Tag Archives: Stephen Costello

The discussion is closed

Posted on August 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know about this. The mayor and city attorney are floating the idea of shutting the public out of some City Council discussions. Houston is unusual, perhaps even unique, among Texas cities in requiring that its council always meet … Continue reading →

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Laura Spanjian – From Industrial to Green Revolution: The New Houston

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The following is from a series of guest posts that I will be presenting over the next few weeks. Bike Share kiosks in downtown. Electric vehicle charging stations at the grocery store. Over 15 miles of new rail lines being … Continue reading →

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Budget amendment time

Posted on June 15, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Now that Mayor Parker has formally submitted her proposed budget for fiscal year 2013, it’s time for Council members to submit their amendments for consideration. I’m going to start at the bottom of the story with the two proposals that … Continue reading →

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City budget outlook

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Last year was a lousy budget year for the city of Houston. This year will be better, if only because it really can’t be much worse, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be good. Kelly Dowe, the mayor’s finance … Continue reading →

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CM Costello on fixing water leaks

Posted on January 7, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

CM Stephen Costello writes a letter in response to the Chron story about leaks in the city’s water pipes. The article “City lost millions to water leaks” (Page A1, Dec. 30) was a timely discussion of our aging water/sewer system. … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: 2011 At Large races, part 1

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a look at the election returns in each Council district for the three “normal” At Large races, in At Large #1, #3, and #4. First up is #1, where first term incumbent CM Stephen Costello won a narrow majority … Continue reading →

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Eight day reports, part 1

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The eight day finance reports started getting posted on the city’s campaign finance page yesterday. I’m still working through putting them on my 2011 Election page, but here are a few highlights so far: – Next to Mayor Parker, the … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Costello and Thibaut

Posted on October 13, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Another day, another twofer as the Chron makes recommendations in the first two At Large races. In At Large #1, they go with the incumbent: Houston City Council member Stephen Costello, an engineer, is best known as the force behind … Continue reading →

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Food deserts in Houston

Posted on August 5, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

If you listened to the interview I did with CM Stephen Costello, you would have heard him talk about “food deserts” in Houston, which is a problem to which he has turned his attention. This Chron story goes into some … Continue reading →

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Interview with CM Stephen Costello

Posted on July 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

We begin the 2011 election interview season with first term Council Member Stephen Costello, elected in 2009 in At Large #1. He had a mission in mind when he ran for office, and that was a plan to fund street … Continue reading →

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Drainage fee passes with exemptions

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Council has passed the drainage fee ordinance required by Renew Rebuild Houston, with exemptions for existing church and school properties. The fee will apply to all future “impervious cover” at church and school buildings, such as roofs and parking lots. … Continue reading →

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Costello opposes exempting the churches

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Houston City Council Member Stephen Costello asks the Mayor and Council to exempt only state-mandated property from the drainage fee. Costello, the At Large Position 1 Council Member, offered an amendment Wednesday to the Municipal Drainage Utility … Continue reading →

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A very early look at 2011 fundraising

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

A couple of weeks ago I took an early look at the 2011 city elections, but there was a key ingredient missing in that analysis: Money. The fundraising season for city candidates, which has been closed since last January, will … Continue reading →

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The pothole patrol

Posted on January 15, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Haven’t seen this yet, but I’m sure I will sooner or later. As the operators of the city’s Street Surface Assessment Vehicle — a van equipped with lasers that scan streets for rough patches, potholes and cracks — Bruno Rodriguez … Continue reading →

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Interview with Council Member Stephen Costello

Posted on September 30, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

In addition to all of the partisan and special elections on the ballot, there are three referenda for City of Houston residents. One is a fairly non-controversial one to change residency requirements for Houston Council districts for the 2011 election, … Continue reading →

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Pro-Prop 1 op-ed

Posted on September 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Council Member Stephen Costello, the driving force behind Renew Houston, now known as Proposition 1 on the November ballot, teams up with a pair of co-authors to pen this op-ed in its favor. Proposition 1 is a sensible solution that … Continue reading →

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Chron opines on Renew Houston

Posted on August 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This is a pretty fair take on it. Given Houston’s history of flooded streets, businesses and homes over the past decade, the Chronicle agrees with the aims of Renew Houston, the organization of engineers that is backing the proposition. What … Continue reading →

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Renew Houston proposition officially on the ballot

Posted on August 13, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

City Council voted to put the Renew Houston referendum on the ballot Wednesday. Details about how much the drainage fee it calls for will be, and other aspects of it are still to be worked out by the city before … Continue reading →

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Opposition to Renew Houston

Posted on July 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Last Tuesday, while I was out of town, Council Member Stephen Costello did a presentation about Renew Houston at HCDP headquarters. (CM Sue Lovell was supposed to be with him but was unable to make it because a committee meeting … Continue reading →

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Renew Houston submits petitions

Posted on July 10, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Renew Houston has submitted signatures to get its drainage improvement proposition on the ballot this November. Renew Houston, a group of influential local engineers, has collected more than 30,000 signatures in a push to seek voter approval for an $8 … Continue reading →

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Followup on Renew Houston

Posted on June 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

So I attended that blogger briefing I wrote about last week to learn more about Renew Houston. It was very informative, and I want to thank CM Costello and his staff for taking the time to talk to us. They … Continue reading →

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More on Renew Houston

Posted on June 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The effort to create a dedicated fund for flooding and drainage is moving along at a good clip. Renew Houston, the non-profit committee formed to seek at least 22,000 ballot signatures in a bid to put the matter to voters … Continue reading →

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Drainage update

Posted on May 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

City Council Members Stephen Costello and Ed Gonzalez had a public meeting last week to bring folks up to date on their efforts to upgrade Houston’s drainage system. Neighborhoods that report drainage problems to the city wait five years for … Continue reading →

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Renew Houston

Posted on April 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The fact that Houston is currently in the throes of a severe revenue shortage doesn’t change the fact that there’s a great need to renovate and repair large portions of the city’s infrastructure. Naturally, that will cost a lot of … Continue reading →

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Council approves Lakewood sale

Posted on April 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This had generated a lot of discussion, but in the end it went through. The Houston City Council on Wednesday approved the sale of the former Compaq Center to Lakewood Church for $7.5 million. The vote was 13-to-2, with Councilmen … Continue reading →

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Selling Lakewood

Posted on March 25, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve known for awhile that one way the city will try to bridge its revenue gap is by selling some properties. Among those in the For Sale pile is the building formerly known as the Summit, now occupied by Lakewood … Continue reading →

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Council meeting on flooding and drainage

Posted on February 28, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

From the Inbox: City of Houston Council Committee on Flooding and Drainage Council Member Stephen C. Costello, Chair ________________________________________________________________________ Ed Gonzalez, District H, Vice-Chair Brenda Stardig, District A James G. Rodriguez, District I Anne Clutterbuck, District C Melissa Noriega, Position … Continue reading →

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Flooding survey

Posted on February 14, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: COUNCIL MEMBERS COSTELLO AND GONZALEZ ASKING FOR PUBLIC FLOODING AND DRAINAGE FEEDBACK THROUGH SURVEY Survey to guide Flooding and Drainage Committee in identifying flooding issues and concerns February 12, 2010 – Houston, TX. Houston residents are being … Continue reading →

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Runoff precinct analysis, At Large Council races

Posted on December 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Continuing on with the precinct analyses from the runoff, here’s a look at the City Council At Large races. First up, At Large #1: Dist Derr Costello Derr% Cost% ==================================== A 7,200 8,160 46.9 53.1 B 5,737 4,859 54.1 45.9 … Continue reading →

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Initial thoughts on the runoffs

Posted on December 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I’ll go through them one race at a time, with the unofficial vote totals minus Montgomery County for each. Once I have precinct results, I’ll go through those and do a more detailed analysis. Mayor Annise Parker – 81,971, 52.78% … Continue reading →

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Eight days out finance reports, At Large candidates

Posted on December 8, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Continuing on with our look at the eight days out reports, here’s how things stack up for the At Large Council candidates in the runoffs. Candidate Raised Spent Loans Cash PAC $$ PAC % =============================================================== Derr 26,692 13,034 5,000 5,487 … Continue reading →

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At Large #1 runoff overview

Posted on December 7, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I believe this will be the last of the runoff overview stories. The runoff for an at-large City Council seat has devolved into a battle over the subtle connotations of the phrase “city contractor.” One of the candidates for Position … Continue reading →

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What the others are saying about Hotze’s endorsement

Posted on December 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

So here’s the Chron coverage of the Hotze endorsement. Of the many things I find unfathomable about this, here’s the item at the top of the list. Kris Banks, president of Houston’s GLBT Political Caucus, which has endorsed Parker, questioned … Continue reading →

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Hotze endorses Locke

Posted on November 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

It’s what we’ve all been waiting for, and now it’s on its way to a mailbox near you, as local hatemeister Steven Hotze has endorsed candidates in all six City of Houston runoffs and sent a mail piece out touting … Continue reading →

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