Andrew Weber is the new First Assistant to Attorney General Greg Abbott, replacing Kent Sullivan, who got a new gig (see below). Weber was the Clerk to the Texas Supreme Court and an attorney in private practice before signing on as Deputy AG for Legal Counsel about a year ago. Jonathan Frels, now chief of the public finance division in the AG's office, will move into the job Weber is leaving.
Comal County Tax Assessor-Collector Sherman Krause joins Comptroller Susan Combs' office as head of a revamped Property Tax Assistance Division. That's the division that, among other things, oversees county appraisal district valuations of property for taxes; Combs also is moving appeals of rulings from the comptroller's office to the State Office of Administrative Hearings, so appraisal districts can go to another agency when they disagee with the comptroller's work.
Charles Cooper is the state's new banking commissioner. The former federal bank examiner and bank executive started this week. Randall James retired from that job earlier this year.
Jim Harrison will be the new head of intergovernmental relations for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. He's currently in the governor's office of homeland security.
Glenn Shankle, the recently retired executive director of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, is hanging out a lobby shingle. He and a couple of former TCEQ colleagues — Sonia Ralls and Kerri Rowland — will concentrate on environmental issues at the legislative and agency level.
M. Scott Norman gets rid of the word interim, becoming executive director of the Texas Association of Builders. He's been at that trade group since 2003, when he left a staff spot in the Texas Senate.
Daniel Donohoe moved to Comerica as director of government relations from JPMorgan Chase. He'll remain based in Dallas.
Gov. Rick Perry followed the election with a bunch of postings, including several judicial appointments that will stand until the next general elections (and didn't have to weather this year's political storms):
• Kent Sullivan, the state's first assistant attorney general, to the 14th Court of Appeals in Houston. He's a former state district judge, and replaces Wanda Fowler.
• Sylvia Matthews, a Houston attorney with Andrews and Kurth, to the 281st District Court, replacing David Bernal.
• Don Hinde, an attorney with Steele Sturm in Houston, to the 269th District Court, replacing John Wooldridge.
• David Peeples of San Antonio as presiding judge of the Fourth Administrative Judicial Region; that's a reappointment.
• Stephen Ables of Kerrville as presiding judge of the Sixth Administrative Judicial Region; he presides in the 216 District Court, and is being reappointed to the admin job.
• Kelly Moore of Brownfield as presiding judge of the Ninth Administrative Judicial Region; that's a reappointment, and Moore is the judge in the 121st District Court.
The non-judicial wheel was turning, too. Perry appointed:
• David Baucom of Sulphur Springs to the Texas Medical Board. He's president of an insurance agency.
• Jose Cuevas Jr., founder and president of JumBurrito in Midland, to the chairmanship of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, and Melinda Fredricks of Conroe to a spot on that same board. She's a former teacher and community volunteer.
• Mike Allen, Claudell Kercheville, and Scott Parker to the Upper Guadalupe River Authority Board. All three are from Kerrville. Allen is chairman of Union State Bank. Kercheville is retired from Frost Bank San Antonio. Parker is a retired attorney.
• Bryan Shaw, Barry Smitherman, and Michael Williams to the new Texas Advisory Panel on Federal Environmental Regulations, which will report back on the impact of federal greenhouse gas regulations. Shaw is on the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Smitherman is chairman of the Public Utility Commission. And Williams was just reelected to the Texas Railroad Commission.
• Dr. Lloyd Garland of Lubbock and former Rep. Ruben Hope of Montgomery to the State Office of Risk Management.
• Kathleen Hill of Hutto to the Texas Board of Occupational Therapy Examiners. She works at Seton Children's Therapy Gym at Cedar Park.
• Raymond "Tripp" Davenport III of Southlake to another term on the Texas Ethics Commission. He's an investment banker and veep at Banc of America Securities.
• A.W. "Whit" Riter III of Tyler and Fred Heldenfels IV of Austin to the top spots on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Riter's the new chair, is president of Riter Management Co. and the A.W. Riter Jr. Family Foundation. Heldenfels, now the vice chair, is president and CEO of Heldenfels Enterprises Inc.