Kyle Janek

Kyle Janek, M.D. (born January 10, 1958), is a Republican member of the Texas Senate having represented District 17 since 2003. The district includes portions of Harris County Brazoria County, Fort Bend County, Galveston County, and Jefferson County.

Biography
An anesthesiologist by training, Kyle Janek has served in the Texas Legislature as a Republican since 1994. He received an M.D. from the University of Texas medical branch in 1983 and has practiced medicine ever since. Janek is the son of former Galveston County, Texas Commissioner Eddie Janek, Sr.. He is also the brother of Galveston politician Eddie Janek, Jr., who has run for county offices before.

In 1992 Janek entered the Republican Primary for Texas State Representative District 134 against two other candidates, Mike Shelby and Tim Turner. Janek prevailed against Shelby, later a U.S. Attorney, in the runoff but he ultimately lost the general election to Democrat Sue Schechter, who is the wife of U.S. ambassador Arthur Schechter. In a 1994 rematch with Schechter, Janek prevailed. He served in the Texas House of Representatives until 2002, when he ran for the Texas Senate. Janek sought the seat being vacated by long time District 17 Senator Buster Brown. Janek defeated attorney Gary Polland in the Republican Primary, and then prevailed against Democratic candidate Ronnie Ellen Harrison in the General Election. He was reelected again in 2006 when facing a Libertarian Party opponent.

Since being elected to the State Senate Janek has focused his legislative efforts on property tax reform, and the sponsorship of a state program to prevent steroid abuse among high school athletes.

Resignation rumors
In the Spring of 2007 rumors began appearing in the Austin press corps that Senator Janek would be resigning his seat early to spend more time with his family. Janek told the Austin American-Statesman at the time that resignation was "a possibility" in the future but also said "I love my job. It's not my intent."

On May 26, 2007 Janek then placed an advertisement in the Greensheet newspaper for a garage sale at his home in West University Place, Texas. The ad said "Moving Saturday, May 26th". A few weeks later a reporter for the West University Examiner discovered that the advertisement was for Senator Janek's house. Janek confirmed that he had indeed sold his house, and claimed to be living in a "bayside home" in Galveston, Texas, which is still in District 17.

Janek told the reporter he was looking for a house with a bigger yard in either the Galveston or Fort Bend portions of District 17. He told the paper he would be moving to one of those two counties "[b]efore school resumes."

Instead of moving to Galveston or Fort Bend, Janek purchased a house in Austin, Texas, where he currently resides. Austin is not in District 17. This has prompted some to question whether Janek still meets the required residency to hold an office in the Texas senate.

On September 17th the Houston Chronicle reported that Janek has enrolled his children in Austin public schools at the new residence. Janek told the Chronicle that he's living by himself in a rental house in Galveston to fulfill his residency requirements, although he also claimed the move to Austin was to be closer to his family when the legislature is in session. The Chronicle's Clay Robison saw the irony of this claim, noting "The next regular session, however, is still 16 months away, which means he will be spending a lot of time commuting — unless he has something up his sleeve he doesn't want to tell anyone about." 

Revelations about Janek's residency came amidst another scandal involving two Houston city council candidates who were not residents of the Houston addresses they claimed when filing their paperwork for office. Janek blamed the rumors about his own residency issues on "political consultants seeking a client," but Robison also observed that Janek "is fueling the fire" of those rumors through his actions.

External link

 * Official Biography on the Texas Senate website.