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John Sharp (Texas politician)
Encyclopedia
John Sharp is the former Democratic
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
, having held the office from 1991 to 1999. He is currently a principal in the Austin
office of the Dallas-based Ryan & Company, a tax consulting firm. In 2005, he was appointed to serve as Chair of the Texas Tax Reform Commission. Sharp had announced in December 2008 that he would run as a Democrat for the United States Senate
seat currently held by Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison
.
, along the Texas Gulf Coast. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1972 from Texas A&M University
where he was a member of the Corps of Cadets and was elected Student Body President. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army Reserves and belongs to American Legion
Post 76 in Austin.
In 1976, Sharp received a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Texas State University in San Marcos while working full-time in Austin with the Legislative Budget Board. John returned to Victoria in 1978, where he opened a one-man real estate firm and became a successful small business owner.
Sharp has been married to Charlotte Sharp of Austin since 1978. They have a son, Spencer, and a daughter, Victoria. The Sharps are active members of their church and are involved in many community and humanitarian efforts, including airlifts of Jewish families to Israel from Ukraine and other areas of Russia.
In 1978, Sharp was elected to the Texas House of Representatives
from the 40th District in Victoria and was later named "Outstanding Freshman" by Texas Monthly
. Just a few weeks after his re-election for a third full 2-year term in the general election of 1982, he ran and won a special election run-off and served a full 4-year term in the Texas Senate
, serving on the powerful Senate Finance Committee. In 1986 he was elected to the Texas Railroad Commission where he helped reform the state's trucking regulations, improve railroad safety, and develop new markets for Texas' abundant supply of clean-burning and efficient natural gas.
Sharp has received numerous awards, including the only "Texas Quality Award" ever presented to a governmental agency. Texas State University presented Sharp with the "Distinguished Alumnus Award" in 1996, where he also taught a course on Texas state government for several semesters in the early 2000s.
, being defeated in a hotly contested election by then-Texas Agriculture Commissioner and current Governor
Rick Perry
by a margin of 50 percent to 48 percent.
Sharp ran for Lieutenant Governor again in 2002, but was defeated by then-Texas Commissioner of the General Land Office and current Republican Lieutenant Governor
David Dewhurst
by margin of 52 percent to 46 percent.
Upon taking office as Comptroller, he began working to fulfill his pledge to "make government work more like our most successful businesses." During his eight years as Comptroller, Sharp established the Texas Performance Review (TPR), an ongoing audit on state government. During Sharp's two 4-year terms as Comptroller, the TPR identified more than $8.5 billion in taxpayer savings and changed the way government does business through such innovations as the Council on Competitive Government. Other innovative programs created and implemented by Sharp during these eight years include:
As Comptroller, Sharp also commanded the most successful state lottery start-up in U.S. history. With only 189 employees (compared to California's 1,000 and Florida's 750), Sharp's team put their first tickets on sale seven weeks early and set first-day, first-week, and first-year world sales records. By the time he turned the games over to the new Texas Lottery Commission, the state was $1 billion richer – and Sharp had returned $81 million in unspent administrative funds. Sharp's blueprint for the Texas Lottery
was later used by several American states as well as Mexico.
In 2005, Sharp was asked to head an education task force – called the Texas Tax Reform Commission – charged with preparing a bi-partisan education plan for the state. The special session convened on April 17, 2006. Sharp accepted the offer and removed himself as a potential candidate for governor in 2006. The task force issued its final plan several months later, and the legislature adopted it. For his successful efforts, Sharp was later nominated by the Dallas Morning News for "Texan of the Year".
, Texans to Cure Cancer. Proposition 15 passed by a wide margin in November 2007.
announced her creation of an exploratory committee
for the Texas Governor's race in 2010
. If she were to win the governorship
, Hutchison would be required to vacate her Senate seat by November 2010. If she were to stay in the Senate and not run for Governor, she would be up for re-election for the Senate in 2012. On December 8, 2008, Sharp became the first Democrat to formally announce his intention to run for this Senate seat
, regardless of when Hutchison chose to vacate. Unlike several other current candidates for the office, Sharp forwent the option of creating an exploratory committee so that he could immediately begin raising funds and campaigning in 2009.
Hutchison ultimately lost the Republican nomination on March 2, 2010 to Governor Rick Perry
and announced her retirement from the Senate on January 7, 2011.
.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts is an executive branch position created by the Texas Constitution. As with nearly every other executive branch head, the Comptroller is popularly elected every four years concurrently with the Governor and the other elected executive branch positions...
, having held the office from 1991 to 1999. He is currently a principal in the Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
office of the Dallas-based Ryan & Company, a tax consulting firm. In 2005, he was appointed to serve as Chair of the Texas Tax Reform Commission. Sharp had announced in December 2008 that he would run as a Democrat for the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
seat currently held by Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison
Kay Bailey Hutchison
Kathryn Ann Bailey Hutchison, known as Kay Bailey Hutchison , is the senior United States Senator from Texas.She is a member of the Republican Party. In 2001, she was named one of the thirty most powerful women in America by Ladies Home Journal. The first woman to represent Texas in the U.S....
.
Background
The son of an oil field worker and a school teacher, Sharp grew up in the small farming community of PlacedoPlacedo, Texas
Placedo is an unincorporated community in Victoria County, Texas, United States. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had an estimated population of 760 in 2000. It is part of the Victoria, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, along the Texas Gulf Coast. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1972 from Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
where he was a member of the Corps of Cadets and was elected Student Body President. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army Reserves and belongs to American Legion
American Legion
The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
Post 76 in Austin.
In 1976, Sharp received a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Texas State University in San Marcos while working full-time in Austin with the Legislative Budget Board. John returned to Victoria in 1978, where he opened a one-man real estate firm and became a successful small business owner.
Sharp has been married to Charlotte Sharp of Austin since 1978. They have a son, Spencer, and a daughter, Victoria. The Sharps are active members of their church and are involved in many community and humanitarian efforts, including airlifts of Jewish families to Israel from Ukraine and other areas of Russia.
In 1978, Sharp was elected to the Texas House of Representatives
Texas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...
from the 40th District in Victoria and was later named "Outstanding Freshman" by Texas Monthly
Texas Monthly
Texas Monthly is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Austin, Texas. Texas Monthly is published by Emmis Publishing, L.P. and was founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy, Texas Monthly chronicles life in contemporary Texas, writing on politics, the environment, industry, and education...
. Just a few weeks after his re-election for a third full 2-year term in the general election of 1982, he ran and won a special election run-off and served a full 4-year term in the Texas Senate
Texas Senate
The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature. There are 31 members of the Senate, representing 31 single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 672,000 per constituency. There are no term limits, and each term is four years long. The Senate meets at the...
, serving on the powerful Senate Finance Committee. In 1986 he was elected to the Texas Railroad Commission where he helped reform the state's trucking regulations, improve railroad safety, and develop new markets for Texas' abundant supply of clean-burning and efficient natural gas.
Sharp has received numerous awards, including the only "Texas Quality Award" ever presented to a governmental agency. Texas State University presented Sharp with the "Distinguished Alumnus Award" in 1996, where he also taught a course on Texas state government for several semesters in the early 2000s.
Texas Politics
In 1990, Mr. Sharp was elected as the 35th State Comptroller of Public Accounts for the State of Texas. He was re-elected in 1994 for a 1995–98 term. He left elected office by not seeking reelection to a third term as Comoptroller after an unsuccessful run in 1998 for Lieutenant GovernorLieutenant Governor of Texas
The Lieutenant Governor of Texas is the second-highest executive office in the government of Texas, a state in the U.S. It is the second most powerful post in Texas government because its occupant controls the work of the Texas Senate and controls the budgeting process as a leader of the...
, being defeated in a hotly contested election by then-Texas Agriculture Commissioner and current Governor
Governor of Texas
The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature...
Rick Perry
Rick Perry
James Richard "Rick" Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. A Republican, Perry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full...
by a margin of 50 percent to 48 percent.
Sharp ran for Lieutenant Governor again in 2002, but was defeated by then-Texas Commissioner of the General Land Office and current Republican Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of Texas
The Lieutenant Governor of Texas is the second-highest executive office in the government of Texas, a state in the U.S. It is the second most powerful post in Texas government because its occupant controls the work of the Texas Senate and controls the budgeting process as a leader of the...
David Dewhurst
David Dewhurst
David Dewhurst is the 41st and current Lieutenant Governor of Texas, serving under Governor Rick Perry since January 21, 2003. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as Texas Land Commissioner from 1999 to 2003. Dewhurst announced on July 18, 2011, that he was running for the...
by margin of 52 percent to 46 percent.
Upon taking office as Comptroller, he began working to fulfill his pledge to "make government work more like our most successful businesses." During his eight years as Comptroller, Sharp established the Texas Performance Review (TPR), an ongoing audit on state government. During Sharp's two 4-year terms as Comptroller, the TPR identified more than $8.5 billion in taxpayer savings and changed the way government does business through such innovations as the Council on Competitive Government. Other innovative programs created and implemented by Sharp during these eight years include:
- Texas School Performance Review: An outgrowth of TPR, this program has shown public school districts how to save more than $350 million, while keeping scarce education funds in the classroom where they belong and easing the burden on local taxpayers.
- Texas Window on State Government: The official website for the Texas State Comptroller's Agency was a Sharp innovation during his time as Comptroller. This website – whose stated purpose was to maximize the ability of citizens to engage with the Comptroller's Agency and to access public information more easily – was the first of its kind in the United States, and has served as a model for other state agencies across the country.
- The Texas Tomorrow FundTexas tomorrow fundThe Texas Tomorrow Fund is a prepaid college investment program operating in Texas.There are two plans: The Texas Guaranteed Tuition Plan and Tomorrow's College Investment Plan. The former is a constitutionally guaranteed trust fund backed by the State of Texas, whereas the latter is an...
: A pre-paid college tuition plan that allows over 80,000 Texas families to lock in the future costs of their children's college at about what they would pay today.
- Family Pathfinders: Sharp's 1995 welfare reform plan formed the heart of some of the most sweeping changes to public assistance in Texas history. It also led to another of Sharp's innovations—Family Pathfinders, which links welfare families with local civic clubs, congregations and businesses to help get jobs and leave the public assistance rolls behind. The Family Pathfinders website for Tarrant County, Texas (as an example) is here:
- The Lone Star CardLone Star CardThe Lone Star Card is an Electronic Benefit Transfer pin-based card. The card is used for Food Stamp and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families programs for the State of Texas, United States of America....
: First recommended by Sharp in 1991. This program spearheaded the nationwide switch from paper food stamp coupons to computerized bank-type cards and dramatically reduced fraud and abuse in the federal program.
As Comptroller, Sharp also commanded the most successful state lottery start-up in U.S. history. With only 189 employees (compared to California's 1,000 and Florida's 750), Sharp's team put their first tickets on sale seven weeks early and set first-day, first-week, and first-year world sales records. By the time he turned the games over to the new Texas Lottery Commission, the state was $1 billion richer – and Sharp had returned $81 million in unspent administrative funds. Sharp's blueprint for the Texas Lottery
Texas Lottery
The Texas Lottery is the government-operated lottery available throughout Texas. It is operated by the Texas Lottery Commission, headquartered in downtown Austin.-History:...
was later used by several American states as well as Mexico.
In 2005, Sharp was asked to head an education task force – called the Texas Tax Reform Commission – charged with preparing a bi-partisan education plan for the state. The special session convened on April 17, 2006. Sharp accepted the offer and removed himself as a potential candidate for governor in 2006. The task force issued its final plan several months later, and the legislature adopted it. For his successful efforts, Sharp was later nominated by the Dallas Morning News for "Texan of the Year".
Texas Proposition 15
In 2007, Sharp helped spearhead Texas Proposition 15, a bill that sought to establish grants for cancer research, grants for cancer prevention and control programs in Texas to mitigate the incidence of cancer, and the purchase of laboratory facilities. Sharp acted as Treasurer for the supporting political action committeePolitical action committee
In the United States, a political action committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group, regardless of size, organized to elect political candidates or to advance the outcome of a political issue or legislation. Legally, what constitutes a "PAC" for purposes of regulation is a...
, Texans to Cure Cancer. Proposition 15 passed by a wide margin in November 2007.
U.S. Senate Campaign
On December 4, 2008, Republican U.S. Senator Kay Bailey HutchisonKay Bailey Hutchison
Kathryn Ann Bailey Hutchison, known as Kay Bailey Hutchison , is the senior United States Senator from Texas.She is a member of the Republican Party. In 2001, she was named one of the thirty most powerful women in America by Ladies Home Journal. The first woman to represent Texas in the U.S....
announced her creation of an exploratory committee
Exploratory Committee
In the election politics of the United States, an exploratory committee is an organization established to help determine whether a potential candidate should run for an elected office. They are most often cited in reference to United States Presidential hopefuls, prior to the primaries.Exploratory...
for the Texas Governor's race in 2010
Texas gubernatorial election, 2010
The 2010 Texas gubernatorial election was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2010, to elect the Governor of Texas, who will serve a four-year term beginning on January 18, 2011, and ending on January 20, 2015. Incumbent Republican Governor Rick Perry ran successfully for re-election to a third term. He...
. If she were to win the governorship
Governor of Texas
The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature...
, Hutchison would be required to vacate her Senate seat by November 2010. If she were to stay in the Senate and not run for Governor, she would be up for re-election for the Senate in 2012. On December 8, 2008, Sharp became the first Democrat to formally announce his intention to run for this Senate seat
United States Senate election in Texas, 2012
The 2012 United States Senate election in Texas will be held on November 6, 2012 along other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives. Incumbent Republican U.S...
, regardless of when Hutchison chose to vacate. Unlike several other current candidates for the office, Sharp forwent the option of creating an exploratory committee so that he could immediately begin raising funds and campaigning in 2009.
Hutchison ultimately lost the Republican nomination on March 2, 2010 to Governor Rick Perry
Rick Perry
James Richard "Rick" Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. A Republican, Perry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full...
and announced her retirement from the Senate on January 7, 2011.
Texas A&M University
On August 15, 2011 John Sharp was chosen as chancellor of the Texas A&M University SystemTexas A&M University System
The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the United States. Through a statewide network of eleven universities, eight state agencies and a comprehensive health science center, the Texas A&M System educates over 100,000 students, conducts more than $600...
.
External links
- John Sharp for U.S. Senator campaign website
- John Sharp's curriculum vitae on the Ryan & Co website
- John Sharp for U.S. Senate – Official Facebook page
- "John Sharp Makes Campaign Visit" (Daily Tribune – Mount Pleasant, TX, 09/04/09)
- "McReynolds Endorses Sharp for U.S. Senate" (KTRE Lufkin/Nacogdoches (includes video feed), August 20, 2009)
- "Sharp Argues for 'Bubbas' in Bid for Senate" (Cherokeean Herald, August 19, 2009)
- "Senate Hopeful to Visit Longview" (East Texas Review, 07/08/09)
- John Sharp interviewed by Evan Smith on "Texas Monthly Talks" (01/09)
- "Working on a Dream: Let's Mark Dr. King's Birthday by Rekindling His Spirit of Public Service" (Written by John Sharp, Burnt Orange Report, 01-19-09
- "Sharp: Stop bailing out Wall Street, start giving Main Street mortgage relief" (Written by John Sharp, Rio Grande Guardian, December 30, 2008)
- "Sharp: Don't play the educational blame game" (Written by John Sharp, Austin American-Statesman, December 20, 2008)
- "East & South Texas State Legislators Back Sharp in Senate Race" (Capitol Annex, December 12, 2008)
- "John Sharp: Let marketplace govern energy industry" (Written by John Sharp, San Antonio Express-News, June 28, 2008)
- John Sharp is interviewed about the Texas Tax Reform Commission by Austin's KLRU-TV
- "More Welfare Waste – And A Lesson for Manufacturers" (John Sharp and creation of the Lone Star Card) (Evolving Excellence, November 13, 2006)
- Text of Governor's Appointment of John Sharp To Lead Tax Reform Panel (November 22, 2005)
- "State Comptroller elaborates on `Lone Star Scholars' idea" (Amarillo Global News, January 23, 1998)
- "The U.S. Reform Experience: The National Performance Review" (as inspired by John Sharp) (University of North Texas Libraries, 04/06/1997)
- "Sharp Drops Smart Bomb" (Austin Chronicle, 02/09/1996)
- "Texas Official Is Model for Gore's Public Parsimony" (New York Times, 09/12/1993)
- "The Big Audit" (detailed story of John Sharp's creation of the Texas Performance Review) (State Legislatures, 06/03/1993)