TribBlog: No Fury Like A Wentworth Scorned

When state Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, came in second to then-state Rep. Brian McCall, R-Plano, in the race to be chancellor of the Texas State University System, he sent McCall a gracious note saying, "Just between you and me, coming in second out of 38 applicants, as I’ve been told I did, is not fun — but I wish you and the system well nonetheless." 

Apparently, the more Wentworth thought about it, the less fun it became.

Wentworth recently fired off a packet to Ron Blatchley, chairman of the Texas State Board of Regents, with a letter excoriating the decision, a side-by-side comparison of McCall's and his resumes, letters of support from fellow legislators and other notables, and the minutes (which Wentworth finds questionable) from the meeting at which the decision was made. All this to make a point: Wentworth is "personally offended" that "a loyal, tried and true, longtime member of the crew" was thrown overboard in favor of "a Johnny-come-lately opportunist"

He writes that the letter is not one he "initially intended to write." But he says that after being approached by a number of people disappointed by the decision, he feels obligated "to give the board an opportunity to explain their selection at the conclusion of what appears to many of us in hindsight not to have been a 'fair and square' competition."

The complete contents of the packet in which Wentworth lays out his case are attached to this post as PDFs for your perusal.