By Lori Rodriguez, Houston Chronicle (Houston, Texas)
In a little-noticed election this month, a 60-year-old ex-cop cracked the last good ol’ boy political bastion in Harris County, Texas and became the first female constable elected here.
Precinct 7 Constable-elect May Walker became the first female police officer to patrol the city’s tough streets in the 1970s. For her, making history always has seemed to come naturally.
“I’ve spent my entire life fighting for the rights of women and minorities,” she said. “I haven’t fought for anyone to be given anything. I’ve just fought to get them the same opportunities.”
The trick is making the most of those opportunities, and Walker has done so.
In the rough-and-tumble Democratic primary for the post, she bested a record 14 opponents. Most were men; all were black. One was the interim incumbent and favored candidate of powerful County Commissioner El Franco Lee. Another was the previous constable who is now appealing a felony conviction and awaiting trial on a second charge. A third candidate was a former Harris County deputy sheriff who has fended off federal cocaine conspiracy charges.