Add another Houston Democrat to the list of Texas Parent PAC endorsees, as Kristi Thibaut joins Ellen Cohen in the club. From the press release (Word doc):
“Kristi Thibaut is the kind of hard-working, independent leader who will stand up for the interests of her community at the state capitol,” said Texas Parent PAC board chair Carolyn Boyle. “It’s time for a change. Houston voters need to elect leaders, not followers who will fall in line to do the bidding of partisan leaders.” Boyle said this is one of the most important races in the November 7 general election, and the statewide parent group believes Thibaut is the better choice.
[…]
PAC board member Pam Meyercord said Thibaut is the only candidate in the race who will fight for adequate funding to help all schoolchildren succeed and oppose tax-funded private school vouchers. “Kristi Thibaut understands taxpayers cannot afford to subsidize private academies, and she will stand up to the powerful special interests pushing controversial private school voucher schemes,” Meyercord added.
Meyercord said parents and grandparents can trust Thibaut to be an articulate voice in Austin for stronger schools, safer communities, and fair taxation. Parents throughout the legislative district are proud of their neighborhood schools, which are a part of Houston, Spring Branch, and Alief Independent School Districts.
Professionally, Thibaut has a wealth of public service, nonprofit, and private sector experience. She served at the state capitol as a legislative aide to former state representative Judy Hawley, where she learned important skills in analyzing and drafting legislation, responding to the needs of constituents, and working collaboratively in a bipartisan manner to achieve results.
As the first-ever executive director of the Texas Youth Hunting Association, a joint project of the Texas Wildlife Association and the state of Texas, Thibaut promoted youth hunting and firearms safety. In addition, for several years she worked in the private sector for Continental Airlines.
Thibaut has extensive experience in public service and non-profit fundraising, having managed numerous events and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Houston chapter of the American Red Cross.
In addition to her professional work, Thibaut has served as a volunteer for the Houston Kiwanis Club and the American Heart Association. She is a founding member of the Houston Democratic Forum, an organization of fiscally conservative and socially moderate young professionals.
Way to go, Kristi! Joe Heflin has also been endorsed, and according to another press release from the PAC, they will be making an announcement about HD107 this morning. I’ll post on that later.
UPDATE: For no good reason I can think of, I forgot to link to my interview with Kristi, for which the MP3 file is here.