RED OAK – Texas Department
of Insurance Commissioner Mike Geeslin, a native of what is now Oak Leaf, said
“never say never” when asked about eventually moving back to Ellis County and
running for office.
Geeslin, who was appointed
by Gov. Rick Perry over the 1,600-employee state agency in 2003, said his
current duties and the upcoming legislative session were priorities and offered
little chance at thinking about future plans.
“But never say never,”
said Geeslin, who got his start in politics by working as a volunteer intern
for Congressman Joe Barton, R-Ennis.
Geeslin said he works long
hours, usually on weekends, but has “the best staff [ever]. They’d actually
appreciate you calling them my ‘cabinet,’” he said, referring to a description
of his 17-member executive staff.
A Red Oak High School
graduate, Geeslin’s first and – so far – only run for office was for student
council president, a contest he won.
Several Republicans in
Ellis County have openly and privately wished for Geeslin to move back home to
one day run for countywide office or even Oak Leaf mayor.
The father of three said
he enjoys walking his children to school before then heading to his downtown
Austin office.
Wife Danica and Geeslin
were married in 1993 while she was in law school at the University of Texas and
he was attending Texas A&M University, where he obtained a degree in
communications.
Geeslin moved from
Barton’s campaign office to work in his district office in Ennis. Another Red
Oak High School graduate who went on to become famous in the world of Texas
Republican politics, Wayne Hamilton, shared a desk with Geeslin.
“He [Barton] was so
conservative that we had to share a table instead of [working at] separate
ones,” he said. Hamilton, who grew up in
Ovilla, became the executive director of the Republican Party of Texas and is
currently a political consultant, having directed, managed and helped Perry’s
campaign, among others.
Geeslin said the Red Oak
area was provided his “best” childhood memories. His family moved to
unincorporated Ellis County in 1975. Residents in 1983 then voted to
incorporate the town of Oak Leaf.
“Everybody comes from a
base,” Geeslin said, acknowledging his high school nickname of “Goose” and
confirming rumors that his father had “toughened” him up by throwing soccer
balls at his chest during soccer practice.
That base also produced Ovilla
native Bryan Preston, who now produces for the nationally syndicated Laura
Engraham talk show, and publishes HotAir.com, a national conservative blog,
with conservative superstar author Michelle Malkin.
After the Barton
employment, Geeslin went to work for state Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, as
her legislative aide. She’s now rumored to be in the hunt for Kay Bailey
Hutchison’s eventual open seat in the U.S. Senate.
After working with
Shapiro, Geeslin began work with a West Texas state senator and eventually was
hired as a policy analyst and advisor to Perry in the lieutenant governor’s
office.
Geeslin followed Perry
upon the governor’s appointment to replace then-Gov. George W. Bush’s move to
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
After working as a deputy
in the insurance agency from 2000 to 2003, Geeslin was nominated by the
31-member state senate to the top TDI post.
Geeslin said he has
“absolutely the best office” to work with, who manage a $100 million annual
budget with various field offices and oversee a market that is bolstered by
auto and home insurance companies.
“If there’s not a meeting,
there’s a phone call,” Geeslin said of his daily duties.
With the upcoming session
approaching, Geeslin said he could not comment on whether the senate would
confirm him for another two years, but he said 80 percent to 90 percent of his
job duties during the session are done at the capitol, meeting with lawmakers
and testifying before subcommittees.
