Tag Archives: Houston City Council

HISD to broadcast some meetings

Posted on April 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This is a good first step. Saying they want to be more transparent, Houston Independent School District trustees agreed Thursday to broadcast their once-monthly general meetings on the district’s cable access station, which runs 24 hours a day. Trustees, though, … Continue reading →

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Let the gloves come off

Posted on April 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Yes, there is a big election coming up this year in Houston. More than one of them, actually. And yes, some of these elections involve people who are currently elected members of city government. Which means that a certain amount … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: The City Council districts

Posted on April 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I’d been wondering for a long time how the 2008 vote broke down by City Council districts, as well as for the city of Houston versus non-Houston Harris County. I finally did something about it awhile ago and made a … Continue reading →

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Stimulus package, Council-style

Posted on April 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

What to make of this? Houston is set to embark on a program to provide a boost to some of the city’s biggest developments, many of which have been put on hold amid the ongoing financial crisis. The plan aims … Continue reading →

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Candidate interview: Hugo Mojica

Posted on April 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We are getting close to the end of my interview series with District H candidates. Today I have a conversation with Hugo Mojica, who is a native of the Northside and who has worked for former Council members Gabe Vasquez … Continue reading →

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Candidate interview: Maverick Welsh

Posted on March 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We’re past the halfway point in my interview series for the District H special election. Today’s subject is Maverick Welsh, who resigned as chief of staff to Council Member and Mayoral candidate Peter Brown to run in this race. Welsh … Continue reading →

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Candidate interview: Gonzalo Camacho

Posted on March 25, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Continuing on with the District H candidate interview series, we come now to Gonzalo Camacho, who is a transportation/traffic engineer and planner, probably best known for his concept of the I-45 Parkway, a combination tunnel/limited access thoroughfare as a replacement … Continue reading →

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Dynamo Stadium funding almost secured

Posted on March 24, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Another step forward for Dynamo Stadium. Dynamo ownership has all but secured all of the financing needed for the construction of an $80-million soccer stadium just east of downtown and plans to break ground on the project as early as … Continue reading →

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Candidate interview: Lupe Garcia

Posted on March 23, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Next up in the District H interview series is Lupe Garcia, who is a small business owner and a resident of the Heights, where he grew up and where his mom still lives. My conversation with him is here. As … Continue reading →

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Time to throw out the first attack mailer of the season

Posted on March 23, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

So we got a weird little piece of mail Saturday. Addressed to both of us, in a plain envelope with no return address was a one-page letter that attacked Carl Whitmarsh, best know for his prodigious Democratic email list, and … Continue reading →

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Shorter to challenge Lovell

Posted on March 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Isiah Carey reports. The Insite had a brief conversation with Houstonian Rozzy ‘Roz’ Shorter. She’s not quite given up on her political career. You may remember Shorter as the local woman chosen by the Barack Obama camp to get the … Continue reading →

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Candidate interview: Yolanda Navarro Flores

Posted on March 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Next up in the District H special election interview series is Yolanda Navarro Flores. As far as I know, she is the only candidate to have been elected to public office before – she served one term in the Lege … Continue reading →

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Reminder: GHDC District H candidate forum

Posted on March 17, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Greater Heights Democratic Club is holding a candidate forum for District H this Thursday. Please join the Greater Heights Democratic Club for a Candidate Forum for the upcoming City of Houston, District H, Special Election. Place: Reagan High School … Continue reading →

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Candidate interview: Rick Rodriguez

Posted on March 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, there is a special election coming up in City Council District H to fill the seat that was vacated by now-Sheriff Adrian Garcia. There are nine candidates running for this seat, and as has been my custom … Continue reading →

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Derr to run for At Large #1

Posted on March 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, City Council hopeful Karen Derr missed the official filing deadline for the District H special election, and thus will not be on the ballot on May 9. Anyone who has driven through the Heights lately has observed … Continue reading →

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Derr misses filing deadline

Posted on March 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Yesterday was the filing deadline for the District H special election. Usually, that brings a last-minute surprise in the form of an unexpected candidate. This time, it brought a different kind of surprise. As one of the first people to … Continue reading →

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Texas lawmakers on Twitter

Posted on March 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Elise Hu has compiled a list of elected officials in Austin who use Twitter, for those of you who are into such things. It’s a shorter list than I would have expected, but I’ll bet it grows before the legislative … Continue reading →

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Another City Council lineup update

Posted on February 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Time for our periodic check on who’s running for what this fall. The Memorial Examiner gets us started. Five confirmed candidates are vying to replace Lawrence in District A. Jeff Downing, Amy Peck, Bob Schellkopf, Brenda Stardig and Alex Wathen … Continue reading →

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Bradford announces for At Large #4, Pennington announces in G

Posted on February 25, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We know he had been contemplating the possibility, but now former HPD Chief C.O. Bradford has made it official: He’s going to run for the open At Large #4 City Council seat. From his email: Chief Bradford has been a … Continue reading →

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Interview with Vidal Martinez and John Castillo

Posted on February 24, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, I’ve been following the issue of Houston City Council redistricting with a lot of interest. After the lawsuit was filed a week ago Thursday, I wanted to speak to the protagonists and ask them some questions about … Continue reading →

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Council campaign miscellania

Posted on February 23, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Just some notes and news about various Council campaign activities, collected and collated into one convenient location for you… Karen Derr will have an “old fashioned patriotic grand opening” of her campaign headquarters, which happens to be her house in … Continue reading →

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Green to announce for City Controller

Posted on February 23, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I think everybody knew that term-limited City Council Member Ron Green, who currently serves on At Large #4, was planning to run for the to-be-open position of City Controller. But if you didn’t, or if you were wondering what was … Continue reading →

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Roy announces

Posted on February 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Dream big, dude. A Republican elected official who twice ran unsuccessfully for Houston City Council is claiming a spot as the conservative choice in the nonpartisan campaign for mayor. Roy Morales, 51, elected in 2006 as a Harris County Department … Continue reading →

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The Census and City Council redistricting

Posted on February 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Looks like Mayor White has an interesting ally in the city council redistricting debate. Frumencio Reyes, the dean of Houston-area redistricting litigation, said he believes the mayor made the right decision in putting off redistricting. […] Reyes, who has taken … Continue reading →

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Shady Acres candidate forum report

Posted on February 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I attended the District H candidate forum that was presented by the Shady Acres Civic Club last night. Eight candidates were in attendance: Gonzalo Camacho, Karen Derr, Yolanda Navarro Flores, Lupe Garcia, Ed Gonzalez, Hugo Mojica, Rick Rodriguez, and Maverick … Continue reading →

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Stardig announces in A

Posted on February 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We now have a third official candidate in City Council District A, businesswoman Brenda Stardig, who I am told is outgoing Council Member Toni Lawrence’s preferred choice. She joins Alex Wathen and Jeff Downing, who have already filed their Treasurer’s … Continue reading →

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Brown’s announcement coming

Posted on February 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

From the Peter Brown campaign. At-Large City Council Member Peter Brown will formally announce his candidacy for Mayor of Houston Thursday, February 26, 2009 11:30AM Program starts at noon. Houston Garden Center ( across from Miller Theatre, next to the … Continue reading →

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More on the city council redistricting lawsuit

Posted on February 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s today’s version of the story, which adds a little more detail to yesterday’s. Population consultants and planning officials have said that redistricting now would require the city to rely on 2000 census data outlining population figures in voting precincts. … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed to force city to redistrict

Posted on February 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Former City Council Member Carroll Robinson, who has been a strong proponent for redistricting City Council boundaries and drawing two new districts now rather than waiting till 2011, has said that the city should not fear any litigation that might … Continue reading →

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District H candidate forum in Shady Acres

Posted on February 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The following came to me via Facebook: The Shady Acres Civic Club is hosting a Candidate Forum for District H. We would like to have an opportunity for community members to meet and hear candidates\’ vision for our neighborhood. We … Continue reading →

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Over/under

Posted on February 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Some East End residents are still unhappy about the way the Harrisburg light rail line is shaping up. East End residents overwhelmingly supported the rail line in a 2003 referendum, thinking it would boost the redevelopment already taking place. Back … Continue reading →

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District H CIP meeting report

Posted on February 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Chron story on that CIP meeting for District H that took place last week. The highlights: Jane Cahill West, president of the combined Washington Avenue/Memorial Super Neighborhood Council, said she was glad to see the MKT (Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad) … Continue reading →

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Parker polls, King drops out

Posted on February 5, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Annise Parker hits the ground running by releasing a favorable poll on her candidacy for Mayor. “City Controller Annise Parker is the clear front runner and a strong favorite to make the runoff. Parker is better known than any declared … Continue reading →

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Ed Gonzalez kickoff event

Posted on February 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Ed Gonzalez will have a campaign kickoff event for District H next Wednesday, February 11, at Irma’s Restaurant downtown from 5:30 to 7 PM. You can get all the details here (PDF). We’re rapidly approaching the filing deadline for the … Continue reading →

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