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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 16, 1983)
Page 6/The Battalion/Friday, September 16,1983 i O'DC director Estelle s Eg; ilresignation confirmed United Press International ^ 1IOUSTON — Longtime Texas ^Department of Corrections Dire ctor W.J. Estelle is resigning the ►Cost he has held for the past 11 **£e ars ’ TDC Chairman Boh Gunn 'Jeonfirmed Thursday. C Gunn said Estelle informed the ;CDC board of his decision Sunday and agreed to remain in his post until a successor is named. Estelle was to make a public announce ment later today. “Were naturally shocked, Gunn said. “We kept it in confi dence until he had a chance to tell his wardens. “He’s going to stay and help us 200 Buy one at regular price, and get the second of equal size for only 4- 200,4- _ nffor ovnirps Ontnhfir IQfl.T 200 200 Offer expires October 15,1983 Culpepper Plaza, C.S. 3409 Texas Ave. Bryan 200 find a successor and make a smooth transition. This is impor tant in anything as volatile as a prison system. Gunn said he would not discuss Estelle’s reasons for resigning. "That’s his business,’’ he said. Estelle has been at the center of controversy in recent years with the prison reforms ordered by U.S. District Judge William Wayne Justice of Tyler, and has been criticized. But he is widely respected in corrections circles. Estelle, 52, has run the 21-unit Texas prison system through some of its most turbulent times. For a time tbis year, TDC was the na tion’s most populous prison sys tem with more than 36,000 in mates. Known for wearing his cowboy hat and boots almost everywhere and dipping snuff Estelle started his career as a prison guard in Cali fornia and moved up to warden in Montana before becoming TDC director in 1972. Estelle had a reputation as a tough prison master but often ex pressed fatherly concern for his inmates. He had not been in office long before in 1974 inmate Federico Gomez Carrasco, known as a South Texas drug kingpin, led other inmates in taking hostages in the Huntsville prison library and demanding an escort to freedom. Four people, including Carras co and a fellow inmate, died in TDC s aggressive breakup of that escape attempt. More recently, Estelle, who as TDC director was named defen dant in more than 10,000 lawsuits, has been a focus of one of the na tion’s most sweeping attempts at prison reform. Congressman against flood insurance hike United Press International WASHINGTON — Rep. Lindy Boggs, D-La., said I hursday she fears the National Flood Insurance program serv ing 1.86 million Americans in floodprone communities will be undermined by continued rate increases. Boggs told a House subcom mittee that rate increases already have prompted some policyholders in 17,400 flood- prone communities to let their insurance lapse, including sev eral in her home state recently devastated by 100-year spring flooding. “I question the wisdom of another substantial rate in crease when three major pre mium increases have been im plemented since January 1981, " said Boggs. “There had been no increases at all prior to that time. "I question the rate increase — not because I am opposed to the government saving money — but because I support the federal flood insurance program and I am deeply concerned ab out its ability to meet its objec tives and remain viable if pre mium rates are not kept afford able,’ she said. An average $18 rate increase is scheduled Oct. 1 in the 15- year-old National Flood Insur ance Program, which allows re sidents in flood-prone areas to obtain insurance at a reduced rate if their community enacts adequate flood plain manage ment regulations. That will put average pre miums at $174 annually for lk insurance carrying a $500 ik ductible, officials said, the House has passed a ring any rate increases until next October. The Senate k not passed such restrictions. Also appearing before tk panel was Jeffrey Bragg, admi nistrator of the program, wk said he is trying to make tk program self-supporting k 1988. “Rates in the program had never been raised prior In 1981, ” said Bragg, "and in fad in the early 1970s, rates wert lowered to encourage participa tion. He said the rate increase scheduled Oct. 1 would genet- ate $27 million in extra int® for the program. Waste of money called careless United Press International WASHINGTON — The failure to exercise lease options in several states, including New Mexico, costing taxpayers more than $30 million in higher rent, was due in part to human error and/or care lessness by the regional offices, the General Accounting Office said. Taxpayers in the Southwest will pay $40,000 in higher rent during a five-year renewal period be cause the General Service Admi nistration failed to exercise an op tion of a lease for a building in Cuba, N.M. GSA officials told the GAO, Congress’ investigative arm, the option was not exercised because “transfer of personnel resulted in management oversight, a GAO report said Wednesday. GSA officials in Fort Worth said the Cuba oversight occurred in November 1981 on the lease op tion for 3,750 square feet to house offices for the Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service and Soil Conservation Service. The New Mexico case was one of seven missed options nation wide that were cited in the report showing taxpayers could foot the bill for more than $30 million in higher rent because of govern ment mistakes during the past four years. However, the GAO said the Cuba, N.M. case was the only missed option by the GSA region involving Arkansas, Louisa New Mexico, Oklahoma j Texas. The GSA oversees recoil supplies and space for go» ment agencies in the region. “The management of renw options has been a continuous!! for GSA officials," the reportsal The GAO said it found™ nationwide occurred because i human error and/or carlessna erroneous data and a program! ficieney in the informational s< tein the GSA uses to keeptradi leases and non-standard pm dures. “GSA officials have made certed effort to minimize re® ence of the problem,” the refu said. A lease renewal option givesli government the right toconlin tenancy for a specified term a rental at the expiration of the ii tial lease if the government pa s ides written notice within tain period. "At the time of lease renew the market rental rate is o! more costly than the option ralt the GAO said. "Therefore, it generally in the governments terest to exercise the lease opli and obtain the lower rent n when it has a continued need the space.” As of March 1983, the govt: ment had 635 leases totaling® million in the five-state Smt western region. 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