Power Players features state lawmakers rising through the ranks or making a notable mark on the 87th Texas legislative session. Each week, Capital Tonight will feature an elected official to give you a chance to get to know the person behind the powerful position.
AUSTIN, Texas — From City Hall to the state Capitol, this native Texan likes to say her boots were made for legislating. But never did Rep. Sheryl Cole, D-Austin, expect to be doing so during a pandemic.
“I have a whole list of people I want to give a big hug, because I haven't got to hug them or see them. I really am an extrovert,” Cole told Spectrum News 1.
Cole, who is now the vice chair of the House Committee on Administration, has not been at the Texas Legislature long, but she is a veteran Austin office-holder. She walks a path of public service thanks to her three biggest inspirations: her sons. When her boys were elementary students, Cole was a parent-teacher association president working on a citywide bond to address aging schools across Austin.
“Children, they change your life, they give you a new perspective, they help keep you to thinking beyond yourself, and plus, they were just plain cute,” she said, laughing.
In 2006, Cole was as Austin’s first African American woman elected to city council. In 2018, she was elected to represent House District 46 which covers Austin, Manor and Pflugerville. Sometimes her boots walk her right over to the district’s hidden gem.
“Oh, the nice restaurants that I think go unsaid or unsung that are really delicious,” Cole said, noting that her favorites include La Palapa and Sam’s Barbecue in Austin.
When it comes to her taste in movies, Cole said it is about the classics.
“I like 'The Godfather.' That might be a surprise, but I really liked the intrigue and the family aspect of it through generations, and I guess the action,” Cole said.
Though with television shows, she is sticking to politics, but at the federal level.
“I really love 'West Wing.' Well, I like CJ, she's a woman in the middle of action and very powerful, and she wields a lot of influence,” Cole said.
Cole’s Capitol office showcases vivid reminders of her dedication to community stewardship and some personal mementos sprinkled in. One of those includes a framed poster of the mother and one of her sons in a vaccine campaign. Now, more than two decades later, vaccine distribution is more of a priority than ever. But another of her biggest legislative priorities is in light of the heightened calls to change policies around policing.
“This legislative session will be considered a success if we pass criminal justice reform, that would be centered on the George Floyd Act and removing chokehold abilities for the police officers and putting in a duty to intervene,” Cole said.
The Texas capital is ever-changing and has undergone a lot of social and political upheaval recently, but Cole believes there is more to do.
“This city has shown where we are, but we're boldly going into where we want to be,” Cole said.
And where this lawmaker wants to be is serving Central Texas, serving her people, and her family.
