I’ve been fortunate to have the opportunity to visit some of the most famous historical sites in Texas. One of these is the Alamo, a place that seems to epitomize the spirit of Texas. During this course, I learned that the fate of the Alamo lies in the hands of one of the plural executives in Texas, the Commissioner of the General Land Office (GLO). Since this is an election year, the future of the Alamo is a major issue in the contest for Commissioner and plays heavily in the Texas political scene.
The GLO is the oldest agency, dating back to the 1830’s when Texas first became a republic. Duties of the agency include managing the 13 million acres of public lands, mineral rights of the state, and submerged lands in the Gulf of Mexico 10.35 …show more content…
Although Bush had the conservative Republican family ties, and over $3.4 million in campaign contributions at the end of 2017, he faced a more contentious election battle in 2018 than he did in 2014, in part because of his project to restore the Alamo. Bush’s plan has been met with resistance by several groups, including some conservatives and Alamo enthusiasts. Former GLO Commissioner Jerry Patterson, who ran the GLO from 2003 to 2015, decided to run against Bush in the 2018 Republican primary and make the Alamo a main issue of the campaign. Bush’s reforms in the GLO were aimed at restructuring the organization that Patterson had built over his time in the office, many of which were unpopular with GLO employee’s due to reduced staffing, pay cuts, and loss of power (64). Another candidate, Rick Range, criticized Bush’s plan and labeled him a “carpetbagger.” Range believes that Bush doesn’t understand the importance of the Alamo to Texans and portrays Bush as someone out of touch with the culture and values of Texas (65). Failing to address the issues regarding the Alamo when they first came up, Bush didn’t realize that he was giving his rivals more ammunition
The GLO is the oldest agency, dating back to the 1830’s when Texas first became a republic. Duties of the agency include managing the 13 million acres of public lands, mineral rights of the state, and submerged lands in the Gulf of Mexico 10.35 …show more content…
Although Bush had the conservative Republican family ties, and over $3.4 million in campaign contributions at the end of 2017, he faced a more contentious election battle in 2018 than he did in 2014, in part because of his project to restore the Alamo. Bush’s plan has been met with resistance by several groups, including some conservatives and Alamo enthusiasts. Former GLO Commissioner Jerry Patterson, who ran the GLO from 2003 to 2015, decided to run against Bush in the 2018 Republican primary and make the Alamo a main issue of the campaign. Bush’s reforms in the GLO were aimed at restructuring the organization that Patterson had built over his time in the office, many of which were unpopular with GLO employee’s due to reduced staffing, pay cuts, and loss of power (64). Another candidate, Rick Range, criticized Bush’s plan and labeled him a “carpetbagger.” Range believes that Bush doesn’t understand the importance of the Alamo to Texans and portrays Bush as someone out of touch with the culture and values of Texas (65). Failing to address the issues regarding the Alamo when they first came up, Bush didn’t realize that he was giving his rivals more ammunition