District 150 State Representative, District 2 U.S. Representative candidate Q&A

Low-income apartment complexes are a huge issue. People have a right to come in [and] build whatever apartment complexes they want and they have a right to charge whatever they want for rent. But when [developers] go to the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs and get bonds, then the taxpayers have a right to have a say. There was a huge attempt to take that right away last session, and we won that battle, but it's a continual fight. [Low-income apartment complexes] just wreak havoc on the community.

How should the district improve its transportation system in the future?

I am working with our county commissioner and transportation officials at the local, state and federal level so that we can keep traffic flowing here in the district. I am also working hard with the various entities regarding flow of transportation so that we do not just go in and rip lives apart cutting through subdivisions and damaging areas that have already been well-established.

Amy Perez, Democrat www.voteamyperez.com

Why are you running for the District 150 seat?

I've seen my district constantly go down in infrastructure, economic success, housing and education. I've just been very distraught at the downward spiral that I see going on, and I'm not a professional politician. I'm a regular citizen. I'm a school teacher, but it's time somebody [tries] to do something about this, and make our voices heard for those of us who feel like we've been ignored.

What are some of the top issues facing the district moving forward?

I don't think we need to be focusing so much on the larger businesses that do not benefit District 150 immediately. I want to help the families that live here find jobs, and I want to make sure those entrepreneurs have opportunities for them. My ears are open, my eyes are open, I'm talking to people, I'm attentive and I'm humble enough to go into the restaurants and work with [employees and workers]. Infrastructure is another big issue.

How should the district improve its transportation system in the future?

I think we definitely need to look into repairing certain areas around our district where we need to pay more attention, especially closer to [FM] 1960. Traffic is becoming such an issue, and I think we need to allocate some funds to alleviate [traffic congestion] because it's gotten to the point where ambulances are struggling to get through. One of the things that also concerns me is we have a lot of kids walking home from schools. We need more crosswalks for these kids, and that's money that needs to come from Austin.

U.S. REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 2

Ted Poe*, Republican www.tedpoe.com

What made you want to run for re-election?

I haven't finished the job that the public has sent me to do across many fronts. [I've created] with Rep. Jim Costa, D-California, a bipartisan victim rights caucus and we've worked on legislation on human trafficking. Legislation passed this year out of the house and [Rep. Costa and I] want to continue to move forward on victim legislation. And I think I represent my constituents very well.

What pieces of legislation would you like to pass next session if elected?

We have privacy legislation this year that may pass or may not pass, and we want to continue to push that issue. The use by the federal government of general warrants is really shameful. As a judge, I never signed a warrant for an entire ZIP code to search for a person or contraband, and that's what the federal government seems to be doing under [the National Security Agency]. And I want to get that [liquefied natural gas] deal passed.

What can be done at the federal level to provide funding for transportation projects in Texas and in District 2?

The federal government collects taxes from Texans. Much of that comes from the federal gasoline tax. It goes to Washington and we don't get a dollar back for every dollar we send. The first thing I want to do is get a dollar for dollar return for Texas. And then we want to give the money to Texas. There are some in the Houston area who refuse to take federal money. I want to be very proactive in getting the rightful money back to Texas.

Niko Letsos, Democrat www.nikoletsos.com

What made you want to run for this position?

There's so many challenges that we face—from immigration to fixing education and preparing this country for the 21st century. You may say to yourself, 'The youngest candidate, he's going to be one of 435 people in the House. What chance does he really have?' Well, I'm going to be the loudest member of Congress. I will not allow them to continue serving special interests.

What pieces of legislation would you like to pass next session if elected?

I would like to pass the Accountability and Transparency Act, which puts together a website that would make politicians' schedules available to us. That would be my top priority, because before I took on something like infrastructure or education, I'd like to make sure that was done [well]. That act will make all government better, because [the website] will bring it out into the open so we can track your tax dollars and what's going on.

What can be done at the federal level to provide funding for transportation projects in Texas and in District 2?

First of all, we need to stop just kicking the can down the road. That's what happened with the highway budget. Instead of looking at it and finding a long-term solution that was sustainable and appropriating the amount of funds, [congressional leaders] just gave it a two-month stopgap and said they were going to revisit it in September. So all of these issues, what's really happening is they're being held hostage by extremists of both parties that can't come to the middle and compromise.