Several of Galveston's municipal races this season are weird enough to make
us all proud. God bless Texas politics.
In the mayoral race, the traditional developer-vs.-preservationist
stand-off is given an added cultural je ne sais quoi by fresh developments.
A letter from a supporter on the website of challenger David Bowers, who is
gay, referred to incumbent Roger "Bo" Quiroga, who is Hispanic, as the
"Macho Nacho." Quiroga, no stranger to the art of insult himself, has
referred to the The Galveston Daily News as "the worst disaster to hit
Galveston since the 1900 storm."
The latest furor is over whether to continue Beach Party Weekend, a
phenomenon that attracts young people, some of whom get all knee-walkin',
commode-huggin' drunk and misbehave accordingly.
The Daily News ran a picture of one celebrator holding a puppy by the ear,
which an ally of the mayor's says proves the paper has a bias against the
mayor. Actually, the photo is sort of interesting on its own merit, in a
way.