A marina was destroyed northeast of Chattanooga and at least 20 homes were ripped from their foundations and dozens of people were hurt, county emergency services workers said.
Several local leaders, health policy analysts and officials at urban hospitals across the state said Mr. Perry's decision to reject billions of federal dollars that Texas would receive in a Medicaid expansion would hurt county taxpayers and the hospitals they support, forcing them to continue to pick up much of the tab for treatment of the uninsured.
Aside from the huge decline in business caused by Sept. 11, 2001, two major factors have hurt county travel agencies, according to Corrine Mutarelli, the alliance president: More people are using the Web to make their own travel bookings, and many airlines aren't paying as much in commissions.
Farmers and even the state agriculture commissioner have raised concerns about the law's effect on farms, sheriffs have condemned it as too onerous for financially hurting counties and others have worried that it could seriously hinder the state's efforts to rebuild after last April's devastating tornadoes.
But Westchester still guarantees a large portion of its debt, and county officials have expressed concern that the hospital's ill fiscal health could hurt the county.
Shrinking sales tax revenues from the faltering economy and the cost of security measures following the Sept. 11 terror attack have hurt the county's financial health.
Gill said the loss of a naming rights partner would not hurt the county, because hotel taxes, which pay for the operation of the stadium and the bonds used to finance its construction, are higher than forecast this year.
But a failure to heal the rift could hurt the county machine's invaluable ability to produce the big Hudson County turnout that the Democrats need to win statewide races.
"He is trying to justify his feeling that the jail is not needed and that we are pushing it forward because we are trying to hurt the county executive, and that is not true," he said.
Supporters of the bill said those restrictions hurt then-County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D) when he ran for governor last year and will create a similarly uneven playing field for executives who run in the future because other counties do not have the same restrictions.
