Tag Archives: Election 2015

NCAA lays down a marker on anti-LGBT legislation

Posted on August 1, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Hope the Lege is paying attention, because they can’t say they haven’t been warned. The NBA and NCAA may have just dealt a preemptive, one-two knockout punch to anti-LGBT bills in the upcoming Texas Legislature, which convenes in January. First, … Continue reading →

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July finance reports for State Rep candidates

Posted on July 26, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, it’s July, and you know what that means: Campaign finance reports! There aren’t many State Rep races of interest this November, but there are four that I wanted to look at. HD134 Rep. Sarah Davis Ben Rose Name Raised … Continue reading →

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What will the NBA do with Charlotte?

Posted on July 17, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

We are still waiting to see if NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will follow through with a threat to move the NBA All-Star Game out of Charlotte after North Carolina passed its odious anti-LGBT law HB2. Houston’s 2015 defeat of Proposition … Continue reading →

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Montgomery County Judge suspended for road bond allegations

Posted on July 1, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This just keeps getting better. A state commission has suspended Montgomery County Judge Craig Doyal without pay after a grand jury charged him with violating Texas’ open meetings law while developing a bond package for new and improved roads. The … Continue reading →

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Still waiting for a design for I-45

Posted on June 30, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Pull up a chair and relax, this could take awhile. After 15 years of discussion, study and ideas for improvements ranging from enormous tunnels to a massive circulating freeway loop, planners are still at least six months from unveiling their … Continue reading →

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Montgomery County officials indicted over road bond shenanigans

Posted on June 28, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I know I’m a bad person, but this continues to amuse me greatly. A grand jury has indicted Montgomery County Judge Craig Doyal and two commissioners, charging them with violating Texas’ open meetings law last year while developing a bond … Continue reading →

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Turner reiterates the need to rethink transportation

Posted on May 19, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

New audience, same theme. Houston’s transportation future – and perhaps its economic vitality – relies on more options than new freeway lanes to make room for more cars, Mayor Sylvester Turner said Tuesday. “The solution is to increasingly take advantage … Continue reading →

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So far, so good for Mayor Turner

Posted on May 14, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

That’s the general consensus of his first four-plus months in office. Faced with a $160 million budget shortfall that would leave some wringing their hands until deadline day, Mayor Sylvester Turner presented his plan a month ahead of schedule. The … Continue reading →

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Mayor Turner delivers State of the City 2016

Posted on May 6, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the press release. Flooding, pensions, City finances and public safety were front and center as Mayor Sylvester Turner delivered his first State of the City before the Greater Houston Partnership. In a major move designed to produce tangible results … Continue reading →

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Dan Patrick supports potty package check legislation

Posted on April 28, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Of course he does. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, weighing into a national controversy over transgender restrooms, said Tuesday he supports keeping men out of women’s restrooms, even if it takes legislation to do so. Since the issue erupted into controversy … Continue reading →

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Why North Carolina and not Houston?

Posted on April 19, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

John Nova Lomax asks why Houston has not suffered the same backlash as North Carolina after the repeal of HERO last November. In the aftermath of the repeal of Houston’s Equal Rights Ordinance in November, the bill’s proponents predicted dire economic consequences. … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Fundraising for the next city election cycle has begun

Posted on April 11, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Whether you realized it or not. Last year’s court ruling undoing Houston’s fundraising ban during non-election seasons means that the city’s contribution cycles reset immediately after last year’s general and runoff elections, according to the city, instead of in early … Continue reading →

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Strategizing for the next HERO fight

Posted on April 7, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Good move. Stung by setbacks related to their access to public restrooms, transgender Americans are taking steps to play a more prominent and vocal role in a nationwide campaign to curtail discrimination against them. Two such initiatives are being launched … Continue reading →

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We haven’t heard the last of TMF

Posted on April 3, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

He’ll be back. State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer says he laments nothing about a failed gambit for the state Senate that will end his 16-year stint with the Texas Legislature. The boisterous San Antonio Democrat, however, is leaving office at … Continue reading →

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City wins first round of term limits ballot language lawsuit

Posted on March 31, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It’s round one, of course, but it’s still a win. The ballot language Houston voters used to change term limits for elected officials was “inartful” but not “invalid,” a state district judge ruled Wednesday, a move that nonetheless left the … Continue reading →

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The Purple City plan for I-45

Posted on March 22, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Check it out. Should a major freeway plan consider the needs of cyclists? Of transit riders? And if we’re going to tear down and reconstruct the entire downtown freeway network of the fourth-largest city in America, shouldn’t the final result … Continue reading →

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What’s next for Adrian Garcia?

Posted on March 6, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

We haven’t seen the last of him, I suspect. In less than a year, former Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia has gone from being the top Democratic elected official in Harris County to an also-ran in back-to-back elections. Garcia’s resounding … Continue reading →

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Texas Monthly long read on transgender issues

Posted on March 5, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Mostly about someone I know, as it happens. Boy. Girl. Man. Woman. These terms reflect a binary view of gender. Our language doesn’t allow for the in-between. And yet there are girly girls and tomboys; fey men and macho ones. … Continue reading →

Posted in Society and cultcha | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Hotze gets official hater status

Posted on February 23, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Congratulations, I guess. After more than 30 years of anti-gay activism, Steven Hotze picked up the equivalent of a lifetime achievement award from the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) on Wednesday. The Alabama civil rights group labeled Hotze’s Conservative Republicans … Continue reading →

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Questioning CM Le’s residency

Posted on February 21, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This sort of thing is practically a tradition in District F. Houston City Councilman Steve Le last month became the fourth man to represent District F in the last seven years, and the third to face questions over whether he … Continue reading →

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Term limits plaintiffs respond to dismissal motion

Posted on February 17, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It’s about what you’d expect. Last November Houston voters approved an amendment to the city charter that changed the length and maximum number of terms elected officials can serve. The lawsuit by Phillip Paul Bryant alleges the language on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Pasadena plaintiffs get details on Mayor’s campaign spending

Posted on February 13, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A federal judge said Wednesday that a political action committee aligned with Pasadena Mayor Johnny Isbell must turn over hundreds of pages of internal documents in an ongoing lawsuit over the voting rights of Hispanic and Latino residents. Attorneys … Continue reading →

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Term limits lawsuit against city could be dismissed

Posted on February 12, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This was unexpected. Last November, Houston voters approved an amendment to the City Charter that changed the length and maximum number of terms elected officials can serve. The lawsuit by Phillip Paul Bryant alleges the language on the ballot tricked … Continue reading →

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Overview of two Bexar County legislative primaries

Posted on February 11, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The turnover of Bexar County’s Democratic legislative caucus continues apace. With the departures in 2015 of Mike Villarreal and Jose Menendez (succeeded by Diego Bernal and Ina Minjarez, respectively) and the departures this year by Joe Farias, Trey Martinez-Fischer, and … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Succeeding Sylvester

Posted on February 4, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron makes its choice for HD139. We encourage Democratic Party voters to look for a candidate who will emulate Turner’s successful model of connecting constituents’ interests with the levers of state power in Austin. We believe that Kimberly Willis … Continue reading →

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Resign to run has kicked in for Council members

Posted on January 29, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Another change that our new term limits law has wrought. Houston elected officials who become a candidate for another elected office are now automatically required to resign their current seat, uncharted territory for city officeholders who previously had not been … Continue reading →

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When will there be a special election to fill Mayor Turner’s legislative term?

Posted on January 12, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Leader News brings up a point that I haven’t seen mentioned elsewhere, namely that HD139 is now vacant since the inauguration of Mayor Sylvester Turner. They have their top-of-page-one story devoted to this, but of course you can’t find … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Pasadena activists want details on their Mayor’s campaign spending

Posted on January 8, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A group of Hispanic voters that accuses the city of Pasadena of diluting its voting rights is asking that a political action committee with ties to the mayor turn over records of communications with voters. The PAC — Committee … Continue reading →

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Mayor Turner sworn in

Posted on January 5, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The new era begins. Lauding Houston as a city where, “when you dream big, big things can happen,” Mayor Sylvester Turner delivered his inaugural address Monday morning at a packed Jones Hall downtown. Turner also announced his first policy plan, … Continue reading →

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The challenges transgender children face

Posted on January 2, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

At least now we’re starting to talk about those challenges openly. One month after voters in Houston rejected an equal rights ordinance that proponents say would have protected transgender people from discrimination, Ben and his parents, Ann and Jim Elder … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: Controller runoff

Posted on December 31, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

One last election to review: Dist Brown Frazer ====================== A 5,232 7,918 B 13,161 2,616 C 15,244 15,726 D 16,390 4,197 E 6,118 16,073 F 3,890 3,527 G 8,775 21,762 H 6,558 3,117 I 5,253 2,731 J 2,794 2,763 K … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: At Large #5 runoff

Posted on December 30, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Our last Council runoff review: Dist Christie Moses ====================== A 8,729 3,657 B 3,273 11,539 C 17,743 8,757 D 5,285 13,847 E 16,652 4,324 F 4,108 2,747 G 23,150 4,954 H 4,230 4,405 I 3,716 3,611 J 3,149 1,985 K … Continue reading →

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City-county relations should continue to be good

Posted on December 29, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Glad to hear it. Prospects for increased city-county cooperation are looking up, Houston Mayor-elect Sylvester Turner and Harris County Judge Ed Emmett say, forecasting further thawing of the historically contentious relationship between the jurisdictions. Turner spoke with Emmett and Harris … Continue reading →

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Interview with Mayor Annise Parker

Posted on December 28, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We are in the last few days of the administration of Mayor Annise Parker. Having served three terms each as Council member and Controller, she is finishing up eighteen years as an elected official in the city of Houston. I … Continue reading →

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