‘One Tough Grandma’ Says Prop 1 Will Pay Off Big Time

By Andrew Roush in Promote & Protect, Special, UT M.D. on November 2, 2012 at 1:50 pm | 4 Comments

The straight-shooting UT alumna is leading an independent community organization, and sounding off in favor of Prop 1.

Carole Keeton Strayhorn doesn’t mince words. The former Austin mayor, Texas state comptroller, Texas Ex, and Distinguished Alumna has come out strongly in support of Travis County’s Central Health Proposition 1, calling it a “smart, conservative investment that will pay off big time.”

Strayhorn’s group, Austinites For Action, has produced two radio ads in favor of Prop 1. In them, Strayhorn emphasizes value. She says that for about $9 a month, Travis County homeowners are bringing economic growth and better health to their community.

“I am a staunch, common sense, conservative, populist activist,” says Strayhorn. “And my blood runs orange and white.”

The former gubernatorial candidate is convinced that Prop 1 is a “once in a lifetime investment” in better health care.

“If a child goes into a community clinic and gets preventative care, it’s hundreds of dollars,” according to Strayhorn. “If that same child has to be taken to the ER, it’s going to cost tens of thousands.” Proposition 1 is designed to fund expenses related to care at clinics and a new teaching hospital to be built by the Seton Healthcare Family and a new medical school at UT-Austin that has been funded by the UT System.

It is more than just preference. For Strayhorn, it’s about honesty.

“I always tell it like it is, and I go straight to the true facts,” she stresses in explaining her support. “When you study this issue, and look at the facts, it’s overwhelming.”

Her group, Austinites for Action, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan community organization made up of volunteers, according to Strayhorn, who calls herself the “pro bono leader” of the group. The AFA board of directors unanimously endorsed Prop 1, something that may surprise some, considering the group’s mixed political backgrounds.

“We’re Rs and Ds and everything in between,” she says.

Carole Keeton Strayhorn is a 2003 recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award.

Editor’s Note: The Texas Exes board of directors supports creating a medical school affiliated with UT-Austin and encourages Travis County voters to support Central Health Proposition 1. Find out more at UT M.D.

Alcalde file photo.

Tags: Austin mayor, Austinites for Action, Carole Keeton Strayhorn, Central Health, prop 1, Texas Comptroller, Travis County, Travis County elections