The Chronicle‘s Kristen Mack today writes about Clarence Bradford, who will be officially kicking off his campaign for Harris County District Attorney later this month. Bradford was Lee Brown’s chief of police, and has been criticized for the crime lab problems that occurred on his watch (he has not spoken about the fiasco in depth, so the campaign should be an excellent opportunity for the public to learn more about his mis-management of the problem). Lately, Bradford has been working for Lee Brown’s consulting group.
There will be plenty of time to consider Bradford and the coming campaign, but this blurb at the end of Mack’s column caught my eye:
The race will be the marquee local election on the ballot next November. I, however, won’t be here to cover it. This is my last column for the Houston Chronicle. In October, I will begin writing for the Washington Post.
My time in Houston has defined my career. I started out as a general assignment reporter, working nights in 2001. Nine months later, I became a City Hall reporter. While covering people rooted to this city, I began to feel connected as well.
This city and this paper have given me amazing opportunities. Houston, Harris County and Texas politicians always keep it interesting. I’m sure that won’t change.
The Washington Post is definitely a step (or several steps) up, so congratulations to Ms. Mack. There’s always the potential for local news coverage to take a hit when a veteran hand moves on, so here’s hoping that the Chronicle is able to secure quality replacement(s).
