Marc Veasey and Roger Williams know they have a lot to do in a short time.
Each has basically until the end of the year to set up a legislative office, hire a staff, find a place to live near Washington, D.C. -- and get ready to become the newest members of North Texas' congressional delegation.But Veasey, a Democrat elected last week to represent the new 33rd Congressional District, and Williams, a Republican picked to represent the revamped 25th District, say they are more than up for the challenge."I'm ready," said Williams, a former Texas secretary of state and a well-known Weatherford auto dealer with deep local roots. "This is a welcome time to have it come and move to the next level to really serve. It's going to be an exciting time."Veasey, a four-term state representative from Fort Worth, said: "There's a lot of work that needs to be done. I'm excited but I'm ready to roll my sleeves up for the next two years and get to work."Veasey and Williams, both Arlington Heights High School graduates, are two of the many freshmen who will be part of the 113th Congress.They join Republicans Joe Barton of Ennis, Kay Granger of Fort Worth, Kenny Marchant of Coppell and Michael Burgess of Lewisville in representing North Texans in the House.District 33Veasey, who began his political career years ago working as an aide to former U.S. Rep. Martin Frost, D-Arlington, won his first term in Congress last week with 72 percent of the vote to Republican Chuck Bradley's 25.7 percent and Green Party candidate Ed Lindsay's 1.7 percent.He will represent the 33rd District, which stretches from Fort Worth's Stockyards to Dallas' Oak Cliff neighborhood.After the election, Veasey headed to Austin to clean out his office at the Capitol, one of his final acts as a state representative from Fort Worth."If I don't get everything out of the office, [House Administration Committee Chairman] Charlie Geren will probably have my things set out on the curb," Veasey joked.But he embraced the task, packing up personal belongings and books."Things change in life," he said. "People move, people change schools, people change jobs and they have to pack and unpack."It just means there's a new opportunity that is presenting itself to you."Veasey will be the first person to represent the 33rd District, one of four new districts Texas gained because of population growth. This district was designed to give North Texas minority voters a chance to elect a U.S. representative of their choice.And Veasey will make history when he is sworn in Jan. 3 -- which happens to be his birthday -- as the first African-American to represent Tarrant County in the House."It's a big honor," he said. "I take that [status] very seriously and I really hope it will remind people of the importance of going to vote."He heads to Washington this week for the first part of the orientation provided to all freshman representatives, where he will learn items including how to set up district offices to where the U.S. Capitol's restrooms are.On the top of his growing to-do list is to find a place to live in or near the capital city."I do not have a place yet," he said, adding that his family will stay in Fort Worth and he will commute back and forth on weekends. "I will look to rent a small apartment, something just big enough for me to lay down and prepare myself for work every morning."I definitely will not sleep in my office."Veasey said he realizes the honor of being chosen for this job, and the responsibility that comes with it."When you start looking at the issues facing the country, there's a lot of work that needs to be done both in D.C. and in the district," Veasey said, adding that he wants to address topics including jobs, education and healthcare. "I'm ready."District 25Williams, who has homes in Weatherford and Fort Worth, won his first elected office last week by claiming 58.47 percent of the vote to Democrat Elaine Henderson's 27.4 percent and Libertarian Betsy Dewey's 4.11 percent.He will represent the 25th District, which stretches from the edges of Tarrant County to Austin.Since the election, Williams has spent a lot of time on the phone, as supporters call and offer well-wishes for his new job. He has talked to most of the North Texas congressional delegation and a number of other new representatives nationwide."I'm very humbled by the response," he said.Williams said he's shifting out of campaign mode and getting ready for the job that lies ahead of him."I'm focusing on a lot of the issues we talked about during the campaign and how to make them work," he said. "First I get up there."Once he gets to Washington, he said, he needs to find an apartment -- a "place to hang our clothes, put our toothbrushes in and get to work."His family, he said, will remain at home in Texas, running the family business."They'll be working here, I'll be working there and we'll meet as we can," Williams said. "Family-wise, I need all hands on deck."Williams' father, Jack, was a well-known Chevrolet dealer in Tarrant County.Roger Williams went on to make his own mark as a car dealer, and he became a powerhouse in raising money for GOP candidates, including George W. Bush in his campaigns for governor and president.After being appointed to serve as Texas secretary of state from 2005 to 2007, Williams first planned to run for Kay Bailey Hutchison's U.S. Senate seat, then the new 33rd District. But the courts intervened and changed boundaries in many districts, including the 25th, which was flipped from Democratic-leaning to Republican-leaning so much that Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, switched to a different district for his re-election bid.Williams chose to run in this revamped district -- now home to the Comanche Peak nuclear power plant near Glen Rose, Fort Hood near Killeen, the University of Texas at Austin and the Texas Capitol -- and moved to Austin. The district draws its biggest population base from the Austin area, but it also includes thousands of people in Johnson and Tarrant counties."I want to do what's right for my constituents in the district," Williams said. "I'm a small-government guy. I believe the government doesn't need to be bigger than the people."I'll take my business principles with me to Washington."By Jan. 3, Williams said, he will be ready to move into a new phase in his life."I realize the responsibility that goes with this," he said. "I'm going to work hard to do what I said I would do."Anna M. Tinsley,817-390-7610Twitter: @annatinsley
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