Bill Richardson to speak at symposium
By Meghan Youker
Staff Reporter

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, whom many people consider to be a possible Democratic candidate for vice president, will be on campus Friday to discuss political representation at the second Jim Wright Symposium.

Richardson, a former congressman and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told The Washington Post he is not a candidate for vice president.

Candidate or not, The Post said Richardson might be the country’s most celebrated and courted Hispanic politician.

Richardson, who is also a former secretary of energy, is one of many politicians and professors from around the country who will speak about representation of individuals’ interests in government.

The symposium will address obstacles that may keep each person’s voice from being heard, said Jim Wright, former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and adjunct political science professor.

“The government is just not for those who can contribute to political campaigns,” Wright said. “We need to make sure it continues to be a government of the people, by the people and for the people.”
U.S. Reps., Kay Granger and Martin Frost,, both of Fort Worth, will also share their thoughts at the symposium.

Three separate panels will address different aspects of representation, said James Riddlesperger, chairman of the political science department.

One panel will compare and contrast the representation problems of today with those of the nation’s founding fathers, Riddlesperger said. Wright said the panel will also explore whether representation has been practiced the way the nation’s founders intended.

The second panel will discuss how political candidates can address representation issues in campaigns to achieve election success, and the last panel will consider the way campaign contributions can create problems, Riddlesperger said.

Riddlesperger said the symposium will present a wide variety of viewpoints.

“Granger is a Republican woman, Frost is a Jewish Democrat and Richardson is one of the top Hispanic leaders in the country,” Riddlesperger said. “They should bring a number of issues to our discussion of real significance.”

The 2002 symposium discussed congressional leadership in Texas. A $30,000 grant from The Bernard and Audre Rapoport Foundation has funded the symposiums and will provide funding for one more,

Riddlesperger said. The symposiums were started to provide students with access to authorities in American politics, he said.

“The important thing is that students get to see, hear and question some of the outstanding leaders of our time,” Wright said.

He said the symposium is an educational opportunity that students should attend for enjoyment.

“You can get a lot more out of education if you approach it like a giant bowl of ice cream, instead of a big dose of medicine,” Wright said.