Tom Leppert To Run For Senate Seat?

Republican sources have told me that the mayor is seriously interested in Kay Bailey’s seat. So I called him yesterday to confirm. He was clearly not happy about the leak. After he stammered around a bit, I told him to take his time and get back to me with a response. This is it:

I’m flattered that people have suggested me for such an important seat. Clearly, there is a long list of candidates and Senator Hutchison has not even indicated her plans concerning the seat. I’m proud to serve the citizens of and eager to continue working with the City Council on the opportunities and challenges ahead of us.

That is not a no.

I could leave it at that, but I won’t. The mayor’s major initiative in his first year has been the convention hotel. It is an expensive undertaking, and its fast-tracking through the City Council mainly is due to the mayor’s contention that it will not be a drag on the city’s finances. To my mind, it would be irresponsible of Leppert to leave this for others to manage. When Ron Kirk stepped down to run for Senate, his major priorites — the Trinity bond program, the arena — had been accomplished. Leppert has barely begun. If he were to abandon his post now to seek a higher office, I doubt he would even carry Dallas.