Rep. Byron Cook, R-Corsicana, filed papers to run for speaker of the House.Cook didn't have a bad thing to say about his opponents for the job. He said he's interested in putting the power back in the members' hands. "I just have so much confidence in the talent and skills of this House," he said. "I hope to be a positive proponent of what this House can be in the future." The race to overthrow House Speaker Tom Craddick has attracted nine candidates in addition to Craddick and now, to Cook. There are a slew of others in the wings, if you believe the scuttlebutt, and Cook apparently does: "I think there are some great candidates," he said. "I think there are going to be some other candidates who appear in the next week's time." Think of this formula: 64 + X. The House Democrats claim (we haven't seen it) they have signatures from 64 of their party who pledged not to vote for Craddick's reelection. If that's so, a dozen more members could topple the incumbent. There's a pool of ten Democrats and 76 Republicans who haven't signed the pledge, but everybody who files to run for Speaker is, at least on the surface, against Craddick's reelection. The list of official opponents includes Democrats Pete Gallego of Alpine, Scott Hochberg of Houston, Allan Ritter of Nederland, and Senfronia Thompson and Sylvester Turner of Houston, and Republicans Delwin Jones of Lubbock, Jim Keffer of Eastland, Tommy Merritt of Longview, and Burt Solomons of Carrollton. There's an "unofficial list," too, but that's the people who've filed. And since the House is narrowly Republican, that's the party of all the people on the not-filed-but-mentioned-regularly roster: Warren Chisum of Pampa, Dan Gattis of Georgetown, Edmund Kuempel of Seguin, Bryan McCall of Plano, and Jim Pitts of Waxahachie. Cook doesn't have a platform at this point, and said he doesn't have a nose count because he just filed "and I don't want to get one thing in front of the other." He did say he wants to "empower members to take advantage of their talents", to see "fairness in how you handle things", "how you maintain decorum in the House", and "a members'-driven process, as opposed to special-interest driven." Cook, you'll remember, delivered a personal privilege speech in the last days of the 2007 session detailing his problems with current management and making his argument for a new speaker. Here's a link.

Kay Bailey Hutchison isn't leaving her federal job any time soon, but she's losing her chief of staff. Marc Short will take a gig as chief of staff for the House Republican Conference.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn will take Rob Jesmer and Brian Walsh along to his new gig as head of the Senate Republican Campaign Committee. They're new to that gig, but not to Cornyn.

From Politico: Jeanne Lambrew, an associate professor at UT's LBJ School of Public Affairs, will be deputy director of the new White House Office of Health Reform, reporting to former U.S. Sen. Tom Daschle.

Rep. Trey Martinez-Fischer, D-San Antonio, takes over as head of the Mexican-American Legislative Caucus. His vice chairman will be Abel Herrero of Corpus Christi. Diana Maldonado of Round Rock is the new secretary. Solomon Ortiz Jr. of Corpus Christi is treasurer. And Veronica Gonzales of McAllen is that caucus' new legal counsel.

Never mind: Paul Bettencourt, who won reelection as Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector last month, plans to resign before Christmas to take a job in the private sector. County commissioners will pick a successor to serve for the next two years. Bettencourt's on the radar of several statewide officeholders and contenders who think he's got statewide ambitions.

Speaking of statewides, Comptroller Susan Combs claims to have raised $950,000 at one event in Austin this week. Reports come out next month.

Hector Nieto — communications director at the Texas Democratic Party — will return to the Pink Building next month as chief of staff to Sen.-elect Wendy Davis of Fort Worth. He worked in the House before joining the TDP.

Alan Burrow left the Pink Building (is this some kind of exchange program?) to open a lobby practice. He worked for Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, most recently, after gigs with several House members and the Department of Insurance.

Deece Eckstein is Travis County's first intergovernmental relations coordinator, a job that'll have him working with folks in the Pink Building, City Hall, and in other places where government types do their thing. Eckstein had a variety of jobs in the Pink Building, was a state insurance commissioner, and regional director of People for the American Way.

After a dozen years at the Texas Hospital Association,

Dinah Welsh joins the (relatively new) Texas EMS, Trauma and Acute Care Foundation, as CEO. Denise Rose will take over her government affairs job at THA.

Deaths: Bill Patman, the former congressman and state senator who served for 24 years in those two institutions, of stomach cancer. He was 81. He served in the statehouse for 20 years, starting in 1961, before serving two terms in the U.S. House. A Democrat, he lost a reelection bid in 1984 — a big year for the GOP. And he was the son of a congressman; Wright Patman served in Congress for 47 years.

Bill Stinson, a freelance lobbyist who worked for the Texas Association of Realtors and its affiliates for most of his career, starting in Lubbock and working in El Paso before finally landing in Austin. Stinson, who lost to cancer, was 60.

Former Texas Secretary of State Roger Williams is officially in the race to replace U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison.Hutchison's still in office and says she will be for at least a year. But she's filed state papers "exploring" the 2010 governor's race. Williams, a Weatherford car dealer and Republican fundraiser, is the third candidate to get in. State Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, formed an exploratory committee last summer. And former Comptroller John Sharp, a Democrat, announced his plans to file on January 1. Williams made his announcement via email and on his new campaign website, rogerforsenate.com. His press release:

Friday, December 12, 2008 Weatherford, Texas — Former Texas Secretary of State Roger Williams today announced that he has formed a U.S. Senate exploratory committee. Texas senior Senator, Kay Bailey Hutchison, has let it be known that she will not run for re-election and might leave her seat before her term expires. Williams, a former professional baseball player and former college head coach is best known for his 35 years as a successful businessman and as Texas' 105th Secretary of State. Williams is a Republican with a passion for freedom and free markets. "The United States now faces its most difficult challenge in decades. How we respond to this challenge will determine if we lead the world into another century of prosperity," said Williams. "We will succeed with determination, hard work and by renewing our confidence in the free enterprise system that made our nation what it is." Williams will use his exploratory committee to activate his statewide organization as Senator Hutchison makes her final decision. As Secretary of State, Williams worked tirelessly to promote economic development, investment and job creation across Texas. He also served as the state's Chief Liaison for Texas Border and Mexican Affairs as well as Chair of the state's 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Response Strike Force. Williams' civic activities include serving on the Board of Trustees for the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University where he co-chairs the school's capital fundraising campaign. Williams is also a member of the Texas Christian University Board of Trustees, his alma mater. He also serves on the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame Board of Directors as well as serving on the Admiral Nimitz Foundation Board of Directors in Fredericksburg, Texas. Williams and his wife, Patty, reside in Weatherford and have two daughters. ###