Jurist imprudence

In contrast, Lindsay's credentials for the bench are thin--at best. A graduate of St. Mary's University in San Antonio and the University of Texas Law School, Lindsay worked for a short while for the Texas Aeronautics Commission. He joined the city attorney's office in 1979.

The main force behind Lindsay's candidacy is Kirk, who, according to several sources, browbeat everyone from personal injury lawyer and democratic bigwig Frank Branson to U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson to get behind his former law school buddy. Why Kirk is so desperately in favor of Lindsay is not known.

Could it be the favorable legal opinions Lindsay wrote on behalf of the mayor and his wife when questions were raised about potential conflicts of interest? If you recall, Lindsay didn't see any problem with the mayor negotiating the arena deal on the city's behalf, even though Kirk is on the payroll of a law firm that represents Mavericks minority owner Don Carter. Lindsay also didn't see a problem with Matrice Kirk sitting on the board of Brinker International, for which she receives a tidy director's fee, even as that company has zoning questions that come before the council.

"If Sam Lindsay had done a great job for the city, you'd think the mayor would want to keep him in that job," muses state Rep. Terri Hodge. "And if he hasn't performed that well for the city, why would you want him in an even more important job--a job he could have for life?