CM Abbie Kamin
Houston City Council Member Abbie Kamin is garnering support to potentially be chosen by Harris County leadership as the new interim county attorney as they contend with a potential opening.
Kamin has gathered a list of nearly 60 elected officials, labor organizations, faith leaders and community leaders who are supporting her “appointment … as Interim County Attorney,” according to a document obtained by the Houston Chronicle.
Among the officials on the list are U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare and Minority House Leader Gene Wu.
Kamin, a civil rights attorney, is currently serving her second term representing the Heights, Montrose and other area neighborhoods on the City Council. Her term is up in 2027, and term limits prohibit her from running for re-election.
The veteran council member’s most recent campaign finance report shows she has nearly $416,000 on hand – an amount one expert says sends a message.
“(It) definitely indicates they’re looking toward another office,” said Nancy Sims, a politics lecturer at the University of Houston.
Kamin said Friday she was asked to submit a list of supporters in case she was considered for the appointment.
“While I continue to focus on the work in front of me, it is an honor to be considered, and I am grateful for the support of so many outstanding leaders,” she wrote in a text.
I most recently discussed the Harris County Attorney succession plan in a post-election roundup. The main issue to me has always been does Commissioners Court appoint a caretaker and let the primary voters do what they will, or do they anoint a successor? One can make a case for either – Kamin has made a strong case for herself here – but there are others who want this job, and they have supporters who won’t like seeing a thumb put on the scale. This may have all been an academic exercise, Commissioners Court doing its due diligence before making whatever decision it makes, but it’s a big deal. I am of course very interested in their decision.
I was sent an image of the supporters list, which you can see here. It’s impressive, but it’s not the last word. That does have to be coming soon, so it’s on whoever else wants the job to try to top it.