Texans. Don't mess with their guns or alcohol....

Petition Aims To Oust Man Behind Tubing Restrictions

There's big backlash against new limits on alcohol on the rivers in New Braunfels. On Feb. 12, the New Braunfels council voted to limit tubers on the Comal River to one six-pack-sized cooler.

Tubers on the Guadalupe would be limited to a 12-pack.

Supporters say they wanted to cut down drunkenness and clean up the river, but now, a new recall effort would oust the council member behind those restrictions.

Council member Ken Valentine was the driving force behind this cooler limit on the rivers. On Saturday, residents unhappy with that decision spent five hours gathering signatures to recall Valentine's position and remove him from office.

It takes 221 signatures for a recall petition. They got 570.

The recall petition was submitted to the city secretary Monday morning. The petition claims Valentine is unfit for office because of incompetence, malfeasance and misconduct. They say he is not representing his constituents.

Valentine placed an item on the agenda asking the council to determine if he was incompetent. That item was rejected, and the recall will move forward.

Valentine says it's all about an unpopular vote, and he stood up for what he believes is right.

"I won't have a chance to defend myself in front of my peers, and that's what this is all about," Valentine said. "If someone says you have misconduct, you've malfeased, well, show me. What have I done?"

"We have no intention of using it to send another message to any other council members," said Robert E. Lee III, spokesman for the recall petition. "But, you know, it's always important to pay attention to your constituents."

That cooler issue and those restrictions are up for reconsideration Monday night. Regardless of that, the recall moves forward. Valentine is confident he will keep his office.

Again, Don't mess with Texans' guns or alcohol.