Kyle Janek - Resignation Controversy

Resignation Controversy

In the spring of 2007, rumors began appearing in the Austin press corps that 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" but also said "I love my job. It's not my intent."

On May 26, 2007, Janek placed an advertisement in a 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, 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 County portions of District 17. He told the paper he would be moving to one of those two counties "efore school resumes."

Instead of moving to Galveston or Fort Bend, however, Janek purchased a house in Austin, where he resides. Austin is not in District 17, which prompted some to question whether Janek still met the required residency to hold an office in the Texas Senate.

On September 17, 2007, the Houston Chronicle reported that Janek 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 sixteen 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." 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.