This time we mean it: Council special election lineup really, truly set

Disregard everything you read before. The lineup for the May 12 City Council special election is well and truly set. Well, maybe again.

Retired Air Force officer Roy Morales will be a candidate in a special City Council election May 12, city officials said Wednesday, correcting their earlier report that Morales was disqualified.

Greg Locke and Darryn Call, who were listed as candidates after Tuesday's filing deadline, were disqualified Wednesday after officials examined their paperwork.

Another candidate whose application was rejected, Ray Jones Jr., said the city "erred" over a technicality. He said he plans to challenge the decision.

Patrick Trahan, a spokesman for Mayor Bill White, said Morales was listed as disqualified when a staffer confused the candidates in response to Chronicle questions about who had filed.

"A mistake was made," he said. Compounding the confusion, he said, was that Morales' application contained a minor error, but it wasn't substantive enough for city lawyers to reject his candidacy.

So we still have to wait and see what may happen with Ray Jones. And remember, you read about Morales' on-again candidacy here first.

Pending a subsequent reinstatement of Ray Jones, the lineup is as follows:

• Kendall Baker, a supervisor in the city's 311 Service Helpline call center


• Anthony Dutrow, a meatpacker and perennial candidate


• Noel Freeman, a city public works employee


• David Goldberg, a high school student


• Ivan Mayers, a former energy executive who now serves as consultant to several nonprofit groups


• Alfred Molison, co-chair of the Harris County Green Party and an employee of the Social Security Administration


• Roy Morales


• Andy Neill, a consultant involved in the Houston Downtown Alliance's emerging leaders committee


• Tom Nixon, lawyer and former Houston police officer who gained notoriety last year after his firing over criticisms of HPD's vehicle-chase policy


• Melissa Noriega, a Houston school official and wife of state Rep. Rick Noriega, D-Houston


• Sara Owen-Gemoets, a retired United Methodist minister.

I've got an interview with Morales in the can, and will have interviews with Goldberg and Freeman soon. I'll be working on contacting other folks after that.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on March 08, 2007 to Election 2007