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May 7th, 2009:

Joe for Galveston

May 7th, 2009
by Charles Kuffner.
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From my inbox, some good news from Joe Jaworski:

Galveston matters, and the Island’s next Mayor must ensure this message is clearly understood: Galveston is more than a storm ravaged Island with a history; it is an iconic Texas coastal community with a future!

It’s time to make it official: I announce my candidacy to become Galveston’s next Mayor. The election is one year away on May 8, 2010, and I’m looking forward to leading a robust, positive campaign for Galveston’s future.

The Joe Jaworski for Galveston Mayor Campaign believes that Galveston matters, and it’s our intention to broadcast that message positively and often. We begin by announcing the launch of our campaign website www.JoeForGalveston.com. Please visit our website, review the issues, email me your views, sign up to volunteer, add your name to our list of supporters and help us raise the money we need to reach every voter by making a secure contribution online via credit card. The www.JoeForGalveston.com website will be our primary communication tool, and we’ll maximize our campaign’s presence on social networking sites such as Facebook, Youtube and the like, so stay tuned.

Our campaign proudly acknowledges support from both on and off the Island; that’s one of our strengths. Galveston is coming back, and whatever your zipcode – especially after Ike – we are all Galvestonians! So join our campaign to show your support for Galveston’s brightest future.

Ultimately, this campaign is about Galveston’s future and the Galveston voters who will step up and make this campaign something we can all be proud of. Here’s my pledge to you: We’ll campaign the same way we’ll lead: expect a clear, positive and thoughtful campaign where we will adress issues, determine priorities and draft an action plan. The election is a year away, but Galveston’s future begins now.

I’m asking for your vote and your support. I’m running to be Galveston’s next Mayor because I’m ready to work for you every day to show the world that Galveston’s best days are ahead.

Jaworski is a heck of a guy who ran a strong campaign for SD11 under some tough circumstances last year and who recently helped force a settlement with UTMB over the faculty and staff it laid off after Hurricane Ike. He’ll make an excellent Mayor for Galveston, and I heartily support his candidacy.

“Houston Have Your Say” on the economy

May 7th, 2009
by Charles Kuffner.
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Tune in to KUHT (Houston PBS channel eight) tonight at 7 PM for another edition of Houston Have Your Say. Tonight’s topic is the economy, about which I think we can all agree there is much to be said. Ree-C and I will be behind the scenes as usual, posting our observations about the proceedings as well as the occasional 80s TV reference to the Houston Have Your Say blog. Tune in, call in, leave comments – you know the drill. See you tonight!

Perry’s poll

May 7th, 2009
by Charles Kuffner.
1 comment

For your reading pleasure, a poll of Republican primary voters (PDF) by Rick Perry’s pollster Mike Baselice that shows a 45-39 lead by Kay Bailey Hutchison. You can read a poll memo to supporters that spins the results, but the points I’ll make are as follows.

1. The basic result feels about right to me. I think KBH is a favorite, but never underestimate Rick Perry in a nasty political campaign. As I’ve observed before, Perry has had all the initiative in this fight so far. I keep waiting for KBH to show up and try to set the terms of the debate on turf more favorable to her. I’m sure she has a strategy that goes beyond simply being herself, but I couldn’t tell you what it is. Perry’s strategy may not be one that will appeal to all that many people, but at least he has an identifiable plan.

2. Having said that, isn’t it a bit odd for a two-term incumbent to tout a poll that shows him trailing? The basic message here is “We’re not losing by as much as y’all think we are.” Seems like a strange thing to brag about.

3. I’m fascinated by the lopsided amount of blame being put on “Washington Republicans” as opposed to “Texas Republicans” for the GOP being on the wrong track. One wonders who they mean by that – John Boehner? Mitch McConnell? Michael Steele? George W. Bush? I’d argue that almost all of their problems can be laid at the feet of the latter, but given the amount of fealty he still commands from the rump of the party, it’s hard to imagine that’s who they mean. And will they feel that way about Big John “Chair of the NRSC” Cornyn in the event the Senate GOP caucus gets reduced again in 2010?

4. I continue to wonder what a poll that also included Debra Medina and Leo Berman might look like. I doubt they’d grab more than a few points, but in a close race that could matter, and I don’t really know who’d give up more of their share to them. I’ll be very interested to see the June finance reports to see if either of them has raised any real money.

5. What do you suppose KBH’s pollster’s numbers look like? Perhaps they’ll feel compelled to leak their own results so we can compare. Here’s a non-poll response from him, for what it’s worth.

UPDATE: Via Texas Politics, a new Rasmussen poll shows Perry with a 42-38 lead. Still not great numbers for an incumbent, but it beats being behind. This bit is my favorite:

Perry leads by 15 percentage points among conservative voters but Hutchison leads by 35 points among the moderates.

Which should give you some idea of the ratio of “conservatives” to “moderates” in the sample. Good luck courting the base, Kay.

TRCC survives sunsetting

May 7th, 2009
by Charles Kuffner.
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Here’s Blogabear‘s view of HB2295, the bill to sunset the Texas Residential Construction Commission, aka the TRCC. And here’s John Coby‘s view of it. I sure hope the former is closer to the truth, because it passed, though with some decent amendments added. I still think we’d be better off if the damn thing were trashed, but that ain’t happening. Martha on Twitter has the blow-by-blow.

You kids hang up and drive!

May 7th, 2009
by Charles Kuffner.
1 comment

Some action on the cellphones and driving front.

The House tonight tentatively approved a bill restricting teens’ use of cellphones until they’re 18 and overhauling driver’s ed requirements in Texas. The bill would require all new teen drivers to have an additional 20 hours of behind the wheel experience, 10 of them at night, before they could get a driver’s license. And it would lengthen the ban on a new teen driver having more than one passenger under 21 in the car. The ban now last six months, but would be for the first year under the bill, passed on a voice vote.

Rep. Larry Phillips, R-Sherman, said he offered the bill after the community of Pottsboro in Grayson County had two teens killed in car crashes in one month. Parents there formed a group, “Less Tears, More Years.” They campaigned for more parental awareness of the risks of today’s teen driving — and more driver ed.

That one wasn’t on my list of bills to watch earlier in the session, but it’s been passed to engrossment (meaning, it was passed on second reading; it still needs final approval in the House) and assuming it doesn’t become a casualty of the calendar, I imagine it will pass the Senate, though I suppose some of the driver’s ed provisions might generate some debate. I don’t see anything particularly onerous in this, so unless someone knows of a hidden danger lurking in there, I think this is worthwhile. And according to Atrios, similar restrictions are being worked on in the Pennsylvania legislature.

You kids hang up and drive!

May 7th, 2009
by Charles Kuffner.
2 comments

Some action on the cellphones and driving front.

The House tonight tentatively approved a bill restricting teens’ use of cellphones until they’re 18 and overhauling driver’s ed requirements in Texas. The bill would require all new teen drivers to have an additional 20 hours of behind the wheel experience, 10 of them at night, before they could get a driver’s license. And it would lengthen the ban on a new teen driver having more than one passenger under 21 in the car. The ban now last six months, but would be for the first year under the bill, passed on a voice vote.

Rep. Larry Phillips, R-Sherman, said he offered the bill after the community of Pottsboro in Grayson County had two teens killed in car crashes in one month. Parents there formed a group, “Less Tears, More Years.” They campaigned for more parental awareness of the risks of today’s teen driving — and more driver ed.

That one wasn’t on my list of bills to watch earlier in the session, but it’s been passed to engrossment (meaning, it was passed on second reading; it still needs final approval in the House) and assuming it doesn’t become a casualty of the calendar, I imagine it will pass the Senate, though I suppose some of the driver’s ed provisions might generate some debate. I don’t see anything particularly onerous in this, so unless someone knows of a hidden danger lurking in there, I think this is worthwhile. And according to Atrios, similar restrictions are being worked on in the Pennsylvania legislature.

More candidates

May 7th, 2009
by Charles Kuffner.
3 comments

I was just saying to someone the other day that while I thought the fields for the upcoming city races were largely set, there would certainly be a few more candidates appearing between now and the filing deadline. Lo and behold, here are three of which I’m recently aware. Two of them are running for At Large #4: Jay Green, president of the Shady Acres Civic Club, and Sandra Dahlke, whose “Issues” and “Supporters” links open in a new window and give you a 404 error. Probably better to get that sort of thing ironed out before you go live, but there you have it.

Also on the scene is a new Mayoral candidate, TJ Huntley (warning: auto-starting video), who got a mention on the Chron’s Houston Politics blog.

“Like Bill White, I am good in business,” he told us.

But unlike White, Lanier and this year’s crop of better known candidates, Huntley lacks a college degree and says he has never been to a City Council meeting. His real estate business, which he frequently manages via laptop computer from various Starbucks stores in Houston, is in Missouri, he says. He has lived here for about 8 years, he says, because he likes the place. He does not own a home in Houston.

Yeah, I’m thinking that might not go over so well.

Huntley’s entry into the race was too late to get an invitation to the Mayoral forum on the arts on Tuesday; more on that is here. Which, honestly, is fine by me. I’d rather these events were limited to the candidates who have some remote hope of winning. Your mileage may vary.

Finally, this seems as good a place as any to pass along the information that there will be another Mayoral forum, this one hosted by the Texas Business Alliance and focusing on small business development, on Thursday, May 21, at 6 PM at Texas Southern University. A press release from the TBA with details is beneath the fold.

UPDATE: I’ve received some feedback that despite her campaign website, Sandra Dahlke is no longer a candidate for Council.

(more…)

More candidates

May 7th, 2009
by Charles Kuffner.
1 comment

I was just saying to someone the other day that while I thought the fields for the upcoming city races were largely set, there would certainly be a few more candidates appearing between now and the filing deadline. Lo and behold, here are three of which I’m recently aware. Two of them are running for At Large #4: Jay Green, president of the Shady Acres Civic Club, and Sandra Dahlke, whose “Issues” and “Supporters” links open in a new window and give you a 404 error. Probably better to get that sort of thing ironed out before you go live, but there you have it.

Also on the scene is a new Mayoral candidate, TJ Huntley (warning: auto-starting video), who got a mention on the Chron’s Houston Politics blog.

“Like Bill White, I am good in business,” he told us.

But unlike White, Lanier and this year’s crop of better known candidates, Huntley lacks a college degree and says he has never been to a City Council meeting. His real estate business, which he frequently manages via laptop computer from various Starbucks stores in Houston, is in Missouri, he says. He has lived here for about 8 years, he says, because he likes the place. He does not own a home in Houston.

Yeah, I’m thinking that might not go over so well.

Huntley’s entry into the race was too late to get an invitation to the Mayoral forum on the arts on Tuesday; more on that is here. Which, honestly, is fine by me. I’d rather these events were limited to the candidates who have some remote hope of winning. Your mileage may vary.

Finally, this seems as good a place as any to pass along the information that there will be another Mayoral forum, this one hosted by the Texas Business Alliance and focusing on small business development, on Thursday, May 21, at 6 PM at Texas Southern University. A press release from the TBA with details is beneath the fold.

UPDATE: I’ve received some feedback that despite her campaign website, Sandra Dahlke is no longer a candidate for Council.

(more…)