Unlike in the US House of Representatives, the Texas House of Representatives requires its members to live within the district they represent, and candidates for such office to have established residency in the district. So one would think that such a stalwart member as Rep. Jim Dunnam (a Democrat who has been in the Legislature since 1996, and who currently serves as Democratic Caucus Chairman) would be firmly entrenched in the community. Right?
Or maybe not. The Republican Party of Texas today came out with documentation showing:
- Rep. Dunnam and his family live at 212 Shady Trail in McGregor — that address is not in House District 57 (click here to see who represents the Dunnam family)
- That house is listed in his name on the property tax records of McClennan County.
- Mr. Dunnam’s three cars, each bearing a State Officeholder license plate, sit in the driveway at Shady Trail.
To be fair, I’d want to live in McGregor, too, and I would much rather have Doc Anderson as my state rep (though the privilege of voting for Marva Beck in HD 57 over Dunnam would be kinda awesome).
RPT is not going to challenge Dunnam’s residency in court, but boy, isn’t this interesting? It isn’t the first time it’s come up – Dunnam was challenged on this in 2002 and promised to move. Perhaps he’s waiting for redistricting to get back within the district lines, but that’s still not kosher.
ETA: For your edification, here is Rep. Dunnam’s personal financial statement, courtesy of Texas Watchdog.
