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FORT WORTH — City Councilman Sal Espino has heard a lot of frustration from constituents about what state lawmakers did not accomplish in the recently completed legislative session.
Now, he’s trying to see what he can do about it and is considering whether to challenge state Rep. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth, for the District 90 state House seat in next year’s Democratic Party primary."There’s a lot of frustration about what is happening in Austin," said Espino, who has served on the City Council since 2005. "There are a lot of issues [about] cities and local governments that are not being addressed."Fort Worth is the largest city in Texas without a Hispanic representing a House seat," he said. "I don’t think [Burnam] has been able to get much meaningful legislation passed, although I admire his battle against the prior speaker."Burnam, who was elected to District 90 in 1996 on his third try, said he believes that Espino should stay where he is, especially because he was re-elected this year to another two-year term on the Fort Worth City Council."Sal has no experience in this arena," Burnam said. "There is a role for people like Sal, but more importantly, there is a role for people like me . . . to stand up against [former House Speaker Tom] Craddick, to stand up over and over again. It takes people with experience and leadership to make a difference."Espino said he hopes to make a decision soon. The filing period begins this year, and he said he didn’t want to end up in a position similar to the one former city councilwoman, now state Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, found herself in last year. Davis’ opponent, Kim Brimer, repeatedly challenged whether Davis had formally left her council seat before declaring her candidacy for the Texas Senate."I’ll have to look at the city charter," Espino said. "I would like to make a decision sooner rather than later. It will be a tough decision."ANNA M. TINSLEY, 817-390-7610
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