Another year, another Secretary of State

The revolving door in the Secretary of State's office spins again.

Texas Secretary of State Phil Wilson is stepping down to work for a Dallas-based energy company, he announced Thursday. His last day will be July 6.

He'll begin his new job as Luminant's senior vice president of public affairs the next day, July 7.

Luminant is a subsidiary of Energy Future Holdings, formerly TXU Corp.

Wilson, 40, was appointed secretary of state by Republican Gov. Rick Perry almost a year ago. Before that, he was Perry's deputy chief of staff.

The secretary of state is Texas' chief elections officer. The secretary of state oversees business and public filings, acts as the governor's chief liaison for border affairs, and oversees international protocol for the state.

According to Wikipedia, Wilson's successor will be the sixth SOS under Rick Perry; Roger Williams' 2.5 years in office is the longest any of them served, which appears to be pretty typical. Seems to me that's a pretty good argument for making this an elected office rather than an appointed one. Eye on Williamson is with me on this. What do you think?

Posted by Charles Kuffner on June 14, 2008 to Show Business for Ugly People