Dig Deeper Texas

A few reminders about why the election of the Texas House Speaker matters.

Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Opinion: Viewpoints

In the Texas House: Speaker Tom Craddick must slay two opponents this week or the Midland Republican’s four-year run as a tough-guy leader ends. If it does, the place changes, big time. Here’s why:

If either Brian McCall or Jim Pitts succeed in knocking off their GOP colleague as speaker, anti-Craddick conservatives, moderate Republicans and most Democrats will have a new voice under a different speaker.

The shift will affect how the surplus gets used, whether legislators step up to water and other environmental demands, and how collegially the House operates.

So why Craddick? You mean besides the fact that it’s a given that Craddick will retaliate against those who voted for his opponents? Beats me.

Ethics reforms doesn’t seem to be a priority for him.

FortBendNow: A Reminder To Texas House Members About Craddick

It is hard to believe, with Speaker Tom Craddick’s record, that anyone, especially any Democrat, would ever consider voting for him as one of the most powerful individuals in Austin who will set the course for our state in 2007. Maybe the 84 members who have pledged to him need to remember a few things about Craddick….

In just a few short years as Speaker of the House, Craddick renovated the Speakers apartment inside the Capitol with over $700,000 in donations from lobbyists. This included $250,000 from the AT&T Foundation and $250,000 from billionaire investor Harold Simmons . The renovations included not one, but two, $1000 toilets. Most Texans spend $2000 to renovate their entire bathrooms. Craddick instead buys $2000 in toilets for his and her’s thrones. Clearly Craddick is out of step with the working class in Texas.

Why is it that there is a public record of who votes for the speaker but not for any other legislative related votes?

MyWestTexas.com - Spoils of record oil prices seen throughout Midland economy

As part of the special legislative session remembered for solving the school finance issue, University of Texas of the Permian Basin got nearly $100 million in tuition revenue bonds approved by the Legislature for a performing arts center and science buildings, which will change the face of the Odessa campus and Midland County.

Spearheaded by House Speaker Tom Craddick, R-Midland, Rep. Buddy West, R-Odessa, and Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, lawmakers allocated $45 million for the performing arts center and $54 million for the science and technology structures. The UT System Board of Regents chipped in another $5 million — $3 million for the performing arts center and $2 million for the science buildings.

I’ve got nothing against Odessa or the arts. I can’t help but wonder why money couldn’t be found for a desperately needed pharmacy school for South Texas.

UH -Top Education Stories - Editorial: Pharmacy situation damaging to Texas

Dewhurst has voiced support of the Kingsville pharmacy college and tried to get it on a previous LLB agenda. Craddick has not been as supportive.

One of most powerful men in Austin, Craddick, R-Midland, appears to see himself accountable only to the 42,237 people who voted him into office; unfortunately, none of them live in South Texas.

Corpus Christi, TX - KRISTV.COM - Funds for pharmacy school being held up

“The Governor is for it, The Lt. Governor is for it, the Senate is for it and I would imagine most of the House is all for it, it’s just that one man who wields so much power is now allowing that last 13 million dollars we need to fund the school,” said Ron Garza of the Coastal Bend Pharmacy Association.

Yet, there are Democratic South Texas representatives (Rep. Ismael Flores, Rep. Armando Martinez, Rep. Ryan Guillen, Rep. Aaron Pena) that are still supporting Craddick out of loyality. Granted, they could all lose their positions on the Appropriations Committee but what good has it done them so far? Craddick couldn’t find 13 million for the pharmacy school but did find it for OB-GYN residency program in Midland.

Dallas school with ties to Craddick sees funds leap | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

AUSTIN - A University of Texas medical school in Dallas — which has named an endowed chair honoring House Speaker Tom Craddick — will receive more new state tax dollars over the next two years than all of the UT health facilities in the Houston area combined.

Craddick and House budget writers say the endowed chair honor had nothing to do with a $57 million jump in state spending for the UT Southwestern Medical Center.
….

At the October ceremony honoring Craddick, according to Dallas news reports, Southwestern officials praised him for putting $7 million a year in special items into the state budget for research being done by Nobel Prize winners at the school. The state also had authorized $56 million for construction of a new biomedical research facility at Southwestern.

Beecherl is a longtime political supporter of Craddick’s.

In addition, Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, questioned why funding for faculty at a new Texas Tech medical school in his city was cut from the state budget at the last minute Friday, while $13.5 million was added for an OB-GYN medical residency program in Craddick’s hometown of Midland.

“Vindictive leaders in the House cut both the El Paso medical school and a pharmacy school, and instead they substituted an OB-GYN program in Midland,” said Shapleigh. “Consistently, they have rewarded friends and punished others.”

MySA.com: Commentary

The only other funding option is through the Texas Legislative Budget Board, which funds items in between special session.

The LBB is composed of four state representatives and four senators. The chairmanship alternates between the lieutenant governor and House speaker. Craddick is currently the chairman.

The board canceled its last meeting, scheduled in September, after Hurricane Katrina hit; no other meeting was scheduled as of last week.

Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and the Senate have expressed support for funding the first professional school in South Texas — but not Craddick, points out Sen. Judith Zafferini, a member of the LBB who has tried unsuccessfully to get the pharmacy school funding and several other items on a budget board agenda.

Craddick has questioned whether funding the school should be a priority when there are other demands on the state budget. Craddick has given no real reason as to why he won’t support funding for the Rangel College of Pharmacy.

It’s seems that Democrats in El Paso believe that “this” time Craddick really will keep his promises.

El Paso Times - Texas House leader could affect med school (12:31 a.m.)

Texas Tech University officials and local legislators have been asking state leaders for two years to appropriate millions needed to hire faculty for the four-year medical school. Local legislators have been promised time and again the funding would be forthcoming only to see their hopes snuffed out by House leaders despite strong support from both Gov. Rick Perry and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst.One local legislator, state Rep. Norma Chavez, has said the medical school funding is a major factor in her decision to stick by House Speaker Tom Craddick.
….
On the eve of the announcement another Republican would challenge his leadership, Craddick told El Paso legislators $43 million for the Texas Tech University medical school would be in the state’s base budget next year.

His spokeswoman said then the move indicated Craddick supported funding for the school.

Besides taking care of his district (who cares about the rest of the state?) Craddick is obviously adept at looking out for number one.

Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Texas Southwest

AUSTIN — Corporations, lobbyists and millionaire businessmen have poured more than $1 million into an extensive face-lift of House Speaker Tom Craddick’s Capitol apartment — a dwelling one critic has taken to calling “Craddick’s Castle.”

Gambling interests, the oil and gas industry, lawsuit limitation advocates, phone companies and a radioactive waste dump in West Texas are represented in the list of 33 contributors to the fund, which is set aside for improvements and maintenance to the apartment and adjoining office.

The money is controlled by the State Preservation Board and immune to state ethics laws on political contributions.

Nadine Craddick, the speaker’s wife, is overseeing the project and calls it a “gift for all Texans.”

But critics are bristling at the names on the list released this week by the State Preservation Board.

AT&T tops corporate contributors with a tax-deductible gift of $250,000. Dallas energy mogul Boone Pickens gave another $250,000. Dallas investor Harold Simmons, whose Waste Control Specialists pushed to create the radioactive waste dump, gave another $100,000, individually and through a company he chairs, Contran Corp.

Then there is the legal bribery. According to FollowtheMoney.org, of the three Republican candidates for Speaker, Craddick leads in campaign contributions.

Craddick $1,202,579
McCall $270,252
Pitts $744,649

And no, it’s not just an indication of his grass roots support among the citizens of Texas. Craddick had 47 contributions of $10,000 or more compared to four for Pitts and just one for McCall. Of the 47, nine were for $25,000 or more. Neither of the two other candidates can claim even one.

So for those Democratic representatives who are still supporting Craddick, I ask why? You might lose your committee assignments? And this has benefited your constituents how?

Technorati Tags: Craddick, Tom Craddick, Brain McCall, Jim Pitts, Texas Speaker, Speaker of the House, Ethics, Ismael Flores, Armando Martinez, Ryan Guillen, Aaron Pena, Norma Chavez

Filed under: Aaron Pena, Armando Martinez, Brian McCall, Ismael Flores, Jim Pitts, Norma Chavez, Ryan Guillen, Texas Speakers, Tom Craddick