Tag Archives: Houston City Council

Endorsement watch: Costello and Thibaut

Posted on October 13, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Another day, another twofer as the Chron makes recommendations in the first two At Large races. In At Large #1, they go with the incumbent: Houston City Council member Stephen Costello, an engineer, is best known as the force behind … Continue reading →

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More 30 day finance reports for City of Houston races

Posted on October 13, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Following up on yesterday’s report, here are the interesting, odd, and questionable things I’ve seen in the rest of the 30 day campaign finance reports. Mayor Parker raised $469K, spent $526K, and maintained $2.3 million on hand. She appears to … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of District C

Posted on October 13, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Ashby Highrise is casting its shadow over the race for the open seat in District C. Even with substantially redrawn boundaries, which in January will extend from north of Loop 610 down through the Heights and south to the … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Laster and Green

Posted on October 12, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Today is a twofer as the Chron finishes its endorsements in the district races with recommendations for the two new seats. In District J, they pick Mike Laster: District J’s inaugural City Council race has drawn three capable candidates from … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of District F

Posted on October 12, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Moving on from District B, here’s the Chron’s overview of District F. It’s really more of an overview of the incumbent Council Member Al Hoang, and I think it’s safe to say that it’s different from the rest of these … Continue reading →

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30 day finance reports for City of Houston races

Posted on October 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The 30 day campaign finance reports for City of Houston elections were due last week, and they are now mostly up on the city’s campaign finance report website, with a large number showing up today. Already I’m seeing questionable, curious, … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Rodriguez in I

Posted on October 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron votes for experience in District I. District I is the cradle of Hispanic municipal political power in Houston, initially represented by Ben Reyes and since then by a string of Latino successors. It encompasses most of downtown as … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of District B

Posted on October 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

As it is now endorsement season, it is now also Candidate Overview Story season for the Chron, and they kick it off with a look at the multi-candidate race for the open seat in District B. It’s the standard type … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Gonzalez in H

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron makes the easy and obvious choice of endorsing CM Ed Gonzalez for a second full term in District H. In the shuffle brought by the addition of two new City Council district seats, Houston’s District H has been … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: René and Pennington

Posted on October 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Today we learned that the Chron is apparently not endorsing in uncontested elections, as they skipped over CM Mike Sullivan in District E, and we got our first endorsement of a challenger over an incumbent. After a series of controversies … Continue reading →

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More troubles for CM Jones

Posted on October 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

There have not been many dull moments this year for CM Jolanda Jones. That seems unlikely to change in the near future. [O]n Wednesday, revelations surfaced that one of her staffers photographed a citizen picking up public records from her … Continue reading →

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More on the domestic partner benefits fight in El Paso

Posted on October 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib covers the fight over domestic partner benefits in El Paso. Pastor Tom Brown wants homosexuals to repent and turn to Christ. He certainly does not want them to be given taxpayer-financed health benefits. Brown, the charismatic leader of … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Cohen and Adams

Posted on October 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a twofer, and it’s apparent confirmation that the Chron is going alphabetically by district. First, they tap Ellen Cohen for the reconfigured District C. Among a strong field of candidates for Houston City Council District C – the district … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Daniels in B

Posted on October 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron has made its choice among the candidates in the open seat District B race. In a crowded field vying to replace term-limited incumbent Jarvis Johnson, the Chronicle believes retired Postal Service supervisor and community activist Kathy Ballard-Blueford Daniels … Continue reading →

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Interview with Peter Lyn René

Posted on October 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Another deadline day filer was Peter Lyn René, who is running for Council in District F. René is an IT project manager and mediator who mediates civil cases in the Harris County Justice Courts; he was the Democratic nominee for … Continue reading →

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Interview with Leticia Gutierrez Ablaza

Posted on October 5, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Leticia Gutierrez Ablaza was a deadline day filer for Houston City Council in District I. A resident of Glenbrook Valley, she became politically involved during the fight over the historic preservation ordinance in that neighborhood. She has a degree in … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Stardig

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron gets off to a surprisingly early start in the endorsement game by backing Brenda Stardig for a second term in District A. We believe City Councilmember Brenda Stardig has proved her mettle in her first two-year term and … Continue reading →

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Jones saga comes to a close

Posted on September 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

At long last. A three-member panel led by Mayor Annise Parker has found insufficient cause to believe Councilwoman Jolanda Jones breached council ethics violations documented in a city investigation. In a four-page report, the panel also criticized the Office of … Continue reading →

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“Litter on a stick”

Posted on September 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I think the saddest thing about this story is that it’s basically the only mainstream media coverage the At Large #2 race has received. Houston Mayor Annise Parker announced a crackdown on so-called bandit signs Wednesday, pledging to issue fines … Continue reading →

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Interview with Laurie Robinson

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Concluding my interviews with Council candidates is a newcomer, Laurie Robinson, who is running for At Large #5. Robinson is a businesswoman and regulatory compliance expert in the health care industry. She has worked in the Department of Health and … Continue reading →

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Trouble with the trees

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The drought gets more expensive for the city of Houston. The drought is about to claim yet more of Houston’s green – this time $4.5 million in tax dollars to remove trees that have died of thirst. Houston’s driest year … Continue reading →

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Interview with Jack Christie

Posted on September 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Next up in At Large #5 is a familiar face, that of Jack Christie, who is on his third run for this office. Christie came very close to winning in 2009, ultimately falling by 1500 votes in the runoff. He … Continue reading →

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Interview with CM Jolanda Jones

Posted on September 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Our last look at a Council race is the most interesting race involving an incumbent, as once again CM Jolanda Jones faces some tough competition in At Large #5. If you follow Houston politics at all you are surely familiar … Continue reading →

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Interview with Amy Price

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Also running in At Large #4 is Amy Price, who is running under the auspices of the Green Party. Price is a violin teacher and professional musician who has performed with such bands as Gordian Knot, The Buddhacrush, and Orange … Continue reading →

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Interview with Louis Molnar

Posted on September 21, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Moving over to At Large #4, one of the candidates hoping to unseat CM Bradford is Louis Molnar. Molnar is a small business owner and realtor who also teaches law, ethics, and urban planning at the Spencer School of Real … Continue reading →

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DA won’t bring charges against CM Jones

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Houston Politics: Harris County prosecutors who reviewed ethics complaints against City Councilwoman Jolanda Jones have concluded that criminal prosecution is not warranted. In a letter to the City Attorney David Feldman the Harris County District Attorney’s Office said it had … Continue reading →

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Interview with Don Cook

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Also running in At Large #1 is Don Cook, who does not currently have a website. Cook ran for this office in 2009 as a member of the Progressive Coalition. He was also the Green Party candidate for Harris County … Continue reading →

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Interview with Scott Boates

Posted on September 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This week I will run interviews with some candidates who are challenging Council incumbents, some of whom entered their races more recently in the cycle. I will finish the Council races with At Large #5 next week, then the Mayor … Continue reading →

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My overview of the 2011 election

Posted on September 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Note: I was asked to write a guest post at BOR to summarize the 2011 Houston elections. I figure if I’m going to put all that effort into something, I may as well use it here, too. It’s mostly familiar … Continue reading →

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Interview with Kristi Thibaut

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

We conclude our tour of the At Large #2 field with Kristi Thibaut, who was the State Representative for HD133 from 2009 to 2011. Thibaut has worked for Continental Airlines and as a fundraiser for non-profits such as the American … Continue reading →

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Interview with Bolivar Fraga

Posted on September 13, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Next up for At Large #2 is Bolivar “Bo” Fraga, who is the son of former City Council member Felix Fraga. Fraga is a graduate of the Air Force Academy who spent more than six years on active duty, including … Continue reading →

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Another overview of the candidates

Posted on September 13, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron has another overview of the lineup for City Council and Mayor. This time, as far as I can tell, the slate they provide matches exactly the candidates listed on the City Secretary’s page. It also has a bit … Continue reading →

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Interview with David Robinson

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

We continue our tour of At Large #2 with David Robinson, who is an architect and neighborhood activist. Robinson has served on the Houston Planning Commission and is currently an Advisory Board Member on the Hermann Park Conservancy. He is … Continue reading →

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Lineup update

Posted on September 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron story that ran in yesterday’s news is now updated online to reflect the fact that CM Melissa Noriega does have two opponents, Brad Batteau and Chris Carmona. I emailed reporter Chris Moran yesterday to ask about that discrepancy, … Continue reading →

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