Last year this newspaper contacted numerous elected officials seeking their assistance in bringing DSL Internet service to Marathon. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Susan Combs was one of those officials who assisted in that effort.
Earlier this year we spoke with Commissioner Combs about the annual
Marathon 2 Marathon race, which she started 3 years ago. We asked the
Commissioner about her bid on the Republican ticket for state
comptroller’s office; at the time she was unable to talk about her
campaign, as we were having a discussion about official state business.
She suggested we contact her campaign office in Austin to arrange an
interview.
Here is a record of our interview with Susan Combs regarding her bid
for Texas Comptroller, responsible for supervising and managing the
state’s fiscal concerns. Current Comptroller Carole Strayhorn will
vacate the office to run for Governor.
Texas Commissioner of Agriculture Susan Combs, running
in the 2004 M2M, an annual event which she started. Combs is now
running for Comptroller, which, in this state, some political analysts
note, wields more power than the Governor. (Marlys Hersey)
A. My roots go deep. My great-grandfather David S. Combs in about 1881 founded a little town, Haymond, and helped start the Kincade Ranch. We have been here ever since. I’m still involved in ranching in the area; I was shipping cattle on October 15th of this year.
Q. How did you become interested in public office?
A. It was sort of by accident. We moved to Austin. I was a member of the Texas and Southwest Cattle Raisers Association; I gave testimony on agricultural policies and I hooked up with the Farm Bureau. At the same time, redistricting was taking place and a new House seat in Travis County became available. Some friends said “Being a Republican, why don’t you run?” I did, and won. It was a great experience, a steep learning curve.
Q. Why are you running for comptroller?
A. I think it is a fascinating and important job; I can bring realism and experience based on my Texas Department of Agriculture work. I have always been interested on how things work. As I legislator I was able to see how we spend tax money, an experience vital to this job.
Q. If elected, what is your vision for the Lone Star State?
A. I want it to be a place not only where we want to be, but are able to be. We want the best and brightest. I would include health care in that vision. I’ve been working on child health care since 1977. When I was a Dallas prosecutor 2/3 of my cases were child neglect and abuse. I never lost a case. I have a long-standing interest in child health. As Agriculture Commissioner I have personally been involved in child health. If we don’t have a healthy child we don’t have a healthy adult and we don’t have fiscal health.
Q. What innovations have you brought to TDA as Agriculture Commissioner?
A. My very first job out of college was in advertising. I have used that experience at TDA. We have had great success with the Texas Yes! program; that was my idea. We are marketing the notion of Texas; we are marketing rural Texas, and the beautification of rural Texas. I have worked hard on rural economic development. The reengineering I did at Texas Agriculture will be very helpful. They had a very antiquated computer system which we redesigned. We had outdated forms that were filled out by hand in pencil, and they needed to be filled out several times. We were doing this for everything. We did away with it. I have reduced personnel by 8% in six years at TDA. We were able to do more with less.
Q. Are you in favor of a state personal income tax?
A. No.
Q. Do you care to expound?
A. No, not at all.
Q. Carole Strayhorn has proposed returning surplus funds to homeowners; what would you do with these funds?
A. What surplus funds? In August we had a deficit. The money [under Strayhorn] appears and disappears like a rabbit out of a hat. This is a job for the legislature, not the comptroller.
Q. Texas Parks and Wildlife officials have told us their financial position is dire and they are in need of additional funding. What measures would you take if elected to remedy this?
A. Everybody is in dire straits. I do believe they need more money. You need to look at the [state] budget as a whole. I do think they can sell some properties, only after a long, thoughtful analysis. This process needs to be very open with everybody able to participate. I’m not opposed to different fees.
Q. The Texas Next Step program as proposed by Comptroller Strayhorn would offer funding for 2 years of college to students. Are you in favor of this?
A. We do not have the money. I’m told we will have a $2.4-$2.4 billion shortfall. We have a big Medicaid problem. It has to be paid. I think the next step concept is great; the devil is in the details. I hope we can come back to it.
Q. Texas teachers rank 33rd out of 50 in teacher pay. Do you think raising teacher pay is an investment? Are you in favor of raising teacher pay? If so how would you finance it?
A. I am very interested in teacher pay and education. I’m on a private school board. We need to put merit into the system. We have fabulous teachers, we need to keep them teaching, we need a way for teachers to make more money from teaching, not only from moving into administration. If you’re going to increase pay I’m in favor as long as you get an increase in performance. It’s an investment to get qualified teachers, I want the bright ones.
Q. The 14-county Texas Actual Border Region (counties on the border with Mexico) lags behind the rest of the state in a variety of economic indicators, if elected, as the state’s chief fiscal officer; what measures would you take to change this?
A. I want to really work hard on economic development. I have worked hard for 7 years on economic development. I would partner small towns with counties in strategy and look at defining issues. I would recommend the coordination of data among counties. If you want to make a pitch to the legislature, you need good data. We do a lot of talk of regionalism. Big Bend works well together. As the tide rises, so do all the ships; if one part of Big Bend does well, so do the rest. Big Bend has a great attitude: it knows how to work well with others and get things done.
Q. The GLO has a fiduciary responsibility to maximize financial returns on state lands. If elected as Comptroller, how would you view water-mining proposals such as Rio Nuevo?
A. The GLO is responsible for lands under GLO Commissioner Jerry Patterson.
Q. The Comptroller is the sole shareholder and director of the Texas Treasury Safekeeping Trust Company, a special trust company created by statute to invest public funds in Texas. If elected, would you change the current investment advisory committee or investment strategy?
A. I’m really taking a hard look at the investment strategy. The money needs to be safe and sound because it is your money. We need to maximize returns and look at the [investment] management issues.
Q. Pierce’s Disease adversely affects the wine industry; feral hogs adversely affect agriculture, and contribute to soil erosion. As Comptroller what efforts would you undertake to control these economic pests?
A. Pierce’s Disease… Oh I’m working on that one. We have a half a million dollars awarded to A&M for research. We have a two-pronged approach; we have to get money and research. We’re working to get a lab in Fredricksburg. We will have $4 million over the biennium for enology. Feral Hogs – that is a serious issue. We are working on the national level with all federal agencies to coordinate efforts.
