City Council Member Greg Casar, who seems unable to rid himself of his runoff opponent, Laura Pressley, announced last week that former Mayor Lee Cooke would be his campaign treasurer for a special officeholder account. As he explained to publisher Michael Kanin on the Monitor’s radio show, Pressley is currently suing him in an election contest. The city charter allows Casar to solicit and accept contributions to pay his fees for the election contest. Cooke served on the Austin City Council as a member from 1977 to 1979. He was president of the Austin Chamber of Commerce from 1983 to 1987. He defeated Mayor Frank Cooksey in a runoff in 1988. It may seem as if someone with Cooke’s background might not want to help a Council member with a Workers Defense Project background like Casar. But Casar described Cooke as “one of the most common-sense guys I’ve ever met,” and therefore perfect as his campaign treasurer.
Jo Clifton is the Politics Editor for the Austin Monitor. More by Jo Clifton