Carl Isett
Encyclopedia
Carl Hawkins Isett is a Certified Public Accountant
from Lubbock, Texas
, and a Republican
former member of the Texas House of Representatives
. First elected in 1996, Isett announced on December 18, 2009, that he would not be a candidate for an eighth two-year term in the Republican primary
held on March 2, 2010. He indicated that he will instead focus on his United States Navy
career. He resigned his seat in the summer of 2010, and it remained vacant until a special election was held in conjunction with the November 2, 2010, general election. Both contests were won by Isett's fellow Republican John Frullo
, who is also a Lubbock accountant.
, the seat of Stephens County
in north central Texas
, and was reared in Massachusetts
and El Paso
. His father, Dr. Philip E. Isett (born April 24, 1934), resides in Edmond, Oklahoma
. His mother, Lu Nell Isett (1934–2006), was a Christian
author, also from Edmond but interred in Lubbock. Isett has three brothers: James Lyndsey Isett (born 1956) and wife, Cathy, of Moorpark, California
, Bruce Edward Isett (born 1961) and wife, Julie Panter Isett, of Lewisville
, Texas, and Daniel Mark Isett (born 1973) and wife, Christine Rosenthal Isett, of Alexandria, Virginia
. A sister, Roxanne Evelyn Matlock (born 1964) and her husband, Brent Dale Matlock, reside in Amarillo
. A second sister, Lourdes Isett (1955–2008), born in Mineral Wells
, Texas, graduated in nursing
from Texas Tech University
in Lubbock and died at Baylor All Saints Medical Center in Fort Worth
, where she had been employed in the care of transplant recipients.
Isett and his wife, Cheri Nanette Isett (born June 21, 1961), were married in 1983. They have seven children: Joan, Alexander, Nicholas, Victoria, Mary Elizabeth, Michael, and Sarah, and, as of 2009, two grandchildren. At times, Isett worked three jobs to put himself and his wife through college. Isett received his bachelor's degree in accounting and finance and his Master of Science
degree in finance from Texas Tech.
of Lubbock, who was elected to the Texas State Senate. Isett defeated the Democrat
Don Richards in what has become a strongly Republican district. At the time, the conservative Isett was the only practicing tax accountant in the Texas House. He has placed lower taxes, reduced government, and greater personal freedom and responsibility at the core of his stated legislative goals. He has been foremost among lawmakers opposed to cities maintaining camera
s at traffic lights as a means to catch traffic violations. As a freshman, his colleagues elected him to serve on the Policy Committee of the House Republican Caucus.
Isett serves on the House Appropriations Committee and chairs Budget Oversight for the Insurance Committee, headed by his Republican colleague John T. Smithee
of Amarillo. He was also named to the Select Committee on School Finance and served as the chairman of the subcommittee on school finance cost adjustment. He has been president of the bipartisan Texas Conservative Coalition. Legislative colleagues elected him to the Steering Committee for the House Research Organization. He was selected in 2007 by the Speaker
of the House, Tom Craddick
of Midland
to serve on the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission
, a panel which reviews state agencies over a 12-year period and recommends the elimination of useless bureaucracies
. He co-chairs the Sportsman Caucus and is a board member of the Tower Institute, and a member of the Lubbock Lions Club.
Isett has successfully championed bills such as HB 1516 which increased efficiency and improved the management of information technology in state government. This legislation was the first of its kind in the nation. Isett received the "Friend of the Taxpayer" Award from the Citizens for a Sound Economy and the "Champion of Free Enterprise" Award by the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Early in 2007, Isett again introduced what he calls his "Taxpayer Protection Act." It would provide for a recall election if local property taxes increase by more than 5 percent a year, similar to a new limit proposed by the Texas Task Force on Appraisal Reform and endorsed by Governor
Rick Perry
. The measure failed to win passage in the regular legislative session.
State Representative Carl Isett is a certified public accountant in the Lubbock area. He did not seek re-election in 2010.
from District 19. The opening developed when longtime Republican U.S. Representative Larry Combest
of Lubbock suddenly retired. Isett, who carried the backing of Right to Life
, polled some 19 percent of the vote, nearly enough to garner a runoff berth. The position ultimately went to his fellow Lubbock Republican Randy Neugebauer
, also a conservative, who still holds the seat.
Texas Tech chancellor Kent Hance
held this congressional seat as a Democrat from 1979 to 1985, but he vacated it in an unsuccessful bid in 1984 for the United States Senate
. Thereafter, Hance switched parties, served briefly on the Texas Railroad Commission, and made unsuccessful bids for the Republican gubernatorial nomination in 1986 and 1990.
and Iraq
. His wife Cherie served as his legislative proxy while he was away, a procedure allowed in Texas. Similarly, a colleague, Frank Corte, Jr.
, a Republican from San Antonio
, also designated his wife, Valerie Ryder Corte, as his legislative proxy while Corte served in 2006 in the Iraq War.
A month after returning from the Middle East, Isett in 2006 won his sixth term in the state House. He received 15,751 votes (66.1 percent) to 8,068 (33.9 percent) for his Democratic opponent, the Lubbock educator Pearlie Mayfield (born August 24, 1952). Isett was unopposed in 2008, as Republicans again prevailed in Lubbock County.
Former Speaker Craddick said that Isett's sudden retirement is "a real loss for West Texas, and more so for the Legislature." Isett's expertise regarding finance and spending will be missed, Craddick added. Though Isett rarely spoke on the House floor, Craddick explained: "When he did get up to say something, people listened, because they knew he was informed on the issues. . . . A lot of people really listened to what he had to say. That's what you need when you're a legislator; you need a following by the other members if you're ever going to accomplish anything."
In the 2010 primary, two Republicans were headed to a runoff election on April 13, 2010, to fill Isett's seat. Mark Griffin (born July 27, 1954) led the three-candidate field with 5,652 votes (48.7 percent) and faced John Frullo (born August 1, 1962), who received 4,992 votes (43 percent). The third candidate, Ysidro Gutierrez, a former Democratic member of the Lubbock County commissoner's court, polled the remaining but critical 952 votes (8 percent). Turnout on primary day was so small that the majority of the ballots were cast during early voting. In the runoff election, Frullo, endorsed by Gutierrez, defeated Griffin, a former Texas Tech regent who carried the backing of State Senator Robert L. Duncan. Frullo then handily defeated Democrat Carol Morgan, a retired Lubbock educator, in the special election and general election.
Certified Public Accountant
Certified Public Accountant is the statutory title of qualified accountants in the United States who have passed the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination and have met additional state education and experience requirements for certification as a CPA...
from Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
, and a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
former member of the Texas House of Representatives
Texas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...
. First elected in 1996, Isett announced on December 18, 2009, that he would not be a candidate for an eighth two-year term in the Republican primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
held on March 2, 2010. He indicated that he will instead focus on his United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
career. He resigned his seat in the summer of 2010, and it remained vacant until a special election was held in conjunction with the November 2, 2010, general election. Both contests were won by Isett's fellow Republican John Frullo
John Frullo
John Frullo is a businessman from Lubbock, Texas, who is a conservative Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 84, and a member of the Tea Party Caucus. Since 1993, Frullo has owned Midtown Printing Company in Lubbock...
, who is also a Lubbock accountant.
Background and family
Isett was born in BreckenridgeBreckenridge, Texas
Breckenridge is a city in Stephens County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,868 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Stephens County...
, the seat of Stephens County
Stephens County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,674 people, 3,661 households, and 2,591 families residing in the county. The population density was 11 people per square mile . There were 4,893 housing units at an average density of 6 per square mile...
in north central Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, and was reared in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
and El Paso
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
. His father, Dr. Philip E. Isett (born April 24, 1934), resides in Edmond, Oklahoma
Edmond, Oklahoma
Edmond is a city in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area in the central part of the state. As of the 2010 census, the population was 81,405, making it the sixth largest city in the state of Oklahoma....
. His mother, Lu Nell Isett (1934–2006), was a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
author, also from Edmond but interred in Lubbock. Isett has three brothers: James Lyndsey Isett (born 1956) and wife, Cathy, of Moorpark, California
Moorpark, California
Moorpark is a city in Southern California. It was founded in 1900 by Robert Poindexter, presumably named after the moorpark apricots that grew in the area. The city has experienced a great amount of growth since the late 1970s...
, Bruce Edward Isett (born 1961) and wife, Julie Panter Isett, of Lewisville
Lewisville, Texas
Lewisville is a city in Denton County in the U.S. state of Texas. The 2010 United States Census placed the population at 95,290 within . The city also includes of Lewisville Lake....
, Texas, and Daniel Mark Isett (born 1973) and wife, Christine Rosenthal Isett, of Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
. A sister, Roxanne Evelyn Matlock (born 1964) and her husband, Brent Dale Matlock, reside in Amarillo
Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...
. A second sister, Lourdes Isett (1955–2008), born in Mineral Wells
Mineral Wells, Texas
Mineral Wells is a city in Palo Pinto and Parker counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 16,946 at the 2000 census. The city is named for mineral springs in the area, which were highly popular in the early 1900s...
, Texas, graduated in nursing
Nursing
Nursing is a healthcare profession focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from conception to death....
from Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...
in Lubbock and died at Baylor All Saints Medical Center in Fort Worth
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
, where she had been employed in the care of transplant recipients.
Isett and his wife, Cheri Nanette Isett (born June 21, 1961), were married in 1983. They have seven children: Joan, Alexander, Nicholas, Victoria, Mary Elizabeth, Michael, and Sarah, and, as of 2009, two grandchildren. At times, Isett worked three jobs to put himself and his wife through college. Isett received his bachelor's degree in accounting and finance and his Master of Science
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
degree in finance from Texas Tech.
Legislative issues
Isett was initially elected in House District 84 in 1996 to succeed Robert L. DuncanRobert L. Duncan
Robert Lloyd Duncan is a Republican member of the Texas Senate from the 28th District, centered on Lubbock. First elected to the Senate in a 1996 special election, Duncan had previously served in the Texas House of Representatives from District 84 from 1989 to 1993.-Background:Duncan is the only...
of Lubbock, who was elected to the Texas State Senate. Isett defeated the Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Don Richards in what has become a strongly Republican district. At the time, the conservative Isett was the only practicing tax accountant in the Texas House. He has placed lower taxes, reduced government, and greater personal freedom and responsibility at the core of his stated legislative goals. He has been foremost among lawmakers opposed to cities maintaining camera
Camera
A camera is a device that records and stores images. These images may be still photographs or moving images such as videos or movies. The term camera comes from the camera obscura , an early mechanism for projecting images...
s at traffic lights as a means to catch traffic violations. As a freshman, his colleagues elected him to serve on the Policy Committee of the House Republican Caucus.
Isett serves on the House Appropriations Committee and chairs Budget Oversight for the Insurance Committee, headed by his Republican colleague John T. Smithee
John T. Smithee
John True Smithee is an Amarillo attorney who has been a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives since January 1985....
of Amarillo. He was also named to the Select Committee on School Finance and served as the chairman of the subcommittee on school finance cost adjustment. He has been president of the bipartisan Texas Conservative Coalition. Legislative colleagues elected him to the Steering Committee for the House Research Organization. He was selected in 2007 by the Speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
of the House, Tom Craddick
Tom Craddick
Thomas Russell Craddick, known as Tom Craddick , was the first Republican to have served as Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives since Reconstruction. Craddick wielded the Speaker's gavel from 2003-2009...
of Midland
Midland, Texas
Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Texas, United States, on the Southern Plains of the state's western area. A small portion of the city extends into Martin County. As of 2010, the population of Midland was 111,147. It is the principal city of the Midland, Texas...
to serve on the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission
Sunset Advisory Commission
The Sunset Advisory Commission is an agency of the Texas Legislature, that makes recommendations to the Legislature on the continued need for the existence of various state agencies. It is headquartered in the Robert E...
, a panel which reviews state agencies over a 12-year period and recommends the elimination of useless bureaucracies
Bureaucracy
A bureaucracy is an organization of non-elected officials of a governmental or organization who implement the rules, laws, and functions of their institution, and are occasionally characterized by officialism and red tape.-Weberian bureaucracy:...
. He co-chairs the Sportsman Caucus and is a board member of the Tower Institute, and a member of the Lubbock Lions Club.
Isett has successfully championed bills such as HB 1516 which increased efficiency and improved the management of information technology in state government. This legislation was the first of its kind in the nation. Isett received the "Friend of the Taxpayer" Award from the Citizens for a Sound Economy and the "Champion of Free Enterprise" Award by the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Early in 2007, Isett again introduced what he calls his "Taxpayer Protection Act." It would provide for a recall election if local property taxes increase by more than 5 percent a year, similar to a new limit proposed by the Texas Task Force on Appraisal Reform and endorsed by Governor
Governor of Texas
The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature...
Rick Perry
Rick Perry
James Richard "Rick" Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. A Republican, Perry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full...
. The measure failed to win passage in the regular legislative session.
State Representative Carl Isett is a certified public accountant in the Lubbock area. He did not seek re-election in 2010.
Ethics Violations
In 2008,Isett was fined $6400 by the Texas Ethics Commission. He was required to refund his campaign over $25,000 for paying his wife $36,000 for "accounting services." The Texas Election Code specifically prohibits an officeholder from paying his or her spouse for personal services. After being investigated and fined, he paid over $39,000 to "Lubbock Bookkeeping Services" for the same services in the following year. It was later found that LBS was owned by his wife and had the same address as Rep Isett's home address. The Texas Ethics Commission declined to take action on this. Isett has since discontinued payments to LBS although he continues to pay tens of thousands of dollars for accounting services even during years of little or no fund raising activity. See Sworn Complaint 27071582003 congressional bid
In 2003, Isett ran in a special election for the United States House of RepresentativesUnited States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from District 19. The opening developed when longtime Republican U.S. Representative Larry Combest
Larry Combest
Larry Ed Combest is a retired Texas Republican U.S. politician who was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1985 to 2003.-Early life:...
of Lubbock suddenly retired. Isett, who carried the backing of Right to Life
Right to life
Right to life is a phrase that describes the belief that a human being has an essential right to live, particularly that a human being has the right not to be killed by another human being...
, polled some 19 percent of the vote, nearly enough to garner a runoff berth. The position ultimately went to his fellow Lubbock Republican Randy Neugebauer
Randy Neugebauer
Robert Randolph "Randy" Neugebauer is the U.S. Representative for , serving since a special election in 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district includes a large swath of West Texas, including Lubbock and Abilene...
, also a conservative, who still holds the seat.
Texas Tech chancellor Kent Hance
Kent Hance
Kent "The Hancellor" Ronald Hance is a lobbyist and lawyer who was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from West Texas, having served from 1979 to 1985...
held this congressional seat as a Democrat from 1979 to 1985, but he vacated it in an unsuccessful bid in 1984 for the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. Thereafter, Hance switched parties, served briefly on the Texas Railroad Commission, and made unsuccessful bids for the Republican gubernatorial nomination in 1986 and 1990.
Deployment to the Middle East
Isett is a commissioned officer in the United States Naval Reserve: a commander attached to Commander Logistics Western Pacific. In October 2006, he returned home from deployment in KuwaitKuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
and Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. His wife Cherie served as his legislative proxy while he was away, a procedure allowed in Texas. Similarly, a colleague, Frank Corte, Jr.
Frank Corte, Jr.
Frank Julius Corte, Jr. , is a real estate businessman in San Antonio, Texas, who served as a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from Bexar County between 1993 and 2011....
, a Republican from San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, also designated his wife, Valerie Ryder Corte, as his legislative proxy while Corte served in 2006 in the Iraq War.
A month after returning from the Middle East, Isett in 2006 won his sixth term in the state House. He received 15,751 votes (66.1 percent) to 8,068 (33.9 percent) for his Democratic opponent, the Lubbock educator Pearlie Mayfield (born August 24, 1952). Isett was unopposed in 2008, as Republicans again prevailed in Lubbock County.
Former Speaker Craddick said that Isett's sudden retirement is "a real loss for West Texas, and more so for the Legislature." Isett's expertise regarding finance and spending will be missed, Craddick added. Though Isett rarely spoke on the House floor, Craddick explained: "When he did get up to say something, people listened, because they knew he was informed on the issues. . . . A lot of people really listened to what he had to say. That's what you need when you're a legislator; you need a following by the other members if you're ever going to accomplish anything."
In the 2010 primary, two Republicans were headed to a runoff election on April 13, 2010, to fill Isett's seat. Mark Griffin (born July 27, 1954) led the three-candidate field with 5,652 votes (48.7 percent) and faced John Frullo (born August 1, 1962), who received 4,992 votes (43 percent). The third candidate, Ysidro Gutierrez, a former Democratic member of the Lubbock County commissoner's court, polled the remaining but critical 952 votes (8 percent). Turnout on primary day was so small that the majority of the ballots were cast during early voting. In the runoff election, Frullo, endorsed by Gutierrez, defeated Griffin, a former Texas Tech regent who carried the backing of State Senator Robert L. Duncan. Frullo then handily defeated Democrat Carol Morgan, a retired Lubbock educator, in the special election and general election.