Tom Leppert doesn't make it pretty.

But for the most part, all he does is win.

Last week, he scored a major victory by getting an increasingly skeptical council to tentatively agree on a series of ethics reforms.

Yes, the corruption trial of former Mayor Pro Tem Don Hill was the backdrop to the effort.

Leppert, however, achieved something that mayors before him were not able to accomplish.

Now he can circle ethics reform on the accomplishments list he's probably preparing for a special election campaign for Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's seat.

Despite the daunting odds, Leppert appears poised to run for the seat if Hutchison indeed resigns to focus solely on campaigning for governor.

Dallas County Republican Party Chairman Jonathan Neerman has softened his stand on the election of ultra-conservative Cathie Adams as leader of the Texas GOP.

Last week Neerman told The Dallas Observer that the election of Adams as chairwoman by the party's state executive committee set Texas Republicans back five years.

After receiving calls from activists urging him to follow Ronald Reagan's 11th commandment – "Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican" – Neerman was a little more diplomatic.

He said that after the 2010 elections are over, "I hope to stand up next to Cathie and say, 'I was wrong.' "

Neerman worries that Adams is too extreme and could cost Republicans contests by alienating an electorate increasing turned off by social issues. And he says he doesn't like her tactics, which included sending out a mass e-mail that said President Barack Obama's September speech to schoolchildren was reminiscent of Hitler's youth movement.

But Adams, who replaces Tina Benkiser as chairmwoman, won the race for the position by a large margin, which suggests she's in tune with the grassroots GOP activists.

"But is that the prevailing view of Republicans in Texas?" Neerman asked. "That's the question."

Adams isn't holding any grudges. She exchanged e-mails with Neerman to discuss local House races.

Adams could not be reached for comment Monday.

The Texas House District 100 race between incumbent Terri Hodge and Dallas lawyer Eric Johnson should be fun to watch.

Hodge's pending bribery trial aside, the race isn't that hard to handicap.

If Johnson uses his resources and enthusiasm to expand the normal District 100 electorate, he has a good chance of beating the longtime incumbent in the March Democratic primary.

But Hodge, with her emphasis on providing simple constituent services, has established a solid base of support. She will probably win if turnout is at or below normal.

Hodge has not been tested since she first won the seat in 1996.

We'll see how she handles being pushed.

Hank Gilbert is challenging his Democratic gubernatorial rivals to 10 debates across Texas before the March primary.

Gilbert has proposed a Dallas/Fort Worth debate for the week of Jan. 11 that would focus on multiple issues.

No location has been proposed.

The Smith County rancher issued the challenged to Fort Worth businessman Tom Schieffer, entertainer Kinky Friedman and educator Felix Alvarado.