STANDING UP FOR ORDINARY PEOPLE: THE WORK OF PUBLIC CITIZEN IN TEXAS

Talk Summary:
Tom (“Smitty”) Smith, Executive Director of Public Citizen in Texas, will discuss his organization’s work on environmental enforcement policies, global warming, promoting renewable/clean energy, product safety, nuclear safety, health and occupational safety, and campaign finance/ethics reform in Texas. His agency serves as a watchdog over, and advocate for improvement in state government agency operations. Smitty will describe how Public Citizen challenges corporate interests which threaten our public health and some of the victories his group has achieved. He has long been involved in pushing for safe disposal of nuclear and industrial waste and in stopping the use of coal for fuel.

Brief Bio:
Tom “Smitty” Smith has served as the Director of Public Citizen’s Texas Office since 1985. He has testified over 1,000 times on energy and other issues before the Texas Legislature and the U.S. Congress. His primary goal now is to combat global warming. He has won over a dozen awards for his work , including the Heinz Award and was recently recognized by Politico Magazine as one of the 25 most influential Democrats in Texas. Earlier in his life, he developed and directed food banks in the Southern U.S. and he became addicted to Texas politics when he served as a Legislative Aide to Texas State Representative Al Price from 1982 to 1985. He earned a B.A. from Valparaiso University in Indiana in 1974 but became a Texan by choice shortly thereafter.