Senator Eliot Shapleigh - El Paso, Texas

Members of the state House of Representatives failed fellow Texans when the body elected Tom Craddick, a Midland Republican, to lead lawmakers as Speaker of the House.

He was elected overwhelmingly at the beginning of the 79th Legislative Session, a second term to the position he won after Republicans took control of the House after 2002 elections.

House members should take to heart the old saying: fool us once — shame on you; fool us twice — shame on us.

Led by Republicans, the members of the House of Representatives should turn out this arrogant, self-serving politician. Craddick relies on the political reality that money talks and that the arm-twisting of fellow party members usually produces results.

His thinking worked quite well during the 79th Legislature and its special sessions on school finance reform. The speaker and his “it’s my way or the highway” philosophy blocked any chances of meaningful property tax relief and school reform.

Craddick is so focused on protecting the oil and gas industry in his Midland district from increased taxes that he turns his back on the future of our state — its students and its schools.

He also plays ball with wealthy school districts and their deep pocketed constituents who funded successful Republican candidates in 2002 and seated Craddick at the House podium.

Many Republicans are now feeling the heat back home from the votes Craddick’s arm twisted out of them during these latest sessions on school finance. Surely there are Republicans in sufficient number who can say “no” to Craddick’s political bankroll and “yes” to the needs of their constituents. If Republicans remain in control of the 80th Legislature — and I say “if” based on the number of voters who may be fed up with Craddick worshiping by now —it would be prudent for representatives to choose another speaker. To do otherwise would ignore the wishes of what I believe is the majority of Texans.

The numbers are there for Republicans to elect another speaker as evidenced by the support state Rep. Scott Hochberg, a Houston Democrat, received on an amendment to HB 2, which gave teachers a pay increase, homeowners a property tax break and Texas students more equal access to education dollars. To the speaker’s surprise, a motion to table the Hochberg amendment failed because enough Republicans joined Democrats in the vote. Craddick and his lieutenants quickly threw in the towel and urged Republicans to vote against the bill, basically killing any chance that school finance reform would come from the summer’s second session.

Craddick then spent the last days of the session pointing fingers and trying to find someone to blame for his own failed leadership.

He blamed senators and he blamed school superintendents. It was neither prudent of him to point his finger at superintendents and even less so for him to air radio advertisements blaming the Texas Senate for the impasse on school reform.

While Craddick may be secure in his Midland district, having been elected to the House of Representatives every two years since 1968, the speaker should not become too comfortable at the podium.

Not many astute politicians desire to be twice fooled. Neither do most Texans