The Almost Unopposed Republican: Fred Brown

Sphere: Related Content This year voters in Brazos County, voters in most of Brazos County that are in Texas House District 14, will not have much of a choice in the ballet box on who to vote for their Texas House representative. Representative Fred Brown is not facing a Democratic challenger in November. There is a Libertarian on the ballet, so Representative Brown is almost unopposed. In 2006 and 2004 Brown ran unopposed. In 2002 Brown faced a Libertarian on the ballet and won 87.86% of the vote, which was just over a point higher than in 2000 against the same candidate, Bruce W. Rose, in which Brown took 86.89% of the vote. In 1998 Brown ran unopposed, succeeding Republican Steve Ogden who that year won the State Senate seat in District 5.

Representative Brown is a well known figure in College Station. Before being a Texas House member Brown was a College Station City Councilman from 1985-1994, and was Mayor Pro Tempore of College Station from 1989-1994. Brown also a local business man who owns a local car dealership.

Analysis of Representative Brown on the Issues:

Education – Brown supports using state funding to increase teacher salaries, but voted against a bill to raise pay for teachers, librarians, counselors, and nurses employed in Texas schools (F 64: Pay Raise for Public School Employees). Brown did authored a bill to reduced undergraduate tuition during a term of the summer session at Texas A&M University, extending the initial program for an additional year but limits the tuition rate reduction for an individual student to not more than one six-week term of the 2008 summer session (HB1330).

Environment – Brown is in favor of increased use of alternative fuel technology, providing financial incentives to farms that produce biofuel crops, limiting carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases linked to global warming, and enacting environmental regulations even if they are stricter than federal law. However, he has received less than stellar ratings on his voting record from environmental groups. The Texas League of Conservation Voters gave Brown’s voting record 21%, 7%, 8%, and 26% ratings in 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2007 respectively. The Sierra Club-Lone Star Chapter gave 33%, 0%, and 13% ratings of Brown’s voting record in 1999, 2003, and 2007 respectively.

Abortion – Brown is decidedly Anti-Choice. NARAL (National Association to Repeal Abortion Laws) Pro-Choice Texas has given Brown’s voting record an average rating of 3% over the last five years. In fact Brown has only cast one vote in favor of Pro-Choice legislation which was an exemption for situations when the woman is diagnosed with a significant likelihood of suffering imminent, severe, irreversible brain damage or paralysis which only 13 House members voted against.

Social Issues – Brown is a social conservative. What does that actually mean? Brown is against same-sex marriage, civil unions between same-sex couples, state-level spousal rights to same-sex couples. Brown does not support affirmative action in any form. Brown does not support state funding of stem cell research or embryonic stem cell research. There is also a strange paradox in Brown’s positions as he support sexual education programs that include information on abstinence, contraceptives, and HIV/STD prevention methods and supports abstinence-only sexual education programs. The Texas Freedom Network has given Brown’s voting record ratings of 0%, 33%, and 33% in 2006, 2005, and 200.

Other Issues – Brown is Gun Rights supporter, and his voting record has been giving an A or has received 100% approval by National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund and the Texas Gun Owners of America. Brown is a supporter of campaign finance reform, but received less than stellar ratings (13% in 2003, 22% in 2005, and 22% in 2007) from Texas Public Interest Research Group. Brown supports the death penalty and increase funding for more prisons and more prison staff; Brown does support vocational training for prisoners and penalties other than incarceration for some non-violent offenders. Brown also supports hate crime legislation.

According to VotSmart.org’s Political Courage Test, Representative Brown’s priorities if elected are:

“My top priorities during the 81st session is to make higher education accessible and affordable to any one who shows the scholastic ability and the desire to earn a degree. To debate the issue of wasteful spending and to be a watchdog over contracts and overcharges to our state agencies.”

The Libertarian candidate that is challenging Representative Brown is Professor Ron Darby, who has a very impressive professional and educational resume. Professor Darby served on the faculty of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University for 38 years and retired as a Professor Emeritus. Darby graduated from Rice University with BA and BS degrees in Chemical Engineering and was a commissioned officer in the United States Navy, and then received his PhD from Rice. He has been active in the community and is involved in several volunteer activities.

Left of College Station asked Professor Darby why he is a better choice than Representative Brown:

“As a Libertarian candidate, I am dedicated to minimizing the influence/intrusion of the government into the lives of the citizens. As such, I would not be beholden to any special interest groups, would strive to minimize taxes by eliminating wasteful programs and those that do not serve the best interests of the citizens of the state as a whole, and encourage the forces of free enterprise and the marketplace to dictate the economics of supply and demand. I believe that the purpose of government should be to facilitate, not restrain, free enterprise, freedom of expression and individual liberties.”

Professor Darby does have differences with Representative Brown. Darby believes that state welfare programs should be eliminated while Brown supports welfare. Darby believes that most state funded programs should be greatly reduced and most state taxes should be greatly reduced, while Brown supports sustaining state funded programs and maintaining most taxes. Professor Darby could best be described as a fiscally very conservative and is moderate on social issues.

Conclusions:

Left of College Station cannot endorse either candidate because neither candidate encompasses progressives or liberals ideals. Republican and conservative voters may be in the majority in Brazos County and District 14, but there is a sizeable minority of Democrats and liberals who are obligated to voice their dissent. Therefore this blogger will be not be voting for either candidate for Texas House of Representatives Distinct 14, and I will not chose between two ideologies that I cannot embrace.

This election there is much for Democrats to be excited about, both nationally and state wide. However, Democrats in Texas House District 14 do not have much to be excited about and not much of a choice when it comes to voting for their Texas House Representative in November. This is a seat that is going to be hard for Democrats to ever win. The only way in which a Democrat will ever take this seat is if a homegrown Brazos County resident and Texas A&M University alumni moderate Democrat challenges for the seat. Even then...

Although, for fellow Democrats, progressives, and liberals in Brazos County take comfort in the knowing that we can have an effect on the race for 17, and help support our fellow Democrats in northern Bryan and the other counties in the Texas House 17th District.

Next Week…
The Race for Seventeen (Part 1)

The Texas Observer:
Reignmakers: A True Horse Race - 17

“If the Democrats have any hope of recapturing a majority in the Texas House this year, they likely must retain this seat.” —Dave Mann