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Posted on 08/11/2003 7:36:23 AM PDT by hocndoc
Exiles' leader doesn't shy from a challenge
Van de Putte's tenacity earns praise from fellow Senate Democrats
08/11/2003
Associated Press
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Sen. Leticia Van de Putte of San Antonio had just finished her second legislative session as a state senator when her Democratic colleagues chose her to lead their caucus.
Less than two months later, she led 10 of those same lawmakers in a historic boycott of the Senate chamber in protest of a Republican effort to redraw the state's congressional districts.
The boycott hits its two-week anniversary on Monday.
"They are strong. They are strong," Ms. Van de Putte says of her Democratic colleagues, who are holed up with her at a New Mexico hotel.
Also Online Democrats ask Bush to intervene
Exiles' leader doesn't shy from a challenge But Ms. Van de Putte also has been strong, getting the Democrats to New Mexico and standing firm as their leader. The boycott has stopped business in the Senate chamber because without the 11 Democrats, there are not enough senators present for the 31-member chamber to take up business.
The Democrats say there is no reason for legislators to take up redistricting since a plan is in place. Lawmakers failed to agree on a map during the 2001 legislative session, when they were scheduled to take up the issue, so judges drew the map of the current congressional districts. Democrats have a 17-15 advantage in the delegation.
Some Republicans, led by U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Sugar Land, say voting trends show Texas should have more Republicans representing the state in Washington. Two attempts to pass a redistricting bill, however, have failed this year.
Republican Gov. Rick Perry called a second special legislative session to try again, but if the Democrats can stay away from the Capitol until the session ends, the effort will have failed a third time.
The Democrats face another challenge this week as the Texas Supreme Court considers a case filed by Mr. Perry and Republican Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst that seeks to order the Democrats to return.
"If the goal was intimidation, I guess they just don't understand our resolve. It's like adding fuel to the fire," said Ms. Van de Putte, not known to back down from a challenge.
She proudly shows off a scar on her knee, noting it is the result of an injury she received while playing intramural football.
When a woman once harassed Ms. Van de Putte and her grandmother outside a precinct polling station, the lawmaker challenged the woman, and the two ended up on the ground in a fight. A pregnant Ms. Van de Putte prevailed.
"You hurt my kids, you hurt my grandma, who is, you know, in a wheelchair, I'm sorry. I'm coming after you," Ms. Van de Putte said.
Pharmacy to politics
Ms. Van de Putte grew up in San Antonio and followed in her grandfather's footsteps, becoming a pharmacist. She married Pete Van de Putte, whose family owns Dixie Flag, opened her own pharmacy and, over nine years, had six children.
She was active in the community, serving on the Parent Teacher Association and other groups.
Then, in 1990, the political bug hit. She was serving as a precinct chairwoman, and because there was a vacancy in a state representative post between the primary and the general election, the precinct chairs chose who would be the candidate, Ms. Van de Putte said.
None of the contenders, however, won her over, so Ms. Van de Putte threw her name into the ring and won.
Before winning, Ms. Van de Putte talked to her children, who ranged from age 10 and younger, about how a win would affect the family. Her youngest daughter asked why she wanted to run.
The answer came from her oldest daughter.
"Because there's not enough mommies there," Ms. Van de Putte recalls her daughter saying.
From her state representative post, Ms. Van de Putte launched a bid for state Senate and won the seat in 1999.
Colleagues' admiration
During her second legislative session, Ms. Van de Putte stood out as a Democratic leader on the Senate floor, working for tighter regulations on the insurance industry. When the session ended, her colleagues asked her to become the Senate Democratic Caucus chair. LETICIA VAN DE PUTTE Born: Dec.6, 1954
Occupation: Pharmacist
Hometown: San Antonio
Legislative experience: House member, 1990-99; senator, 1999-present; Texas Senate Democratic Caucus chairwoman
Education: Kellogg Fellow, Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, 1993; bachelor's degree, the University of Texas at Austin; 1973 graduate, Thomas Jefferson High School, San Antonio
Personal: Married 26 years to Pete Van de Putte; six children
SOURCE: Texas Senate
Ms. Van de Putte said she was reluctant to take the post because she was a junior senator compared with nearly all the Democrats in the chamber.
But she has earned praise from her colleagues, who stand behind her during their daily news conferences in Albuquerque.
Sen. John Whitmire of Houston said her leadership was appreciated in getting ready for the Democratic walkout.
Throughout the first special session, the Democrats had discussed how they could keep a redistricting bill from passing. They had defeated it that session but feared that a move by Mr. Dewhurst to make it easier for a bill to get through the chamber in another session would leave them without a chance to block the bill.
They met in a Senate conference room on July 28, the day before the first special session was scheduled to end, when they got word that that session would end early and Mr. Perry would immediately call another one.
Fearing that Mr. Dewhurst would order the chamber locked so the senators couldn't leave and would be forced to vote on a redistricting bill and lose, they left the Capitol quickly. Their move, although discussed among the Democrats before, came earlier than some predicted.
"I was pretty damn impressed that she had two planes sitting out there with their engines running 48 hours before I thought we might have to leave," Mr. Whitmire said.
The Democrats boarded the planes and flew to New Mexico.
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Wonderful, admiring piece of journalism, though.
Thanks for the post and the ping ...
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