Our Mayor’s race is getting some national attention, as the New York Times gives it a writeup, with a primary focus on Annise Parker. Greg goes over the basics, so I’ll leave that to him, and I’ll just make note of this:
In a televised debate on Oct. 25, for instance, [Parker] was asked if she would push for a referendum to give benefits to the same-sex partners of city workers. A similar measure was soundly defeated in the past.
Ms. Parker has lived with her partner for 19 years and has two adopted children, so she has a personal stake in the question, but she replied that, while she supported the idea, she had “no current plan to offer that for a referendum.”
“Personally it’s very important,” she said, “but, as mayor of Houston, do I want to engage resources in fighting that battle, or do I want to tackle the budget? Do I want to tackle drainage? Do I want to try to put more police officers on the street? It’s the difference between the personal and what this city needs.”
I understand that position, and I agree with her priorities, but I do hope that once the budget has been tamed and the other issues get addressed that she will come back to this. It’s a stain on the city that needs to be cleansed. I feel confident that it will pass the next time it gets brought to a vote, so it’s just a matter of when it happens. I have the same hope for Peter Brown and Gene Locke should one of them win the election. It’s time for Houston’s charter to catch up with the rest of the city.
This interview and the one in the Houston Chronicle just reflects the reality for some that her own community has never really been a priority for Annise Parker and never will be. She has done little and now promises to do even less. Hope she does better with the other minority communities.
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