Tag Archives: Houston City Council

Endorsement watch: A and H

Posted on October 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Looks like we’re going to keep getting these endorsements in pairs. Today’s duo includes an incumbent and an open seat candidate. First up, incumbent Karla Cisneros. Poverty and lack of academic achievement are problems that concern all of Houston, but … Continue reading →

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Interview with Ashton Woods

Posted on October 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

After that two-week hiatus into HD148, it’s time to circle back to the City Council races. I have one more to bring to you, featuring two candidates. At Large #5 is an open seat, with incumbent CM Jack Christie being … Continue reading →

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A brief discussion on residency requirements

Posted on October 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. It was one of the more unusual videos made for a Houston city council race. Throughout much of his campaign for the District J seat, Nelvin Adriatico had been dogged by one … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: For the incumbents in G and K

Posted on October 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Two more Council endorsements from the Chron. First up, they recommend Martha Castex-Tatum for a full term in District K: District K Councilwoman Martha Castex-Tatum has a hard time leaving her work at the office. “Trash keeps me up at … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: E and F

Posted on October 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron endorses incumbent CM Dave Martin in District E. It’s easy to find out the biggest problem in Houston City Council District E. Ask any of its residents and most likely they will tell you a flooding story. Water … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Let’s get this thing started

Posted on October 5, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Endorsement Season has begun at the Chronicle, and while the number of elections to cover isn’t really higher than usual, the sheer number of candidates to bring in for interviews is massive and had to have been a logistical nightmare. … Continue reading →

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A brief look at the Council incumbents who face contested races

Posted on October 1, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I think two, and hopefully three, of these races are truly competitive. The others, not so much. Asked how she would operate differently from City Councilwoman Karla Cisneros, the District H incumbent she is trying to unseat in November, Isabel … Continue reading →

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Sorry, Willie D

Posted on September 29, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I think you need better lawyers, dude. William Dennis, the former Geto Boys rapper known as “Willie D,” is planning to a host a campaign fundraiser Friday for his City Council bid, but election officials say voters won’t be able … Continue reading →

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Curfew changes

Posted on September 22, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

A good step, but I agree with the argument that it doesn’t go far enough. City council on Wednesday eliminated Houston’s daytime juvenile curfew, but stopped short of ditching the ordinance altogether despite pleas from advocacy groups who say the … Continue reading →

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Interview with Janaeya Carmouche

Posted on September 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Houston is a Democratic city, where the Democratic Presidential candidate has drawn 60% or more of the vote in each of the past three races. Yet we stand today with three of the five At Large Council seats being held … Continue reading →

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Interview with Raj Salhotra

Posted on September 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This week I will have interviews from two of the At Large races that feature challenges to sitting incumbents. First up is At Large #1, where candidate Raj Salhotra is among the four challengers to first-term incumbent Mike Knox. Salhotra … Continue reading →

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Interview with Nelvin Adriatico

Posted on August 28, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

One more time in District J, where the changing of the guard has me a bit nostalgic for the time when the new 11-district map was first presented for our perusal. Nelvin Adriatico is the president and founder of brokerage … Continue reading →

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Interview with Sandra Rodriguez

Posted on August 26, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We move now to District J, one of the two new Council districts drawn in 2011, part of the settlement agreement to add two districts when the city’s population hit 2.1 million. Mike Laster has been the only Council member … Continue reading →

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Interview with Anthony Nelson

Posted on August 22, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

One more interview in District F, which as noted will have its fourth member of Council after this election since 2013. Today’s interview is with Anthony Nelson, one of the many younger candidates running for office this year, as reported … Continue reading →

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Bonus commentary on 2019 lineup

Posted on August 22, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

There was a lot of last minute activity at Monday’s filing deadline, as there usually is. Probably more so this year, as approximately ten percent of Houston adults are running for office this November. The point here is that the … Continue reading →

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The 2019 lineups are set

Posted on August 21, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Barring any late disqualifications or other unexpected events, we have the candidates we’re getting on our 2019 ballot. More than 125 candidates turned in paperwork to run for city office by Monday’s filing deadline, setting up a packed November ballot … Continue reading →

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Interview with Tiffany Thomas

Posted on August 19, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We move now to District F, a district that will have its fourth Council member since 2013 with the departure of controversial first-term member Steve Le. Six people are lined up to compete for this open seat, many of whom … Continue reading →

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Interview with Cynthia Reyes-Revilla

Posted on August 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We continue today with another interview in District H, where first-term incumbent Karla Cisneros has drawn two challengers so far (the filing deadline is Sunday, so we’ll see if there are others). Cynthia Reyes-Revilla was the first candidate to enter … Continue reading →

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Revisiting City Council redistricting

Posted on August 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This would be interesting. At Wednesday’s council meeting, District E Councilmember Dave Martin said the city should consider redrawing city council district boundaries, particularly in his own district. District E includes two far-flung suburbs, Kingwood and Clear Lake. Martin said … Continue reading →

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Interview with Isabel Longoria

Posted on August 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

As I’ve said before, I’m going to be doing a limited set of interviews this fall, with some more likely to follow for the runoffs. (Which will then blend right into the 2020 primaries, but that’s a whole ‘nother thing.) … Continue reading →

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Previous interviews with current candidates

Posted on August 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve said a few times that I’m going to be doing just a few interviews this fall. I will start publishing them tomorrow. I may pick up some more for the runoffs, but for now my schedule just does not … Continue reading →

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July 2019 campaign finance reports: Open City Council seats, part 2

Posted on July 30, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We come down to the last three open Council seats to examine, all the result of term-limited incumbents. The first post, with Districts A, B, and C, is here, and the rest of the non-Mayoral races is here. As before, … Continue reading →

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July 2019 campaign finance reports: Open City Council seats, part 1

Posted on July 29, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

There are seven more Council races to examine, all open seats thanks to a couple of incumbents either stepping down (Steve Le in F) or running for something else (Dwight Boykins in D, at least for now). I’m going to … Continue reading →

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Consent decree to fix sewers approved

Posted on July 25, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

As we have discussed before, there are concerns about how the extra cost of this decree will affect low-income residents. Houston is facing a federal mandate to upgrade its embattled sanitary sewer system, stirring concerns among advocates and civic leaders … Continue reading →

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July 2019 campaign finance reports: Incumbents and challengers for Council and Controller

Posted on July 21, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Let me start by saying that I began this post before Amanda Edwards became a candidate for Senate. I’m going to keep the AL4 race in here, in part to include Edwards’ June report totals, and in part because I’m … Continue reading →

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An update on the races in HISD and HCC

Posted on July 20, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, there’s been a lot of action not just in the Houston City Council races but also in the 2020 election races. That doesn’t mean things have been dull in HISD and HCC, which of course have elections … Continue reading →

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Amanda Edwards joins the Senate race

Posted on July 19, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

And then there were three, with a fourth likely to follow and a fifth out there as a possibility. Houston City Councilwoman Amanda Edwards announced Thursday morning she is running for U.S. Senate, joining an increasingly crowded primary to challenge … Continue reading →

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Here come the youths

Posted on July 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

There are a lot of younger candidates running for Houston City Council this year. Inspired by the recent electoral success of millennial and Generation Z-aged candidates, more young people are running for Houston city council than ever before, a trend … Continue reading →

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Royce West looks ready to announce

Posted on July 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Mark your calendars. Royce West is one step closer to running against Republican incumbent Sen. John Cornym. The Dallas Democrat has announced a news conference for July 22, where he’s widely expected to launch a campaign for Senate. The longtime … Continue reading →

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We have a consent decree

Posted on July 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It appears to be a done deal. Houston would add $2 billion to its planned sewer system improvements over the next 15 years under a proposed deal with state and federal regulators that is expected to produce higher water bills … Continue reading →

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Yeah, scooters are going to come to Houston

Posted on July 7, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The question is when, not if. [E]ven though there’s a growing interest in alternate forms of transportation, you still can’t rent a scooter in Houston. Maria Irshad, assistant director of the City of Houston’s Parking Division, said Houston’s infrastructure has … Continue reading →

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Two Geto Boys are better than one

Posted on July 6, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Again I say, sure, why not. William James Dennis, a rapper who goes by the stage name Willie D, has filed a campaign treasurer’s report to run for city council, becoming the second member of the Houston-based hip-hop group Geto … Continue reading →

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CM Steve Le not running for re-election

Posted on July 5, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We have another open seat, in District F. Houston City Councilman Steve Le announced Wednesday he will not seek a second term in November, leaving an open race for his District F seat and ensuring the southwestern district will get … Continue reading →

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The Chron covers the #BoycottBoykins story

Posted on July 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

They don’t mention the hashtag, though. Houston city councilman and mayoral candidate Dwight Boykins is facing backlash for a recent incident in which he allegedly advised a group of students to “keep their legs closed,” among other comments that some … Continue reading →

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