Robert Miklos

Miklos files as District 101 Democrat

• The Mesquite Star

The Mesquite Star — Robert Miklos, the president of the Mesquite Bar Association, became the first Democratic candidate in the House District 101 race when he filed Monday.

Miklos is so far unopposed in the spring Democratic primary. Mike Anderson and Thomas Latham have filed for the House District 101 seat in the Republican primary.

A Democrat has not represented District 101 since 1985. Miklos is the first Democrat to seek the seat since 2000. Democrats are presently six seats shy of a House majority.

“The politicians in Austin are ignoring the issues of families in Mesquite, Balch Springs and Sunnyvale,” said Miklos, in a statement released to The Mesquite News. “We value our families, we value our homes and we value our public schools n but the politicians in Austin are making it more difficult for us every day to protect what we value.”

Miklos cites “runaway utility rates” and the high number of individuals with no health insurance as two of the issues that he says must be addressed.

He also has a plan to give tax cuts to small businesses that provide health insurance for their employees. His “Fair Deal, Fair Share” plan addresses the trends that have adversely affected working families, while he says utility companies have spent millions of dollars on lobbyists and legislative gifts over the past five years. He points to utility rates which have risen 58 percent, while the state has reduced its school funding from 60 percent to 20 percent. Miklos also is concerned with homeowners which have been forced into costly arbitration when having issues with homebuilders.

“No family who works hard should have to take a back seat to political party bosses or hired gun lobbyists,” he said. “I’ve shut down sexually-oriented businesses and irresponsible bar owners. The pay-for-play politics in Austin is just as dangerous to our families. I’ll fight to put an end to that, as well.”

Miklos resides in Mesquite with his wife of 18 years, Kathy, and sons, Christopher, Alexander and Emory, all of whom attend Mesquite public schools. He is a 1984 graduate of Dallas Skyline and attended the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Houston before becoming a criminal prosecutor in Harris County and chief prosecutor for the city of Dallas. He presently serves as the senior counsel of Hughes & Luce, L.L.P.

He indicates his desire to serve District 101 stems from his life-long commitment to public service as a prosecutor. As a prosecutor he says the tools for protecting and improving neighborhoods were not there. The life-long Democrat says he is running for the District 101 seat to change the system by giving cities the right tools to protect neighborhoods, to strengthen the criminal justice system, to stand up to failed leadership and special interests, to give District 101 a “fair deal” and to force the state to pay its “fair share” for public schools and community colleges.

His prosecutorial experience includes dealing with sexual predators and family violence offenders and “putting violent criminals behind bars.” While working for the city of Dallas, the city increased penalties for irresponsible bar owners and sexually-oriented businesses and closed businesses that posed dangers to neighborhoods. He says he’s learned that state laws must be strengthened to protect neighborhoods and citizens.