Tag Archives: Houston City Council

Council to hear Ashby appeal

Posted on December 8, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Via Nancy Sarnoff, the developers of the Ashby Highrise will appeal the dismissal of their appeal of not getting everything they wanted when their project was finally approved back in August. There’s a public hearing Tuesday and a Council vote … Continue reading →

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At Large #1 runoff overview

Posted on December 7, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I believe this will be the last of the runoff overview stories. The runoff for an at-large City Council seat has devolved into a battle over the subtle connotations of the phrase “city contractor.” One of the candidates for Position … Continue reading →

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District F runoff overview

Posted on December 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Chron story on the District F runoff. The condensed version of Al Hoang’s vision for Sharps town’s shopping center echoes a Reagan-era foreign policy pronouncement: Tear down this mall. Mike Laster’s recent work on Sharpstown Mall is more … Continue reading →

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What the others are saying about Hotze’s endorsement

Posted on December 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

So here’s the Chron coverage of the Hotze endorsement. Of the many things I find unfathomable about this, here’s the item at the top of the list. Kris Banks, president of Houston’s GLBT Political Caucus, which has endorsed Parker, questioned … Continue reading →

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Early voting starts today

Posted on November 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Today marks the start of early voting for all of the runoff elections, which include Houston, Bellaire, and HISD. Early voting schedule and locations can be found here; remember that EV locations outside of Houston city limits are mostly closed, … Continue reading →

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Hotze endorses Locke

Posted on November 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

It’s what we’ve all been waiting for, and now it’s on its way to a mailbox near you, as local hatemeister Steven Hotze has endorsed candidates in all six City of Houston runoffs and sent a mail piece out touting … Continue reading →

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Lovell v. Burks

Posted on November 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

And here’s the Chron story on the At Large #2 runoff, featuring Council Member Sue Lovell and Andrew Burks. Unlike Jones v. Christie, my opinion that CM Lovell will retain her seat is much more common. Burks does have a … Continue reading →

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Jones v. Christie

Posted on November 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

And here’s the Chron overview of the At Large #5 runoff between Council Member Jolanda Jones and former SBOE member Jack Christie. I’ve said before that I like CM Jones, and I plan to vote for her in the runoff. … Continue reading →

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District A runoff overview

Posted on November 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Now that we’re into the runoff season, it looks like the Chron will finally do a bit more in depth coverage of the races that are still unresolved. Yesterday, they ran this overview of District A and the remaining candidates … Continue reading →

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Council turnover

Posted on November 25, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

One underappreciated aspect of this year’s election is that we may wind up with more than two new At Large City Council members. We started with two open seats, and with incumbents Sue Lovell and Jolanda Jones in runoffs, the … Continue reading →

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2009 Runoff Candidate Meet and Greet

Posted on November 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Want to meet the candidates who are in the December 12 runoff? Here’s your chance: You are invited to attend … 2009 Runoff Candidate Meet and Greet DECEMBER 3, 2009 – 6:30 PM – The Upper Kirby Building (details below) … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Second time’s the charm

Posted on November 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Among the runoff elections, only one does not include a candidate that was endorsed by the Chron in the first round. That race is City Council At Large #1, and today the Chron made their choice for the runoff by … Continue reading →

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Oh, and avoid Blakemore, too

Posted on November 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We already know why you should stay away from Steven Hotze. But Allen Blakemore is the Horace and Jasper to Hotze’s Cruella de Vil, and the same warning applies to him as well. But don’t take my word for it, … Continue reading →

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Third poll shows Parker leading

Posted on November 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

And we have our first poll from a source other than one of the campaigns, but like those two before it, this one shows Annise Parker in the lead. The poll consisted of 500 telephone interviews with registered Houston voters … Continue reading →

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Still more on the Heights recycling center

Posted on November 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

You may recall that the city had proposed selling the neighborhood recycling center on Center Street to the Admiral Linen business next door, and that this move was opposed by residents in the area. The city is still considering this … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: City Council At Large races

Posted on November 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Moving on to the At Large City Council races. I’m going to look at each of them here. First up, At Large #1: Dist Cook Litt Alls Cost Derr Rodr Perk Batt ============================================================ A 1,521 1,629 397 4,806 4,144 2,087 … Continue reading →

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Khan has an announcement

Posted on November 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Council Member and candidate for Controller MJ Khan has an announcement to make tomorrow. From his press release: Who: Councilman M.J. Khan, Candidate for Houston City Controller What: Press Conference on a major announcement from the M.J. Khan for City … Continue reading →

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Ashby developers appeal to City Council

Posted on November 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

According to Nancy Sarnoff, the Buckhead folks have appealed to City Council to allow their original vision to go forward. They’ve already lost an appeal of that with the city’s General Appeals Board, and as it’s the Mayor who sets … Continue reading →

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Six questions for the runoffs

Posted on November 5, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Six questions that I can think of, anyway. 1. What will Peter do? Will Peter Brown endorse someone in the runoff? If so, how vigorously does he support that person? He’s in a position to have an effect on the … Continue reading →

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Initial thoughts on tonight’s results

Posted on November 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

– My skepticism of those earlier polls that showed Peter Brown in the lead has been justified. Especially in what wound up being a lower-than-expected turnout election, I just couldn’t believe a survey of registered voters that was self-screened for … Continue reading →

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Election results thread

Posted on November 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

It’s gonna be a long night…Here are the early vote results from Harris County. Candidate Votes Pct ========================= Locke 17,183 28.76 Parker 17,169 28.74 Brown 15,387 25.75 Morales 9,451 15.82 Green 19,389 39.97 Holm 16,939 32.26 Khan 15,631 29.77 That’s … Continue reading →

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Spending on voter outreach: District Council races

Posted on November 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve taken a look at spending on voter outreach in the Controller’s race and in the At Large Council races, and was working on a similar post for the district Council races for the 30 days out reports, but never … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Jewish Herald Voice and African-American News

Posted on November 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here are some last-minute endorsements, for those of you who plan to do your civic duty on Tuesday. First, from the Jewish Herald Voice: City of Houston, General Election Mayor Annise D. Parker Council Member, District A Amy Peck Council … Continue reading →

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More, so to speak, on the Council races

Posted on November 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s what there is to say about this Chron story that “covers”, loosely speaking, the five open Council races. It has 62 sentences in it. It names 31 candidates. You do the math. I mean, seriously. If you’re going to … Continue reading →

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Comparing Controller’s races

Posted on November 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

In 2009, we have a Controller’s race that features an At Large Council member, a Council member from a high-turnout, mostly white district, and Council member from a low-turnout, mostly non-white district. In 2003, we had a Controller’s race that … Continue reading →

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And we finally get some coverage of Council races

Posted on October 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron has done a good job, as expected, of covering the Mayor’s race, and they’ve provided more coverage than I’d expected of the various HISD Trustee races. But their coverage of the Council races has been basically non-existent, and … Continue reading →

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Eight days out: Spending on voter outreach by At Large candidates

Posted on October 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

As with the Controller’s race, I took a look at spending on voter outreach for At Large candidates in the 30 day out report. Given that some large number of people have no clue about who is running for these … Continue reading →

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County puts off vote on helping the city deny vehicle registration to red light camera scofflaws

Posted on October 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

No surprise. For the second time in a month, Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday postponed a vote on an agreement with the city to block vehicle registrations for red-light camera violators who do not pay their fines. Court members … Continue reading →

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Don’t mess with Bill

Posted on October 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

As everyone expected, Mayor White has stayed the heck out of the race to replace him. So it’s a pretty big deal when he feels compelled to speak up about something that is happening in the race. Mayor Bill White … Continue reading →

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No quorum for Lawrence’s Council meeting on 287(g)

Posted on October 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Three City Council members fell short of forcing a vote Wednesday on the city’s participation in a controversial immigration screening program after the rest of their colleagues skipped a special meeting. The city secretary counted only three members — … Continue reading →

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Roy on the air

Posted on October 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Behold the power of Roy: Just as a reminder, Barack Obama got 61% of the vote in Houston last year. I don’t know how effective a boogeyman he’ll make, though I suppose that depends on where the ad airs. Roy’s … Continue reading →

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Brown ad #5

Posted on October 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

You’ll probably see this without my help, but here’s Peter Brown’s fifth, and presumably final (modulo the runoff) TV ad: I don’t know about you, but I’m seeing the Brown ads all over the place. I haven’t seen a Parker … Continue reading →

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County doesn’t want to help city collect red light camera fines

Posted on October 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Last year, City Council passed an ordinance that would put a hold on vehicle registrations for which there are outstanding red light camera fines. The city’s ability to do this is contingent on cooperation from the county, as it is … Continue reading →

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Interview with Otis Jordan

Posted on October 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Next up, we have an interview with Otis Jordan, who is running in District D. Jordan just retired as a captain in HFD after 30 years of service. Jordan is a graduate of Ross Sterling High School and TCU, and … Continue reading →

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