Here’s who’s running in the Republican runoff for Texas House District 97 on May 28
Cheryl Bean
Age: 67
Campaign website: www.texas97th.com
Best way for voters to reach you: email: cherylbean@texas97th.com
Occupation: Business Owner / Engineer
Education: Bachelor of Science Texas A&M 1978 AND Masters of Engineering, Texas A&M 1980
Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought, with years): no
Please list the highlights of your civic involvement/activism: Public Charter School Board member, MHMR Board member, Greater Ft Worth Builders Assoc (past President & board member), Texas Association of Builders Board member, Precinct Chair, Forge Foundation Board member, PTA’s, Christ Chapel Bible Church
Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding? If yes, please explain: NO
Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? If yes, please explain: NO
Who are your top three campaign contributors?: Myself, Texans United for Conservative Majority PAC, Texas Association of Builders
Why are you seeking this office?: I am satisfied with the accomplishments in my professional career and I now feel called to finish my career by giving back to my community and my State in order to make Texas a Better and Safer place for our children and families, our fellow constituents, and our businesses. I want to make a difference!
What are the biggest challenges facing House District 97?: Tax Relief for personal Homestead property, pleasure property, and businesses.
If elected, what would your top 3 policy priorities be?: Top 3 priorities should be securing the border/keeping families safe, lowering taxes for good, and putting families and children first, especially when it comes to empowering parents to make decisions for their children and protecting children from a pervasive liberal agenda.
How will you measure your success as a state legislator?: A lot of politicians like to wave around the number of bills they pass or sponsor. I will do plenty of that. What I want to be recognized for and measured by is the number of times I stay true to my principles and give a voice to the people of the district. Being a representative is about listening to people and doing right by them, not playing politics.
Why should voters choose you over your opponents?: My Experience, Familiarity with the District, and Demonstrated Conservative Republican Values set me apart from my opponents. With twice the business experience (both large and small), I understand what companies need to be successful and prosperous. Having resided in HD97 over 50 years, and having been a student, mother, and grandmother of children attending public, private, and charter schools, and serving as a Public Charter School Board member, I personally know the issues in our HD97 schools. I am uniquely qualified to defend Texas borders with both Defense Industry and Building Contractor experience. performing threat analysis and developing corresponding solutions to counter these threats, PLUS with the contractor building experience to evaluate barrier alternatives. My service record on conservative values involvement started long before I filed and is evident in the endorsements from key conservative elected officials and organizations.
Should Attorney General Ken Paxton have been convicted during his Senate impeachment trial? Why/Why not?: The senate heard all the evidence and overwhelmingly voted in favor of his innocence. The evidence presented clearly did not meet the burden of proof to convict. They did the right thing. The real question is should the house have brought forth such a hasty impeachment with no evidence, and the answer to that is absolutely not. They wasted time and taxpayer dollars for a political vendetta.
Do you support Gov. Greg Abbott’s call for the use of education savings accounts? Why?/Why not?: yes, parents deserve to be able to send their children to schools that are right for them, no matter their means or zip code. The plan presented does not leave public schools underfunded but creates a competitive environment for education. However, I believe there are still some details to work out for successful implementation.
What should Texas do to address immigration and border security at the Texas-Mexico border?: We need an emergency plan that is NOT dependent upon the Federal Government. We need to erect barriers to deter easy passage such as SB3. We need to pass legislation that make illegal immigration a state crime such as SB4 and enforce it. We also need to remove the enticements to immigrants to come illegally such as free education, free health care, free housing, and free subsidies of all kinds. We should mandate E-verify to eliminate jobs to illegals.
What should the Texas Legislature do to respond to and prepare for population growth in North Texas?: Current housing shortages and the corresponding lag in support infrastructure is big issue at the same time that regulations and the cost of materials and labor are driving housing costs up. Apartments are maxed each year despite new developments and the backlog on lots in metropolitan areas is almost non-existent. We cannot recruit new business if we can house the employees. Therefore, we need to work to eliminate or reduce the restrictive regulations on new developments and the issues driving housing costs up.
Should Texas law be changed to clarify when an abortion is allowed in medical emergencies? Why/Why not?: I think the law is clear. However, we need to do a better job of educating the medical professionals on what the law does say. There is also a possibility that some of the “confused” medical staff are actually pro-abortion and they are making a point in “protest”. If this were the case, we may need to clarify that NO action when the law allows it is a prosecutable offense.
Should Texas expand casino gambling and legalize sports betting in Texas? Why/Why not?: I am not a fan of gambling in Texas. Despite the potential revenue stream and new job opportunities it can provide, I believe the potential society issues such as gambling addiction, crime propagation, and health hazards (alcohol & drug addiction) that come with it are not whether the risk on our state welfare. In fact, these society issues can counter all revenue benefits from both financial and social perspectives.
What’s a Texas policy issue that’s important to you, but not necessarily as high profile? Why do you think it’s important?: I would like to reevaluate the level of Green/Renewable Energy that is force fed to Texans. At this point we are at 40% capacity but will exceed 50% in 2025. Associated with this is a greater than 25% increase in the energy bills homeowners are paying since we started down this path in spite of the extreme subsidies and “free” energy. This does not even account for the reliability issues on the grid. I believe it is time to reassess and redirect our efforts back to natural gas and/or nuclear energy sources.
John McQueeney
Age: 43
Campaign website: mcqueeneyfortexas.com
Best way for voters to reach you: contact@mcqueeneyfortexas.com
Occupation: Small Business Owner
Education: TCU Neeley School of Business, 2002
Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought, with years): No
Please list the highlights of your civic involvement/activism: Saint Andrew Catholic Church, TCU Frog Club Advisory Board, TCU National Alumni Board, TCU Chancellor Advisory Committee, Ronald McDonald House
Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding? If yes, please explain: No
Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? If yes, please explain: I have never personally been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy. Being in business, my companies have at times undergone civil litigation. None of the cases have ever been of significance and all were settled by both parties.
Who are your top three campaign contributors?: I have been grateful for the outpouring of support for my campaign. We have built a grassroots coalition of volunteers and donors from across Southwest Tarrant County. My top three donors are Myself, Cody Campbell, John Sellers
Why are you seeking this office?: It matters more now than ever. The prosperity of our generation and the next are in the balance. We need legislators who understand the impacts of legislation on communities throughout the state. House District 97 needs a representative who has a seat at the table and can get things done. My experience uniquely qualifies me for the task at hand.
What are the biggest challenges facing House District 97?: Of the countless issues we face, the biggest are border security, property taxes, providing excellent education opportunities through public school funding & school choice, and fostering continued economic prosperity.
If elected, what would your top 3 policy priorities be?:
Border security is my absolute top priority. Until we have a President who will secure the border, Texas should increase funding to finish the border wall and floating barriers. We should ramp up our law enforcement presence to protect our citizens. We must not back down. As state representative, I can promise that I will not.
I am also very concerned about the property tax burden being placed on our communities. The legislature passed temporary relief last year, which is a good start. There is much more work to be done. I will support using every dollar available to buy down the tax rate to keep people, especially seniors, in their homes and out of foreclosure.
Finally, I support Governor Abbott’s school choice agenda. I will work to pass school choice for all Texans as well as fully funding our public schools and giving a pay raise to teachers and staff.
How will you measure your success as a state legislator?: I will judge my success in the legislature on whether or not I make a real impact for the people I am elected to serve. I will continue to live in Southwest Tarrant County for many years. I will have to live with the consequences of my work in the legislature. That provides even more motivation for me to do the best job I can for our district in Austin.
Why should voters choose you over your opponents?: Voters are tired of the status quo when it comes to politics. I am not a politician, lawyer, or lobbyist like many who seek public office. I’m a businessman focused on growth. The people of House District 97 need a Representative in Austin who is a problem solver and can get things done. My experience uniquely qualifies me to take on those challenges.
Additionally, my family & I spent 3 years in the Rio Grande Valley as business owners. I understand the crisis at the border significantly better than my opponents
Should Attorney General Ken Paxton have been convicted during his Senate impeachment trial? Why/Why not?: I was not in the legislature during these events. I was not a juror in the trial. It would be irresponsible of me to decide on the merits of the evidence and the deliberations that I was not privy to.
What I do know is that General Paxton was acquitted, and it seems that this situation is behind us. As state representative, the people of House District 97 can trust me to make decisions on behalf of my district and not use legislative efforts as a political weapon.
Do you support Gov. Greg Abbott’s call for the use of education savings accounts? Why?/Why not?: Yes, I do. Every Texas schoolchild deserves the best education possible. We have amazing public schools in House District 97 that I will fight to fully fund and give teachers and staff a much-needed pay raise.
That said, parents need to have the choice to send their children where it makes the most sense for their child. I support Governor Abbott in his school choice agenda to make the future of Texas education even brighter.
What should Texas do to address immigration and border security at the Texas-Mexico border?: Under the Biden administration, it is clear that Texas will have to protect itself from this invasion.
In the legislature, I will push to finish the border barrier once and for all. We should increase the presence of floating buoys in all areas known for illegal crossing. The law enforcement presence needs to be dramatically increased.
There are plenty of migrants that are seeking a better life in America. We need the process for legal immigration to be streamlined. Until the Federal Government fixes the immigration process, we must protect our citizens. We have our heads buried in the sand if we do not realize that there are bad actors migrating along with those seeking a better life. Those bad actors are trafficking drugs and people. There are also bad actors migrating with the intention of inflicting harm to Texans and Americans across the country.
What should the Texas Legislature do to respond to and prepare for population growth in North Texas?: In addition to the previously mentioned 4 topics that matter to me (border security, property taxes, school choice, & pro – business policies), we must invest in our infrastructure. From water to roads to schools, etc, the investments need to be made now in order to keep Texas a place where people want to live and raise families.
Should Texas law be changed to clarify when an abortion is allowed in medical emergencies? Why/Why not?: I am pro-life. The law is clear. A physician may perform a life-saving abortion when they conclude in reasonable medical judgment that the pregnancy is risking the mother’s life.
I am disappointed that the Texas Medical Board has failed to provide guidance for our doctors about the very simple guidelines of this pro-life law.
Should Texas expand casino gambling and legalize sports betting in Texas? Why/Why not?: I trust the people of Texas to make their own financial decisions, including when it comes to gambling.
As your representative, I will work tirelessly to ensure that a constitutional amendment is presented to the voters that is thorough and thoughtful. I will not support legislation that would allow hundreds of licenses in the state. I will support legislation that provides significant economic benefits with legalized gambling. The outline of this legislation would include a limited number of licenses for on premise gambling with the requirement of the license holder to invest Billions of dollars. This would be all encompassing with hotel, convention space, restaurants, entertainment, and gaming.
In addition to the on premise gambling outlined above, I am also in favor of mobile sports betting. This needs to be regulated.
I will NOT block the voters ability to decide on thorough and thoughtful gambling legislation. This choice belongs to the voters.
What’s a Texas policy issue that’s important to you, but not necessarily as high profile? Why do you think it’s important?: I am very concerned about portions of our highway system across the state.
As our state has grown, what used to be rural roads have become major thoroughfares. We need to better protect our citizens from dangerous roadways and bring them up to modern day safety specifications.
As an owner of a transportation business, I worry about the roadways every day and night. The safety of my team and everyone on the roadways is always top of mind.
Personally, I lost a close friend and his children in a fatal head-on collision on one of these dangerous roadways.
I will effort to improve our roadways so no one endures the pain that my community felt in the aftermath of that tragedy.
This story was originally published February 15, 2024 at 10:37 AM.
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