The Lampasas County delegation at the Texas Democratic Party’s recent state convention included, front row, Dale Funk and Bruce Frizzell, middle row from left, Perry Winn, TJ Mabrey and Morgan Connery, and top row, Casey Norman. The Texas Democratic Party concluded its recent state convention with two main goals, said convention participants from Lampasas County: unseat Gov. Rick Perry and elect more Democrats to the State Board of Education.

Former Houston mayor Bill White, Perry’s Democratic challenger, roused the convention, Lampasas County delegate Casey Norman said, with a speech about Perry’s “eight years of failure” since his election in 2002.

Because of the state’s estimated $18 billion deficit in 2011, rising homeowners insurance and college tuition rates, Texas Youth Commission and state school abuse cases, and lobbyist influence within Perry’s administration, Texas is ready for a new governor, Norman said.

“I think the main gist of Bill White’s speech was that Rick Perry is in it for himself rather than for the whole state,” Norman said.

Both Norman and Bruce Frizzell, Lampasas County Democratic Party chairman, believe White gives Democrats their best chance in years of regaining the governor’s office.

“We’re starting to have bad times in Texas,” Frizzell said, “and when the economy suffers, that usually helps the challenger. I think Bill White will bring economic prosperity to Texas.”

Lampasas County Democrats recently volunteered for White fund-raisers in Llano and Belton, Frizzell said.

“The Democratic Party in the past has kind of conceded rural Texas to the Republicans,” said the county chairman, “and when you do that you lose the election. I think they’ve learned their lesson, finally.”

With the governor’s race looming and two Austin-area State Board of Education seats to be contested this fall, Democrats displayed much more enthusiasm at the recent convention than they did in 2006, said Norman, who has been involved actively in Democratic politics for the last 10 years.

Part of the excitement, Frizzell said, comes from renewed attention to the State Board of Education, which oversees public schools in Texas. Several education meetings at the state convention had to be moved to larger rooms because of the unexpectedly large interest, Frizzell said.

“The State Board of Education is really motivating a lot of Democrats,” he said.

Texas State University English and film professor Dr. Rebecca Bell-Metereau is challenging Republican incumbent Ken Mercer in District 5, which includes Burnet and Llano counties, as well as parts of Bell and Travis counties.

Curriculum and educational ascounty sessment director Dr. Judy Jennings is running as a Democrat against Republican Dr. Marsha Farney, a Pflugerville school counselor and educational consultant, for an open seat in District 10, which stretches from Williamson County to the Houston suburbs.

The Democratic candidates, Norman said, will work to approve balanced school curricula and will restore respect for teachers.

Besides education and upcoming elections, Frizzell said important issues discussed at the recent Democratic convention included immigration reform and enforcement of environmental regulations.

“We need to have regulators who are not friends with the oil industry,” Frizzell said.

Also at the convention, an effort to eliminate the “Texas two-step” process, which features party caucuses directly after primary elections, “was defeated resoundingly,” Frizzell said. The county chairman supports the current process, he said, because caucuses help him determine which Democrats will be energetic and reliable volunteers for campaigns.