Mike Krusee
Encyclopedia
Michael J. “Mike” Krusee (born February 26, 1959) is the departing Republican
member of the Texas House of Representatives
from District 52, based about Round Rock
in Williamson County
. Considered an authority on transportation issues, Krusee has held the seat from the suburban area north of Austin
since 1993.
In his website, Krusee says that he places his “highest priority on educating our children, keeping our neighborhoods safe, and reducing traffic between communities in our region. [And] I fight to keep taxes low, encourage job growth, and support excellent education
for our children. . .
A business
executive, Krusee is a graduate of Georgetown University
in Washington, D.C.
. He and his wife, Leigh A. Krusee, have five children.
in the primary
held on March 4, 2008. In the 2006 general election
, Krusee defeated Democrat
Karen Felthauser and Libertarian Party
candidate Lillian Simmons: 18,853 (50.44 percent) to 16.520 (44.2 percent) and 1,998 (5.3 percent), respectively. He ran unopposed in 2004. In 2002, he defeated Democrat Eric Freeman, 22,433 (64.6 percent) to 10,979 (31.6 percent). Simmons ran that year too and polled 1,336 ballots (3.8 percent).
In his first election in 1992, Krusee narrowly defeated Democrat Parker McCollough, 25,259 (51.9 percent) to 23,443 (48.1 percent). In his initial reelection in 1994, he defeated Democrat Llorente Navarrette, 25,004 (63.9 percent) to 14,141 (36.1 percent). He faced a similar outcome in 1996, having defeated Democrat Jerry Graham, 31,752 (61.6 percent) to 19,809 (38.4 percent). He was unopposed in 1998, and in 2000, he faced only Libertarian opposition from Clark Simmons, 54,196 (83.9 percent) to 10,368 (16.05 percent).
Rick Perry
on the Trans-Texas Corridor
and other toll road
initiatives, expansion projects unpopular with many voters in both parties. Krusee remained committeed to toll roads, as many of his colleagues sought to distance themselves from them because of a perceived public backlash against letting private companies build and operate the roads.
During the administration of Perry’s predecessor, Governor George W. Bush
, Krusee was a leader for Bush’s education initiatives, which require periodic standardized testing of students, but was often at odds with then Speaker
Pete Laney
, a Democrat
, with whom Bush maintained a good working relationship.
Krusee was initially allied with fellow Republican House Speaker Tom Craddick
of Midland
. Yet, in May 2007, he delivered a speech criticizing Craddick’s refusal to recognize any motion to remove Craddick from his leadership post. Krusee said that “Questioning leadership is the highest privilege this body has. And it belongs to the body, not to the presiding officer.” Thereafter, Krusee and Craddick seemed to have mended their differences, and for a time it appeared that Krusee would seek a ninth two-year term.
because his personalized license plate had expired in December 2007. DPS said that Krusee failed a field sobriety
test. He told the officer that he had consumed one glass of wine
. The charges were later dismissed.
In 2003, as chairman of the House Transportation Committee, Krusee became a favorite of the interest group, Mothers Against Drunk Driving
, as the original author of House Bill 3588, the omnibus transportation bill that included stiffer penalties for drunk driving. The penalties section was added in committee and was not part of Krusee’s original draft bill.
House Bill 3588 also initiated the state's toll road system and the Trans-Texas Corridor. It included a provision to create the driver responsibility program, which accesses a $1,000 surcharge for first-time violators convicted of driving while intoxicated, with additional penalties for repeat offenses.
of Texas, defeated fellow Republican Dee Hobbs (born 1975), an attorney, 1,657 to 1,433, in a low-turnout Republican runoff primary held on April 8 to choose a successor nominee to Krusee. Daniel now meets the Democrat Diana Maria Maldonado (born 1963), a Round Rock school board member, in the November 4 general election. Maldonado, who was unopposed for her nomination in the March 4 primary, has made an issue of Krusee’s unexpected withdrawal from the race and what position, if any, he may have been “promised” in the future.
Diana Maldonado (D) won the election and is now serving as the Representative to District 52 http://www.legis.state.tx.us/
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
member of 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 District 52, based about Round Rock
Round Rock, Texas
Round Rock is a city in Travis and Williamson counties in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the metropolitan area. The 2010 census places the population at 99,887....
in Williamson County
Williamson County, Texas
Williamson County is a county located on both the Edwards Plateau to the west, consisting of rocky terrain and hills, and Blackland Prairies in the east consising of rich, fertile farming land, The two areas are roughly bisected by Interstate 35...
. Considered an authority on transportation issues, Krusee has held the seat from the suburban area north of 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...
since 1993.
In his website, Krusee says that he places his “highest priority on educating our children, keeping our neighborhoods safe, and reducing traffic between communities in our region. [And] I fight to keep taxes low, encourage job growth, and support excellent education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
for our children. . .
A business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
executive, Krusee is a graduate of Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. He and his wife, Leigh A. Krusee, have five children.
Election history
Krusee was nearly unseated in his usually Republican district in 2006 and announced in 2007 that he would not contest for renominationNomination
Nomination is part of the process of selecting a candidate for either election to an office, or the bestowing of an honor or award.In the context of elections for public office, a candidate who has been selected by a political party is normally said to be the nominee of that party...
in the primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
held on March 4, 2008. In the 2006 general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
, Krusee defeated Democrat
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...
Karen Felthauser and Libertarian Party
Libertarian Party (United States)
The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...
candidate Lillian Simmons: 18,853 (50.44 percent) to 16.520 (44.2 percent) and 1,998 (5.3 percent), respectively. He ran unopposed in 2004. In 2002, he defeated Democrat Eric Freeman, 22,433 (64.6 percent) to 10,979 (31.6 percent). Simmons ran that year too and polled 1,336 ballots (3.8 percent).
In his first election in 1992, Krusee narrowly defeated Democrat Parker McCollough, 25,259 (51.9 percent) to 23,443 (48.1 percent). In his initial reelection in 1994, he defeated Democrat Llorente Navarrette, 25,004 (63.9 percent) to 14,141 (36.1 percent). He faced a similar outcome in 1996, having defeated Democrat Jerry Graham, 31,752 (61.6 percent) to 19,809 (38.4 percent). He was unopposed in 1998, and in 2000, he faced only Libertarian opposition from Clark Simmons, 54,196 (83.9 percent) to 10,368 (16.05 percent).
Transportation and education
Krusee has been an ally of GovernorGovernor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
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...
on the Trans-Texas Corridor
Trans-Texas Corridor
The Trans-Texas Corridor was a transportation network that was discontinued in the planning and early construction stages in the U.S. State of Texas. The network, as originally envisioned, would have been composed of a network of supercorridors up to wide to carry parallel links of tollways,...
and other toll road
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
initiatives, expansion projects unpopular with many voters in both parties. Krusee remained committeed to toll roads, as many of his colleagues sought to distance themselves from them because of a perceived public backlash against letting private companies build and operate the roads.
During the administration of Perry’s predecessor, Governor George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, Krusee was a leader for Bush’s education initiatives, which require periodic standardized testing of students, but was often at odds with then Speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
Pete Laney
Pete Laney
James E. "Pete" Laney is a U.S. Democratic Party politician from West Texas. He was a member of the Texas House of Representatives for 34 years from Hale Center . Laney served as Speaker for ten years from 1993 to 2003, a record matching that set by his predecessor, fellow Democrat Gibson D...
, a Democrat
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...
, with whom Bush maintained a good working relationship.
Krusee was initially allied with fellow Republican House Speaker Tom Craddick
Tom Craddick
Thomas Russell Craddick, known as Tom Craddick , was the first Republican to have served as Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives since Reconstruction. Craddick wielded the Speaker's gavel from 2003-2009...
of Midland
Midland, Texas
Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Texas, United States, on the Southern Plains of the state's western area. A small portion of the city extends into Martin County. As of 2010, the population of Midland was 111,147. It is the principal city of the Midland, Texas...
. Yet, in May 2007, he delivered a speech criticizing Craddick’s refusal to recognize any motion to remove Craddick from his leadership post. Krusee said that “Questioning leadership is the highest privilege this body has. And it belongs to the body, not to the presiding officer.” Thereafter, Krusee and Craddick seemed to have mended their differences, and for a time it appeared that Krusee would seek a ninth two-year term.
DWI arrest
Shortly after the 2008 primaries, Krusee was arrested in northwest Austin for driving while intoxicated. He was pulled over by a Texas Department of Public Safety officer after driving his black BMWBMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
because his personalized license plate had expired in December 2007. DPS said that Krusee failed a field sobriety
Sobriety
Sobriety is the condition of not having any measurable levels, or effects from, alcohol or other drugs that alter ones mood or behaviors. According to WHO "Lexicon of alcohol and drug terms..." sobriety is continued abstinence from alcohol and psychoactive drug use...
test. He told the officer that he had consumed one glass of wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
. The charges were later dismissed.
In 2003, as chairman of the House Transportation Committee, Krusee became a favorite of the interest group, Mothers Against Drunk Driving
Mothers Against Drunk Driving
Mothers Against Drunk Driving is a non-profit organization in the United States that seeks to stop drunk driving, support those affected by drunk driving, prevent underage drinking, and overall push for stricter alcohol policy...
, as the original author of House Bill 3588, the omnibus transportation bill that included stiffer penalties for drunk driving. The penalties section was added in committee and was not part of Krusee’s original draft bill.
House Bill 3588 also initiated the state's toll road system and the Trans-Texas Corridor. It included a provision to create the driver responsibility program, which accesses a $1,000 surcharge for first-time violators convicted of driving while intoxicated, with additional penalties for repeat offenses.
Choosing a successor to Krusee
Bryan Daniel (born 1970), an insurance executive who was once an aide to former U.S. Representative Larry CombestLarry Combest
Larry Ed Combest is a retired Texas Republican U.S. politician who was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1985 to 2003.-Early life:...
of Texas, defeated fellow Republican Dee Hobbs (born 1975), an attorney, 1,657 to 1,433, in a low-turnout Republican runoff primary held on April 8 to choose a successor nominee to Krusee. Daniel now meets the Democrat Diana Maria Maldonado (born 1963), a Round Rock school board member, in the November 4 general election. Maldonado, who was unopposed for her nomination in the March 4 primary, has made an issue of Krusee’s unexpected withdrawal from the race and what position, if any, he may have been “promised” in the future.
Diana Maldonado (D) won the election and is now serving as the Representative to District 52 http://www.legis.state.tx.us/