Capital Area Council of Governments

In the News

CAPCOG Presents Regionalism Award to Senator Troy Fraser

Thursday, December 15, 2011

State Senator Troy Fraser was presented with the Jack Griesenbeck Leadership in Regionalism Award at the Capital Area Council of Governments annual General Assembly meeting on December 14, 2011. Burnet County Judge Donna Klaeger presented the award to Senator Fraser before more than 100 city, county and state officials and staff from throughout the 10-county Capital Area.

Senator Fraser was being recognized for his leadership and persistence in seeking collaborative, pro-active ways to address the critical challenges of water and drought in Central Texas.  Judge Klaeger noted that, “Senator Fraser has rallied the ground water districts, counties, cities and businesses to evaluate the formidable issues interwoven with our biggest challenge: the mega drought in central Texas.”  The Senator was noted for his recent efforts in encouraging the Lower Colorado River Authority and other water stakeholders to reassess their water management processes and for all entities, state and local, to work together with regard to water management.

The Regionalism Award is named for the late Jack Griesenbeck, a Bastrop County Judge and early advocate for regional cooperation among local governments in the 1970s. Regional cooperation is becoming increasingly important to our communities as they work to address a number of issues like water management and a drought crisis that cross city and county lines.  The Jack Griesenbeck Leadership in Regionalism Award was created to recognize leaders that have contributed significantly to regional cooperation within CAPCOG’s ten-county Capital Area.

Past recipients of the award are Kirk Watson, former Mayor of Austin and now State Senator; Neal Kocurek, former Chairman of the Envision Central Texas project; Robert Huston, former Chairman of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality; Ray Sanders, former Lockhart Mayor, Bob Daigh, District Engineer of Texas Department of Transportation; former State Senator Gonzalo Barrientos; the late Caldwell County Judge H. T. Wright; Mike Simpson, of the City of Austin and the Texas Radio Coalition and Mark Whitacre, Police Chief of Marble Falls.