Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I am truly honored to serve the people of House District 102 as their representative to the Texas Legislature -- and humbled by the support I have received from so many of in my campaign for re-election. Although we had many successes in this past legislative session, there is still much work to be done. With your help, I will be able to continue to be a voice in the House on behalf of our public schools, our community’s small businesses, cleaner air, and further economic development.
A sixth-generation Texan, I come from a long line of hard-working and proud Texans. My family roots stretch back to the founding of the city of Dallas when my ancestors operated the first source of “city water” then known as Browder Springs -- now the site of Old City Park. My great grandmother rode her horse from Dallas out to Buckner Orphanage -- as it was then known -- to deliver food and clothes to children living there. My grandfather was elected County Tax Assessor-Collector in the hard scrabble Dodson Prairie of Palo Pinto County in the 1920s. And my parents have been longtime community advocates beginning in Garland in the 1960s and now in Rockwall County, where my mother lives.
I was raised in Garland, in much of the same neighborhood that our district now covers. Like many “baby boomers” of my generation, my three siblings and I enjoyed growing up in a small-town setting. Garland had been a largely agricultural community through the 1940s, and by the time my family settled there, it was fast becoming a typical, fast-growth suburban town. We walked to school most days, spent warm afternoons playing in Duck Creek, rode our bikes or skated all over the neighborhood, and got really excited when the Dairy Queen opened in our local shopping center. Garland was good to me and my family. To say the least, I am thrilled to be a state representative for the community that helped raise me.
My husband, David Kent, and I are the proud parents of three children: John, Meredith and Robert -- all of whom attended Richardson I.S.D. schools and graduated from Lake Highlands High School. In fact, I cut my teeth on community activism largely through our kid's schools and by taking leadership roles in PTA -- holding jobs at all levels, ranging from president to clothes closet chair to legislative liaison.
I am currently in my 1st term as a state representative. Though I’ve only been a state representative since January, I have spent over 25 years as a highly engaged civic leader. As a school board member, I learned much of the importance of school finance, created legislative agendas for our schools, advocated for more funding for schools and teachers, and seen how vital it is for our legislators to support our children and our public schools. In the Legislature, I have put this experience to work on behalf of our community and look forward to continuing to do so.
I am a mainstream Democrat who works for bi-partisan solutions to the difficult issues facing our state government. As such, I am very proud to have the support of North Texans who can be found on all sides of the political spectrum. It is their support and yours that will allow me to continue in the Legislature, working for a better Texas and House District 102.
I hope to count on each of you as we go forward!
Carol Kent