East Texas

BY PHILLIP WILLIAMS
Special Correspondent

GILMER — State Rep. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, told a Republican women’s luncheon Thursday that he favors eliminating local property taxes and using state surplus funds to make up the revenue.

Hughes, who has no Democratic opponent for re-election to his District 5 seat in November, expressed the opinion in a wide-ranging talk to the Republican Women of Upshur County at a luncheon at the Wesley House, an assisted living center.

Pledging to try to eliminate the property tax, Hughes said school districts’ property taxes for maintenance and operation “could be taken care of at the state level. We’ll replace that local revenue with state revenue.”

On another subject, Hughes expressed support for presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain, although he asked for a show of hands from those in the audience who felt “John McCain was maybe not our first choice.” Several hands were raised.

McCain has drawn fire from some conservatives in his party, and Hughes acknowledged that many conservatives were talking about sitting out the election.

“It’s tempting, right? But there’s so much at stake,” the representative said.

Calling McCain an amazing patriot, Hughes maintained there are a lot of good reasons to support him. Specifically, the legislator said, the overall November election will be important for three reasons.

One, he said, is Republican control of the Texas Legislature, which will decide the re-districting for Congressional seats in 2011.

Another, said Hughes, is the economy. He charged that Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton want to raise corporate tax rates, which will “kill the economy.”

Hughes said it was good for working people for the wealthy to build factories and that, if plagued by corporate taxes, the rich would go to China instead. The speaker said a Republican president was needed who “won’t throw the economy into the tank.”

A third reason the November election is important, said Hughes, is that social issues such as abortion, gay marriage and school prayer have been decided in courts, and the next president will appoint at least one Supreme Court justice.

So “even if we’re not in love with (McCain),” Hughes told the audience, a president who is “closer to our world view” is needed.

On another issue, Hughes said, “The (proposed) Trans-Texas Corridor is going away,” and he expressed opposition to the project. He predicted the state Legislature “will drive the nail into the coffin” of the controversial TTC, although Gov. Rick Perry supports the superhighway.

“He’s convinced that we need this, but he’s wrong,” Hughes said of his fellow Republican.

But the legislator disagreed with speculation Perry is somehow receiving a financial benefit from the proposed project, declaring “he’s an honest man.”

Hughes said a contract with a Spanish firm related to TTC would give the company a 50-year lease to charge any road tolls it wanted, and “that’s crazy.”

Hughes also expressed opposition to fellow State Rep. Leo Berman’s proposal that the Legislature prohibit county commissioners from raising their own salaries.

“I think it should be a matter of local control,” the Mineola attorney said. “If the voters don’t like it (commissioners raising their salaries), they’ll let ‘em know.” However, he said he had “nothing against Leo.”