TEXAS VIEW: Seliger’s decision leaves big shoes to fill in District 31

THE POINT: Seliger’s decision not to run means the loss of another well-respected veteran lawmaker.

The recent announcement by state Sen. Kel Seliger that he will not seek reelection is disheartening news for the Panhandle and those who call it home. For the past 17 years, Seliger has vigorously and unabashedly represented the people of District 31 – even if those interests were in conflict with Republican party leadership.

Seliger was born in Amarillo and raised in Borger. He is a former four-term Amarillo mayor. He has been a member of the state senate since winning election in 2004. He has a keen understanding of this region, its values and what makes it special. The same should be said of his affinity for the institution and traditions of the Texas Senate.

Those insights served him well throughout his tenure in Austin. To his credit, Seliger would be best described as independent-minded, a vanishing trait in politics these days as entrenched party aims too often are placed before the will of the people. That steadfast adherence to serving his constituency – especially those in rural communities that dot the West Texas landscape – may have cost him in a political era of especially sharp elbows and unquestioned loyalty to party.

“It has been a great honor to represent the people, schools and businesses of Senate District 31 for the past 17 years in the Texas Legislature,” Seliger said in our recent story. “The opportunity to serve as Chairman of the Senate Higher Education Committee and Senate Select Committee on Redistricting, as well as a longtime member of the Finance and Education Committees, allowed me to be impactful in areas of great importance to me and the entire state.”

As was true of the entire West Texas legislative delegation, Seliger played an important role in the Texas Tech veterinary school becoming a reality in Amarillo. The school welcomed its first class of students in August and will have a transformative impact across the state in the years to come. During his tenure, Seliger has been advocate, friend and supporter to both higher education and public education.

Of course, his influence stretches well beyond that. During his tenure in Austin, he has authored hundreds of pieces of legislation, including Senate Bill 463 that created individual graduation committees and Senate Bill 150 that provided capital construction projects at every higher ed institution in the state, according to a news release from his office.

Likewise, he was instrumental in seeing public school testing regimens revamped as well as authoring the first bill in the nation requiring ethical disclosure of so-called dark money in political campaigns. Throughout his time in Austin, he has consistently voiced his support for local control, public education, higher education, sexual assault awareness and prevention and battling human trafficking, according to the news release.

His commitment to such ideas sometimes put him at odds with party leaders. A recent example occurred recently with his opposition to legislation that would have banned employers from requiring COVID-19 vaccinations. Seliger believed the idea, a priority of Gov. Greg Abbott, went beyond the typically understood role of government.

Sprawling District 31 covers 37 counties from the Panhandle to the Permian Basin and includes cities such as Amarillo, Midland, Odessa and Big Spring. That will not be the case for the next District 31 senator. During the redistricting work that dominated the recently ended third special session, Seliger’s district was redrawn with four Panhandle counties removed and a dozen added from the area near Midland, according to a Texas Tribune story.

Seliger’s decision not to run means the loss of another well-respected veteran lawmaker (following U.S. Rep. Mac Thornberry) with deep Panhandle ties and vast institutional knowledge. The redrawn district could mean the next District 31 senator comes from the Midland-Odessa area.

For now, the senator has said he will continue to serve the people of his district through the end of his term in January 2023. “From my first campaign in 1989 to today, I have felt overwhelmingly proud to serve the Panhandle, South Plains and the Permian Basin,” he said in our story.

Seliger leaves an enviable results-filled record of achievement as well as sizable shoes to fill in District 31. We express our thanks to Kel Seliger for his exemplary service to the people of West Texas, a group with whom he never lost touch.

Amarillo Globe-News