House Speaker Tom Craddick (R) to renovate apartment w/help from lobbyists

Craddicks seek donors for residence


08:07 AM CDT on Tuesday, May 30, 2006
By KAREN BROOKS / The Dallas Morning News


AUSTIN – House Speaker Tom Craddick and his wife, Nadine, will soon start raising at least half a million dollars from lobbyists, corporations and other sources for an extensive renovation of their apartment inside the Capitol.

It's unclear precisely what the project will cost. Documents recently released by the State Preservation Board and the speaker's office include an estimate of $441,000 for construction. And that doesn't include nearly $40,000 of wall-to-wall carpeting – partially paid for by the state, with the Craddicks planning to reimburse the cost with donations.

It also doesn't include new countertops, fixtures, appliances, kitchenware, bookcases, china, bathtubs, shower walls and other details that have been mentioned in documents as part of a "wish list" for the renovation, said Alexis DeLee, a spokeswoman for the Republican speaker.

Those details haven't been decided yet, she said.

But the new plans for the apartment, which was extensively renovated 11 years ago, have raised questions about the use of special-interest money to build a lavish residence for the speaker in a public building.

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