Tag Archives: Houston City Council

Hoang to challenge Vo

Posted on November 17, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Soon-to-be-former CM Al Hoang is not sitting still in the wake of his unexpected electoral loss. Houston City Councilman Al Hoang, who narrowly lost his reelection bid in a surprise upset last week, has filed paperwork to challenge state Rep. … Continue reading →

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Re-endorsement watch: Three Council repeats

Posted on November 16, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron reiterates its endorsement in three Council races. David Robinson: In the run-off for At-large Council Position 2, there is an especially clear choice facing city voters. Architect David Robinson has the professional skills and lengthy experience as a … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: At Large 2 and 3

Posted on November 14, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Lots of action, and lots of candidates in the At Large races this year. Let’s look at the two races that are going to the runoffs, At Large #2 and 3. First is AL2, in which first term CM Andrew … Continue reading →

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Three questions for the runoffs

Posted on November 13, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

There are eight runoff elections on the ballot in Houston – two At Large Council races, three District Council races, and three HCC Trustee races. As we transition into runoff mode, there are three questions on my mind for the … Continue reading →

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Meet Richard Nguyen

Posted on November 12, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Council Member-elect in District F is little known outside the district. From the opaque world of local Vietnamese politics comes a story as old as American politics, as inspiring as a Frank Capra movie, as bittersweet as the lost … Continue reading →

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What’s on the agenda for Mayor Parker in her third term

Posted on November 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Now that Mayor Parker has been safely re-elected, with a better-than-expected margin, what does she plan to do from here? A triumphant Parker on Tuesday lauded her “decisive” victory but quickly shifted her focus to the coming two years, listing … 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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EV Day 10: Two normally big days to go

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

We have completed ten days of early voting. Traditionally, the last two days are the big ones. Will we see the same this year? First, here are the comps: 2013 2011 2009 2007 Here’s a look at how turnout has … Continue reading →

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Bayou Greenways project moving along

Posted on October 27, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Work is underway, land is being acquired, and money is being raised. Now, the Houston Parks Board and its public partners hope to revive some of the city’s natural treasures through Bayou Greenways 2020, a 150-mile trail system that, once … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of District I

Posted on October 22, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron covers the District I race. The contrasts in this eastside, heavily-Latino council district are dramatic: from the gleaming George R. Brown Convention Center in the heart of downtown, to older neighborhoods lacking modern street drainage where vacant lots … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: For Calvert

Posted on October 20, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron’s second endorsement on Friday, and what should be their last for the regular election, was for Rogene Calvert in At Large #3. Experience is valuable on Houston City Council. Council members often spend their first two-year term learning … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: For Christie

Posted on October 19, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron endorses freshman CM Jack Christie in At Large #5. At-Large council members act as a sort of minister without portfolio. While district council members focus on constituent issues, at-large members can set their own agendas. The previous incumbent … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of At Large #2

Posted on October 19, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron looks at one of the most competitive races involving an incumbent on the ballot this year. A minister, architect and city accountant are vying to unseat Councilman Andrew C. Burks Jr. from the Position 2 at-large seat on … Continue reading →

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Where things stand going into early voting

Posted on October 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

A few impressions of the state of the races as we head into early voting. Mayor – The thing that I will be looking for as initial results get posted at 7 PM on November 5 is how the gaggle … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Brad and Graci

Posted on October 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Another endorsement twofer from the Chron, this time an incumbent and an open seat. First up, the Chron endorses CM Brad Bradford for a third term. The duties of an at-large council member are not as specific as those of … Continue reading →

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Interview with Lana Edwards

Posted on October 16, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, District D is a very big field with twelve candidates running to succeed CM Wanda Adams. I published interviews with five of the candidates a few weeks ago. I don’t always reach out to all candidates in … Continue reading →

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Chron profiles the Mayor

Posted on October 16, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Sunday Chron has an expansive profile of Mayor Parker. In a system where term limits cap elected officials at six years, City Hall veterans joke that new council members spend their first year finding the bathrooms and their sixth … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of At Large #3

Posted on October 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Chron’s look at the At Large #3 race. Citywide races demand more money and name recognition for candidates to be successful, unlike district seats where neighborhood familiarity can matter more. Perhaps the candidate with the best mix of … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of District D

Posted on October 14, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron tries to wrap its arms around the District D race, talking to all 12 candidates. Since I have interviewed six of them – an interview with Lana Edwards will run on Wednesday – I will just quote from … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of District B

Posted on October 13, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

CM Jerry Davis has three opponents in his first re-election. Since I’ve interviewed CM Davis and one opponent, Kathy Blueford Daniels, here’s what the article says about the other two hopefuls. Each candidate claims to have the best vision and … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Twofer number two

Posted on October 12, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Another pair of endorsements from the Chron, again one obvious and one that required more thought. First, the easy one. Centered along the Westpark Tollway toward the city’s far west edges, District F is Houston’s international district. When people from … 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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Endorsement watch: Our first twofer

Posted on October 11, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron has two endorsements today, one that was easy and one that was likely more challenging. First, the easy one. In four years as an at-large city councilman, Stephen Costello has gradually become a “go to” guy on two … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Pennington

Posted on October 10, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron endorses CM Oliver Pennington for a third term. For the past four years, District G has been ably represented by attorney Oliver Pennington. We recommend a vote for Pennington to continue his service at city hall. Pennington, a … Continue reading →

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30 Day fundraising reports are coming in

Posted on October 9, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

For the Mayor’s race at least, they’re a lot like the July reports. Even as top mayoral challenger Ben Hall ramped up his campaign in recent months, launching several television ads, Mayor Annise Parker continued to outpace him in fundraising, … Continue reading →

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Next wave of recycling bins approved

Posted on October 9, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From last week: City Council on Wednesday OK’d funding to complete efforts to double the number of 96-gallon green recycling bins parked at city curbs, but it is unclear which 70,000 homes will be next to receive the service. […] … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Jerry Davis

Posted on October 9, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron endorses Jerry Davis in District B. In his first term in office, council member Jerry Davis launched a pilot project to deploy surveillance cameras to catch illegal dumpers. He and his staff personally went into neighborhoods to mow … Continue reading →

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On affordable housing in Houston

Posted on October 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. More Houstonians are spending a higher percentage of their incomes on housing, a new study from Rice University’s Shell Center for Sustainability shows. The report’s key finding revealed that half of Houston’s City Council districts do not meet the … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Robinson in D

Posted on October 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron makes a somewhat surprising choice in District D. An open seat in Houston City Council District D has drawn an even dozen aspirants to succeed the term-limited Wanda Adams. In both quality and number, this field speaks well … Continue reading →

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Interview with Wanda Adams

Posted on October 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, longtime District IX Trustee Larry Marshall decided not to run for re-election this year. Three candidates are running to succeed him, one of whom is term-limited City Council Member Wanda Adams. Adams is serving her third term … Continue reading →

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Southwest breaks ground at Hobby

Posted on October 2, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Get ready to dodge construction at Hobby Airport. The 280,000-square-foot expansion is scheduled for completion before the end of 2015, with short-hop international flights to cities in Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America to begin by 2016. This … Continue reading →

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Keep runoffs on Saturday

Posted on September 28, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Put me on record as opposing this. A Houston City Council committee [Tuesday] recommended keeping the city’s run-off election day on a Saturday. But committee members remained open for the possibility of changing it to a Tuesday in the future. … Continue reading →

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Other interviews

Posted on September 27, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

You may have noticed on my 2013 Elections page some new links in the Interview column for various candidates. That’s because three other local blogs have done interviews with candidates, both recorded and written, which is something we haven’t seen … Continue reading →

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Interview with Leticia Ablaza

Posted on September 26, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

For my last City Council interview for the 2013 cycle, I return to District I for a conversation with Leticia Ablaza. Ablaza turned her activism against the historic preservation ordinance into a filing-deadline candidacy for I in 2011, eventually getting … Continue reading →

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