Bettencourt to Resign

Recently reelected Houston tax assessor-collector Paul Bettencourt has announced that he will be resigning his position for a "private business venture."

Bettencourt has recently been plagued with accusations of voter disenfranchisement through his position and currently has a suit filed against him by the Harris County Democratic Party accusing him of illegally rejecting voter registration applications and mishandling around 7,000 provisional ballots from the Nov. 4 election.

Bettencourt's replacement will be selected by the Harris County commissioner's court; Bettencourt's opponent in last month's elections, Democrat Diane Trautman, has stated that she would like to be considered for the appointment.