Naked City

Pity the state employee. At a time when new economy companies are offering stock options and matching 401k plans, the state Attorney General's office has rolled out a spiffy new plan of its own: an employee arrest policy, which AG workers were dutifully handed when they returned to work after Independence Day. In a nutshell, any employee who is arrested may be subject to disciplinary action, such as firing, even if nothing comes of the charge. Why? Because, as the policy states, having your name cleared "does not preclude disciplinary action, since the prosecution of court cases and the supervision of employees are separate matters." Moreover, if an employee knows about a fellow worker's arrest, he or she is expected to roll over on said comrade or face some stiff disciplinary action as well. Needless to say, the AG staff is pretty incensed. "It's mostly discussed in whispered groups," confided one employee, a systems analyst in the child support division. "Things like this ... further erode the morale, and it amazes me that they're too ignorant to notice."

The last vacancy in the pool of City Council aides has been filled, with Mark Nathan reporting for duty in Council Member Will Wynn's office on Monday. Like Wynn, Nathan's roots run deep in downtown business culture, given Nathan's Congress Avenue perch as VP of the PR firm TateAustin, where he led the public affairs activities, with clients ranging from Seton Healthcare to El Buen Samaritano. Nathan got his political schooling as Missouri field director for the Clinton/Gore re-election campaign in 1996, and as an advance man for the Ann Richards campaign in '94...

It's hard to keep track of all the Statesman editorial staffers filing out the doors these days, but if we're up to speed, then Angela Shah is the latest to make the jump from the reporting pool. She's heading up I-35 for a new job at The Dallas Morning News...

The Rev. Bill Elliott, one of Austin's most outspoken and liberal Catholic priests, is expected to resign next year as pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. Elliott was out of town on vacation this week and unavailable for comment...

Austin's gay community isn't going to take Dr. Laura's abuse lying down. In fact, the Austin Lesbian/Gay Political Caucus is redoubling its organizing efforts to stifle the bad girl of radio (carried locally by KLBJ-AM) by boycotting her sponsors on the show. Dr. Laura, aka Laura Schlessinger, has riled folks nationwide for her descriptions of gays and lesbians as "biological errors," "deviant," and so forth. The Caucus kicks off its boycott campaign on July 28. A meeting to plan a kickoff demonstration is set for 7pm Monday at the AFL/CIO building, 11th & Lavaca. Time is short, says ALGPC president Allan Baker, because K-EYE television has slotted The Dr. Laura Show as part of its daytime lineup for the fall season. For more details, call ALGPC at 474-0750, or visit the group's Web site, www.outaustin.org.

There's a call out for nominations for the 1999-2000 Environmental Awareness Awards, a local affair sponsored by the city's Environmental Board, the Water/Wastewater Commission, and the Resource Management Commission. They're looking for candidates or organizations that have gone beyond the call of duty in the name of the green in one of four categories: individual, school, community group, or nonprofit organization. Three finalists will be named in each category. Forms are available at the main library downtown. To cast a vote, obtain forms, or for more info, contact Roderick Burns at the city Watershed Protection Dept., 499-6338.