Tom Craddick and the Golden Toilet

By Elise Hu for KVUE News

Inside the Texas State Capitol is a living space that's one of a kind. Texas has the only private residence inside a state capitol in the nation, and it's the home of the Speaker of the Texas House when the legislature is in session.

Since 2003, Speaker Tom Craddick and his wife Nadine have called it home.

"It's fun living here; it's unique," Craddick said in an interview with UT's Center for American History.

In Spring 2006, the Craddick's decided to renovate the apartment. ... Craddick raised more than $1 million from private donors to pay for the project. The fundraising drew critics.

"The people that are ponying up these large contributions are major commercial interests that have business in front of the state legislature," said Andrew Wheat, of Texans for Public Justice.

Craddick's Autocratic Reign Must End

Austin American-Statesman Editorial Board

Do we really learn from our mistakes? If so, then 2006 should go down as a most instructive year as we head into a spanking new 2007 this weekend.... Of course, the biggest I'm-so-sorry should come from former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and his Republican footmen in the state legislature for their redistricting mess. Their handiwork helped the Democrats take over Congress and make gains at the state Capitol.

Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick stumbled, too, and it may cost him his speakership. His heavy-handed leadership hurt the GOP across the state, and he made a hash of renovating the speaker's apartment in the Capitol. That now stands as a million-dollar monument to arm-twisting favors from the lobby.

Merritt Questions Craddick's Tactics by Adam Holland for the Longview News-Journal

When the 80th Texas Legislature convenes Jan. 9, state Rep. Tommy Merritt said one of the first items of business will ... settle the potentially combustible business of who will become the next House speaker....

During a meeting Wednesday with editors of the Longview News-Journal, Merritt said House Speaker Tom Craddick, R-Midland, has employed intimidation tactics and was in a "gray area" that bordered legislative bribery, in his attempts to continue as presiding officer. The tactic in question is pledge cards, Merritt said.

"If you look at the use of the pledge card, I think it has evolved possibly to unfairness, especially when the speaker publishes names of his supporters," Merritt said. "In a speaker's race, the offer of a pledge — to me and my constituents — is a promise to do something."

He pointed out a state statute on legislative bribery, which does not allow someone to promise a position when running for election in the Senate or the House. Merritt added that he was concerned about possible retaliation, such as keeping non-supporters off certain committees.

"I'm for reforming the process," Merritt said. "Why should we subject ourselves to this type of election process?"

Jaime Castillo: Craddick's Fortunes Hang as House Members Eye Risk over Coup for the San Antonio Express-News

Three or four years ago, few political figures looked as bulletproof as Texas' two Toms — U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick.

Together, the iron-willed duo rammed mid-decade redistricting down Democrats' throats and, for a while anyway, appeared not to fear any fallout.

Since those heady days, however, DeLay was indicted and charged with conspiring to illegally funnel corporate donations into state legislative races... Craddick, meanwhile, has ... been accused of killing any semblance of bipartisanship in the Texas House.

And it now appears that enough Texas House members are chafing under his autocratic style that they might put another exclamation mark on what has already been an incredibly volatile political year.

As reported in this and other newspapers, state House members are participating in a full-blown speaker's race right under Craddick's nose.
...

[S]ome of the speaker's past decisions, such as cuts to the Children's Health Insurance Program, have not been beneficial for residents in ... working-class districts.... But if enough representatives like Menéndez and Villarreal switch sides when the House convenes in early January, Tom Craddick will not be House speaker again.

Contest for Texas House Speaker Serves Notice That Consensus Politics Should Replace Partisan Autocracy by the Houston Chronicle Editorial Board

The growing challenge to Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick's leadership is a clear indication that state lawmakers of both parties are fed up with the speaker's heavy-handed rule in the past two legislative cycles. Regardless of whether Plano state Rep. Brian McCall's surprise insurgency is successful, the way the House has been run needs to change.

Craddick...'s iron-handed pursuit of congressional redistricting on behalf of the party poisoned the collegial atmosphere between Democratic and Republican members that used to prevail in the Legislature. In the following regular session Craddick and his team muscled GOP legislators to vote against measures popular in their districts and then acquiesced as party moderates were targeted for defeat by advocates of school vouchers.

Not coincidentally, the Republican margin in the 150-member House has eroded from the high water mark of 88 when Craddick took over the speaker's office to 81 after the November elections. ... [H]e must recognize that his previous "my way or the highway" management will no longer be accepted by either House members or Texas voters.

CRADDICK MEANS CORRUPTION

By Christy Hoppe for The Dallas Morning News

... Following months of heated debate, commission members issued a formal opinion, on a 5-3 vote, that interprets an open-government law requiring disclosure of gifts worth more than $250. ... [C]ommissioners in earlier discussions agreed that not requiring the disclosure of a gift's value was an egregious loophole. ...

The issue has been a fierce battle since last year when Bill Ceverha - a friend and appointee of House Speaker Tom Craddick - reported on his personal financial disclosure form that he had received a "check." Mr. Ceverha, a former House member from Dallas, sits on a board that oversees the $20 billion state employee retirement fund.

After public furor, Mr. Ceverha and his benefactor, Houston homebuilder Bob Perry, told The Dallas Morning News that Mr. Perry had donated $100,000 to Mr. Ceverha, who had declared bankruptcy because of lawsuits over his involvement with a Republican political action committee....

By Laylan Copelin, A.J. Bauer for The Austin American-Statesman

...State law forbids the spending of corporate money in connection with a campaign .... Four years ago, Texans for a Republican Majority, a political action committee, spent $600,000 of corporate money during the campaign, the basis of a pending money-laundering case against former U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, the committee's chairman....

The issue of cash gifts has dogged the commission for months after it was revealed that Bill Ceverha, a member of the state Employee Retirement System board, took $100,000 from Houston homebuilder Bob Perry, the state's largest individual campaign donor.

Initially, Ceverha reported receiving a gift from Perry without identifying how much, a practice that the majority of the Ethics Commission said follows the letter of the law.... Bob Perry is a large campaign donor to Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Tom Craddick, who appointed the members of the Ethics Commission.