Houston Chronicle Editorial: We recommend Janet Dudding for Texas comptroller

In 2005, Janet Dudding found herself mucking out her home in Bay St. Louis-Waveland, Mississippi, after Hurricane Katrina sent a 32-foot storm surge across the town. “The first time I cried was when the Red Cross truck came around,” she told the editorial board. “I’m supposed to be the one giving help. There I was going to get a hot meal because there is no electricity, no streetlights, no water.” That experience — and the city’s struggle to get back on its feet financially — had a profound impact on Dudding and is among the reasons she is running for Texas comptroller as a Democrat against the Republican incumbent, Glenn Hegar. Trained as a lawyer and formerly a state legislator known for pursuing abortion restrictions, Hegar was first elected as comptroller in 2014. In his 2018 re-election bid, this board endorsed Hegar, 51, for keeping “his head down and focused on his job” instead of pandering to primary voters. Sadly, we can’t say the same four years later. Now he appears more interested in attracting national headlines and preparing for the next stage of his political career.

We urge voters to elect Dudding, 63, an actual certified public accountant running to be the state’s accountant. She says her main objective would be holding government accountable to people, not special interests. That’s the job we want done, and she has 35 years experience running audits, administering teams and leading investigations to show she can do it. Dudding moved into a FEMA trailer in the immediate aftermath of Katrina to work with local and federal officials in Mississippi on recovery. In 2006, she relocated to College Station, where her husband joined the faculty at Texas A&M University and she could be closer to her family’s Texas roots. Dudding, however, got called back into action by Waveland as it struggled to access recovery funds. The city had run out of cash, laid off its staff and was in danger of losing its charter. Even though it was eligible to be reimbursed for its recovery costs, the city couldn't spend any money in the first place. Dudding brought in an auditor to pre-approve contracts, got contractors rolling, helped the city rehire staff and set up a new accounting structure. That’s the type of problem solving we’d like to see from our leaders in Austin.