Kirk Watson Resigns From Texas Senate to Make History at University of Houston

Sen. Kirk Watson (D-Austin) resigned from the Texas Senate on Tuesday morning and is bound for his next chapter as the first dean of the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs. 

Watson had a long career in the Texas Senate, since 2007, and is known for passionately advocating for causes he believes in. The Austin American-Statesman reported that Watson said one of his proudest accomplishments was his work on government transparency by strengthening the Open Meetings Act.  Watson also said he is proud of accomplishing the first item in his “10 goals in 10 years” health care initiative, which launched in 2011, and his efforts to bring the Dell Medical School to the University of Texas.

“I’ve loved serving the people of Austin and Central TX, and I want to say thank you for trusting me to be your mayor and state senator for all these years,” Watson said in a video on his Twitter account. “Thank you for inviting me to be a part of your lives, and for all the work we’ve done together to bring progress to our community, including some really transformational programs and projects.”

Then Watson describes his next venture as a unique opportunity and one that is a “compelling platform for public service.”
His resignation is effective at midnight April 30. Watson said on his website that the timing will “give a reasonable amount of time for the next senator to prepare for the 2021 legislative session.”