Category Archives: Local politics

ReNew Houston officially makes the ballot

Posted on August 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

From their press release: The ReNew Houston Campaign is pleased to announce it has met state requirements for qualified signatures from registered Houston voters to call for a charter amendment to create a dedicated funding source to improve and renew … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on ReNew Houston officially makes the ballot

Full fees ahead

Posted on July 27, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The cost of doing business for Harris County keeps going up. Rising credit card fees have increased that portion of the county government’s banking bill by $1.7 million in two years. In the year that ended in February, the county … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Full fees ahead

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 →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | 11 Comments

Term limits commission makes its recommendation

Posted on July 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Term Limits Commission finished its work on Monday and voted on a proposal that will be considered by Council. Houston’s Term Limits Review Commission voted Monday night to recommend changing the existing limits from three 2-year terms to two … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Water rate rebate passes Council

Posted on July 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Back in April, Council approved a water rate hike. There were some complaints from apartment owners at the time about the size of the rate increase that would apply to them, and the city agreed to make some changes to … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

DA responds to CM Johnson

Posted on July 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Council Member Jarvis Johnson said his piece last week about his recent arrest for not pulling over on a traffic stop. Yesterday, the Harris County District Attorney had their say about it. Houston City Councilman Jarvis Johnson told police he … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on DA responds to CM Johnson

CM Johnson speaks

Posted on July 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Council Member Jarvis Johnson has a few words to say about his arrest for evading police on Wednesday. “I want to be very clear about the night in question,” Johnson said at a brief news conference. “I am not going … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Council redistricting news

Posted on July 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Campos had an interesting tidbit from the other day. The H-Town City Council [Wednesday] morning started discussing next year’s redistricting process. Instead of creating a city council committee on redistricting, the H-Town Mayor mentioned that she will probably let the … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Council redistricting news

Council Member Johnson arrested

Posted on July 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. Houston City Councilman Jarvis Johnson was arrested Wednesday night after he initially refused to stop his vehicle immediately when a police officer tried to pull him over, officials said. Johnson is charged with evading arrest, according to the Harris … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Elections administrator proposal will get a study

Posted on June 27, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Like it or not, Commissioners Court is going to consider the possibility of creating an appointed elections administrator position. The Court orders studies as preludes to formally adopting a public policy change. Dick Raycraft, director of management services, was charged … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

City gets OK on water rate hike

Posted on June 25, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

One obstacle cleared. In a letter to lawyers representing the city and conservative activists Bruce Hotze and Paul Bettencourt on Monday, state District Judge Stephen Yelenosky said the rate increases do not violate a charter amendment approved by voters in … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on City gets OK on water rate hike

Mayor Parker’s first budget passes

Posted on June 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The deed is done. We know the basic shape of the budget from earlier stories, so I just want to highlight a couple of things. First, an amendment to trim Council members’ budgets that ultimately was defeated: City Councilman Al … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Mayor Parker’s first budget passes

The downside to unelected officials

Posted on June 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I happened to come across this story and thought it would be a useful data point given the recent discussion about maybe having an appointed elections administrator for Harris County. Medina County Elections Administrator Brodie Koch was a no-show at … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Bilingual budget amendment controversy

Posted on June 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Given the budget situation we’re in, there’s been a surprising lack of overt controversy about how to deal with it. Council members submitted their budget amendments last week, and one of them has generated a stir. KUHF reported on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Bilingual budget amendment controversy

Emmett speaks about his county elections administrator proposal

Posted on June 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

County Judge Ed Emmett has a brief op-ed in the Chron to respond to some concerns about his proposal to study the possibility of an appointed elections administrator. There have been several false statements made that an elections administrator would … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Emmett speaks about his county elections administrator proposal

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 →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

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 →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Casey and the Chron on an elections administrator

Posted on May 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Rick Casey sums up the recent proposal by County Judge Ed Emmett to consider adopting a non-partisan elections administrator for Harris County: While Dallas and Tarrant counties have found it a source of electoral confidence and stability, Bexar County went … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Casey and the Chron on an elections administrator

Emmett calls for “elections czar”

Posted on May 25, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Harris County Judge Ed Emmett thinks we could use a dedicated elections supervisor. Proponents of an elections czar say an appointee would be insulated from accusations and lawsuits alleging partisanship in carrying out the duties of the office. In late … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

More on city term limits

Posted on May 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Chron story about the 2010 term limits survey and recommendations by the Term Limits Commission. Of interest is what the immediate prospects are for action by City Council. [Dr. Robert] Stein, a commission member who has polled voters … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on More on city term limits

2010 Houston term limits survey

Posted on May 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Last month, I posted several links with information and research relating to term limits, including the results of a 2004 City of Houston survey about them and the proposed wording for an updated survey. That updated survey has been done, … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The 287(g) committee

Posted on May 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Sheriff Adrian Garcia has formed a citizens advisory panel on how to screen for undocumented immigrants in the jails. The advisory committee will not debate whether to continue the screening program, Garcia said. It will suggest ways he can improve … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

And the bitching about the water rate hike begins

Posted on May 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

It took a little longer than I might have thought it would take, but as the sun rises in the east, the kind of person who gets outraged when the government does something other than lower taxes is outraged about … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mayor Parker’s first budget

Posted on May 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

It sounds good, and she kept her promises about not raising the property tax rate, at least for this year, but there are some blanks that still need to be filled in. Mayor Annise Parker unveiled a $4.1 billion spending … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Drainage update

Still focusing on overtime

Posted on May 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Mayor Annise Parker talks again about trying to control HPD and HFD overtime costs as a way of bridging the city’s budget shortfall. Mayor Annise Parker provided an early picture of how she intends to close a $140 million budget … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

You want more information about term limits?

Posted on April 30, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Of course you do. And I’ve got you covered. Via email from Robert Stein, I give you the following: – A research paper from 2002, co-authored by Dr. Stein, called “Public Support for Term Limits: Another Look at Conventional Thinking”. … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Why these term limits?

Posted on April 27, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

David Mincberg has an op-ed about the city’s term limits law that makes some interesting points but doesn’t quite get at the issue of whether the system we actually have now is the best way to meet the goals of … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Council adopts higher water rate hike

Posted on April 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

City Council voted to adopt the higher water rate hike that was proposed this week. And apparently set the stage for a lawsuit. Council members Mike Sullivan, Oliver Pennington and C.O. Bradford voted against the plan. Pennington, Bradford and several … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Council may consider higher water rate hikes

Posted on April 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, a water rate hike of about 12 percent was proposed by Mayor Parker earlier this month. That ran into some resistance from apartment dwellers, since the hike would be higher for multi-family residences than it would be … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

MayorBob on water rates

Posted on April 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Former Mayor Bob Lanier has an op-ed in today’s paper in support of Mayor Parker’s proposed water rate hike. I believe Mayor Parker will work with council members, homeowner associations and the Houston Apartment Association to develop a plan that … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on MayorBob on water rates

Some of my best friends are white people

Posted on April 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve been trying to figure out this new group for Caucasian Sheriff’s deputies. I’ve had the good fortune to have worked for an organization that takes diversity and inclusiveness seriously. They had a number of employee-created networking groups that were … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Some of my best friends are white people

Library hours to be cut back

Posted on April 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

No surprise here. Hammered by $2.2 million in budget cuts, the Houston Public Library system this month will reduce its hours by 28 percent — closing most of its 42 branches on Saturdays — and trim expenditures for library materials. … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Library hours to be cut back