Krusee : "Toll roads are enormously popular."
Three Legislators Face Challengers
Education and toll roads dominate races that include Ogden, Gattis, Krusee.
October 26, 2006
By Lisa Ogle
Austin American-Statesman
Copyright 2006
Education and toll roads have been hot topics in three legislative races that affect Williamson County.
State Sen. Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, and state Reps. Dan Gattis, R-Georgetown, and Mike Krusee, R-Williamson County, face Democratic and Libertarian challengers in the Nov. 7 election.
Some of the eight candidates' priorities also include cracking down on illegal immigration, lowering property taxes and giving more money to the Children's Health Insurance Program.
Senate District 5
Ogden's challengers, Democrat Stephen Wyman and Libertarian Darrell Grear, have emphasized education, but Ogden has said his priorities are writing a balanced state budget and cleaning up the business tax bill passed in the most recent legislative special session.
Wyman said he supports introducing a flat-rate state income tax to finance education. He said he envisions statewide multimedia classes and tutoring via teleconferencing, particularly to give students in rural areas a better education.
Wyman said he also supports term limits for all elected officials.
"We have a system now that's built by and for incumbents," he said. "That's not a good thing because politics become self-serving."
Ogden said legislators are looking at how to allocate money to school districts for construction and said he thinks high school seniors could be challenged more.
His priorities will be to write a balanced budget that is conservative while also meeting the state's needs and to ensure that the new business tax is fair by clearing up any flaws in the law, he said.
Ogden said he also supports making parole more difficult for prisoners such as sex offenders, which could require building more prisons. "The problem is that building new prisons is very, very expensive, but I believe that not building prisons is very, very expensive," he said.
Grear could not be reached for comment.
House District 20
In his bid to oust Gattis, Democrat Jim Stauber is opposing toll roads and the Trans-Texas Corridor.
"It's the biggest land grab this state has ever seen," Stauber said of the corridor, Gov. Rick Perry's plan for 4,000 miles of tollways, railroads and utility lines. "It's going to actually cost people their farms and their livelihood. I don't see anything beneficial for Texas. They're going to use it to transport goods from Mexico."
Gattis voted for the corridor in 2003 but said he also has several problems with the plan. He said he questions having "a private company setting the tolls that the citizens of the state of Texas will have to pay."
However, Gattis said toll roads are a separate issue.
"I think toll roads do play a part in addressing our transportation needs," he said, adding that Williamson County residents have been asking when Central Texas' toll roads are going to open. The extension of MoPac Boulevard (Loop 1), Texas 45 North and Texas 130 from U.S. 79 to U.S. 290 will open Tuesday. Tolls will be waived for the first two months.
Stauber said toll roads discriminate against the poor and middle class, including himself.
"I'll be riding where the stop lights are," he said.
But Gattis said that the introduction of toll roads will not reduce the number of free lanes that drivers can use and that existing roads will not be tolled in the future.
Gattis said he wants to give law enforcement officials the ability to enforce immigration laws, address property appraisal districts' lack of accountability and use part of the expected budget surplus to pay for education and lower property taxes.
Stauber said he wants to strengthen environmental laws, make it easier for people to be able to form and join unions, improve CHIP and raise the minimum wage.
House District 52
Toll roads and education are also issues in the race among Krusee, Democrat Karen Felt- hauser and Libertarian Lillian Simmons.
Felthauser said tolls are a wasteful way to pay for roads."We'd get more roads for our money if we made them freeways," Felthauser said.
Simmons also opposes toll roads. "The roads in the urban areas need to be improved, maintained and widened," she said.
But Krusee said toll roads are enormously popular.
"It's rather disingenuous to campaign against toll roads in general and not mention that toll roads are opening in a matter of weeks and the growth and opportunity that are brought to Williamson County," he said.
Krusee responded to critics of the Trans-Texas Corridor who have said it will not benefit Texas, but instead will be used to transport goods from Mexico.
"Its purpose is to relieve congestion and provide opportunities for growth because (Interstate 35) is too crowded," he said, adding that I-35 also is a route for transporting goods from Mexico. "Our economy is dependent on trade, and trade is dependent on transportation, thus it becomes a thread to prosperity and job growth."
In Williamson County, Texas 130 will probably become a part of the corridor plan. The toll road is intended to be an alternative to I-35 from San Antonio to the Oklahoma border.
Krusee also emphasized higher education. He said he will push for money for a nursing school at Texas State University's Round Rock Higher Education Center and will continue working on an initiative for a college in the eastern part of the county.
He also said he wants the expected budget surplus to go toward education and property tax cuts.
Felthauser said she supports giving more money to CHIP and a more progressive tax structure.
"I'd like taxes to be based on ability to pay, not on ability to make campaign contributions," she said.
Simmons said she is in favor of private schooling and border security.
"We cannot let anyone in, not knowing who they are, knowing that terrorism is a possibility," she said.
logle@statesman.com; 246-1150
Education and toll roads dominate races that include Ogden, Gattis, Krusee.
October 26, 2006
By Lisa Ogle
Austin American-Statesman
Copyright 2006
Education and toll roads have been hot topics in three legislative races that affect Williamson County.
State Sen. Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, and state Reps. Dan Gattis, R-Georgetown, and Mike Krusee, R-Williamson County, face Democratic and Libertarian challengers in the Nov. 7 election.
Some of the eight candidates' priorities also include cracking down on illegal immigration, lowering property taxes and giving more money to the Children's Health Insurance Program.
Senate District 5
Ogden's challengers, Democrat Stephen Wyman and Libertarian Darrell Grear, have emphasized education, but Ogden has said his priorities are writing a balanced state budget and cleaning up the business tax bill passed in the most recent legislative special session.
Wyman said he supports introducing a flat-rate state income tax to finance education. He said he envisions statewide multimedia classes and tutoring via teleconferencing, particularly to give students in rural areas a better education.
Wyman said he also supports term limits for all elected officials.
"We have a system now that's built by and for incumbents," he said. "That's not a good thing because politics become self-serving."
Ogden said legislators are looking at how to allocate money to school districts for construction and said he thinks high school seniors could be challenged more.
His priorities will be to write a balanced budget that is conservative while also meeting the state's needs and to ensure that the new business tax is fair by clearing up any flaws in the law, he said.
Ogden said he also supports making parole more difficult for prisoners such as sex offenders, which could require building more prisons. "The problem is that building new prisons is very, very expensive, but I believe that not building prisons is very, very expensive," he said.
Grear could not be reached for comment.
House District 20
In his bid to oust Gattis, Democrat Jim Stauber is opposing toll roads and the Trans-Texas Corridor.
"It's the biggest land grab this state has ever seen," Stauber said of the corridor, Gov. Rick Perry's plan for 4,000 miles of tollways, railroads and utility lines. "It's going to actually cost people their farms and their livelihood. I don't see anything beneficial for Texas. They're going to use it to transport goods from Mexico."
Gattis voted for the corridor in 2003 but said he also has several problems with the plan. He said he questions having "a private company setting the tolls that the citizens of the state of Texas will have to pay."
However, Gattis said toll roads are a separate issue.
"I think toll roads do play a part in addressing our transportation needs," he said, adding that Williamson County residents have been asking when Central Texas' toll roads are going to open. The extension of MoPac Boulevard (Loop 1), Texas 45 North and Texas 130 from U.S. 79 to U.S. 290 will open Tuesday. Tolls will be waived for the first two months.
Stauber said toll roads discriminate against the poor and middle class, including himself.
"I'll be riding where the stop lights are," he said.
But Gattis said that the introduction of toll roads will not reduce the number of free lanes that drivers can use and that existing roads will not be tolled in the future.
Gattis said he wants to give law enforcement officials the ability to enforce immigration laws, address property appraisal districts' lack of accountability and use part of the expected budget surplus to pay for education and lower property taxes.
Stauber said he wants to strengthen environmental laws, make it easier for people to be able to form and join unions, improve CHIP and raise the minimum wage.
House District 52
Toll roads and education are also issues in the race among Krusee, Democrat Karen Felt- hauser and Libertarian Lillian Simmons.
Felthauser said tolls are a wasteful way to pay for roads."We'd get more roads for our money if we made them freeways," Felthauser said.
Simmons also opposes toll roads. "The roads in the urban areas need to be improved, maintained and widened," she said.
But Krusee said toll roads are enormously popular.
"It's rather disingenuous to campaign against toll roads in general and not mention that toll roads are opening in a matter of weeks and the growth and opportunity that are brought to Williamson County," he said.
Krusee responded to critics of the Trans-Texas Corridor who have said it will not benefit Texas, but instead will be used to transport goods from Mexico.
"Its purpose is to relieve congestion and provide opportunities for growth because (Interstate 35) is too crowded," he said, adding that I-35 also is a route for transporting goods from Mexico. "Our economy is dependent on trade, and trade is dependent on transportation, thus it becomes a thread to prosperity and job growth."
In Williamson County, Texas 130 will probably become a part of the corridor plan. The toll road is intended to be an alternative to I-35 from San Antonio to the Oklahoma border.
Krusee also emphasized higher education. He said he will push for money for a nursing school at Texas State University's Round Rock Higher Education Center and will continue working on an initiative for a college in the eastern part of the county.
He also said he wants the expected budget surplus to go toward education and property tax cuts.
Felthauser said she supports giving more money to CHIP and a more progressive tax structure.
"I'd like taxes to be based on ability to pay, not on ability to make campaign contributions," she said.
Simmons said she is in favor of private schooling and border security.
"We cannot let anyone in, not knowing who they are, knowing that terrorism is a possibility," she said.
logle@statesman.com; 246-1150
posted by Porkus Maximus Tex: at Thursday, October 26, 2006
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