Tag Archives: Election 2015

Houston municipal employees may see health insurance costs get hiked again

Posted on August 4, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s one of many possible proposals for closing the upcoming budget shortfall. A key option, [Mayor annise] Parker has said, is to increase the share of health care costs employees pay. The city now pays three-fourths, and employees pay one-fourth. … Continue reading →

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Laura Murillo

Posted on August 3, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Campos tosses a hat into the ring for Mayor 2015. Laura Murillo, CEO and President of the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, is telling folks she will be running for H-Town Mayor next year. I said this yesterday: She would … Continue reading →

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At an impasse

Posted on August 3, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Doesn’t look like there will be any new collective bargaining agreement between the city and the firefighters this year. Houston’s firefighters union declared an impasse with the city over a new labor contract, which a union negotiator called a “slap … Continue reading →

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LVdP will not be a candidate for Mayor of San Antonio in 2015

Posted on August 2, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I never really thought there was anything to this, but in case you needed an official denial, here you go. Democrat Leticia Van de Putte wants to put rumors to rest: she has absolutely no intention of running for mayor … Continue reading →

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Ivy Taylor named interim SA Mayor

Posted on July 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Congratulations, Madam Mayor. The City Council appointed Councilwoman Ivy Taylor to become San Antonio’s next mayor. She did not win a majority of the council vote, as her colleagues split 5-3 over her and Councilman Ray Lopez. Lopez then withdrew … Continue reading →

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Four for interim Mayor

Posted on July 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Four of out five San Antonio City Council members that had said they would like to file a letter of interest for the post of interim Mayor actually filed those letters of interest. Submitting letters of interest by Wednesday’s 5 … Continue reading →

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The interim and non-interim Mayoral hopefuls of San Antonio

Posted on July 15, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Robert Rivard previews the sausage-making process in San Antonio. It takes six votes to win, a majority that will be harder to achieve if some of the announced candidates exercise their right to abstain. If all five abstain from voting … Continue reading →

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Castro confirmed for HUD

Posted on July 10, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Congratulations, Secretary Castro! The U.S. Senate on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved the nomination of San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro as secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The nomination was approved 71-26 on a roll call vote. Sen. … Continue reading →

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HISD redistricting underway

Posted on July 2, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, the Houston Independent School District now includes all of the former North Forest ISD. The addition of all that new territory, and especially all those new voters, means that the existing HISD Trustee districts will have to … Continue reading →

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Mayor Parker discusses her possible political future again

Posted on July 1, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

After making a rousing speech at the TDP convention, Mayor Annise Parker talked about some possible paths she could take for a future statewide campaign. Parker said she would be interested in running for any number of statewide positions when … Continue reading →

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The Mayoral succession process starts in San Antonio

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

With the confirmation as Housing Secretary seemingly in the bag for San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, the process of naming an interim Mayor has begun. Not too surprisingly, there’s some conflict about this, though the issue at the root of … Continue reading →

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Those uninvestigated criminal cases

Posted on June 5, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

To say the least, this is big news. The Houston Police Department, already reeling from a scandal involving shoddy work in its homicide unit, was dealt another blow Monday when a report revealed that some 20,000 burglary, theft, assault and … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

HERO passes

Posted on May 29, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Finally. After nearly nine hours of chanting and tears from seas of opponents and supporters in color-coded T-shirts, Houston City Council passed an ordinance on Wednesday extending equal rights protections to gay and transgender residents. Despite weeks of discussion and … Continue reading →

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Recall effort against Mayor Parker?

Posted on May 27, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The haters huff and puff with their last breath. Opponents of Mayor Annise Parker’s proposed Houston equal rights ordinance have vowed to take the issue to voters in a referendum, but now they’re seriously discussing a sort of nuclear option … Continue reading →

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TransGriot on the current status of the NDO

Posted on May 21, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Monica Roberts wants to set the record straight about Mayor Parker and the latest version of the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance that will (eventually, we swear) be voted on by Council. The local trans community asked for Section 17-51 (b) … Continue reading →

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Castro to DC?

Posted on May 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The hot rumor going around is that San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro is being vetted for a Cabinet position in the Obama administration. For the second time in two years, President Barack Obama has offered Julián Castro a chance to … Continue reading →

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HPD’s good, bad, and ugly

Posted on April 12, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The good news is that the testing of backlogged rape kits has led to the identification of a serial rapist in Houston. Houston police on Tuesday for the first time identified a criminal suspect – a possible serial rapist – … Continue reading →

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Turner for Mayor 3.0

Posted on February 12, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

This is what you call a poorly kept secret. Just three months after Annise Parker captured a final term as mayor, a major contender has declared his desire to succeed her in the City of Houston’s top job. “You know … Continue reading →

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January campaign finance reports for Houston officeholders

Posted on February 7, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

One more set of finance reports to document, from city of Houston officeholders and candidates. I’m not going to link to the individual reports this time, since the city’s system automatically downloads the PDFs and I don’t feel like uploading … Continue reading →

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Runoff precinct analysis: At Large races

Posted on January 10, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I finally got a draft canvass report from the Harris County Clerk for the December runoff elections. Let’s take a look at the two At Large runoffs and see what we can learn about them. Here’s At Large #2: Dist … Continue reading →

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Would he be “Mayor Bun B”, or just “Mayor B”?

Posted on January 6, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Rocks Off looks at the field of Mayoral candidates for 2015 and asks “Why not Bun B?” So to whom might the Bayou City turn for leadership through the latter half of this decade? The field is literally wide open, … Continue reading →

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Yes, Council is short on women

Posted on December 17, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It is what it is. The Houston City Council will have its fewest women in 15 years this January, which political observers called a troublesome regression for one of the most diverse cities in the U.S. Just two women will … Continue reading →

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Is CM-elect Stardig term limited or not?

Posted on December 16, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I brought this up yesterday in my wrapup of the city and HCC runoffs, and I’m asking it again here in the hope that someone who can provide a definitive answer will offer one. The question I have is whether … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: At Large 1, 4, and 5

Posted on November 20, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Last week, we looked at the competitive At Large Council races. Now let’s look at the three At Large races that weren’t competitive. First up is At Large #1, where CM Stephen Costello won a third term. Dist Costello Griffin … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: City Controller

Posted on November 19, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s move on to the Controller’s race, where incumbent Ronald Green held on to win a third term against challenger Bill Frazer. Dist Frazer Green Frazer% Green% ===================================== A 6,609 4,102 61.70% 38.30% B 1,637 10,035 14.03% 85.97% C 14,185 … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: Mayoral race

Posted on November 11, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Precinct data arrived late on Friday, so you know what that means. I’ll be taking a look at all of the races this week. Let’s start with the main event, the Mayor’s race. Dist Drab Dick Cook Keryl Hall Parker … Continue reading →

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Election results: Houston

Posted on November 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Mayor Annise Parker easily won re-election, collecting over 57% of the vote in Harris County to beat Ben Hall by nearly thirty points, and far exceeding the expectations of most observers going into Election Day. I personally thought she had … Continue reading →

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Can we get a charter review?

Posted on October 11, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Council Member C.O. Bradford and HCC Trustee Carroll Robinson would like one. Houston needs a Charter Review Commission to review, update and propose recommendations to the voters to modernize our charter, the structure and operations of city government, with specific … Continue reading →

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A deeper look at the city’s pension funds

Posted on September 24, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I appreciate this just-the-facts analysis of the city’s pension funds. It’s delightfully free of fearmongering and doomsaying, which tend to cloud most stories on the funds. I don’t have anything specific to say about the article, but I do want … Continue reading →

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Time for a real NDO in Houston

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Bring it on. Last week, San Antonio passed an ordinance protecting gay and transgendered residents and veterans from discrimination. Houston Mayor Annise Parker says that vote “upped the ante” and that Houston should follow suit. “It is absolutely something we … Continue reading →

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The Controller’s travels

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This is me shaking my head. Houston controller Ron Green, the city’s top elected financial watchdog, has flown first class and frequented high-end hotels in New York and Chicago at taxpayer expense for more than two dozen publicly funded excursions, … Continue reading →

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The ballot propositions we won’t have

Posted on August 20, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Today is the 78th day before the November 6 election. That makes it the statutory deadline for ordering an election, as noted by the Secretary of State. They cite Sec. 201.054 of the Elections Code for this, which seems wrong … Continue reading →

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