Tag Archives: Election 2009

Rerun for Welsh?

Posted on June 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Maverick Welsh is a young first-time candidate who exceeded expectations in his initial campaign. I most certainly do expect we’ll see him run for office again. “I absolutely will run for council again,” Welsh said. “I had way too good … Continue reading →

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Rick Rodriguez to announce for At Large #1

Posted on June 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I’d heard rumors to this effect, and now it’s official: Former District H candidate Rick Rodriguez is joining the race for At Large #1 in November. From the email announcement: Rick Rodriguez to launch campaign for Houston City Council At-Large, … Continue reading →

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Gonzalez wins in District H

Posted on June 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

In the end, it wasn’t that close. Houston police officer Ed Gonzalez won the runoff special election to fill Houston City Council District H Saturday, defeating former high school teacher and City Council staffer Maverick Welsh. Although the campaign was … Continue reading →

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Runoff Day in District H

Posted on June 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Today is Runoff Day for the District H special election. Polls are open from 7 AM till 7 PM. Voting locations are here; if you’re not sure what precinct you’re in, go here. Early voting was heavier than I expected … Continue reading →

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Foulard announces in G, Khan for Controller

Posted on June 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

With the Legislature out of session (hopefully till 2011) and the District H special election about to wrap up, it’s time to refocus on the November elections for Houston. I think we will have a pretty good idea of who … Continue reading →

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Early voting ends for District H runoff

Posted on June 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Tuesday was the last day of early voting for the District H runoff, and as is often the case it was the busiest, with 278 in-person ballots being cast. That brings the final total up to 2188 early votes, or … Continue reading →

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Parker wants to boot Hurtt

Posted on June 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

And the Mayoral campaign just got a little more interesting. Mayoral candidate Annise Parker has plans get rid of Police Chief Harold Hurtt if she’s elected. “I will replace the police chief. I think he’s ineffective,” Parker told the Houston … Continue reading →

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Last day of early voting in District H runoff

Posted on June 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Today is the last day to vote early in the District H runoff. The early voting locations will be open from 7 AM to 7 PM, so take advantage of the chance while you still can. Runoff Day itself will … Continue reading →

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One week of early voting in the District H runoff

Posted on June 6, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I did my civic duty on Friday at Moody Park, early in the morning – according to the sign-in sheet, I was the fifth person to vote that day. That makes me one of 1302 people to cast their ballot, … Continue reading →

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A third try for Sly?

Posted on June 6, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I find this a little hard to understand. Rep. Sylvester Turner is thinking about running for Mayor of Houston, again. His press folks just confirmed to me that he’s “thinking it over” and will make a decision in two weeks. … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Ed again

Posted on June 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron reiterates its earlier endorsement of Ed Gonzalez for the District H special election runoff. In a matchup of two well qualified candidates to replace former District H council member and now Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia, the Chronicle … Continue reading →

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Open beaches

Posted on June 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Got the following email from a colleague and thought it was worth mentioning: Very late Sunday night a “deal” was made in the Texas legislature to make an exemption in the Texas Open Beaches Act – the law that guarantees … Continue reading →

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Early voting underway in District H runoff

Posted on June 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I know it’s been a lot of Lege stuff around here lately, but the end of the session means the start of early voting for the District H runoff. I figure I’ll probably do my civic duty this weekend, maybe … Continue reading →

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Houston’s budget

Posted on June 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron asks if the city of Houston’s budget is balanced, then answers that question with a “Well, maybe”. Does the city of Houston have a balanced budget? Like so many things in politics, it depends on whom you ask. … Continue reading →

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Who should represent District H?

Posted on May 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

That’s the question, isn’t it? It took only a few minutes at the District H candidate forum Thursday morning for discussion to turn to the elephant in the room. “District H is supposed to be a Hispanic district,” said Edgar … Continue reading →

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Hey, world! Pay attention to us!

Posted on May 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Houston’s efforts to brand itself as a world-class city often come in for ridicule, some deserved and some not so much. But Houston is way farther down the path of international prominence than our neighbor to the west, San Antonio. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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City Council redistricting lawsuit dismissed

Posted on May 26, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Marc Campos mentions this in passing: This past Friday, a federal judge threw out Lopez v. City of Houston. That is the lawsuit filed by Vidal Martinez to force the City of H-Town to draw two more district council seats … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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A look at the District H runoff

Posted on May 26, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Professor Murray takes a look at the upcoming runoff in District H, taking into consideration the 1992 Congressional election in which Rep. Gene Green won a runoff against Ben Reyes and the early and absentee voting patterns from this election. … Continue reading →

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Graduation rates

Posted on May 24, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

According to one study, a little more than half of HISD’s high school freshmen ultimately graduate. Despite dozens of commencement ceremonies planned for the next two weeks, only 58.5 percent of Houston-area students who should be graduating will be earning … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Parker on education

Posted on May 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Last week, I noted that Mayoral candidates Peter Brown and Gene Locke expressed very different opinions at a candidate forum about the Mayor’s role in public education, with Brown advocating an urban school district with Mayoral appointees for its board, … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Three Senators for Locke

Posted on May 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Via email from the Gene Locke campaign, the three Democratic State Senators who serve in Houston have all endorsed Locke’s candidacy for Mayor. “At a time when Houston needs a strong, accomplished leader at City Hall, the right candidate has … Continue reading →

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Roy takes my advice

Posted on May 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

When I blogged about a recent story in the Chron about some resume-stretching by Roy Morales, I suggested that he should turn his firing by the Houston Emergency Center as a positive. Well, he’s now written a letter to the … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Yolanda backs Maverick

Posted on May 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Yolanda Navarro Flores, who finished third in the District H special election on May 9, has endorsed Maverick Welsh for the runoff. From the email the Welsh campaign sent out: “Maverick Welsh will be a great city council member. He … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Grading the Houston Mayoral campaign websites

Posted on May 17, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

David Ortez casts a critical eye at the campaign websites of the Mayoral hopefuls, and grades them out on things like design, content, and social networking. It’s an interesting exercise, and one for which an aesthetic imbecile such as myself … Continue reading →

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Brown and Locke spar over education

Posted on May 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

At a Mayoral forum on Thursday, Gene Locke and Peter Brown get into it over the school system. Gene Locke, the former city attorney, targeted Councilman Peter Brown’s recent statement to the Chronicle that Houstonians should consider forming an urban … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Villafranca loses in Farmers Branch

Posted on May 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Back in March, I noted that businesswoman Elizabeth Villafranca, one of the leading voices in Farmers Branch against its anti-immigrant xenophobia, was running for City Council there. Alas, she did not win. Among other municipal races from Saturday, a leading … Continue reading →

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Don’t sell that beer just yet in Lubbock

Posted on May 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

It’s always something. It will be eight weeks or more before shoppers see beer and wine in grocers’ coolers as stores line up to receive state alcohol permits. The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission will issue permits to sell alcohol throughout … Continue reading →

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Roy’s self-inflation

Posted on May 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This is not the kind of story candidates like to see written about themselves. Houston mayoral candidate Roy Morales told a group of voters in March, “I manage the Head Start program.” The claim by the retired Air Force lieutenant … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Mayor White’s final budget

Posted on May 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here you go. Faced with a dour economic climate, Mayor Bill White unveiled a $4 billion budget proposal on Tuesday that keeps the property tax rate the same and holds spending at what it was the current fiscal year. The … Continue reading →

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We need more early voting locations

Posted on May 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Greg made an observation about the District H result that I’d like to explore a bit. Yolanda’s early numbers were a little surprising as it would have meant a runoff between her and Ed if those numbers held. But even … Continue reading →

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We need more early voting locations

Posted on May 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Greg made an observation about the District H result that I’d like to explore a bit. Yolanda’s early numbers were a little surprising as it would have meant a runoff between her and Ed if those numbers held. But even … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2009, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

There is now beer in Lubbock

Posted on May 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Someone pour me a cold one! Lubbock County voters overwhelmingly approved two ballot propositions expanding alcohol sales in the county during a countywide election that ended Saturday. Proposition 1, which expands packaged alcohol sales in the county, passed by a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Ed and Maverick in District H

Posted on May 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

All the votes are in, and it’s Ed Gonzalez and Maverick Welsh in the runoff for District H. With all 13 precincts reporting and nearly 4,200 ballots cast in a district of more than 93,000 registered voters, Gonzalez had 31.4 … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Vote today

Posted on May 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Today is Election Day for many places in Texas. They’re electing new Mayors in Austin and San Antonio, along with the regularly scheduled municipal elections in those cities and others. Here in Houston, it’s showtime for the District H special … Continue reading →

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