| Transcript |
"I'm damned if I do and damned if I
don't," seems to be the frustration of
Anita Rodeheaver, candidate for Harris
County Clerk.
As Executive Assistant to County
Clerk R. E. "Bob" Turrentine for 17
years, she's cast by some as being the
same as the incumbent. But she says she's
ready to make changes, primarily in personnel.
When she has sought to rectify inequities for her women employees, Rodeheaver says, she's been told that's not her job.
So, with several top positions in the
Clerk's office soon to be vacated by retirement, she's as ready to clean house as
her opponent, though she's also loyal to
her current boss.
This puts Rodeheaver in a position
reminiscent of recent vice presidents who
became candidates for president.
Rodeheaver is little known in political
circles outside the County Clerk's office.
She says that's because Turrentine would
not let his staff be involved in any campaign except his own. As a life-long registered Democrat, she says she's middle of
the road, or moderate.
She's very vocal about emphasizing
that the County Clerk's office is a nonpo-
litical one and feels it should be kept that
way. The function of this office is to protect records, clerk for certain courts, and
run elections. "We can't be politically involved," Rodeheaver says.
On women's issues she is in favor of
the Equal Rights Amendment, "or I
wouldn't be where I am today," says
Rodeheaver. "If someone is qualified and
wants to do something, then she ought to
do it and I think she ought to be paid the
same money that a man is paid when he's
doing the same job."
"I've not only devoted so much time
to the office, but to the county per se.
I've chaired the County Employees Insurance Committee, going from a very poor
insurance coverage to what we presently
"I'm running a risk in running for
this office...but I feel I owe something to the people in the office."
—Anita Rodeheaver
feel like is real, real good hospitalization.
And we are continually working to make
it better.
"I'm running a risk in running for this
office as far as the county is concerned...
and the 17 years I've been with the county. But I feel I owe something to the
people in the office. There are no safeguards for me as far as tenure is concerned.
Asked what she wants to get across
specifically to the readers of Breakthrough, she responded:
"I feel all women should take a real
hard look at the statistics, qualifications
and what this office is. It's not a political
office, but a really important one, with
over $5 million a year in fees coming into
the office.
"I feel there's no way a person with
minimal knowledge of the operations
could come in and take over the office.
"I've seen this office change from a
bad situation to the most modern records
keeping system in the state, if not the nation. I know it first hand."
"You're better off if you just
walked out of jail than if you didn't
pay Foley's for five months."
—Mary Woodall Creasy
"When I got ready to run for state representative, Harris County Democratic
Chairman George Buch told me my district votes Republican three-to-one and
that I still had time to move to an area I
could win in," says Mary Woodall Creasy
who's running unopposed in the Democratic primary for the District 93 slot in
the state house.
Creasy was born into a political family. Her father served in the state House
from Marshall while he was still in college. Some of her earlier political memories go back to Marshall when her father
led Democrats for Eisenhower in 11 East
Texas Counties.
Her dad, Judge Ben Woodall, won 10
of those 11 counties for Ike, but he later
lost his own race for county attorney, so
at the urging of a friend he came to Houston to work as an assistant district attorney.
Her father's leadership plus her own
problems with divorce have perhaps
helped crystallize some of Creasy's
thoughts on social issues, particularly
those considered by many to be women's
issues. However, she admits she hasn't
been actively involved in politics-formal
or informal-in many years and she's never been active in "women's politics."
She's particularly sympathetic to divorced women, displaced homemakers.
"My heart goes out to women who have
been married for 30 years when the man
goes out on her, though more and more
courts are awarding divorced women their
husband's pensions."
She's also disturbed that local credit
bureaus can tag a person for seven years.
This seems to become particularly critical
in divorce cases. Though a federal law allows this tagging, she feels something
could be done at the state level. "You're
better off if you've just walked out of jail
than if you didn't pay Foley's for five
months."
"One day, when I was sitting in my
townhome in Alief, I received some literature from Milton Fox, published at state
expense," which said he was especially
pleased that in the past session of the legislature two of the four bills he introduced were passed. One of them banned
bomb rockets in Harris County and the
other put a tax on the common grounds
of townhouses.
She says that now means that people
with townhouses are double taxed.
"They're taxed on the value of the town-
house and now, as a result of Milton
Fox's bill, they get a separate tax bill
from the school system on their swimming pools, their common grounds.
"I was very unhappy about that and
thought, 'gee, this is dumb,' and felt
maybe I'd like to begin (my political career) as a state representative."
SUPPORT
STATE REPRESENTATIVE
RON WATERS
CHECK HIS VOTING RECORD.
IT'S 100% FOR THE PEOPLE!
RON WATERS HAS RECEIVED THE ENDORSEMENT OF
EVERY POLITICALLY PROGRESSIVE ORGANIZATION
IN THE STATE OF TEXAS!
TEXAS WOMEN'S POLITICAL CAUCUS (TWPC)
HARRIS COUNTY WOMEN'S POLITICAL CAUCUS (HCWPC)
HARRIS COUNTY DEMOCRATS (HCD)
15th SENATORIAL DISTRICT DEMOCRATIC COALITION
MONTROSE/ FOURTH WARD DEMOCRATS
POLITICAL ALLIANCE OF SPANISH-SPEAKING ORGANIZATION (PASO)
HARRIS COUNTY COUNCIL OF ORGANIZATIONS (HCCO)
BAPTIST MINISTERS ASSOCIATION
GAY POLITICAL CAUCUS (GPC)
TEXAS STATE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION (TSTA)
HOUSTON TEACHERS ASSOCIATION (HTA)
AFL-CIO COMMITTEE ON POLITICAL EDUCATION (COPE)
UNITED STEELWORKERS POLITICAL LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE
FIREFIGHTERS LOCAL 341
TEXAS LEAGUE OF CONSERVATION VOTERS
Political advertisement paid for by Ron Waters Re-election Committee
James T. Evans, Treasurer; 205 E. 11th St., Houston, TX 77008
Joe
Pentony
DEMOCRAT FOR COUNTY JUDGE
Chief Administrative and
Legislative Office of the County
Joe Pentony has an impressive record in public office. As a state
representative in 1973 and 1975, Joe Pentony
• Supported national and state ERA and opposed efforts to
rescind.
•Opposed introduction of legislation which would circumvent the 1973 Supreme Court ruling on abortion.
•Supported increased funding for day care centers.
•Supported Texas rape legislation.
•Hired a woman or a minority person as his top aide.
As County Judge, Joe Pentony will support
•A county women's advocate.
•Women for managerial positions in county government.
In private life Joe Pentony is a plantiff in the suit to divide
Houston into single-member City Council districts. He chairs the
psychology department at the University of St. Thomas and holds
a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin.
Political advertisement paid for by Joe Pentony Campaign Committee
Joe Pentony, Chairman; 3819 Fannin, Houston, TX 77004
APRIL 1978
HOUSTON BREAKTHROUGH
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