Tag Archives: Election 2023

The 2026 HCAD Board of Directors elections

Posted on September 8, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, remember when we had to have those dumb Harris Central Appraisal District (HCAD) Board of Directors special elections in May of 2024, because of a completely obscure provision of a 2023 Constitutional amendment that had been passed in 2023? … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

On Whitmire and ICE

Posted on July 28, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again. For the second time in four months, Mayor John Whitmire is facing intense criticism over his handling of federal immigration enforcement, an issue he has spent much of his first term trying to keep out of … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

July 2026 campaign finance reports – City of Houston

Posted on July 27, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

The big news on the Houston municipal offices campaign finance front is that the city has a brand new reporting system, one in which you now get a permalink to the candidates’ reports. You’ll see those below. It’s faster than … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2025, Election 2026, Election 2027 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Hollins complains about lack of response in Brown investigation

Posted on July 22, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

City drama. Houston Controller Chris Hollins is accusing Mayor John Whitmire’s administration of refusing to provide records for an investigation into one of the mayor’s advisor, while the city’s top lawyer said the administration intends to cooperate. The dispute unfolded … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Chris Brown situation

Posted on June 17, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

This was reported last week. Mayor John Whitmire’s senior adviser for financial integrity, Chris Brown, has been largely absent from City Hall, rarely swiping into city offices and sending less than one email per week while collecting a six-figure salary, … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Quentin Wiltz elected Mayor of Pearland

Posted on May 5, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a result from Saturday I missed originally. A Democratic-backed candidate has won a closely contested mayoral race in Pearland, Texas, a Republican-leaning suburb of Houston in Brazoria County that has consistently voted for President Donald Trump since 2016. Winning … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Whitmire waffles on ICE ordinance

Posted on April 15, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Pathetic. And predictable. Mayor John Whitmire last week joined his City Council colleagues in voting to limit Houston police officers’ interactions with federal immigration agents, but now says the city must “correct” its policy after Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to … Continue reading →

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A brief history of May regular elections in Harris County

Posted on April 11, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, there is a special election on May 2 in SD04, which happens to be the uniform election date in May for 2026. We are not accustomed to voting in May in Harris County, especially not in even-numbered … Continue reading →

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Council passes ordinance to limit HPD’s interactions with ICE

Posted on April 9, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Houston City Council approved a proposal from three city council members limiting Houston police officers’ cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Wednesday, with Mayor John Whitmire in support. The proposal by Council Members Alejandra Salinas, Edward … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Was the District C special election an inflection point?

Posted on April 7, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

An interesting hypothesis from Chron editorial page honcho Evan Mintz. Don’t be fooled by the fact that the race is going to a runoff — Saturday’s special election for City Council District C was a blowout. Houston progressives were the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A brief check in on District C

Posted on March 25, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

As of Tuesday, we are officially halfway through early voting for the Houston City Council District C special election. There have been 2,937 votes cast so far – 778 by mail, 2,159 in person. Except for Sunday and Monday, every … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Of course that DPRIT lawsuit filed by crackpots was done incorrectly

Posted on December 7, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

It’s more fun this way. If an Austin court hearing this week is an early indication of how a lawsuit blocking Texas’ $3 billion dementia research fund will fare, state leaders who championed it and the voters who overwhelmingly approved it by more … Continue reading →

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A closer look at the Cy-Fair ISD elections

Posted on November 25, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Good stuff. When Lesley Guilmart’s cellphone rang Wednesday afternoon, she almost didn’t answer the unknown number. “I’ve been getting interesting calls from folks since last week’s win,” said Guilmart, who on Nov. 4 was elected to the Cy-Fair ISD Board … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2025 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Another lawsuit filed against a constitutional amendment election

Posted on November 23, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Dan Patrick is mad about it. The state’s new $3 billion dementia research fund has been blocked temporarily by a trio of voters who claim voting machines used in this month’s election are faulty. The plaintiffs — Shannon Huggins, Lars … Continue reading →

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More on the November election

Posted on November 6, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a Chron story from the weekend that annoyed me a little. Early voting in Harris County wrapped up Friday with some of the lowest voting turnouts in recent years for Texas’ most populous county. but still higher than in … Continue reading →

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Early voting Day Five: A brief comparison

Posted on October 26, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Final EV total 2021 = 114,060 Final EV total 2017 = 60,974 Day Five EV total 2025 = 63,969 So less than halfway through early voting this year, we have exceeded the entire EV total from 2017, and are more … Continue reading →

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The recall effort is out there collecting signatures

Posted on October 9, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Good luck, you’re gonna need it. After more than a year of posting to social media and reaching out to news media, Ethan Hale stood alone — aside from a Houston Public Media journalist — at the Houston City College … Continue reading →

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Recall Houston says it will start collecting petition signatures

Posted on September 29, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Okay. Could Houston voters soon decide the fate of Houston Mayor John Whitmire? Experts say it’s an extremely long shot, but a group of Houstonians will start collecting signatures next week to remove the mayor from office. Mayor Whitmire has … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2025, Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Activist fined over mailers sent in 2023 District G race

Posted on July 27, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. A Houston activist was fined $12,438 last month for allegedly sending misleading mailers to disrupt a high-profile Houston City Council race among Tony Buzbee, Enyinna Isiguzo and incumbent council member Mary Nan Huffman in the fall of 2023. The … Continue reading →

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July 2025 campaign finance reports – City of Houston

Posted on July 25, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

PREVOIUSLY: Harris County Senate and Congress When I did the January roundup for the city of Houston, I didn’t expect there to be much activity of interest in July, given that the next regularly scheduled election for the city is … Continue reading →

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Recall Houston sets a petition timeline

Posted on June 17, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Okay. The group aiming to oust Mayor John Whitmire has set a timeline for its efforts to petition for a recall election. Recall For Houston announced it is eyeing to begin collecting signatures in the fall. In the meantime, the … Continue reading →

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Is CM Plummer running for County Judge?

Posted on June 15, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe! Houston City Council Member Letitia Plummer might be entering the race for Harris County judge, according to a copy of a now-deleted document posted by the Spring Branch Democrats Club that was shared with the Houston Chronicle. The Spring … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Fair for Houston makes good on its warning

Posted on May 28, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

They did warn us. Lawyers for advocacy group Fair for Houston have filed an injunction against Mayor John Whitmire and the Houston City Council after urging the city to comply with a local law to give the city more representation … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The turnout effect in those school board races

Posted on May 11, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

In yesterday’s post we talked about the possible voucher effect in the recent school board elections, which were by and large a rout of the wingnuts. That same Chron story offered one more explanation at the end. While some of … Continue reading →

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San Marcos and Austin marijuana ordinances struck down

Posted on April 28, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Strike one. A state appeals court has shot down a voter-approved ordinance that decriminalized marijuana in San Marcos. The Fifteenth Court of Appeals last week overturned a ruling that denied a temporary injunction to block the law’s enforcement in the … Continue reading →

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Fair for Houston sends a warning

Posted on April 25, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

They’ve been more than patient. A Houston advocacy group warned Mayor John Whitmire and council members Thursday that the city is risking a lawsuit if it continues to ignore the will of voters by participating on a regional planning board … Continue reading →

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Recall Houston

Posted on April 1, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Color me skeptical. Recall Houston, a group working to recall Houston Mayor John Whitmire, is gaining steam and reading for a push to get the effort on the ballot in 2025. The organization has been working for almost a year, … Continue reading →

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January 2025 campaign finance reports – City of Houston

Posted on February 4, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

PREVIOUSLY: Harris County offices Continuing with our January campaign finance report review, let’s check in on the current City of Houston elected officials and other people of interest. Candidate Raised Spent Loan On Hand ======================================================= Whitmire 52,900 61,210 0 2,432,442 … Continue reading →

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A brief look ahead to when the HISD Board will contain elected members again

Posted on January 5, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This Q&A with elected HISD Trustee Plácido Gómez has some good insights, but I want to note these questions towards the end. Fast-forwarding, if you, in an imaginary world, became a voting member of the board tomorrow, how would you … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Whitmire’s first year

Posted on January 3, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron has a story about how Mayor Whitmire’s first year has gone, and I’ll get to that shortly, but first I want to look at this story, about his efforts to get help from the state government for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Houston re-ups its membership in H-GAC

Posted on November 3, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

It’s hard not to get really effing discouraged sometimes. Houston City Council voted 9-4 to renew its membership in the Houston-Galveston Area Council Wednesday after fiery discussions over whether the city’s continued involvement violated the city charter. Council Members Tarsha Jackson, Abbie Kamin, Edward … Continue reading →

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City reaches collective bargaining agreement with HOPE

Posted on September 26, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Houston municipal workers will get raises of 12.5 percent over three years under a tentative contract announced by the mayor and union officials Monday. Under the proposal, all employees will receive an additional $116 per pay period, about $3,000 … Continue reading →

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Katy ISD keeps doing Katy ISD things to library books

Posted on August 29, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I suppose it’s useful to be reminded, as we slog our way through another Year Of Mike Miles, that the suburban school districts around us have their own unique set of dysfunctions. The Katy ISD board of trustees passed a … Continue reading →

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I got those “Same old HGAC” blues

Posted on August 16, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t see this resolving any time soon. Nearly seven months after Houston missed a deadline to increase its role in regional planning, negotiations with the Houston-Galveston Area Council have stalled indefinitely, despite a mandate by Houston voters in last … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2023, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment