Texas Monthly magazine names Sen. Eddie Lucio, Jr. one of the worst legislators; Senator Bob Deuell as one of the best

THE BEST

Rafael Anchia, Democrat, Dallas

Sen. John Carona, Republican, Dallas

Byron Cook, Republican, Corsicana

Sen. Bob Deuell, Republican, Mesquite

Scott Hochberg, Democrat, Houston

Lois Kolkhorst, Republican, Brenham

Jerry Madden, Republican, Plano

Sen. Steve Ogden, Republican, Bryan

Sylvester Turner, Democrat, Houston

Sen. Tommy Williams, Republican, The Woodlands

THE WORST

Lon Burnam, Democrat, Fort Worth

Warren Chisum, Republican, Pampa

Speaker Tom Craddick, Republican, Midland

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, Republican

Sen. Troy Fraser, Republican, Marble Falls

Charlie Howard, Republican, Sugar Land

Sen. Eddie Lucio, Democrat, Brownsville

Sen. Dan Patrick, Republican, Houston

Gov. Rick Perry, Republican

Debbie Riddle, Republican, Houston

Honorable Mention

Rob Eissler Republican, The Woodlands

Senator Kevin Eltife Republican, Tyler

Dan Gattis Republican, Georgetown

Fred Hill Republican, Richardson

Senator Juan Hinojosa Democrat, McAllen

"The Insurgency" Jim Dunnam, Robert Talton, et al.

John Smithee Republican, Amarillo

Burt Solomons Republican, Carrollton

Mark Strama Democrat, Austin

Senfronia Thompson Democrat, Houston

Senator John Whitmire Democrat, Houston

Dishonorable Mention

Kino Flores Democrat, Mission

Pat Haggerty Republican, El Paso

Linda Harper-Brown Republican, Irving

Sid Miller Republican, Stephenville

Mike O'Day Republican, Pearland

Chente Quintanilla Democrat, El Paso

Bill Zedler Republican, Arlington

Rookie of the Year

Senator Kirk Watson Democrat, Austin

The former Austin mayor (and once and future statewide candidate) instantly earned respect for his intellect and diplomacy--and for knowing enough to let his elders take credit for his accomplishments.

Furniture

The concept of "furniture" originated in the early years of the Legislature to describe members who were no more consequential than their desks, chairs, inkwells, and spittoons--the equivalent of backbenchers in Parliament. Today the term is only mildly pejorative; the sin lies not in being furniture but in failing to recognize it. Here is the furniture for the eightieth session:

Alma Allen Democrat, Houston

Roberto Alonzo Democrat, Dallas

Wayne Christian Republican, Center

Senator Craig Estes Republican, Wichita Falls

Joe Farias Democrat, San Antonio

Jim Jackson Republican, Carrollton

Senator Mike Jackson Republican, League City

Nathan Macias Republican, Bulverde

Armando Martinez Democrat, Weslaco

The article is done as correspondence between authors Paul Burka and Patti Hart. I just want to highlight a couple of bits from it, for future reference:

[There is no more unreliable senator than sixteen-year veteran Eddie Lucio. His nicknames say it all: Sucio ("Dirty") Lucio and El Resbaloso ("the Slippery One"). Want to get a laugh from a colleague? Claim you've got eleven signatures to block a bill and produce a list with Lucio's name on it. That's a good one; Lucio uses disappearing ink. When the city of Houston needed to block a bill undercutting its ability to manage air emissions in neighboring suburbs, Lucio promised to provide a crucial vote against the bill. He voted "present" when a "no" would have killed the bill, then voted "no" when it no longer mattered. He pulled a similar stunt when the Finance Committee was looking for funds to pay for a Medicaid lawsuit settlement. Lucio voted for an amendment designating that the money come at the expense of health and human services for the poor. Later, he changed his vote, but it was too late. Here's how he explained himself to the Web-based publication Rio Grande Guardian: "I am pleased I had the opportunity to address the issue one more time, even though we were on the losing side. It sent a message." It sure did.