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[[Image:SekulaGibbs.jpg|thumb|right|Dr. Shelley Sekula-Gibbs.]]
[[Image:SekulaGibbs.jpg|thumb|right|Dr. Shelley Sekula-Gibbs.]]
'''Shelley Sekula-Gibbs''' is a [[Texas]] [[physician]] and [[politician]] who has served as a City Councilwoman in [[Houston, Texas]] for three terms. She is on the ballot for the Special Election to fill the [[Texas's 22nd congressional district|22nd Congressional District]] of the state of [[Texas]] in the [[United States House of Representatives]]. She is also the endorsed [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[write-in]] candidate for the general election.
'''Shelley Sekula-Gibbs''' is a [[Texas]] [[physician]] and [[politician]] who has served as a City Councilwoman in [[Houston, Texas]] for three terms. She is on the ballot for the Special Election to fill the [[Texas's 22nd congressional district|22nd Congressional District]] of the state of [[Texas]] in the [[United States House of Representatives]]. She is also the endorsed [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[write-in]] candidate for the general election.

Revision as of 02:34, 20 October 2006

File:SekulaGibbs.jpg
Dr. Shelley Sekula-Gibbs.

Shelley Sekula-Gibbs is a Texas physician and politician who has served as a City Councilwoman in Houston, Texas for three terms. She is on the ballot for the Special Election to fill the 22nd Congressional District of the state of Texas in the United States House of Representatives. She is also the endorsed Republican write-in candidate for the general election.

Personal life

Sekula-Gibbs graduated from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas with summa cum laude honors and a degree in chemistry. She later earned her Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas, and went on to residencies at the University of Florida in family practice, and Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, specializing in dermatology.

Today, Sekula-Gibbs runs a private dermatology practice in the Clear Lake area of Houston. In addition to this practice, Sekula-Gibbs also teaches at Ben Taub Hospital and serves as a clinical assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine, both in the Texas Medical Center.

Houston City Council

Sekula-Gibbs won election to the At Large, Position Three on Houston City Council in 2001 as Shelley Sekula-Rodriguez, when she was widowed after her husband, KHOU-TV newscaster Sylvan Rodriguez, lost his battle with pancreatic cancer in 2000. Rodriguez inspired Sekula-Gibbs to run for office. She later remarried and was subsequently re-elected by her present name. Sekula-Gibbs is the first physician to have ever been elected to serve on Houston City Council.

Sekula-Gibbs has focused on causes pertaining to government reform, including fair taxation, smaller government, and accountability. She has also worked on improvements in healthcare, public safety, air quality, transportation, and water resources.

As a member of Houston City Council, Sekula-Gibbs has served on a number of committees, including Quality of Life, Budget and Fiscal Affairs, Pension Review, Council Governance, Environment and Pubilc Health, Ethics, and International Liaison and Protocol. She is also part of the Bay Area Transportation Partnership as a member of the Board of Directors, and is also part of The Ellington Field Task Force and Friends of the Texas Medical Center Library, where she also serves on the Board of Directors.

Healthcare

Sekula-Gibbs has devoted a fair amount of time to healthcare issues. She also serves on the Greater Houston Partnership as a member of the Health Care Advisory Committee, and is also a member of the Houston Galveston Area Council Emergency/Trauma Care Policy Council. Sekula-Gibbs supports the transfer of federal tax dollars to Houston via Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs).

2006 Congressional race

Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, who had represented Sekula-Gibbs' area of residence since it was redistricted into DeLay's district (see 2003 Texas redistricting), decided to retire from Congress instead of face a tough re-election campaign in the following November.[1] District 22 is a seat that holds historic value in Congress, as it was represented by Tom DeLay and was also represented by libertarian Republican Ron Paul, the 1988 presidential nominee for the Libertarian Party. After DeLay's announcement that he was retiring, Sekula-Gibbs expressed interest in the position, but would only capitalize on it if Republican leaders chose to back her.[2]

On August 17, 2006, Sekula-Gibbs was selected as the endorsed Republican write-in candidate for District 22.[3][4] A write-in candidate is necessary because the Republicans were unsuccessful in their efforts to replace DeLay's name on the ballot with another Republican's name. The courts ruled that replacing DeLay's name, especially after winning the state primary, violated Texas election laws. After the court defeat, Delay choose to voluntarily removed his name from the ballot, essentially leaving the ballot without a Republican standard bearer. The precinct chairpersons voted to endorse one Republican for a write-in campaign. Four Republicans total, Sekula-Gibbs, Tom Campbell, Tim Turner and David Wallace, the mayor of Sugar Land, expressed interest in the Republican endorsement of a write-in campaign. Two of the Republicans, Campbell and Turner, who expressed interest in the seat decided to support Sekula-Gibbs in the general election immediately after her endorsement.[5] However, Wallace, who was the first to launch a write-in campaign for the seat, decided initially to continue his campaign without the backing of GOP leaders in the district, which would have made election to Congress difficult for Sekula-Gibbs.[6] In the end, Wallace dropped out of the race days after Sekula-Gibbs received the endorsement.[7] Sekula-Gibbs will face Democratic ex-congressman Nick Lampson and Libertarian Bob Smither.

The district is heavily Republican in both the eastern portion of the district (where Sekula-Gibbs comes from) and in the western portion (where Wallace comes from). The main counties in the district, Fort Bend, Galveston and Brazoria voted 61% for Bush and 38.5% for Kerry and the remainder to a third party candidate.[8] The District as a whole, including the sections of Harris that it covers, voted for Bush in 2004 with 64% of the vote. However, write-in candidates have historically failed to win in Texas, which will make victory a challenge for Sekula-Gibbs. Currently, the race is one of the most competitive races in the country according to the National Journal. Two non-partisan political reports, the Cook Political Report and Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball, rate the race as Leans Democratic and CQPolitics.com is rating the race Leans Democratic.[9] Smither, the Libertarian candidate, has stated that "a vote for liberal Democrat Nick Lampson will be a vote for Nancy Pelosi as speaker of the House." Sekula-Gibbs' campaign could also be a warm-up for the 2008 congressional elections should Lampson win the seat.

In early October 2006 the Associated Press reported that "National Republicans were supposed to invest $3 million to $4 million to help Sekula-Gibbs, according to state Republican chairwoman Tina Benkiser. So far, however, she's received just $134,000 from the National Republican Congressional Committee."[1]

Special Election

Texas Governor Rick Perry announced on August 29, 2006, that a special election will take place for the unexpired term of Tom DeLay, coinciding with the general election on November 7, 2006. This means that voters will choose twice for the same race, but with a different set of candidates (only Libertarian Bob Smither is on both ballots). It sets up a scenario in which the constituents of District 22 could send one person to Washington for the last two months of the 109th Congress and a different person to Congress for the two years following. It also means that Sekula-Gibbs will be on the ballot for this election (but not the general election, in which she will remain a write-in). Sekula-Gibbs filed for the Special election and will appear on the ballot, as did Bob Smither; however, Lampson, even though he previously pledged to to file for the special election, at the last minute chose not to file. [10][11]Sekula-Gibbs was asked if the special election would confuse voters. She replied, "People already know it’s an unusual race." She also stated that having her name on one ballot would serve as "a memory jog."[12]

References

  1. ^ Weisman, Jonathan (2006-08-09). "With DeLay Out, GOP Searches for Write-In Candidate". Washington Post. pp. A04. Retrieved 2006-08-22.
  2. ^ Robert, Garrett (2006-08-09). "Mayor to be write-in for DeLay seat". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 2006-08-22. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ Hanson, Eric (2006-08-19). "Sekula-Gibbs picked as write-in candidate". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2006-08-21.
  4. ^ Lozano, Juan A. (2006-08-17). "Texas GOP Back Houston Councilwoman". Associated Press. Retrieved 2006-08-21.
  5. ^ Dunn, Bob (2006-08-21). "Wallace Announces Decision Today; Campbell, Turner Pick Sekula-Gibbs". FortBendNow. Retrieved 2006-08-21.
  6. ^ Murphy, Bill (2006-08-19). "Sekula-Gibbs faces big hurdles in 22nd bid". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2006-08-21. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ Dunn, Bob (2006-08-21). "Wallace Ends Write-In Bid For Congress; Says He Won't Seek Re-election As Mayor". FortBendNow. Retrieved 2006-08-22.
  8. ^ CNN (2004-11-04). "CNN.com Election 2004: U.S. PRESIDENT/TEXAS/COUNTY RESULTS". CNN. Retrieved 2006-08-25. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  9. ^ CQ Politics Ratings
  10. ^ Ratcliffe, R.G. (29 August 2006). "Perry sets Nov. 7 as election day for DeLay's seat". The Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2006-08-29.
  11. ^ Castro, April (2006-08-29). "Special election to finish DeLay's term in Congress set Nov. 7". Associated Press. Retrieved 2006-08-29.
  12. ^ Blumenthal, Ralph (2006-08-30). "Governor Gives Contest to Replace DeLay a New Twist". New York Times. Retrieved 2006-08-30.
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