A dozen people are vying to become the next Texas land commissioner, overseeing an agency that manages 13 million acres of state land, administers disaster recovery funds, contributes to public school funding and has administrative control of the Alamo.
Republican George P. Bush’s decision not to seek reelection and run for attorney general created an open race that features eight Republicans and four Democrats seeking their parties’ nominations in the March 1 primary. The eventual nominees will face off in November.
The elected victor will head the General Land Office as the Alamo undergoes a nearly $400 million redevelopment plan that calls for a new visitor center and museum, restoration of the site’s battlefield and preservation of the remaining Alamo church.
The General Land Office will lease the historic Woolworth and Crockett buildings in downtown San Antonio to the city to house the Alamo visitor center and museum.
Most Republicans seeking the GOP nomination list the Alamo project as a top priority.
Redevelopment plans for the Alamo have prompted pushback from across the political spectrum in recent years. A 2017 renovation plan for the Alamo called for moving the Cenotaph, a 56-foot-tall marble monument built to commemorate those who fought for Texas. The Cenotaph was proposed to be relocated to the front of the Menger Hotel, less than 400 feet from the Alamo. However, the Texas Historical Commission, a state board dedicated to the preservation of Texas history, voted against that idea.
Some of the points include increasing transparency on Alamo renovation efforts by conducting public forums, making guided tours for Texans free and terminating the General Land Office’s 2018 lease with the city of San Antonio, returning all authority over the Alamo to the office.