The Houston City Council approved a new political map for the city on Wednesday that expands the council by two seats and gives Houston’s burgeoning Latino population what community leaders see as its best opportunity to capture a third seat in November elections.
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The City Council’s approval of the new District J, which takes in Gulfton, Sharpstown and other southwest Houston communities, creates a political subdivision where 63 percent of the residents are Hispanics, though only 17 percent of the registered voters have Hispanic surnames.
“It doesn’t mean there will one immediately elected, but this is an opportunity for the Latino community to have a good candidate in this district,” said Councilman Al Hoang.
Councilman James Rodriguez said a “wanted” email has circulated among Hispanic leaders seeking the right person for the District J job.
Now that we have actual lines, and no immediate threat that they may be undone by a lawsuit, we will probably see a bunch of candidates pop up for the new and redrawn districts. Along those lines, Ellen Cohen has confirmed she’s running in District C; her press release is beneath the fold. I’m not yet aware of any candidates for Districts J or K yet; Noel Freeman’s roundup of treasurer filings lists a couple of rumored-to-be-candidates, but nothing solid yet. That will change soon enough. A statement from CM James Rodriguez is also beneath the fold. Greg has more.
UPDATE: Stace has more.
Ellen Cohen enthusiastically announced today that she has strong support for her Houston City Council District C race. Cohen, who originally declared her intent to run in February, held off announcing which seat she was running for while the city underwent the redistricting process. This morning, City Council approved a map that places Cohen’s residence in District C. Cohen reports that since February, she has raised over $200,000.
“Representing such a diverse and eclectic district would be an amazing opportunity,” said Cohen. “I am humbled that so many have chosen to demonstrate their belief in my vision of Houston’s future,” she continued. “Their contributions, along with the hard work of many volunteers, continue to be a vital and valued part of my campaign.”
District C encompasses segments of Cohen’s former legislative district and includes portions of the Heights, Oak Forest, Garden Oaks, Braeswood, Montrose, Meyerland, Memorial Park, and South Hampton. “If I am fortunate enough to be elected to City Council, I will work every day to ensure that Houston is a leader among the great cities in this country, and for that matter, in the world.”
Cohen previously served in the Texas Legislator as the State Representative for House District 134. She was the President & CEO of the Houston Area Women’s Center (HAWC) for 18 years. Prior to her role at HAWC, she was the Executive Director of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) for 10 years.
Council Member Rodriguez Statement on Adopted City Council Redistricting Plan
This morning the Houston City Council adopted a revised redistricting plan that incorporates the recommendations submitted by the Latino leadership on April 20. The proposal provides an opportunity for the Latino community to gain representation on the Houston City Council. I am proud that my office provided the leadership on this issue throughout this process.
I want to thank the Mayor and her staff for working with the Latino community leadership on this critical issue. I want to thank the Latino leadership for stepping forward and making the case for a redistricting plan that is fair to all communities. I also want to thank Dr. Laura Murillo and the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce for facilitating the Latino leadership effort during the past month and a half.
I have to apologize that the list is now incomplete on Facebook. The developers seem to spend more time designing new features than making the existing ones work properly. The end result is glitchy format editing that has caused large portions of the list to disappear on multiple occasions.
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