Meet the Democratic candidates running for Texas House District 92
The Star-Telegram sent questionnaires to all candidates. Responses have been edited for clarity and length.
Steven Riddell
Occupation: Businessman
Age: 49
Website: www.steveriddellfortexas92.com
Public offices you’ve held or run for, with years: I ran for HD 92 in 2018 – that was the first!
Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding? If yes, please explain: I was arrested twenty years ago for, and convicted of, misdemeanor first offense DUI. The experience changed my life for the better. More details here: https://www.steveriddellfortexas92.com/new-blog/2019/9/17/5zxbapbyxak8xz1co15vddbn17lp9f
Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? If yes, please explain: No, I have not.
Why are you seeking this office?
I’ve been an active volunteer in my community for political causes for ten years now, but I always participated as a supporter and not a candidate. In 2017, I became discouraged by my lack of representation in the Texas House - my representative did not represent me or many of my neighbors. … I assembled a grassroots campaign and got to work meeting every person I could reach in the district. … We were more successful than anyone expected. … Given those results, and with a lot of encouragement from my supporters, I decided to keep going!
What would your top 3 policy priorities be?
1. Full funding of public education structured into the budget, so that funding public education does not have to be a biennial crisis. 2. Accepting the Federal Medicaid expansion, and pursuing other means of reducing healthcare costs for Texans that have worked in other states. 3. Raising the minimum wage incrementally and investing in our local infrastructure to create jobs and boost the economy.
Why should voters choose you over your opponent(s)?
I’ve lived here for over a decade. …My opponent moved into the district days before the deadline for eligibility to run this year. I’ve built relationships with many of the people of the community over the three years that I’ve been running for office. I was the only Democratic challenger for a Republican House seat that outperformed Beto O’Rourke - in the entire State of Texas. I believe in my community enough to own a home here. I believe in public schools enough to entrust them with my children. … This is the only office I will pursue.
What changes in Texas gun laws would you vote for?
I would vote for closing the private sale loophole on background checks. I would vote for red flag laws. I would vote for discontinuing the sale of arms to civilians where the combination of rate of fire, ballistics, and ammunition capacity render them too dangerous for civilians to hold. I would vote for voluntary buyback programs.
How would you address increasing property taxes? What changes to the property appraisal process do you support?
An increase in the value of one’s property is a good thing for a homeowner: it means you live in a place that people want to live, and you’d be able to sell your home for more than you paid for it. This is small comfort when someone is priced out of their home by skyrocketing appraisals. I would approve more exemptions from increases for people that qualify due to income limitations. I would completely overhaul the appraisal formulae to make them more transparent and make them consistent across every county. … Most importantly, I’d phase out corporate tax loopholes.
The state enacted major changes in school funding in 2019. Is the new law working? What additional steps, if any, should the Legislature take? How should it pay for more money for schools?
It worked for one biennium! Unfortunately, it borrowed from the next legislative session, with no plan for paying it back, and no plan for continuing to fund education going forward. Without a systematic change to how we fund public education, we’ll have a new crisis every two years. Allowing corporations to pay less than their fair share of the property tax burden is shorting our revenues by $6 billion dollars a year. Phasing out those loopholes would increase funding for education without raising taxes on anyone – we’d just be requiring businesses to pay their fair share.
What should the state do to improve voter turnout? Would you support online voter registration or election-day registration? Should the voter ID law be changed?
Registration to vote should be automatic for every Texan citizen that has state-issued identification and who is 18 or older. I would support both online voter registration and election day registration. In-person voter fraud rates are tiny. We should be encouraging everyone that is eligible to vote – not turning them away.
Jeff Whitfield
Occupation: I’m an attorney. After graduating from the United States Air Force Academy and serving as an Air Force officer, I worked my way through law school as legislative aide to State Senator John Whitmire. I then assisted with prosecution of war criminals from the Balkan Wars in the Hague, Netherlands. I later became clerk to Judge Rhesa Barksdale, United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. In private practice, I’ve fought for voting rights, managed our firm’s pro bono programs, and worked on complex litigation. I stand ready to serve — employing all I have learned to benefit District 92.
Age: 46
Website: www.whitfieldfortexas.com
Public offices you’ve held or run for, with years: The office of Representative for Texas House District 92 is the first elected office I have ever sought.
Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding? If yes, please explain: I have never been arrested or charged with a crime. I participated in numerous criminal proceedings during my time assisting the war-crimes prosecutors in The Hague.
Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? If yes, please explain: I have never declared personal or professional bankruptcy. I have represented many clients in a wide range of civil lawsuits and proceedings.
Why are you seeking this office?
I grew up here, and my life’s journey was inspired and supported by this community. I moved away when I was called to serve our country, but I’ve always come back home. I consider myself fortunate to have had many opportunities to learn and develop skills that can be put to work to help others. In the past several years, this community has not been served well by our representatives in the Texas Legislature. I am running to change that. This is a community filled with diverse and wonderful people and each of them should be respected and represented.
What would your top 3 policy priorities be?
My priorities would be to expand access to healthcare, increase support for education, and grow our economy.
▪ Having the largest uninsured population is not just morally reprehensible, its economically irresponsible. Taxpayers pay when people aren’t insured. Expanding Medicaid is a common-sense solution.
▪ As the husband of a public school teacher and product of local public schools, I’m committed to promoting teacher retention, re-working the state-mandated testing system, and fighting unfunded mandates.
▪ Our economy will thrive when we invest in infrastructure and support the education and diversity that attracts successful, established businesses and new entrepreneurial opportunities.
Why should voters choose you over your opponent(s)?
My qualifications for office, and the perspective I’ll bring to my representation of our community, stem from my prior public service. From my Air Force service, I bring a people-first philosophy, a dedication to excellence, and a laser-like focus on the mission. From my work in conflict resolution, I bring a belief in the power of creative problem-solving, empathy for those struggling with conflict, and the skills to advocate for the cause. From my community service, I bring passion for a better world, commitment to the hard work needed to do good, and an understanding of the power of listening.
What changes in Texas gun laws would you vote for?
Texans have a long and proud tradition of responsible gun ownership. A system to require background checks for private sales will strengthen and bolster that tradition, by making it more difficult for people who should not own a gun to buy one. Similarly, laws which allow a court to order the temporary confiscation of a gun from a person harmful to themselves and others is a reasonable regulation which balances the need to protect our community and respect for an individual’s property.
How would you address increasing property taxes? What changes to the property appraisal process do you support?
If public education is properly funded at the state level, local school districts could decrease the property tax burden on residential property owners. If state leadership were better stewards of our resources (for example, by not funding guard troops at the border and by expanding Medicaid), there would be significantly more resources to reduce reliance on property tax. Furthermore, the current commercial property equity appeal process allows wealthy commercial landowners to pay far less than their fair share in taxes. Closing these loopholes will generate additional revenue to balance the reduction in residential property tax revenue.
The state enacted major changes in school funding in 2019. Is the new law working? What additional steps, if any, should the Legislature take? How should it pay for more money for schools?
While the 86th Legislature did increase funding, it was not a long-term solution. The state’s share of funding should exceed 50% of the need. We must find sustainable revenue to fulfill our constitutional obligation to make suitable provision for public schools. The Legislature has repeatedly failed to do this hard work. I saw it up close as a legislative aide to State Senator Whitmire during the regular and three called sessions of the 79th Legislature, where we fought these same challenges. Demanding better stewardship and closing loopholes, as described in response to question 11, will make a big difference.
What should the state do to improve voter turnout? Would you support online voter registration or election-day registration? Should the voter ID law be changed?
Texans must fight back against disenfranchisement in all its forms, including the ban on temporary voting sites. But this ban is only the most recent effort in a campaign to consolidate power through gerrymandering, voter ID laws, and other methods. These pernicious efforts are often clothed in the guise of fraud-prevention. The reality is that voter fraud is extremely rare, but disenfranchisement is happening regularly and is an imminent threat to our democracy. We must take back the State House before the 2021 redistricting. That’s our best hope of strengthening our democracy, and protecting the right to vote.
This story was originally published February 12, 2020 at 4:44 PM.
