Gerald Daugherty, a four-term member of the Travis County Commissioners Court and the only Republican on the court, plans not to seek reelection in 2020.
Daugherty, the Precinct 3 commissioner representing southwest Austin, was a foe of public transit, played a major role in securing the construction of SH-45 Southwest (over the objections of environmentalists), and consistently opposed pay hikes that commissioners gave themselves, every year returning a portion of his salary.
In a news release, the Travis County GOP hailed Daugherty as a “godfather” of the party, saying, “His remarkable service to Travis County has been extraordinary. He is the Godfather of the Travis County Republican Party, which is why we recognized him with our Reagan Courage award last year.”
Ken Martin of The Austin Bulldog, in a retrospective on Daugherty’s career, recalled, “Daugherty has been an ardent foe of mass transit projects for decades. Back in the late 1990s, anyone who attended a breakfast meeting at the Metropolitan Business Club, which starts at a red-eyed 7am, were bound to hear him take his turn to stand up and introduce himself by asking, ‘How many of you rode the bus to get here this morning?’”
In his retirement announcement, Daugherty touted as accomplishments his role in bringing highway SW-45 to Austin and his service on the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization.
“When it comes to traffic, affordability, and other issues in this community, too many of the stakeholders are still yelling at each other from across the room instead of coming together to do what is best for the people of Travis County,” Daugherty said. “I do not know what the future has in store for me, but as long as I am able, I plan to continue being engaged in this community, working to find positive solutions to the challenges we face.”
Daugherty won his last election in 2016 narrowly with only 51.74% of the vote. He was helped by a viral video in which his wife Charlyn appeared to gently mock him and pleaded with voters to re-elect him in order to get him out of the house.
Several Democratic candidates are expected to vie for Daugherty’s seat, including former nonprofit executive Ann Howard, former attorney Sheri Soltes, and former Texas House Rep. Valinda Bolton.
