soon begin life there. "We'll look at Sacramento, or Portland, or Fresno, but I'd have rather been in Austin."

Stone, who considers Austin politics "strange" for what he said are its extreme views and lack of moderation, doesn't regret his request over the summer to hold a public vote on the bond sale. He could have accepted an arrangement last spring whereby the council, minus Brigid Shea, unanimously deemed the stadium an "emergency," and called for the bond sale without voter approval. "It was obvious with so much public hostility that the team wouldn't be successful here," Stone said. "We did the right thing. It's a lot cleaner this way."

Meanwhile, two days after Austin shot down the Firebirds, plans to build a minor league stadium in Williamson County were already afoot. Real estate investor Bill Pohl and business partner Ray Culp, both of whom attempted to bring the Double-A Shreveport Captains to the Austin area before the Triple-A Firebirds signed on, have rejuvenated their plan to bring baseball to Williamson County.

Pohl suffered accusations of unscrupulous campaign financing when he and several investors gave $40,000 to the Travis County Taxpayers Coalition, which turned the funds over to Priorities First!, the group organized to oppose the Firebirds' stadium bond package. The stigma may not leave him, especially since he and Culp would like the county to give him $11 million of the $15 million needed to build the stadium on a tract of land near Parmer Lane owned by Pohl and his investors. Conservative voters in Williamson County are unlikely to approve the deal, but three Williamson County Commissioners have said they will support putting a bond package on the ballot as early as next spring. Which minor league team would play in the stadium has not been determined. - A.M.

MILLION MAN MARCH: Plenty of Austinites will be among those gathering in Washington, D.C., next Monday for the Million Man March, called for last December by Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. Local organizers, in fact, say that anyone who hasn't already made group travel arrangements is on his own, as all planes are already booked.

Participants will march en masse to focus attention on the high number of black men in prison, the disproportionate number of black men on death row, the decline of Affirmative Action, and increasing violence in black communities. The march has drawn a wide base of support from groups ranging from the National Black Chamber of Commerce and the National Society of Black Engineers to Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Coalition.

Locally, groups like the Black Citizens Task Force and newspaper NOKOA The Observer, have gotten the word out. Clyde Gonzales, 33, who works for the state Employee Retirement System, heard about the march through the media and the Black Citizens Task Force, and plans to attend with a friend. "I think it's time for all black males to come together and show that we have strength and unity," he says. "I have a feeling on the inside that my participation will help make change. I hope it will open America's eyes to see that we do have the strength to come together and work on issues together."

The Nation of Islam's home page on the internet, citing the "increasingly conservative and hostile climate growing in America toward the aspirations of black people and people of color for justice," calls for black people who don't attend the march to register to vote, and stay home from work and school on Monday. Marchers are supposed to meet on the mall at 11am, Monday, October 16. For info, call 800/324-9243, or go to http://www.afrinet.net/~islam/ on the World Wide Web. Locally, call NOKOA, 499-8719. - A.B.

SO YOU WANT TO BE A LOBBYIST?: Big businesses have their hired guns, but who can the budget-weary nonprofits call to do their glad-handing at the capitol? Do it yourself, says political consultant Sandy Duncan, who, along with some legislative regulars, will offer nonprofit representatives some tips of the lobbying trade during a seminar on Thursday, October 19 at the University of Texas. "We're going to help them figure out how to fend for themselves," says Duncan, who spent 15 years representing his wheat-fed constituents in the Kansas House of Representatives before moving to Austin in 1990. "The big boys can afford to hire a full-time professional staff to lobby for their interests, but the nonprofit community doesn't have the luxury of doing that."

In paying a visit to legislators, Duncan advises: "Keep the meeting short and to the point. Don't give them a history lesson and don't show them pictures of starving children. Let them know why a vote in your [organization's] favor would be good for the fabric of Texas." This year's seminar is especially pressing because of all the budget slashing going on in Washington, Duncan notes. "Funding is such an important issue this year," he says. "The non-profits need to know how they can get their message across to their representatives."

Duncan's segment of the UT-sponsored seminar will focus on communication strategies in working with legislators and the media. Bobby Gierisch, director of research in the speaker of the house office, will provide a rundown on the committee system in the legislative process and how bills really make it to the floor. Sarah Woelk, the Texas Ethics Commission's director of advisory opinions, will offer up important do's-and-don'ts on hobnobbing with political officeholders. Finally, U.S. Rep. Nancy McDonald (D-El Paso) will talk about those bothersome federal budget cuts and how they'll affect health and human services, education, and the arts. The day-long seminar will cost nonprofit groups $125 for one of its representatives to attend. The sessions will run from 8:30am-4:30pm. To register, call UT's Thompson Conference Center, 471-3121, or 800/882-8784. For more info, or for special assistance or accommodations, contact Lori Franz, 471-2924. - A.S.

NO LONGER GRAMM'S MAN: Could it be that GOP strategist and fundraiser Karl Rove knows something we don't? As one of Texas' most successful political consultants, Rove has brought millions of dollars into Sen. Phil Gramm's coffers over the years using his direct mail expertise. But now that Gramm is running for president, it appears that Rove is placing his bets on another public official: Governor George W. Bush. "I'm Bush's political guy," Rove said. "I'm on his private payroll. I advise him about politics, appointments and so on."

In addition to Gramm's and Bush's successful campaigns, Rove has played a major role in the elections of a host of Texas Republicans, including Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Agriculture Commissioner Rick Perry. Rove began working for Gramm in 1982, when Gramm was still a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and still a Democrat. Expressing his reluctance to move to Washington, Rove said he will be only "marginally involved" in Gramm's presidential bid. "I have an obligation to George Bush that keeps me from jumping in," said Rove. A member of the Bush family's inner circle since 1973 when he was the head of the College Republicans, Rove definitely has a long-standing loyalty to the Texas Governor. Then again, perhaps Rove's instincts tell him that Gramm's might be the losing team. - R.B.

RETURN OF THE WOLF: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is soliciting public comment on its plans to reintroduce Mexican wolves into small portions of the animals' historic range in New Mexico and Arizona. Supporters are encouraged to sign up to speak at a public hearing on Thursday, October 12 at 2313 Red River (south of 26th Street) from 4-6pm and 7-9pm. How might wolves elsewhere affect you? There is a small chance that a few of the reintroduced wolves could find their way to Texas. For more info, call 477-1729. - A.D.