By Bill Conrad, Star Local News
PLANO — Florence Shapiro’s decision to not seek another term in the Texas Senate has caused a flurry of activity among Collin County Republicans and Democrats. Less than a week after Shapiro’s announcement, three men have already declared their intention to seek the District 8 seat.
A Democrat has not ran for the District 8 seat since November 1992 when Shapiro defeated incumbent Democrat Ted Lyon. That will change this time around as Jack Ternan has announced his intention to run for the office.
Ternan, a 29-year-old attorney, said he decided to seek the office after not being happy with the way things were going in Austin.
“I have been interested in politics for a long time and I didn’t see Austin trying to tackle the problems the state and district face,” he said. “I have been frustrated for some time. Eventually you have to put up or shut up. If I don’t win, it is not my fault if things don’t get solved.”
Like Shapiro, Ternan said education will be one of his main concerns if he is elected. He said he believes the districts should have more local control and work to move away from the state’s testing system.
“I think education should be governed at the campus level,” he said. “We need to give districts more freedom in their curriculum and hold teachers accountable based on personal observation, rather than standardized testing.”
Other issues Ternan said he would look to help solve include the water crisis he says is affecting much of the state, particularly West Texas. He said with the resources available in the state, research should go into trying to perfect a desalinization process that could be used in Texas, as well as exported worldwide.
The two Republican candidates for the District 8 seat are Scott O’Grady and current District 70 State Rep. Ken Paxton.
O’Grady, who made headlines around the world after his F-16 fighter jet was shot down over Bosnia in 1995, originally announced his intention to seek House District 33, only to change his mind after Shapiro’s announcement. O’Grady could not be reached for comment, but said in a press release that he would look to continue the work of Shapiro if he is elected.
“Sen. Shapiro is a valued friend and role model,” he said. “She has set the bar high with her distinguished career as a Republican leader in the state Senate. If elected to continue her work in the state Senate, I will call upon her as a valued mentor and advisor to serve our community and state.”
O’Grady is a former board member of the National Rifle Association, as well as the former director of Texas Lyceum.
Paxton, a McKinney-based attorney, has served in the Texas House of Representatives since 2002. He could not be reached for comment, but said in a new release that if elected, he will continue the work he has carried out for nearly a decade as a house member.
“I’m running because I believe it is my responsibility to reduce the size and scope of government and to protect individual freedom for all Texans,” Paxton said in a press release. “If elected state Senator, I will continue to champion real taxpayer protections and promote government transparency. The key to increasing our freedoms in society is to minimize the role of government. We must control government spending to reduce the burden on our citizens.”
District 8 was redrawn during the most recent legislative session. The district includes most of Collin County, as well as most of Richardson.
