Finally, here's a Council campaign story that's got something in it you couldn't easily learn from candidate webpages.
The four candidates in the race to replace term-limited District E City Councilwoman Addie Wiseman are running largely on perennial priorities in Houston -- improving public safety, flooding and drainage and mobility.Lurking more subtly is Wiseman's tenure representing the oddly configured district, which includes both Kingwood and Clear Lake, but also precincts near Hobby Airport.
The candidates say they believe Wiseman, among Mayor Bill White's most vocal critics on the council, is popular with constituents still smarting from long-ago annexations. But they say they do not intend to emulate her sometimes confrontational style and well-known delay tactics, if elected.
"I would say that Addie Wiseman has been an obstructionist in the past. I do not intend to be the world-record holder for 'tags' on City Council," candidate William R. "Wil" Williams, a Kingwood corporate lawyer, said, referring to a parliamentary move the councilwoman often uses to delay agenda items. "If you're going to be a part of the team, you need to play like a team player."
The others, in varying degrees, agreed:
- Small-business owner Mike Sullivan said he would seek to build consensus.
- Manisha Mehta, an insurance company owner from Clear Lake, said she would work more closely with the mayor, who holds most of the power in Houston's system.
- Annette Dwyer, a former Harris County economic development official who advises Wiseman on Clear Lake issues, stressed the councilwoman's popularity, but said, "There are some of us that realize that we could probably have gotten some more for our district if things were approached a little bit differently."