Lee Sharp

What training, experience, and characteristics qualify you for this position?

The better question is what experiences have you had from other politicians that do not disqualify them from the job? The common experience is that they lie while campaigning and forget about you when elected. And it keeps happening because we keep sending them back.
I am a consultant. That means I have to actually do my job to get paid. And I have to do a good job to get the next job. I have to keep my word and show integrity. All things missing in politics today.

Article 7 of the Texas Constitution states that “it shall be the duty of the Legislature of the State to establish and make suitable provision for the support and maintenance of an efficient system of public free schools.” What is your interpretation of what this clause requires of the legislature?

Not what they are doing now! HISD has been a bloated and wasteful mess for a long time. And yet, somehow the TEA takeover made it worse! Thousands of students gone. Teachers leaving and a superintendent who says he is fine with that. Special wavers to hire uncertified teachers... And let's not forget that the voters had already replaced everyone involved with the scandal that prompted this takeover, and they just tossed the will of the voters on the trash pile. We have an unelected district. No!

How will you ensure that Texas remains a leader in the energy sector through innovation and reliability?

We get out of the way! Government does not drive innovation. It can only stifle it. Yes, some safety constraints are needed, but minimize regulation and cost, and it will happen. We see other industries coming here because regulatory compliance is cheaper. It works.

What do you believe is the appropriate role of the State of Texas in ensuring that Texans have access to reproductive healthcare, family planning, and pregnancy care and postpartum services?

Ideally, this is just a part of health care. The fact that we have made health care and health decisions partisan is frightening! We don't need to pick and choose healthcare based on party lines. And if the state is providing health care, it needs to cover pre-birth, birth, and post-birth. We cannot just pick and choose a few parts.

What other issues are high priorities for the people of your district? Please give specific examples of measurable actions that you will take to address these issues.

Crime is a real problem. And no one really trusts the statistics when they see crime running rampant in the neighborhood. Bail reform was a good idea, but terrible in practice. Every time someone out on bond makes the news committing violent offenses, it erodes public trust. We need to fix that before trust is gone.
Also, costs for government provided/regulated services (water, trash, electricity) keeps rising faster than the claimed rate of inflation. With consistent reduction in service.