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2011 in Review: Shapiro won't seek re-election
Editor's note: The Dec. 30 edition of the Frisco Enterprise contains the top 10 stories of 2011. These stories represent the most notorious moments in the city, state and the nation.
After nearly two decades of service in the state senate, Florence Shapiro has announced she will not seek re-election.
Shapiro began her life as a public official in 1979 when she was elected to the Plano City Council. She was elected mayor in 1990 and elected to the Texas Senate in 1993, where she chaired the powerful education committee and served as Senate President in 2005.
"I think it is time for a new talent to step in," she said. "I am ready for a new challenge."
Even though she spent more than three decades as an elected official, Shapiro said she never had any intention of being a career politician. She simply wanted to serve her city and continue being a teacher, something she had dreamed of doing since childhood.
"In 1979 Plano was a small community but it was starting to burgeon and build," she said. "People were moving in at break-neck speed. I was a community volunteer and had started the Plano Junior League. When a woman on the council decided not to run again, some people came to me and convinced me to run. I had three small children, but I decided to run and serve the city. My only goal was to be on the council."
After a decade on the council, Shapiro said seeking the mayoral position was the next logical step. At the end of the term, the opportunity to a newly drawn senate district was too great to pass up.
"The redistricting map put Plano in a district with Rockwall that stretched all the way to Tyler," she said. "It was an East Texas district but a large number of the residents were in Plano and Collin County. The numbers showed that it was a Republican district that had a Democratic incumbent. Once again, people came to me and said, 'this is a seat you could win.'"
Shapiro is well known for her work on the education committee. In 2003 she helped spearhead the overhaul of the school finance system, lowering property taxes and raising the pay of teachers. However, she said it was another bill she wrote that dealt with children that she is most proud of, Ashley's Law.
"In 1993 Ashley Estell was murdered," she said. "It was a traumatic time for the state of Texas and the citizens of Plano. We were frozen in time as citizens. We were frozen in our footsteps. The idea that we would pass Ashley's Law brought self satisfaction to me because I believe we accomplished something with that bill. I think we set in motion many strong laws which are evaluated every two years. Ashley's death was not in vain."
One thing Shapiro said she will miss the most about serving District 8 is the relationship she formed with her fellow legislators. She said that regardless of party affiliation, state senators work very closely together to do what is best for the state. She said she always viewed her job as that of a problem solver, a task she has taken on since her says on the Plano City Council.
"People bring me problems and I help find them a solution," she said. "That carried over to Austin and I think I will bring that with me to the private sector."
Shapiro said her future political career is uncertain, but she thinks she is done as a public servant.
"A friend of mine says, 'you never say never,'" she said. "For now, the answer is 'yes, I am done running for office.' But you never know what the future may hold."
Shapiro has accepted a job in the private sector where she will work on education-related issues. She said she hopes to continue to make a difference in the lives of children, something she strived to do while in office in Austin.
"I will take my passion and hopefully make an impact in the private sector," she said. "Education was my No. 1 issue every session. We will never get it completely right, but if Texas is going to remain a great state then it will be on the strength of our workforce, and a strong education is what creates that environment."
Shapiro will continue to serve out her current term, which ends in January 2013.
The preceding story was written by Bill Conrad and appeared in the Plano Star Courier on Sept. 22.
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