Linda Harper-Brown

Linda L. Harper-Brown (born March 20, 1948),^[1] is a departing Republican six-term member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 105, based in Irving in Dallas County, Texas.^[2]

First elected in 2002, Harper-Brown was unseated in the Republican primary election held on March 4, 2014 by her intraparty rival, former Representative Rodney Anderson (born c. 1968), of Grand Prairie, who polled 3,456 votes (52.7 percent) to her 3,098 (47.3 percent) in a low-turnout contest.^[3]

Background

A Dallas native, Harper-Brown served on the Irving City Council, a nonpartisan position, from 1997 until she assumed her House seat in January 2003. During part of her municipal service, she was the mayor pro tempore of Irving.^[1]

Harper-Brown is married to William Edgar Brown (born c. 1942), a Certified Public Accountant, a former vice president of the Duncanville Independent School District, and the president of the Greater Irving Republican Club. The couple has three sons, Craig, Timothy, and Terry, last names unavailable.^[4]

Political life

In 2002, Brown won the Republican nomination for House District 105 over Rose Ann Cannaday (born c. 1944) of Irving, 1,807 (51.1 percent) to 1,728 (48.9 percent).^[5] She then won the general election without a Democratic opponent, having polled 75.8 percent of the vote over three minor candidates. She succeeded the Democrat Dale Tillery, who did not seek reelection that year.^[6] To win her second House term in 2004, Harper-Brown defeated a Democrat, Mike Moore, 21,599 (59.2 percent) to 14,884 (40.8 percent).^[7]

Though she had been unopposed for re-nomination in 2012, Harper-Brown had a tough reelection battle that fall against the Democrat, Rosemary R. Robbins (born c. 1948), an educator from Irving. Harper-Brown polled 21,705 votes (50.06 percent) to Robbins' 20,923 (48.3 percent). The Green Party candidate, Saul Arechar, polled the remaining 724 votes (1.7 percent).^[8] In the 2008 general election, Harper-Brown retained her seat by a margin of nineteen votes over the Democratic challenger, Robert C. "Bob" Romano (born c. 1975) of Irving. Harper-Brown received 19,857 votes (48.72 percent) to Romano's 19,838 (48.67 percent). The Libertarian nominee, James Glynn Baird (born c. 1963), also of Irving, polled the remaining 1,061 votes (2.6 percent).^[9] Two years earlier in the 2006 general election, she had defeated Romano by a comfortable margin, 11,881 (55.1 percent) to 8,865 (41.1 percent).^[10]

In 2013 in her last regular legislative session, Harper-Brown chaired the Government Efficiency and Reform Committee. She also serves on the House Transportation Committee.^[1] In 2012, the Texas Ethics Commission fined Harper-Brown $2,000 for failure to disclose on financial forms her use of a 2010 Mercedes E550 sedan and a 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe owned by state transportation contractor Jeffrey C. Bryan of Durable Enterprises Equipment, Ltd. Andrew Wheat of the interest group Texans for Public Justice called the fine "a Chevrolet penalty for a Mercedes crime."^[11]

Legislative positions

A pro-life legislator, Harper-Brown supported in 2013 the ban on abortion after twenty weeks of gestation; the measure passed the House, 96-49. She co-sponsored companion legislation to increase medical and licensing requirements of abortion providers.^[12] These issues brought forth an unsuccessful filibuster in the Texas State Senate by Wendy R. Davis of Fort Worth, who in 2014 is the Democratic nominee for governor.^[13] The Texas Right to Life Committee rated Harper-Brown 83 percent favorable in 2013, 75 percent in 2011.^[14]

Harper-Brown opposed the bill to establish a taxpayer-funded breakfast program for public schools; the measure passed the House, 73-58. She supported legislation to provide marshals for school security as a separate law-enforcement entity. She co-sponsored the successful bill to extend the franchise tax exemption to certain businesses. Harper-Brown supported the bill to prohibit texting while driving, which passed the House, 97-45. She voted to require testing for narcotics of those receiving unemployment compensation. She against the "equal pay for women" measure, which nevertheless passed the House, 78-61.^[12]

Harper-Brown co-sponsored the measure to forbid the state from engaging in the enforcement of federal regulations of firearms. She co-sponsored legislation to allow college and university officials to carry concealed weapons in the name of campus security. She co-sponsored legislation to reduce the time required to obtain a concealed-carry permit. She backed the redistricting bills for the state House, the Texas Senate, and the United States House of Representatives. Harper-Brown voted against term limits for certain state officials. In 2011, she voted for picture identification of voters casting a ballot,^[12] a measure which finally took effect in October 2013 and was used widely for the first time in the March 4 primaries.^[15] Harper-Brown also requested House Bill 362 (which had passed) to be nullified, which would allow homeowners to install solar panels or devices without the approval of Homeowner's associations (HOA's) with certain exemptions.^[16] She also proposed a fine on electric vehicles based on the 'number of miles traveled' because 'the state gets less tax dollars from them'.^[17]

Interest group ratings

In 2013, Phyllis Schlafly's Eagle Forum, managed in Texas by Cathie Adams, a former state chairman of the Texas Republican Party, rated Harper-Brown 82 percent favorable, 43 percent in 2011,. and 92 percent in 2009. The Young Conservatives of Texas gave her a lifetime score of 80 percent. The Texas League of Conservation Voters rated her 64 percent; the Sierra Club, 25 percent in 2011. The interest group, Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, founded by Michael Quinn Sullivan, rated her 65 percent favorable in 2013, 88 percent in 2011. The Texas Association of Business rated her 90 percent favorable throughout her House tenure. The National Rifle Association rated her 92 percent. In 2009, the Libertarian Party scored her 68 percent favorable on issues of economic freedom and personal liberties.^[14]

Choosing a successor to Harper-Brown

Meanwhile, Rodney Anderson is awaiting the May 27 runoff election results to determine his Democratic opponent in the campaign to succeed Harper-Brown. In the primary, Susan Denara Motley (born c. 1970) led a three-candidate field with 1,171 votes (47.3 percent) and will face the runner up, Terry Meza (born c. 1949), who polled 704 votes (28.4 percent), in the second round of balloting. Bernice Montgomery, the third Democratic candidate, held a critical 601 votes (24.3 percent).^[18] Anderson was the representative from neighboring District 106 from 2011-2013; he did not seek a second term in 2012 because the redistricting from the 2010 census was unfavorable to his political prospects.^[19][20]

References