Carona mends fences with PAC donations to Dan Patrick

AUSTIN Dallas state Sen. John Carona, who swapped bitter personal insults with Republican colleague Dan Patrick just two years ago, is patching things up.

Carona and employees of Associa, his Dallas-based homeowners association management company, have strongly backed Patricks bid to become lieutenant governor.

On Tuesday, Associas political action committee gave Patrick $5,000 only the latest in a succession of peace gestures in the last 14 months totaling nearly $75,000.

Carona, the companys founder and chairman, was beaten by a tea party-backed challenger, Don Huffines, in March and is on his way out of the Senate after 18 years.

Like another GOP senator who publicly feuded with Patrick, former chief Senate budget writer Tommy Williams of The Woodlands, Carona has reasons to make nice with someone expected to become the Senates presiding officer.

Williams, now the Texas A&M University Systems top lobbyist, has papered over his rupture with Patrick last year. Patrick voted against final passage of the state budget that Williams helped craft. Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, Patricks Democratic opponent, has said that Patrick was resisting a boost to school funding, after the deep education cuts of 2011. Williams has said that Van de Putte mischaracterized the vote.

Similarly, Carona, chief executive of the largest company in the U.S. that manages homeowners associations, may need help fine-tuning future bills aimed at alleged HOA abuses.

On Thursday, though, Carona ignored a query over whether hes protecting Associa.

Senator Patrick is a conservative who believes in smaller government and fewer regulations, he said in an email. We are always pleased to support pro-business candidates across the country.

In May 2012, though, Carona branded Patrick a snake oil salesman and a narcissist that would say anything to draw attention to himself.

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Carona mends fences with PAC donations to Dan Patrick