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

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 resident of the city of Houston since 1979. He has lived in the Hiram Clarke, Alief, Fondren Southwest, and MacGregor areas. He understands the various characteristics of the Houston community and appreciates the efforts to focus on neighborhood needs.

Bradford served 24 years as a Houston Police officer and seven years as Chief of Police. He was appointed Houston's Police Chief by Mayor Bob Lanier and re-appointed by Mayor Lee Brown. He is an attorney and public safety consultant with degrees in law from the University of Houston Law Center, criminal justice from Grambling State University, and a public administration degree from Texas Southern University. Also, Chief Bradford is a graduate of the FBI Academy and Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government Program for State and Local Executives.

"It is certainly an honor to serve in the public sector. Making a difference for the greater good of all is a tremendous reward. As Houston moves forward, we must get better prepared to deal with issues such as public safety, budget restraints, critical infrastructure repairs, representation via council redistricting and many others." stated Bradford. "After careful consideration, I am most honored to be asked by so many friends, supporters, and family to run for Houston City Council. I will utilize my experience, training, and education to help improve the quality of life in this wonderful community, Houston, Texas."

Noel Freeman is already in the running for this seat. I hold Chief Bradford in high regard, and I really admired the campaign he ran for District Attorney and the issues he emphasized in that race. I think he'd make a fine Council member. Having said that, Noel asked for my support awhile back, and I promised it to him. I did that, of course, because I think he'll make a fine Council member as well, so my decision is clear. If I were starting out at this point, it would be a lot harder. But it's a choice between good options, and you can't ask for more than that.

Meanwhile, Oliver Pennington, who first came to my attention as a potential candidate for District G a month ago, has made his formal announcement as well. Here's his email:

Houston municipal and environmental attorney Oliver Pennington announced today that he will seek the Houston City Council District G seat that is being vacated by Councilmember Pam Holm due to term limits. Pennington said "I believe I can make a positive difference for residents and business owners in District G. I will use my experience to secure funding for needed neighborhood and regional public works and crime prevention projects. I will help residents unravel the complex city regulations affecting neighborhoods such as those for traffic control and neighborhood protection."

Pennington has designated District G community leader Penny Butler as his Campaign Treasurer and the Honorable Chase Untermeyer, recent Ambassador to Qatar, as the Campaign's Chair.

Pennington received his B.A. from Rice University in 1960 and his J.D. from the University of Texas in 1963 where he was an Associate Editor of the law review. After graduation he joined the law firm Fulbright & Jaworski in 1963 as an associate and became a Partner in 1973 practicing municipal finance, municipal law, municipal utility district law, environmental and administrative law. In 2002 he became Of Counsel to the firm.

Pennington is former Chairman of the Houston Civil Service Commission. He was a member of Board of the Memorial Park Conservancy for five years, which is in the heart of District G. He is also a member of the Houston and Texas State Bar Associations. He is a member of the Greater Houston Partnership where he is or has been a member of the Water Laws Committee and the Environmental Committee and the Economic Development Committee. Pennington was also a member of the Board of Directors of North Houston Association, a trade group advocating public policy and economic development policies favorable to that area.

Pennington's campaign will focus on improving the Quality of Life for residents, reducing taxes and eliminating waste at City Hall, improving infrastructure, safety and parks. Pennington said "I will forge coalitions with other council members and will work with the Mayor to insure that the City government works more efficiently for District G."

Pennington is a native Houstonian and has lived in District G for almost 40 years with his wife Beverly; together they have raised and educated two children in the district. They have 5 grandchildren.

For more information visit the campaign's web site at www.oliverpennington.com.

I know HCC Trustee Mills Worsham is also running in G, but I've not received any formal word on his campaign's status.

Still no sign of a candidate for At Large #1. I can say that Sue Schecter will not be in the running, based on an email I got from her, and she was the only one I'd heard of up till now. Anybody else out there hearing anything?

Posted by Charles Kuffner on February 25, 2009 to Election 2009