A total of 10 current or former members of the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT) have filed for election to the Texas Legislature or U.S. Congress. Seven members are seeking reelection, while three are new candidates. Those elected will begin serving in January 2003.
Kay Granger, a Republican from Tarrant County is seeking a fourth term in the U.S. House of Representatives. She currently serves on the Appropriations and Budget committees, and is a partner at the G and R Insurance Agency in Fort Worth.
Dave Farabee, a Wichita Falls Democrat, is running for a second term in the Texas House of Representatives. He currently holds a position as vice president of Boley-Featherson Insurance Agency. “Insurance issues always come under attack by individuals and groups that don’t fully understand the costs and benefits of what they are asking for,” Farabee explained. He noted the importance of having legislators serve who understand aspects of insurance issues of which most people are not aware in order to foster better cooperation between the industry, organizations, and individuals.
Republican Dennis Bonnen of Angleton, is seeking a third term in the Texas House. He currently holds the vice chairmanship of the Environmental Regulation Committee, and was formerly with the Clawson Agency of Angleton.
Kim Brimer, another Republican from Tarrant County, is running for office in the state senate after 14 years of service in the House where Brimer chaired the Business and Industry Committee. Rep. Brimer served as president of the Independent Insurance Agents of Tarrant County in 1986, and as IIAT Regional Vice President in 1983.
Rep. David Counts, Democrat of Knox City, is running for a seventh term in the Texas Legislature. He has served as chairman of the Natural Resources Committee since 1993, and previously owned his own insurance agency.
State Rep. Tony Goolsby, Republican of Dallas, mentioned no specific legislation regarding insurance for the 2003 session, but did say he was “extremely concerned” about hardening markets such as homeowners and workers’ compensation. He is running for a seventh term, and previously chaired the House Administration Committee for three sessions. Rep. Goolsby was president of the Independent Insurance Agents of Dallas in 1989 and IIAT Regional Vice President 1980-87.
Rep. Brian McCall, Republican of Plano, will run for a fifth term in the House. He also filed as a candidate for speaker of the House. A spokesman for Rep. McCall stated that while he currently has no specific insurance-related legislation in mind for next session, he has been “very involved with insurance matters during his tenure.” Rep. McCall had owned the McCall Insurance Agency until 2000, when he sold the concern to TCT Insurance Services.
David Lengenfeld, a former House member and Democrat of Hamilton, is seeking election again. After serving one term in 1999, he was defeated for reelection in 2000. Lengenfeld owns the Lengenfeld Insurance Agency.
IIAT members running for the first time for state offices include Jan Erik Frederiksen, a Dallas Democrat, and Danny Duncan, a Democrat from Commerce. Frederiksen is vying for a Senate seat held by Sen. John Corona. He has been a principal of the Frederiksen & Frederiksen Agency for 30 years, and served as IIAT regional vice president from 1980 to 1982. Duncan is running for an open House seat. He is currently a principal of The Duncan Insurance Agency.
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