Category Archives: Election 2015

Chron race overview: District G

Posted on October 17, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Only two open district Council seats this cycle, and the open District G race has only two candidates. Sandie Mullins Moger and Greg Travis, candidates for Houston City Council District G, have similar objectives in their bids to represent the … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Bonds, five bonds

Posted on October 17, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

There are four Harris County bond issues on the ballot this fall. The Chron supports them all, with some reservations. I’m just going to focus on the first one, since it’s by far the biggest and the one for which … Continue reading →

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Interview with Chris Bell

Posted on October 16, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We come to the end of this week of Mayoral candidate interviews. I still have one more to go, which will run on Monday, and I will have one more (non-Mayoral) interview to run after that. Today we have Chris … Continue reading →

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Who cares about Bob McNair?

Posted on October 16, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Another bad decision. Houston Texans owner Bob McNair donated $10,000 this week to opponents of the city’s embattled equal rights ordinance, entering the political fray over the law headed to voters in November. McNair, a frequent GOP donor, mailed the … Continue reading →

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Turner’s public agency work

Posted on October 16, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

A lot of the attacks in the Mayoral campaign so far have been aimed at Adrian Garcia, in part to knock him out of second place where he is perceived to be, and in part because there’s some real material … Continue reading →

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Interview with Steve Costello

Posted on October 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We continue with Mayoral candidate interviews. Steve Costello is finishing up his third term as Council Member, At Large position 1, where he has served as chair of the Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee and chair of the Transportation Policy … Continue reading →

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30 day finance reports, citywide races

Posted on October 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a brief summary of the 30 Day campaign finance reports that I’ve been able to find, some of which are on this page and some of which are findable via the normal campaign finance report website, and all of … Continue reading →

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Chron race overview: District H

Posted on October 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

A look at the race in District H, to succeed the term-limited CM Ed Gonzalez. Roland Chavez views city leadership from a labor management perspective with an eye to curbing overtime and ensuring retirement benefits for city workers. He retired … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: The state propositions

Posted on October 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

There are seven constitutional amendments awaiting your vote on the November ballot. The Chron evaluates them. Proposition 1 The amendment would boost homestead exemption amounts for school district property taxes from $15,000 to $25,000. It also would reduce the amount … Continue reading →

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Interview with Bill King

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We continue with Mayoral candidate interviews. There are many candidates running for Mayor of Houston this year, but only one who has actually been a Mayor before – Bill King, who served two terms as Mayor of Kemah. King is … Continue reading →

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Chron race overview: At Large #1

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Chron overview of the race to succeed term limited Council Member (now Mayoral candidate) Steve Costello in At Large #1. M. “Griff” Griffin A perennial candidate in Houston politics, Griffin is running for the council for the 11th … Continue reading →

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Race and runoffs and Turner

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Everyone agrees that Sylvester Turner will be one of the candidates to make it to the runoff for Mayor this year. But what happens then? Yet, to succeed term-limited Mayor Annise Parker, Turner, an African-American, will need to broaden his … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Changing term limits

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron endorses City Proposition 2, which would change the current system of term limits from three two-year terms to two four-year terms. If our leaders know they’ll be judged by a six-year timeline, there’s little incentive to plan for … Continue reading →

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Interview with Marty McVey

Posted on October 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We continue with Mayoral candidate interviews. Marty McVey is making his first run for elective office, in Houston or anywhere else. A businessman, McVey is the founder and shareholder of private equity businesses in the Real Estate, Energy Services and … Continue reading →

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KHOU poll: Turner 19, King and Garcia 9

Posted on October 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Our third poll result in the past week. Sylvester Turner remains the front-runner, but Adrian Garcia has lost his once firm grip on second place and Bill King rises into the top tier of contenders in the race for Houston … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Did we mention that you should vote for HERO?

Posted on October 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron reiterates its endorsement of the HERO. All’s fair in love and local politics, we presume, although a campaign of fear-mongering and false claims against Houston’s equal rights ordinance is unworthy of this city. HERO, Proposition 1 on the … Continue reading →

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Interview with Sylvester Turner

Posted on October 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We are officially down to the wire. The last group of interviews I have to do is with Mayoral candidates. I’ve got six of them for you, which will run through Friday this week plus Monday next week, in the … Continue reading →

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Chron race overview: At Large #4

Posted on October 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

With all of the Mayoral profiles done (*), the Chron turns its attention to the other open seat races. Here’s their profile of At Large #4. Laurie Robinson kicked off her campaign in December 2014, almost a year before Election … Continue reading →

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More focus on inequality

Posted on October 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Good to see. As Houston’s mayoral candidates spar over the city’s largely agreed upon top issues – finances, infrastructure and public safety – a fourth policy concern is percolating: economic inequality. Concerns about disparity underpin discussions about the city’s revenue … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Going for Turner

Posted on October 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The Chronicle endorses Sylvester Turner for Mayor. Because there is no perfect candidate on the ballot, voters should look for someone who has the talents best suited to fixing the problems that currently threaten Houston’s long-term success: Sylvester Turner. For … Continue reading →

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Mimi Swartz’s Mayoral campaign rant

Posted on October 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here it is. What if they held a mayoral race and nobody came? That’s the question plaguing many people currently involved in Houston politics—even if no one else in town is asking it. This phenomenon isn’t entirely new: in 2009,* … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Gallegos in I

Posted on October 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron endorses CM Robert Gallegos for re-election in District I. Two years ago we wrote that District I was the face of Houston’s future, filled with key landmarks, booming growth and changing neighborhoods. During his first term on City … Continue reading →

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HRBC poll: Turner 24, King 18

Posted on October 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Looks like we’re going to see more polling than usual this cycle. This was sent as a press release from the Bill King campaign, which was kind enough to forward the full poll data to me when I requested it: … Continue reading →

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Finally, some coverage on the pension issue

Posted on October 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I kid, I kid. Like it or not, HERO or not, it’s what this race has been about. The top candidates for Houston mayor are talking far more about the city’s growing cost of retiree benefits than voters are, which … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Four for HISD

Posted on October 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here are the Chron endorsements for HISD Board of Trustees. The endorsements of incumbents Rhonda Skillern-Jones and Juliet Stipeche were expected and easily justified, so not particularly remarkable. The other two are worth comment. District III: Manuel Rodriguez Our choice … Continue reading →

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HAR poll

Posted on October 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

And some more good news here. With less than four weeks to go before the election, the Houston mayoral race remains “fluid,” according to a new poll commissioned by the Houston Association of REALTORS® (HAR). The poll finds Adrian Garcia … Continue reading →

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30 day finance reports: Pro- and anti-HERO

Posted on October 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news here. Supporters of Houston’s contentious equal rights ordinance raked in $1.26 million during seven weeks of official fundraising, more than doubling opponents’ efforts and fueling a fierce and frenzied media campaign to court voters before the law … Continue reading →

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Chron Mayoral profile: Sylvester Turner

Posted on October 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This is the seventh (and last!) in a series of profiles on the top candidates running for mayor in Houston. Sylvester Turner followed his mother’s wisdom like a beacon, through the University of Houston, where he graduated magna cum laude … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: HCC incumbents

Posted on October 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron endorses the two HCC incumbents, in the two contested elections. District III: Adriana Tamez Voters should vote to give Adriana Tamez another term to continue fostering change at the Houston Community College system. Tamez, a Denver Harbor native, … Continue reading →

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Interview with Lou Weaver

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This week’s interviews are going to be about the referendum for the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, which the Supreme Court ordered to be on the ballot. It is City of Houston Proposition 1, with a Yes vote being in favor … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: For Ellen

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron endorses CM Ellen Cohen for a third term. District council members don’t usually make national headlines, but last summer Councilwoman Ellen Cohen got her 15 minutes of fame while questioning Pastor Betty Riggle’s opposition to Houston’s equal rights … Continue reading →

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Interview with Monica Roberts

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This week’s interviews are going to be about the referendum for the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, which the Supreme Court ordered to be on the ballot. It is City of Houston Proposition 1, with a Yes vote being in favor … Continue reading →

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Mail ballot update

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Carl Whitmarsh forwarded me a breakdown of all mail ballot applications that have been received by the County Clerk’s office as of Friday, October 2. I saved the file here, but for ease of discussion here’s a screenshot: That’s a … Continue reading →

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Interview with Richard Carlbom

Posted on October 5, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This week’s interviews are going to be about the referendum for the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, which the Supreme Court ordered to be on the ballot. It is City of Houston Proposition 1, with a Yes vote being in favor … Continue reading →

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