City Controller Annise Parker is running unopposed for reelection, so the profile on that race didn't appear till today and really isn't about her campaign anyway.
Parker, a lesbian who became Houston's first openly gay elected official when she won an at-large City Council seat in 1997, is working against Proposition 2, which would put a ban on same-sex marriage into the state constitution."I've never had so much free time during an election season," she said, noting that she had expected opponents might try to ride anti-gay votes drawn to the polls by the proposed constitutional amendment.
"With Proposition 2 on the ballot, I thought it would be a repeat of 2001, where fringe candidates used the opportunity to make personal attacks," she said.
That year, when she won her third term on the council, a measure prohibiting the city from offering benefits to city employees' unmarried domestic partners was on the ballot. It passed. Parker retained her seat.
"I am who I am, and these are the issues I care about," she said, acknowledging that it will be almost impossible to defeat Proposition 2 statewide.
"I hope Houston defeats it and sends a message that at least here, that kind of thing doesn't get play."
Given that Parker is now in a comfortable position to end her terms without any serious negatives on her record, one wonders what's next for her.
The controller's office sometimes has been a political stepping-stone. Kathy Whitmire went from controller to mayor in 1982, and Sylvia Garcia left the controller's office to become a county commissioner in 2003.Parker, widely mentioned as a potential mayoral candidate in 2009 if White serves the six years permitted under city term limits, left the door open.
"I want to stay involved in politics and like local government," she said. "If you start looking beyond the job you have, you don't do a good a job."
Actually she has a better chance to be mayor than Adrian Garcia b/c she has been elected at large now FIVE times while Garcia has only been elected by one-ninth of the city but then again NO legislator meaning council member or state representative or us representative will be mayor becuase it will always be an executive person who has managed big things but never has been elected a legislator just like president of the United States will go to governors not us senators. Michael Berry, Orlando Sanchez and Sylvester Turner, Chris Bell, George Greanias, Helen Huey and Gracie Saenz will not became mayor for the same reasons Parker and Garcia will not become Houston Mayor.
Posted by: Burt Levine on November 6, 2005 10:09 PMi have to second burt's comments regarding garcia. he is very smooth in public, but consider that his background required being smooth as part of the public relations campaign in the Anti-Gang Unit, where the under-achieving kim ogg was his supervisor. from what i saw as a former city employee, his training was not substantive. as a latecomer to your blog, i am interested in what you see in him.
Posted by: paperpusher on November 8, 2005 1:40 PMPaperpusher: His constituent service has been excellent, he's been a leader in the fight to ensure that any widening of I-45 does not damage the existing neighborhoods, and he's everywhere you look. I have nothing but positive things to say about his term as District H council member.
Posted by: Charles Kuffner on November 8, 2005 2:42 PMthanks. one thing that can be said for lanier is that anyone who ascended during his 6 years learned that they had to respond to calls and letters.
Posted by: paperpusher on November 10, 2005 2:34 PM