Meet The Two Democrats Who Want To Run For Railroad Commission

[RandySF]

The Railroad Commission of Texas might be one of the most powerful government agencies you’ve never heard of. That’s because, despite the name, the commission regulates the Texas oil and gas industry.

In this year’s primary runoff election, two Democrats are vying for a chance to run for a seat on the commission. Both candidates point to their resumes as a reason for your vote.

Chrysta Casteñeda

Chrysta Casteñeda runs a Dallas-based law firm that specializes in energy litigation. (Casteñeda helped win T. Boone Pickens over $145 million in 2016.) It’s that legal background, as well as her time working as an engineer, which she thinks makes her uniquely qualified for the job.

Roberto Alonzo

While Casteñeda points to her time working in the industry, her opponent points to his time in politics.

“One of the questions that keeps on coming up is: Who's got the technical experience?” Roberto Alonzo said in a recent KUT interview. “We're not going to be the scientists doing the research. We're going to do the policy. We're gonna do the governing.”

Alonzo was a state rep from District 104 in Dallas County for over 25 years, before losing to a primary challenger last year. He says his experience working across the aisle would help him navigate the three-member Railroad Commission, which has been dominated by Republican politicians for decades.



https://www.kut.org/post/meet-two-democrats-who-want-run-railroad-commission

[yellowdogintexas]

1. we need the double whammy of knowledge Chrysta Castaneda brings to the office

I heard them in a town hall and I was not sure that Alonzo knew how to say anything except who had endorsed him. He seemed to ramble around a lot.

She knows her stuff and gets right to the point.

I have met her and she is sharp as a tack