One of my pet peeves

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Viewpoint: Meet your regents

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Chairman James R. Huffines

Official Term: February 2003 - February 2009

Editor's Note: This is the first of a 10-part series on each member of the UT System Board of Regents. This series will explore the regents' business connections and political backgrounds, who have all been appointed by Gov. Rick Perry.

In 1987, before most freshmen at UT were even born, James Huffines was working as Secretary of Appointments for the first Republican governor of Texas since the 19th century, Gov. William P. Clements. In addition to jump-starting his own political career, Huffines sparked several others', such as that of Barry McBee, who went on to serve as chief of staff to Gov. Perry.

"I owe my career to James Huffines," McBee told the Austin-American Statesman in 2004. McBee recently found himself with the UT System this April, when he was appointed vice chancellor for governmental relations. Gov. Clements' wife, Rita, is now in her second term on the board of regents.

Such is the interweaving nature of the political appointments here in Texas, connections from which James Huffines has seen several benefits. On June 2, 2004, Gov. Perry selected Huffines to be chairman of the UT System Board of Regents. This April, Huffines cut Perry a $27,000 check for his reelection campaign, and Texans for Public Justice recently reported that Huffines has contributed more than $122,000 to Perry's campaigns.

Although Huffines spent most of his time in the business world - he is currently the regional chairman of PlainsCapital Bank, one of Texas' largest private banks with more than $4.8 billion in assets - he has deeply connected himself with our current governor. In its February 2005 issue examining Texas' political heavyweights, Texas Monthly called Huffines the "unofficial chairman" of Perry's "kitchen cabinet," an older and more seasoned collection of outside advisers to the governor.

Huffines has worked to get there, working for then-Gov. Clements' appointments committee from November 1986 to June 1990. He was later selected to the board of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission in 1990.

Huffines then moved to the campaign front, working as a member of Gov. George W. Bush's inaugural committee in 1999, Bush's national finance committee for the 2000 elections and co-chairing Gov. Perry's most recent inauguration committee shortly before he was selected as a regent. Huffines earned the title "Bush Pioneer" by raising more than $100,000 for the president's 2000 election campaign.

Through it all, there have been few political road-bumps along the way. A minor one occurred over a February 2004 solicitation for donations for Perry's current gubernatorial campaign, where a letter bearing Huffines' name shook down previous donors as if it were a mortgage collection. "As I reviewed our end-of-year 2003 audit report, I noticed that you had not sent your contribution to the Governor's committee," the letter said, adding that the donor accounts had "lapsed."

Huffines inherited a powerful Dallas pedigree, the grandson of auto dealer James L. Huffines Sr. and son to James L. Huffines Jr., a co-owner of the Dallas Cowboys. Huffines Auto Dealerships, ranked No. 88 nationally of all auto dealers in 2005, brings in more than $409 million annually. Regent Huffines has more or less taken his own road from the dealerships with a move to banking, although he still receives more than $25,000 in interest from Huffines Chrystler, Inc., where he sits on the board of directors.

He has some other business interests, such as with a group called Andrew Harper Travel and DRJ Frisco Partners, Ltd. Tollroad @ 121, Frisco, Texas, a group connected to the new tollway north of Dallas.

Huffines graduated from UT-Austin in 1973 with a degree in finance and attended Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University. His wife, Patty, graduated from UT in 1977 and currently works as an associate at Public Strategies, Inc. in Austin, a corporate public relations firm. She was previously the director of corporate relations at St. Edwards University in Austin, and she was also the director of development for the Zachary Scott Theater in Austin.

She is the acting chair of the Governor's Commission for Women, an appointment made by Gov. Perry.

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As of May 2006, James Huffines additionally served on the following boards of directors:

Corporate Boards:

• PlainsCapital Bank (as well as associated boards for PlainsCapital Corporation, Hester Capital Management, McAfee Mortgage, Prime Lending Mortgage Co. and Equity Partners, LLC.)

• Huffines Chevrolet Inc.

• Andrew Harper Travel

Non-Profit Boards:

• Bob Bullock State History Museum

• Tarry House

• Knights of the Symphony, an Austin Symphony group