By Bill Peterson
SAN MARCOS – Hays County Precinct 1 Constable Lupe Cruz announced last week that he will end his run of 20 years by declining to run for another term in 2008.
Cruz has talked about making an announcement for at least three weeks. He made his announcement through the San Marcos daily.
Cruz won election to the position in 1988 after seven years as a Hays County sheriff's deputy. Before entering law enforcement, Cruz worked in life insurance for 17 years.
Born in 1939 in San Marcos, Cruz would have turned 70 at the beginning of a sixth four-year term.
Cruz told the newspaper that he has no plans for retirement, adding that he's not done with politics. However, he did not say concretely what he will do next.
At the very least, Cruz belongs to the county’s transportation advisory board, which is at work piecing through road issues.
Cruz is a U.S. Navy veteran who serves in numerous community organizations in San Marcos.
Precinct 2 Constable James Kohler of Kyle remains the longest serving constable in Hays County. In January, Kohler, known as “The man in the green car,” will begin his 30th year on the job. Kohler started in January 1979 at a salary of $1.35 per month.
Commentary
By Bill Peterson
Hays Highway readers, being generous with their feedback, have gratified the editor with praise while asking for greater transparency and a more diligent separation of fact and opinion.
Their points are well taken. The site began almost entirely with commentary and persisted that way for going on two years. As more news reporting appeared and the audience grew to proportions compelling greater responsibility, the systematic separation of fact from opinion has emerged as an issue. In particular, the news blog, The Daily Drive, being a convenient forum for short news stories and short opinions, has often mixed the two without distinguishing between them.
Though readers easily know the difference between fact and opinion, they sled more comfortably when they know what to expect from every piece. In the interest of making the difference more explicit, The Daily Drive has been slightly remodeled.
Every entry going back through the blog's two years has been reviewed and labeled, when appropriate, as commentary. In borderline cases involving common interpretation, the label has not been attached, but that is a clear minority of cases.
In some cases, also, pieces formerly indexed in news channels are being moved to the opinions channel. Many other pieces pose problems, as they mix original reporting with commentary to such a degree they could be characterized either way. In those cases, the pieces are still indexed in the news channels, but they are labeled as commentary in the appropriate index.
Opinions are fine, or course. Arguably, that's what blogs are for. The media is filled with opinions and, as has often been stated, everybody has one. But readers also wish for good, reliable information without sideshows or vested interests, which is more rare and, therefore, more valuable.
The Hays Highway shall continue to write and report with depth, vivacity and a broad perspective about public affairs in the Buda, Kyle and San Marcos areas, endeavoring to report news straightforwardly, separate fact from opinion and keep opinions in their place. That said, adults are intelligent media critics who understand that even straight news reporting is based in assumptions, however benign. In the interest of transparency, a statement about this site's biases and commitments, so far as they are recognized, is forthcoming.
As always, The Hays Highway appreciates its growing community of readers and strives to continuously improve. Comments and feedback are always welcomed by email at editor@hayshighway.com or by response to individual blog entries. As always, also, thanks for reading.
