Houston Blogs: Houston Political Blog

Beverly Kaufman's not-so-secret plan

2009-11-06T11:52:00-06:00

A few weeks ago, when Harris County Clerk Beverly Kaufman announced she wouldn't run for re election, I didn't think it was a big deal. Kaufman's always been friendly, and very available to the media during election season. She's always good for a "find your precinct and go vote" sound bite.

When she announced her retirement, I assumed there would be a jockeying of candidates from both Democrats and Republicans. On the Dem side, several names have been bantered about, including Sue Schechter. On the Republican side, while there have been talk of several semi-notables, the main guy is shaping up to be Kevin Mauzy. Who is he? Mauzy has been Kaufman's chief deputy for years, and Kaufman quickly endorsed him as HER choice.

To be frank, I didn't give this much more thought until we taped an elections edition of "City View", ABC 13's public affairs show about three weeks ago. During a typical segment on voting, Harris County Clerk PR man Hector DeLeon brought Mauzy to our TV studios.

"Where's Kaufman?" I asked.

"She wasn't available," answered DeLeon.

The taping went on as normal, and we talked about early voting, precincts and all the run-of-the-mill stuff. Fast forward to Monday, the day before the election. I called up the Clerk's office again, asking for an interview with Kaufman. DeLeon once again said she wasn't available, but that Mauzy was. Really? The day before the election? That's when I asked DeLeon if this was all to get Mauzy more TV time. DeLeon laughed and said "You'll have to ask her, I can't answer that."

Good thing I run into Kaufman a lot. Yesterday, while covering Prof. Barton Smith's bi-annual chat about the Houston economy, I ran into Kaufman and Mauzy at the luncheon.

"Are you trying to get Mauzy in front of the TV cameras so he'll have an advantage?" I asked.

"Isn't it obvious what I'm trying to do?" Kaufman answered with a big grin. "It's called earned media, it's very important."

We chatted a bit more about Kaufman's plan. Basically, during the run-up to the November election, she tried to hand over every on camera media request to Mauzy. she plans to continue doing that as we get closer to the December run-off. The idea is to give Mauzy free TV exposure, and valuable name ID. In addition, since most of the questions asked by the media are mundane, uncontroversial clerk stuff, it's easy to sound like you know what's going on.

Basically, Kaufman's trying to give Mauzy the "air of incumbency" without being an incumbent or an elected official. This is not illegal, and it just might work. Think about every media outlet that will need an interview or a quote about voter turnout or polling hours between now and next March. If Mauzy's the one giving the information, then that's an advantage his opponents can't buy. It will help stave off Republican contenders, and force Democratic challengers into an even more uphill battle.

Like Kaufman said, it's obvious, and that's just fine with her, and her chosen successor.

The Election, the day after: lots of coffee.

2009-11-04T12:42:07-06:00

Bleary-eyed politicians dutifully drudged to their day jobs after a long night of both reveling and loathing the election results. One thing good about election nights is that there are definite winners and losers. That was the case this time around as well.

First up, the Mayor's race. After spending more than $3 million of his own money, Council Member Peter Brown managed to finish in third. He was just barely ahead of Roy Morales, the little-known candidate with very little money. It was a surprisingly poor showing for a man who poured so much resources in the campaign. Controller Annise Parker and former City Attorney Gene Locke were the big winners. With Parker just a few percentage points ahead of Locke.

The Mayoral results this first round were certainly a relief to Locke's campaign. Even though he had the support of both the Police and Fire Unions, as well as former Mayor Bob Lanier, Locke's campaign didn't run as smoothly as many experts had anticipated. Now the battle between Locke and Parker for the run-off should certainly perk up the election. Parker will have her work cut out for her. Even though she is ahead, Locke's got the backing of a lot of institutional powerhouses, including downtown businesses, and the Houston Association of Realtors, etc. He's also out-raised her on the money front as well. It will be interesting to see where the Morales and Brown supporters go.

The Controller's race also yielded a surprise. Council Member Ronald Green was the front-runner going in, but many political insiders had expected him to go into the run-off facing well-financed Pam Holm. Instead, by just a sliver of voters, fellow Council Member MJ Khan edged her out. It will be interesting to see if Green's team questions Khan's nagging issue of residency. Does Khan live in Houston or not? It's a question that's been raised a multitude of times, but so far, voters haven't paid much attention.

Finally, incumbent council members Jolanda Jones and Sue Lovell will both face run-offs. This has to be disappointing to their campaigns, as usually incumbents at City Council get fairly easy election cycles.

It's now a sprint to the finish for the December 12th run-off election. A low turnout is expected, so every vote counts!

The election returns

2009-11-03T19:31:09-06:00

With the latest votes showing Annise Parker ahead, a loud roar went up in the Hilton Americas ballroom.

8:31 p.m. 12.8% reporting

Gene Locke: 19,342 27%
Annise Parker: 20,640 29%
Peter Brown: 17,711 26%
Roy Morales: 12,171 17%

7:15 p.m. early vote:

Gene Locke: 17,183 29%
Annise Parker: 17,169 29%
Peter Brown: 15,387 26%
Roy Morales: 9,451 16%

The Pre-Results election day story!

2009-11-03T18:25:02-06:00

Miya Shay

It's election day! Are you ready?

2009-11-03T06:55:45-06:00

Four leading candidates who want to lead Houston as our next mayor are running out of time to win your vote. With election upon us and the early voting now over, the candidates for Houston mayor have set their sights on turning out their supporters.

"I think there will be a decent turnout on Election Day. I think that a lot of Houstonians now who are focused on the race and who will actually go out and vote," said former City Attorney Gene Locke.
Experts have been predicting a lower than expected turnout, and so far that's holding true in the early voting numbers.

In 2003, during the last openly contested mayoral election, 76,285 early votes were cast. This year, the number is down to 71,368. Absentee ballots are holding a similar trend with 17,583 in 2003, and so far just 10,759 this year.

"The early vote shows that the vote is a little down than in 2003, but in the end we may have a large turnout on Election Day," said Hector de Leon of the Office of the Harris County Clerk.

The clerk's office says as the race among Gene Locke, Peter Brown, Roy Morales and Annise Parker has heated up, that turnout may increase for Election Day. But not every mayoral candidate is worried.

"I have a strong and deep base of community support. It really doesn't impact me whether it's a low turnout or a high turnout," said Parker.

Polls are open from 7am to 7pm today!

A busy week ahead...

2009-10-26T10:58:20-05:00

We are in the home stretch now. Just one more week and it will be election night. Finally, the race is getting heated! Yesterday, Gene Locke and Peter Brown held dueling press conferences. Brown at 1:30pm, Locke at 3:00pm. Both men had supporters and campaign signs waving everywhere, and both men indicated that this campaign combat shows no signs of stopping.

This explosion of controversy is more than just last minute campaign theatrics by guys who want to be mayor. Sure, it keeps those of us who cover this stuff entertained, and it gets the candidates much needed free media coverage. On a deeper level though, it shows the power a group of people can have when they vote, and do so regularly.

Political experts have long pointed out that African Americans vote, and in far greater percentages than Hispanics. You can see the reality of this by simply going to early voting locations. Locations in predominately African American areas are generally far busier than those in largely Latino neighborhoods.

Groups that reliably vote and do so in large blocks generally get more attention from politicians, and they are not just grouped by ethnicities. We hear politicians talk about “home owners”, “working families,” and “seniors,” etc. All good buzz words. But you know what the biggest group is? Tax Payers! Congratulations, you pay taxes you vote, the candidates for Houston Mayor want you to head to the polls! Good luck.

Saving the Locke Campaign

2009-10-23T08:49:07-05:00

Finally, some controversy in an otherwise boring mayoral campaign.

Ever since the Houston Chronicle published a poll showing Gene Locke in third place, the private, high placed, hand wringing of some of Locke's most ardent supporters have become a little more public. In addition, we are finally seeing some negative campaigning. Locke's campaign has unleashed its first attack spot on Peter Brown. The spot, airing on mostly African American radio, alleges that Brown has tried to buy some of the African American ministers' support.

You'll recall that very, very early on in the campaign, Brown announced that he had the support of 100 black ministers. That included well known heavy hitters like Rev. Bill Lawson and Bishop James Dixon. Nobody paid a lot of attention to that news conference, but the pastors' endorsement has been making the rounds in Brown's radio buys. Now that Locke's campaign is basically accusing Brown of attempting to "purchase" votes, it will be interesting to see how Brown responds. I have a feeling another radio ad is coming very soon. (Maybe from both sides?)

In the meantime, I've run into several of Locke's best supporters over the past few days. Let's just say some are more optimistic than others. At an early voting location the other day, I chatted up a bold-faced name, wealthy, connected politico who helped recruit Locke. He said he voted for him, but admitted, he is not too happy with the way the campaign is going.

"How often do you talk to Gene?" I asked. "All the time," he answered, "even just yesterday."

"How often has he taken your advice," I asked. "Not yet," he answered with an obvious sense of frustration in his voice. It's the same sentiment I've run into talking to some of Locke's closest allies. They will support him until the end, but this is not turning out to be as easy as they planned.

Fortunately for Locke, other donors are more optimistic. Mayor Bob Lanier and several major supporters, including outgoing Continental CEO Larry Kellner, held a fund raiser at the Laniers home yesterday. The event was low key, but well attended. In addition, the folks at the Houston Police Officers Union are putting their muscle behind Locke. The Union is sending out several mailers on behalf of Locke. Many are targeting West-side Republicans. One of the most powerful mail pieces set to go out soon features the widow of a slain Houston Police Officer.

As one veteran Houston Police Officer told me, "Gene'll be alright."

This being politics though, people are hedging their bets. Annise Parker's campaign, feeling more confident that she'll make the runoff, is casually chatting up some Locke's major supporters. There's no supporter stealing going on, but the conversations are centering around the "what ifs." As in: "What if Locke doesn't make it, are you going to go to Brown, or would you come over to us?"

All this talk aside, our Dr. Richard Murray has still said this is anybody's game. There's no doubt Locke has a big hill to climb, but no one's saying he can't do it. Everyone just wishes this campaign is a bit more clear cut. And it will be, the day after the election!

HPD: Yea! No murders in 10 days!

2009-10-21T11:06:13-05:00

Both the Houston Police Department and City Council members were excited by one little fact: No one in the city killed anyone for ten days!

HPD sent out a news release touting this lack of violence, and council members talked about this accomplishment this morning:

For the first time in recent memory, the Houston Police Department reported no murders in the city for 10 consecutive days, from October 10 thru October 20.

“The murder rate is nearly impossible to control or predict in any city,” said HPD Chief Harold Hurtt.

He noted that the HPD’s veteran Homicide investigators cannot recall a single week in the past decade without a murder in Houston.

“We welcome this lull in violent crime,” he said, “due, perhaps, to an increased focus of police resources to hot spots throughout the city.”

Year-to-date, 232 murders have been reported in the city compared to
242 during the same time period in 2008, which represents a 4.13% decrease.

So there you go. No one murdered in 10 days. Do you feel safer now?

Red Light camera tug-o-war

2009-10-21T10:52:38-05:00

The City of Houston and Harris County are on opposite sides of the street, facing off over a plan to get drivers to pay up when they try to beat the light. It's a battle over how to punish people who don't pay their red light camera tickets.

The City of Houston believes it can collect millions of dollars in additional red light camera fees if it has a little help from Harris County. But county commissioners are not certain they want to take part.
Spend any time around a busy intersection and it's not too hard to find drivers running red lights. If that intersection is equipped with a camera, you'll get a ticket in the mail, just like driver Andre Lipkins. He's gotten two such tickets over the last two years, and admits he paid neither.

In fact, thousands of red light camera tickets have remained unpaid, leaving the City of Houston with millions of dollars of potential revenue uncollected. Now, the city wants to contract with Harris County to flag car registrations. If you don't pay the camera ticket, you don't get to renew your registration. It's an idea that's unpopular with some commissioners.

Harris County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia said, "The bottom line for me is, are we just going to cause people to end up with more fines and fees that they can't pay, and that's just going to put more people out of compliance, because these are troubled economic times."

Commissioners have put a hold on the potential contract. But over at the city, council member Sue Lovell says the county already flags registrations for the Harris County Toll Road Authority, and this idea is fairly similar. "I think probably there are some legitimate concerns, and we just need to better educate the commissioners about the fact that they already do this," Lovell said.

But commissioners are unconvinced, and until their court acts, there is nothing the city can do to force drivers to pay those red light camera tickets, though some drivers say they pay the fines anyway, to avoid potential problems. Meanwhile, the Toll Authority says it gives ticketed drivers three or four chances to pay and even holds a hearing before flagging their registration. County commissioners are expected to discuss the topic at their next meeting, but a vote isn't expected for at least a week.
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Early voting kicks off today!

2009-10-19T10:32:23-05:00

Early voting kicked off today, and most of the candidates were gathered at the West Gray Multi Service Center. It is traditionally the busiest early voting location. Mayoral candidate Annise Parker was the first major candidate to take advantage of early voting, showing up at 9 this morning. Next up, Gene Locke was expected around 11:15.

Besides the Mayoral hopefuls, I saw a handful of other candidates. Council candidates Stephen Costello, Karen Derr, and Davita Daniels were among some who greated voters.

Those who weren't there got plenty of signage around the area. In my unscientific survey, it appears that candidates Pam Holm and Jack Christie had the most signs.

Sign Vandals target Ronald Green

2009-10-16T14:03:05-05:00

Even though the city of Houston's elections are non-partisan, the very old fashioned political trick of damaging signs is alive and well. Overnight, someone stuck "Republican" stickers all over the campaign signs of Controller candidate Ronald Green.

What makes this ironic is that his two opponents, MJ Khan and Pam Holm, are Republicans. Green, meanwhile, is a Democrat. In a technically "non-partisan" election, this shouldn't be such a big deal. However, Green thinks it's a political dirty trick. We hear some Peter Brown signs got the same treatement.
Then again, we are getting close to election day, and it's just a sign of the times!

Council Member confused over SafeClear subcontractors

2009-10-16T10:25:37-05:00

There was a lot of back and forth this week as council members debated on whether or not to pass a SafeClear contract extension. Everyone agreed that the program worked, but the topic of minority participation kept the City Council debating during the meeting. Namely, several council members thought there wasn't enough minority subcontractors, even though two of the prime contractors are women, and two others are men of South Asian heritage.

"There should be more minority participation in subcontractors," said Council Member Wanda Adams. "But there is zero participation on subcontracts that's on the Safe Clear program. There are zero."

Adams' claims confused Patrick Mason, who is an African-American subcontractor with Safe Clear.
"Not only Black, you have Hispanic, you have all different races on the freeway," he said. Mason works with Jeanette Rash, a female business owner who's been an integral part of Safe Clear. In fact, six of Rash's subcontractors are minority. She even passed out a list of names to Council Members, but not everyone apparently read the list.

By the end of the meeting, a majority of council members voted to extend the Safe Clear contracts and Rash was overcome with emotion. "All I want to do is take care of the citizens, make sure they are safe and let them know we're not the bad guys," she said.

The plan has a three-year extension has been approved. There are also two one-year options that will eventually be voted on by City Council members at that time. In the meantime, some of the participants who have worked on the Safe Clear program for years are gathering together said they are now working to extend the initiative into surrounding communities.
but

Study up on Swine Flu!

2009-10-14T14:40:44-05:00

The City of Houston is attacking swine flu on the informational front. With the H1N1 virus spreading around the country, local health departments are seeing an increase number of calls and questions. Earlier today, City Council approved two different contracts to tackle the virus. It will spend $317,000 to implement a full communications plan for both the seasonal flu and H1N1. In addition, the city is spending another $190,000 to develop a high volume call center to answer your flu-related questions. A full public health campaign is also being implemented.

Term Limits Redux

2009-10-14T14:35:50-05:00

Without much fanfare, the Houston City Council agreed to the creation of a committee to study the often talked about issue of term limits. Currently, the Mayor, Controller, and City Council are elected for two years terms a maximum of three times. While the turnover does ensure fresh blood, critics have felt the short terms create a permanent fundraising cycle for the elected officials, leaving them less time to govern. In addition, it takes a few years to get the hang of City Hall, and just when council members are figuring out how everything works, they have to move on.

Mayor Bill White says he believes in term limits, but thinks the concept can be tweaked a bit. Within the next 30 days, a panel will be appointed to study the issue. White says the panel should come out with recommendations by next June. If they agree on proposed changes (for example 4 year terms with a 12 year limit) then the issue could be brought before voters next November.

A little institutional knowledge wouldn't hurt, because right now there are a lot of long time behind-the-scenes staffers running the real show.

Outgoing Mayor maps out 2010 budget for successor...

2009-10-13T23:04:20-05:00

Miya Shay

What's in a name.. in the controller's race..

2009-10-13T18:02:27-05:00

First of all, condolences to Council Member MJ Khan, whose father just passed away.

We’re sure it wasn’t intentional, but when fellow Controller candidate Pam Holm sent out a press release expressing her thoughts, she misspelled Khan’s name:

“My thoughts and prayers are with Council Member Kahn in his time of grieving after the passing of his father.”

Like I said, we’re certain it’s not intentional, but misspellings on campaign literature always make people pay attention, and not usually in a good way.

That brings us to the campaign for Controller, which has struggled to gain attention in this snoozer of a campaign season. Enter three candidates, all somewhat familiar with Houston voters because all are current city council members. However, that’s where their similarities end.

M.J. Khan, Pam Holm, and Ronald Green are about as different as they come.

First, there’s M.J. Khan. The successful business man has represented Houston City Council District F for the past few years. Originally from Pakistan, Khan has raised an impressive amount of money for his campaign. With several hundred thousand dollars in the bank, Khan just started running a TV ad this week. If you’ll notice, Khan doesn’t talk in the ad. Instead, he relies on “man on the street” type interviews to drive his point across. This is probably a smart strategy, considering Khan has a pretty heavy accent, and it might be a bit challenging to drive the point across in a 30 second ad.

Let’s move on to Pam Holm, a council member of District G. Holm is the former executive director of Scenic Houston, and is a big proponent of quality of life issues. Like Khan, Holm has also raised several hundred of thousands of dollars. She too, has launched a television ad. In her ad, Holm portrays herself as “watchdog” over the city’s dollars. She recently voted against the City of Houston budget, which is a rarity among council members. She does have a barking dog in the ad, which is either effectively drives the point across or is just extra fluff in a television commercial.

The third and final candidate is also a City Council Member: Ronald Green. Many people in the political circles had expected Green to make a bigger splash, but he hasn’t. A lawyer by trade, he’s raised a surprisingly small amount of money. There is no budget for TV ads, and the campaigning activity has been fairly light, comparatively speaking. This is a fairly big surprise. Green had served for two years as the Chair of the Fiscal Affairs Committee on City Council. That experience is considered an ideal spring board for a Controller seat. After all, he did almost nothing but budgets for two years. However, he has failed to make much hay out of his experience.

Who should you trust to count your city dollars? The real answer is, nobody knows. There is no clear front runner. Green, who many people considered would be far ahead at this point, has made a fairly small dent in the campaign for controller. Meanwhile, Khan and Holm will have to prove that they have the financial knowledge to make things happen. A war chest is nice, the ability to read a spread sheet would be better. Maybe we should give these candidates a math test?

The Debate's Winners and Losers

2009-10-09T17:57:35-05:00

The most contentious moment of the debate was over the city's budget deficit. Melanie Lawson asked, "As city controller for the past five years, why didn't you sound the alarm sooner about such a huge deficit?"

Candidate Annise Parker responded, "Actually the mayor and I are very close on our number. I've said that the operating deficit is $102 million. The mayor has said $91 million."

But candidate Gene Locke used that budget question to criticize both Controller Annise Parker and Council Member Peter Brown in one swoop.

"The reality is we've got a problem. The reality is that Peter Brown and Annise Parker have been down there, and they've not sounded the alarm on the problem," Locke said. "Quiet as a church mouse."

Were the candidates on the mark? Mayor Bill White, who isn't backing anyone in the race to replace him, says the actual budget deficit is much smaller and going down daily as the city is making cuts. "I want to say three or four weeks ago it was about $20 to 22 million left," White explained. "I think at a meeting early this week it was down to zero to five million dollars."

So were there any real winners? Council Member Peter Brown already issued a press release claiming he won the debate, but our political consultant says he was the one obvious loser.

"I thought Peter Brown probably has the least sort of style suited to television, choppy hand motions and other things," said KTRK Political Consultant Dr. Richard Murray.

Dr. Murray says since the candidates have very few policy differences, the biggest impact was how they appeared to a TV audience, and whether any of the four candidates actually looked like they could be mayor. "I thought Annise Parker looked like in control, competent," Dr. Murray said. "Gene Locke seemed to be a serious guy and showed at times some passion in discussing issues."

Dr. Murray says Roy Morales, the fourth candidate, has raised just a few thousand dollars, compared to the hundreds of thousands by other candidates and therefore he says Morales won't be a major factor in this election.

The current Mayor gets an award

2009-10-08T13:02:17-05:00

While people are still trying to figure out who is gaining steam in the Mayoral race, the current Mayor, Bill White, is continuing to rack some awards. Today, he received an award during Central Houston's luncheon.

In case you are wondering, the current Mayor isn't endorsing anyone.

The Debate, live blog

2009-10-07T19:04:10-05:00

8:00 The debate ends. Share your thoughts with me. Look for a complete wrap up on Eyewitness News at Ten.

7:48 All three male Mayoral candidates are wearing red dominated ties. Roy Morales just invited Disney to build a theme park in Houston.

7:39 Locke says Brown and Parker have refused to sound the alarm about the City budget: "quiet as a church mouse." Parker says she can't help if if her opponents are "confused" about the budget.

7:30 The City Budget: Morales says he will give himself, and everyone department head a pay cut. Brown says there will be no new taxes, be a more efficient goverment. Parker says no new taxes. Locke says it's not appropriate to raise taxes in tough times.

7:15 question on public safety: Locke points out he was endorsed by police union, Morales says former Mayor Lee Brown cut police cadet classes, Brown wants to get officers from behind desks to streets, Parker says safety is a main concern.

7:07 1st question: how to keep jobs in Houston. Brown answers: I want to creat an office of economic development. Parker describes Houston as a $4 billion dollar corporation. Locke points to his business plan on his website. Morales touts his conservative leadership

7:03 Debate begins! Each candidate is giving a 45 second opening statement. Everyone is on point so far. It's obvious they've prepared. A lot.

The audience

2009-10-07T18:25:07-05:00

Our studio audience of 120 people have arrived. The candidates are also here, getting their makeup and hair done. It's going to be a fun night.

First candidate arrives for the debate

2009-10-07T17:33:22-05:00

Candidate Roy Morales arrives first for the debate. He got here at 5:30. The photo shows him going through security We have several Houston Police Officers for security.

The debate background

2009-10-07T13:38:01-05:00

Update: Each candidate will have their own green room. The first person to arrive is the makeup artist for Annise Parker. Our crews are working full force. I will start live blogging soon.

The stage is set for the Mayoral Debate on ABC 13. There are four podiums, three questioners, and of course, Dave Ward as our moderator! All the excitement starts at 7!

It's Debate Day!

2009-10-07T11:06:43-05:00

What will you be looking for in tonight's debate on ABC 13? Who do you think will win? The debate starts at 7p.m. But for political junkies, the fun starts early. I'll be providing coverage and updates throughout the day on ABC 13 and on this blog! Watch for it, and see you tonight!

Fundraising numbers are in, so now let's debate!

2009-10-06T12:39:15-05:00

Gene Locke, Annise Parker, and Peter Brown all have TV commercials up, and have turned in their latest campaign finance figures.

So, what does that mean? Must be debate time! Wednesday at 7pm, all four major Mayoral candidates will be at the ABC 13 studios for a live debate. We hear they've been very busy. I'll be there covering the event, so make sure you check up on my blog for all the latest behind the scenes photos and updates.

Let's take a quick look at how things stand. On Monday, the latest financial numbers were released, and they didn’t look that promising.

City Controller Annise Parker announced that she had $223,000 cash on hand, which trails her competitors by a wide margin. Although Parker’s campaign people said that she exceeded expectations.

Former City Attorney Gene Locke’s staffers were quick to tout his $1.1 million dollar war chest in a news release yesterday. They pointed out that he raised far more money than either one of his two main competitors.

The most interesting tally came from City Councilman Peter Brown, who reported a campaign fund balance of $1.9 million. However, it’s important to note that most of his funds, $1.7 million, came from his own pocket.

So, how do we read the campaign tea leaves? Very carefully. Even though Parker has less money than her two main opponents, she’s been in elected office longer than anyone else in the campaign. She has some city wide name ID, and she was the second person to buy television advertising. Those are all aspects of the campaign that works to her advantage. However, if she’s not able to sustain the TV ads during this final month, there are going to be problems.

Locke has raised more money than anyone. That’s the good news. However, political insiders have all said they expected him to raise even more money. After all, he has the blessing of former Mayor Bob Lanier, got endorsements from the Houston Professional Firefighters and Police Officers Unions. Locke’s also got a lot of the business community support. Therefore, while he hasn’t done badly on the money front, people had higher expectations.

That brings us to Peter Brown, the man with the plan, and his own money. It is a luxury to be able to self finance a campaign. Brown’s committing more than $2 million dollars of his own money toward his mayoral aspirations. He’s been spending a lot of money on TV. He was the first to go on the air with his commercials, and currently is running his third version. The challenge, however, is whether or not Brown can actually take his high dollar campaign and make an impact.

The wild card in all of this is Roy Morales. As the only Republican in this non-partisan race, Morales certainly stands out. He’s unsuccessfully run for city office before. In addition, his distant fourth place fundraising effort makes it difficult to see how he will get in the runoff. However, what will be interesting is to see if Morales will play the spoiler. With a Republican base and a Hispanic name, Morales may get more votes than his anemic fundraising will suggest. The question is which one of the other three candidates will benefit or hurt from his campaign.

Good News from BARC, big renovations coming.

2009-10-02T08:16:30-05:00

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The City of Houston's Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care today announced plans for a proposed $3.3 million renovation of its current facility.
"We are committed to progress at BARC and these plans, coupled with changes we are making in how the facility operates, will help make a positive difference," said Elena Marks, Director of Health and Environmental Policy in the office of Mayor Bill White, who is helping direct the reorganization of BARC.

The existing BARC facility, at 3200 Carr in the Fifth Ward, includes two kennel buildings completed in 1990 (north) and 2004 (south). The property also includes an administration building and a warehouse.

The proposed renovation plan calls for:
Replacing the kennels in the north building with a new facility similar to the south building, with 200 appropriately sized cages
Adding a new modular facility for cat housing and renovating the first floor of the north building to include cat "condos"
Renovating and enlarging the surgery area in the north building to enable a higher volume of spay/neuter services (up to 50/day)
Improving public access by adding a new public parking area

Some $3.3 million has been secured in the city's capital improvements plan to fund the work. The new modular facility for cats will be in place within 30 days, and the construction of the remaining improvements is expected to be under way in June 2010.

Belt Tightening in Harris County!

2009-09-30T17:53:11-05:00

Here you go: No more travel and a hiring freeze at Harris County! No fun, you say? Just a sign of the times.

Baby Rodriguez

2009-09-30T11:36:24-05:00

Council Member James Rodriguez brought his six week old son to City Council this morning. For about two minutes, politics were forgotten as Council Members ohh'd and ahh'd. Then, it was back to business.

They need more space at Commissioners Court

2009-09-29T09:36:06-05:00

It was a packed house this morning at Harris County Commissioners Court this morning. With the mid year review of the budget and other items on the agenda, Judge Ed Emmett had to try and clear out the room. He didn't want to get into trouble with the Fire Marshal, so he asked some people to step outside until their agenda item was called.

This is a constant issue at Commissioners Court. They need a bigger space! There are many small towns with bigger meeting spaces. However, given the current budget situation, I doubt that will happen.

Big Changes coming to Market Square

2009-09-29T08:10:14-05:00

It was one of the first public squares set aside by the Allen brothers. Now it's going to get a much needed facelift. Market Square Park is bordered by Travis, Milam, Congress and Preston. It was originally the center of Houston's business district. With the opening of Discovery Green and the Houston Pavilions, the south part of downtown Houston has been the center of attention. But business owners in the oldest part of the city were feeling a bit left out. They are hoping that's about to change.
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"It's not really useful. There's nothing really to do there," said Market Square employee Jessica Garza. "It's kind of like boring space."

Garza works at a sandwich shop next to the square. Its lack of usefulness has proved frustrating for businesses trying to survive in Houston's historic district.

"I don't really know what I would want anymore," said Market Square business owner Mike Shapiro. "Something that would bring people down here, but I don't think anything is going to bring them down here, not a park." Long time business owner Shapiro may be skeptical, but the Downtown District is about to completely overhaul Market Square. In artistic renderings, the new design would include a food kiosk, art walks and even a dog park, all designed to attract more residents and boost business.

"We don't believe it's too little too late," insisted Downtown District spokesperson Bob Eury. "We believe it's going to be a very significant addition to the historic district."

The reconstruction of the park is expected to take about six months. Businesses surrounding Market Square are hoping for a big improvement after it's completed. Construction is scheduled to start before Thanksgiving, with completion date for the park is around next year's Memorial Day holiday. The estimated cost for the park is $3 million. It will be paid for by using tax increment reinvestment zone funds, not personal property taxes.

When politics comes full circle

2009-09-25T08:04:27-05:00

Politics works in mysterious ways. Sometimes it puts a smile on your face, often, it does not. But it did yesterday.

Last night, a few hundred people gathered at the Chinese Consulate to welcome a new Consul General. If you've never been to the Chinese Consulate, it's the giant, imposing building right in front of Griff's along Montrose. Depending on the event that's being held in one of two giant, multi-story reception rooms, there are generally a few off duty officers working security out front.

Inside, hundreds of guests toasted, clapped, and did all the politically correct things that people do at such gatherings. Among them was Council Member Ed Gonzalez, who presented a City Proclamation, and was introduced as an "honored guest." When we chatted a few minutes later, he remarked that it was the first time he's been inside the building.

"A few years ago," mused Gonzalez, " I worked security out front one night. I never came inside, because I was just doing my security thing, but I did wonder what it looked like."

Fast forward a few years and an election cycle later, the former Houston police officer will never again stand out front, directing guests away from fast moving cars along Montrose. He has become, an honored guest. Now, that's full circle! Ed is pictured here with Houston businessmen David Durham and Don Hooper.

"I remember looking in.. and saying, one day," Gonzalez said half-jokingly. It just goes to show you that it pays to be nice to everyone, from the bat boy (Council Member James Rodriguez) to security officers. Now, Gonzalez did show up with zero staff. That too, I'm sure, will change with time.