Tag Archives: Election 2023

More information about HISD redistricting, please

Posted on December 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

A reasonable ask. Several local nonprofit and advocacy groups penned a letter asking Houston ISD to postpone its decision on how to redraw trustee district boundaries. Initially, the board was set to vote on the plan Thursday, according to a … Continue reading →

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LULAC files that lawsuit to end Houston City Council At Large districts

Posted on December 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve been waiting for this. The League of United Latin American Citizens on Monday filed its long-anticipated lawsuit against the city of Houston, seeking to get rid of at-large City Council seats that it says leave Hispanic residents with insufficient representation at City Hall. … Continue reading →

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The people may have spoken, but who’s listening?

Posted on December 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

How much respect to city councils owe voter-approved referenda? Voters in two Central Texas cities overwhelmingly passed propositions earlier this month that would stop citations and arrests for low-level marijuana offenses within city limits. But elected officials in Bell County … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

Whitmire launches his Mayoral campaign

Posted on December 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

And we’re off. State Sen. John Whitmire formally launched his campaign for Houston mayor Tuesday evening with a fundraiser at the ritzy Post Oak Hotel, attended by dozens of the city’s political luminaries — including the hotel’s billionaire owner, Tilman … Continue reading →

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SCOTx hears firefighter pay parity arguments

Posted on November 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Lots at stake here. More than four years after Houston voters approved a measure that would grant firefighters equal pay with police officers, the legal battle to decide the referendum’s fate landed Tuesday in the hands of the Supreme Court of Texas. The … Continue reading →

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A too-early look at who’s running for Houston city offices in 2023

Posted on November 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Because it’s never not election season. With the midterm elections behind us, city election season is now heating up. Next November, Houston will elect a new mayor, a new controller and 16 City Council members. The campaigns actually got underway long before … Continue reading →

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HISD redistricting is on the docket

Posted on November 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Already happening, in fact. Houston ISD plans to redraw the boundary lines for its nine school board trustees based on population changes reflected in the latest U.S. Census. HISD officials emphasized that the changes only impact voting, not what schools … Continue reading →

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Commissioner-elect Briones

Posted on November 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good story. Yes, Lesley Briones secured a victory that handed Democrats a stall-proof majority on Harris County Commissioners Court. And yes, she upset Republican Commissioner Jack Cagle in a precinct where he has won reelection every cycle since 2011, beating … Continue reading →

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Election 2022 miscellania: Marijuana, Austin Mayor, CRT

Posted on November 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Three items of interest for you. First up, several local initiatives to decriminalize marijuana were successful on Tuesday. By the end of Election Day, five Texas cities have voted to decriminalize low-level marijuana possession. After Austin voters overwhelmingly approved the … Continue reading →

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Houston City Council approves its new map

Posted on October 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Now we wait for the lawsuit(s). City Council on Wednesday approved new boundaries for the city’s 11 districts for the 2023 elections, featuring modest adjustments affecting parts of downtown, Braeburn, Greater Inwood and a few areas in southeast Houston. The … Continue reading →

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We could maybe vote on a piece of the stupid revenue cap next year

Posted on October 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Yippie. Mayor Sylvester Turner said Wednesday he will ask voters in 2023 to amend the city’s cap on property tax revenue to allow for more public safety spending, as the council cut the city’s tax rate for the eighth time … Continue reading →

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On resign to run

Posted on August 9, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The TL;dr version of this is “No one ever said the Elections Code was fair”. John Whitmire’s plans have been clear since November: He is running for re-election to the state Senate, and he also is running for mayor. If all … Continue reading →

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Dallas joins the abortion decriminalization queue

Posted on August 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them. The Dallas City Council could consider a resolution in August aimed at blunting the impact of the Texas Legislature’s trigger law that will go into effect following the Supreme Court’s decision that overturned Roe vs. Wade. Dallas’ … Continue reading →

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San Antonio will make its statement for abortion rights

Posted on August 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

More symbolic than anything, but it still has meaning. Five San Antonio City Council members and the mayor stood in support of a largely symbolic measure Wednesday that would attempt to “decriminalize” abortion locally. Council is expected to approve a resolution during a … Continue reading →

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July 2022 campaign finance reports: City of Houston

Posted on July 27, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We’re still more than a year out from the 2023 election, but we are now up to three serious conteners for Mayor, plus two others in the wild, so the finance reports are beginning to generate some real interest. The … Continue reading →

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Hollins and Edwards report big Mayoral fundraising numbers

Posted on July 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Yes, we’re going to need to start paying attention to this. Houston’s next mayoral election is not for another 18 months, but the early contenders already are raising heaps of cash. Former Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins has taken in more than … Continue reading →

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Chron story on the proposed new City Council map

Posted on July 11, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Remember, you heard it here first. Houston’s proposed City Council maps for 2023 elections make only minor changes to district boundaries near Rice University, Freedmen’s Town and parts of downtown. Overall, less than 3% of Houston’s 2.3 million residents will … Continue reading →

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City Council redistricting on the agenda

Posted on July 9, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Get ready for some public hearings. The City Council of the City of Houston, Texas, will hold the following public hearings in the City Council Chamber, City Hall, 2nd Floor, 901 Bagby, Houston, Texas 77002. The purpose of the hearings is … Continue reading →

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HISD approves its budget

Posted on June 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

First one for the new Superintendent. Houston ISD trustees on Thursday unanimously approved a $2.2 billion budget that will give teacher raises some have called long overdue and fund the upcoming school year when the district is expected to begin … Continue reading →

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Here’s your public meeting schedule for Houston City Council redistricting

Posted on April 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Attend one and be In The Know. Houston residents will have a chance to preview potential changes to Houston’s 11 City Council districts at a series of public town hall meetings in April and May. […] The town hall meetings … Continue reading →

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January 2022 campaign finance reports: HCC

Posted on April 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Previously: City of Houston, HISD If HISD campaign finance reports are less sexy than city of Houston finance reports, then HCC finance reports are like HISD finance reports wearing thermal underwear. Nevertheless, we persist. Monica Flores Richart – Dist 1 … Continue reading →

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Chron story on City Council redistricting

Posted on April 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Lots more info now. As Houston begins to redraw its City Council map for the 2023 elections, two districts representing western portions of the city, including Montrose, the Heights, River Oaks, and Uptown, among other neighborhoods, have out-sized populations that … Continue reading →

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City Council redistricting is on the dock

Posted on March 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a schedule of events related to redistricting for Houston City Council. Some of this has already happened. Last week, unless it got tagged in which case it will come up again at the next Council meeting, Council should have … Continue reading →

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Amanda Edwards to run for Mayor

Posted on March 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The field is now at three. Amanda Edwards, a former at-large member of Houston City Council and candidate for U.S. Senate, announced Wednesday she is running for mayor of Houston in 2023. Edwards’ return to politics comes two years after … Continue reading →

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January 2022 campaign finance reports: City of Houston

Posted on March 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

January finance reports are always worth a look, if only as a ritual to start the new year. We’re a year out from election season truly beginning for Houston, but as we now have two brand name contenders for Mayor … Continue reading →

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The hotly contested SD15 primary

Posted on February 27, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This may be the most compelling primary race in the county. On the last day for candidates to file for the 2022 primary in Texas, things were looking good for state Sen. John Whitmire. The longtime Democrat, sitting on an … Continue reading →

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Chris Hollins to run for Mayor

Posted on February 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. Chris Hollins, the former Harris County elections chief who pushed measures aimed at expanding ballot access during the November 2020 election, announced Monday that he’s running for Houston mayor in 2023. “The challenges that we’re facing as Houstonians are … Continue reading →

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HCC will have an election to fill its vacancy

Posted on January 29, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

So much for an appointment. Re: HCC Board of Trustees District II Position Residents of District II and the Community At-Large: The Houston Community College (HCC) Board of Trustees remains committed to serving the best interest of the entire community. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022, Election 2023 | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Is it time to ditch At Large seats on Houston City Council?

Posted on January 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s one argument for it. The lack of Latinos on the City Council undermines the legitimacy of Houston’s government, experts say, and is something that a prominent Hispanic organization is pushing to change with a lawsuit and ballot proposition. The … Continue reading →

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HCC seeks a new Board member

Posted on January 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a vacancy to fill now. The Board of Trustees publicly and formally invites qualified members of the public to apply to be considered for appointment to the position of HCC Trustee District II. The Texas Education Code requires that … Continue reading →

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Sen. Whitmire will run for Mayor in 2023

Posted on November 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Big announcement. State Sen. John Whitmire, the longest serving member of the Texas Senate, told supporters at a campaign rally Wednesday that he intends to run for mayor of Houston in 2023. “I’m no longer considering it, we’re not asking … Continue reading →

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More on the November 2021 election results

Posted on November 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Chron story on the Tuesday election results. It is mostly a straight recording of the individual races, including those I covered yesterday and others that I didn’t. Of the most interest to me is this: Results were delayed … Continue reading →

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The Housing and Community Development mess

Posted on September 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

A review of headlines from last week, which I did not have the brain space to do anything with: Turner fires Houston housing director who accused him of ‘charade’ bid process to benefit developer Turner names interim housing director in … Continue reading →

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What about City Council and redistricting?

Posted on August 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest: . NEW: Except for #DistrictD, all the #CouncilDistricts held by minorities need to add people to equalize population in #Houston’s #political jurisdictions. #redistricting @MarcCommentary @jcortina @PabloMPinto @houtopia @ReneeCrossTX @UHPoliticalSci @MarkPJonesTX @bjrottinghaus — hectordeleon (@hdl_perspective) 9:54 PM – 21 … Continue reading →

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