Dependent Daughter?
A complaint that Houston activist John R. Cobarruvias filed last week with the Texas Ethics Commission against Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick raises an interesting question: Does a woman in her mid-30s meet the Texas Election Code’s definition of a “dependent child”? Cobarruvias alleges in the complaint, which he says he filed Dec. 1, that Craddick, R-Midland, is violating Election Code §253.041 by using $625,000 in campaign contributions since 2003 to pay his daughter, Christi Craddick, for personal services. Christi Craddick, who is listed as an Austin solo on the State Bar of Texas Web site, works for the Stars Over Texas Political Action Committee, which raises campaign funds for Republican state legislative candidates. Austin solo Ed Shack, who represents Tom Craddick in the complaint, says Christi Craddick also runs the political side of her father’s activities. Shack says Christi Craddick is not a dependent child. “She is an independent woman,” Shack says. But Cobarruvias alleges in the complaint that the Ethics Commission’s own instruction guide for officeholders states that “a child is considered a dependent if you provided more than 50 percent of the child’s support during a calendar year.” Cobarruvias further alleges that Christi Craddick’s dependent status is revealed by the passage of S.B. 1102 in 1997. As alleged in the complaint, Tom Craddick pushed for passage of the bill, which allows the adult children of state officials to continue to receive state insurance until they marry. “As a result of this bill, Rep. Craddick was able to keep his daughter on his state insurance, regardless of her age,” Cobarruvias alleges in the complaint. Shack says he does not know whether Christi Craddick is on the state’s insurance. A message left at a telephone number listed for a Christi Craddick was not returned.
