Tag Archives: Annise Parker

How many bonds are too many?

Posted on July 17, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

We may find out this November. Houston voters may face a dizzying array of decisions in November as the city, school district and community college system seek authority to borrow more than $2 billion for construction work. The multiple measures … 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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The Mayor’s office on the homeless feeding ordinance

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, I have been running a series of guest posts on a variety of topics. When I invited Nick Cooper to write about his experiences with the homeless feeding ordinance, I also contacted the Mayor’s office to ask … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Parklets

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Not really sure what to make of this. Six years ago, a posse of guerrilla designers fed a parking meter on a busy San Francisco street, unrolled sod in the parking space and plopped down a potted tree. The result … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Nick Cooper: Let Us Help People!

Posted on July 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The following is from a series of guest posts that I will be presenting over the next few weeks. I am a volunteer with Houston Food Not Bombs, a vegetarian anti-war group that has been in the news recently for speaking … Continue reading →

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

The city’s bond package

Posted on July 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

And here’s Mayor Parker’s bond proposal for November. Mayor Annise Parker is unveiling a $410 million package of proposed bond measures for the November ballot that will not require a tax increase. She proposes five bond measures. The purposes and … Continue reading →

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No term limits referendum this fall

Posted on July 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Much as I dislike our silly term limits ordinance, I think this is the correct term of action. A City Council committee on Monday killed a proposal to ask voters whether to give the mayor, controller and council members up … Continue reading →

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Rey Guerra: Latinos in Houston 2012

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The following is from a series of guest posts that I will be presenting over the next few weeks. White, Black, Asian, or other, if you live in Houston, you’ve more than likely adopted aspects of Latino culture into your … Continue reading →

Posted in Society and cultcha | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Lawsuit filed over historic preservation ordinance

Posted on July 6, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I got an email last week from Kathleen Powell of Responsible Historic Preservation for Houston announcing that the first lawsuit against Houston’s new historic preservation. You can see a copy of the complaint here. What I have not seen is … Continue reading →

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Mayor Parker’s Metro decision

Posted on July 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Mayor Parker may be in a jam because of the upcoming Metro referendum, but if so it’s not because what Metro is likely to propose is bad for Houston. “I’m between a rock and a hard place on this,” Parker … Continue reading →

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Houston gets grant for bike paths

Posted on June 25, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. It’s not a trail to nowhere, but the Heights Bike Path ends abruptly at McKee Street east of downtown, and from there cyclists have to share the road with four-wheeled vehicles. A peloton of politicians gathered near that terminus … Continue reading →

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Here comes the pension fight

Posted on June 19, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Not looking forward to it. A day of reckoning has arrived in Houston, the city’s financial stewards say, to choose between pensions and pothole repairs. Days after voters in two California cities curbed public employee retirement benefits and voters in … Continue reading →

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All the budget amendments

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a Google doc upload of all of the budget amendments from Council members to Mayor Parker. All members except CMs Bradford and Hoang submitted at least one amendment, with some (Brown, Sullivan, Green) submitting more than others. I’ve given … 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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Council approves Mayor’s crime lab plan

Posted on June 7, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a done deal. City Council has appointed a nine-member board to oversee the city’s crime lab, the first step in yanking it from police department control and setting up a publicly funded non-profit corporation to do evidence testing. The … Continue reading →

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Today is budget day

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron has some questions about the Mayor’s proposed budget. I think the last question is the key one. What happens if the $34 million in additional property tax and $32 million in new sales taxes forecast by the city … Continue reading →

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Council approves Hobby expansion plan

Posted on May 31, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

In the end, it wasn’t close. City Council approved a plan Wednesday that will give Houston two international commercial airports, settling a public policy debate that raged for months over whether flights from Hobby Airport to Latin America would boost … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

More details on the Southwest deal

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the memo of understanding between Southwest and the city, via Houston Politics. Some highlights: Construction is scheduled to begin in mid-to-late 2013 with an opening of the five international gates and customs facility in late 2015. Other aspects of … Continue reading →

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The deal with Southwest

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s official. In a news conference at Hobby Airport, Mayor Annise Parker announced Wednesday that Southwest Airlines will pay the estimated $100 million cost for a five-gate expansion at Hobby that would provide international flights. “This is one of those … Continue reading →

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Mayor to announce Hobby expansion deal

Posted on May 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Here it comes. Houston Mayor Annise Parker is planning to announce Wednesday morning that the city and Southwest Airlines have come to an agreement on how to finance a $100 million expansion of Hobby Airport to accommodate international flights, according … Continue reading →

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Meet your Crime Lab board

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Mayor Parker has recommended nine people be appointed by Council to the governing board for the proposed Houston Forensic Science Local Government Corporation (LGC). “The people I have selected have varied backgrounds in science, law enforcement, public policy, business and … Continue reading →

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City sues firefighter pension board

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

We knew this was coming. The city of Houston sued the firefighters pension board in state District Court on Wednesday in an effort to pry open the retirement system’s books for a look at supporting data behind the $61 million … Continue reading →

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Stardig v Brown II?

Posted on May 20, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not too early to start stocking up on popcorn. A rematch between District A Councilwoman Helena Brown and former Councilwoman Brenda Stardig next year is looking increasingly likely. Stardig attended Wednesday’s Council meeting, so I asked her about her … Continue reading →

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The Mayor’s 2013 budget

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

What a difference a year – and better sales tax receipts and a better real estate market – makes. Mayor Parker has unveiled her budget for the 2012-2013 fiscal year, and it promises no service cuts, no layoffs, and no … Continue reading →

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Ike rebuilding funds finally coming

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

About time. More than 3½ years after Hurricane Ike, a high-ranking federal housing official and Mayor Annise Parker announced Wednesday that $151 million in federal disaster relief money is on the way to four areas of Houston to rebuild or … Continue reading →

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The B-Cycle era begins

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

At long last, Houston’s B-Cycle program officially kicked off last week. Mayor Annise Parker, an occasional bicyclist, called the federally-funded program “a quick, easy alternative to being stuck in traffic or walking long distances in downtown.” She said the bicycles … Continue reading →

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Going green to save some green

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The city of Houston has made significant investments in energy savings. The U.S. Conference of Mayors named Mayor Annise Parker the winner of Mayors’ Climate Protection Award last year for green building initiatives that incentivize conservation and energy-efficient design features. … Continue reading →

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Here come the lobbyists

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s getting real in the United versus Southwest fight. Both sides have enlisted A-list lobbying teams. United’s includes Marty Stein, who until little more than a year ago was Mayor Annise Parker’s agenda director; former City Attorney Anthony Hall and … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Collecting unpaid red light camera fines update

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

You may recall that when the city settled its lawsuit with red light camera vendor ATS, they agreed to pay a certain amount of money that would be generated by collecting still-unpaid red light camera fines. Ted Oberg has an … Continue reading →

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Council is skeptical of Hobby International

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Not so clear skies for expanding Hobby Airport into an international terminal. A consultant’s study that forecasts an economic boon for Houston if Hobby is made into an international airport came under fire from city council members Monday as “biased” … Continue reading →

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Re-Plant Houston

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Memorial Park is about to get some needed attention. As last year’s drought killed thousands of trees in Memorial Park, caretakers realized it was time to speed the pace of a long-planned reforestation. On Friday, Mayor Annise Parker announced that … Continue reading →

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We need a much fuller public conversation about the homeless feeding ordinance

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

As Neil noted, some of us had the opportunity on Friday to ask Mayor Parker questions over lunch on Friday. Not surprisingly, the homeless feeding ordinance came up, and we spent quite a bit of time discussing it. The Mayor … Continue reading →

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State of the City 2012

Posted on April 15, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s getting better. Saying Houston has “rounded the corner” on the recession, Mayor Annise Parker on Thursday credited City Hall with providing incentives that businesses used to create or retain 13,000 jobs and invest $1 billion locally during the tough … Continue reading →

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Groundbreaking on the county’s new DNA forensics lab

Posted on April 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Cool. Harris County officials on Tuesday broke ground on a new forensic genetics laboratory, to open later this year, which will let county scientists test DNA evidence in a growing number of cases. The 15,000-square-foot facility, on Holcombe in the … Continue reading →

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