We conclude this interview cycle with a familiar name in Houston politics. Jew Don Boney, who is running for the open HCC District IV seat, was the Council member in District D from 1995 to 2001; he was my Council member until I moved to the Heights in 1997. He is currently the Associate Director [...]
Posts Tagged ‘2011 interviews’
Interview with Carroll Robinson
The other contested race for HCC Trustee is in District IV, which is the open seat being vacated by Michael Williams. It features two former City Council members, the first of which is Carroll Robinson, who served in At Large #5 from 1997 to 2003. Robinson is a professor at Texas Southern, Chairman of the [...]
Interview with Wendell Robbins
Opposing Chris Oliver in District IX is Wendell Robbins. Robbins was a late entrant into the race whom I noticed when he picked up the endorsement of the Harris County Tejano Democrats. Robbins owns a construction company. This is his first run for public office. Here’s the interview: Download the MP3 file You can find [...]
Interview with Chris Oliver
There are two contested races for HCC Trustee seats this year. Chris Oliver is the incumbent in District IX. He was first elected in 1993 and first served as Board Chair in 1999. Oliver is a businessman who has also worked in the U.S. Department of Labor as an EEO specialist. Here’s the interview: Download [...]
Interview with Richard Schechter
Along with HISD Trustees, there are three HCC Trustee races on the ballot. First up is Richard Schechter, who is serving his first term in District V. Schechter is an attorney who has also taught law classes at the Thurgood Marshall School of Law. He helped point me in the right direction to get my [...]
Interview with Paula Harris
We close the week with HISD Board President and District IV Trustee Paula Harris, who is service her first term on the Board. Harris has a degree in petroleum engineering from Texas A&M and has worked as an engineer and project manager for over 20 year. She is on the Board of Directors for Space [...]
Interview with Ramiro Fonseca
Opposing Trustee Manuel Rodriguez in District III is Ramiro Fonseca. Fonseca is the program manager of Minority Male Initiative at HCC, where he has also been a financial aid associate. He has also served as President of the Houston Hispanic Forum, and is on Mayor Parker’s Hispanic Advisory Board. (See also School Zone’s Q&A with [...]
Interview with Manuel Rodriguez
Trustee Manuel Rodriguez was first elected to serve District III in 2003. Rodriguez is a businessman and longtime education activist who has served as the Board President and currently serves as its Vice President. (See also School Zone’s Q&A with Rodriguez and his opponent, Ramiro Fonseca.) Here’s the interview, which I should note was conducted [...]
Interview with Juliet Stipeche
Next up is Trustee Juliet Stipeche, whose campaign webpage is here. She won a special election in 2010 for the Trustee seat in District VIII that was vacated by Diana Davila. Stipeche is an attorney and a graduate of HISD schools, including the High School for Law Enforcement. (See also School Zone’s Q&A with Stipeche [...]
Interview with Rhonda Skillern-Jones
We now shift to HISD and HCC Trustee races, which will take us through the end of the interview series. To start off, I bring you a conversation with Rhonda Skillern-Jones, who will succeed Carole Mims Galloway as the Trustee in District II. Skillern-Jones is a mother of five children, all of whom have attended [...]
Interview with Fernando Herrera
For what I really do think will be my final interview with a candidate for municipal office, I bring you Fernando Herrera, who was the first declared opponent for Mayor Annise Parker. Herrera is a Deputy Chief with the Houston Fire Department, having graduated the Fire Academy in 1981. He is also a businessman, the [...]
Interview with Peter Lyn René
Another deadline day filer was Peter Lyn René, who is running for Council in District F. René is an IT project manager and mediator who mediates civil cases in the Harris County Justice Courts; he was the Democratic nominee for Justice of the Peace in Precinct 5, Place 1, in 2008. He is also the [...]
Interview with Leticia Gutierrez Ablaza
Leticia Gutierrez Ablaza was a deadline day filer for Houston City Council in District I. A resident of Glenbrook Valley, she became politically involved during the fight over the historic preservation ordinance in that neighborhood. She has a degree in finance and has worked in the financial services industry. Here’s our conversation: Download the MP3 [...]
Interview with City Controller Ronald Green
What I had originally thought would be my final interview with a City of Houston candidate is with City Controller Ronald Green. As it happens, due to some late contact with a couple of campaigns, I have some more to follow. In any event, like Mayor Parker, Controller Green is finishing his first term. Unlike [...]
Interview with Mayor Annise Parker
Another person who needs no introduction here is Mayor Annise Parker, who is running for a second term in Houston’s top office. It’s no secret that I’m a supporter of hers, and I think she’s done a good job in what has been a very challenging environment. We covered a lot of ground in this [...]
Interview with Laurie Robinson
Concluding my interviews with Council candidates is a newcomer, Laurie Robinson, who is running for At Large #5. Robinson is a businesswoman and regulatory compliance expert in the health care industry. She has worked in the Department of Health and Human Services in DC and has also conducted audits and operational assessments for the City [...]
Interview with Jack Christie
Next up in At Large #5 is a familiar face, that of Jack Christie, who is on his third run for this office. Christie came very close to winning in 2009, ultimately falling by 1500 votes in the runoff. He is a chiropractor who has served on the Spring Branch ISD Board of Trustees and [...]
Interview with CM Jolanda Jones
Our last look at a Council race is the most interesting race involving an incumbent, as once again CM Jolanda Jones faces some tough competition in At Large #5. If you follow Houston politics at all you are surely familiar with CM Jones, so I will skip the introduction. We talked about a lot of [...]
Interview with Amy Price
Also running in At Large #4 is Amy Price, who is running under the auspices of the Green Party. Price is a violin teacher and professional musician who has performed with such bands as Gordian Knot, The Buddhacrush, and Orange Is In. She’s also someone I’ve known and been friends with for over 20 years. [...]
Interview with Louis Molnar
Moving over to At Large #4, one of the candidates hoping to unseat CM Bradford is Louis Molnar. Molnar is a small business owner and realtor who also teaches law, ethics, and urban planning at the Spencer School of Real Estate. Here’s what we talked about: Download the MP3 file You can find a list [...]
Interview with Don Cook
Also running in At Large #1 is Don Cook, who does not currently have a website. Cook ran for this office in 2009 as a member of the Progressive Coalition. He was also the Green Party candidate for Harris County Clerk in 2010. Here’s the interview: Download the MP3 file You can find a list [...]
Interview with Scott Boates
This week I will run interviews with some candidates who are challenging Council incumbents, some of whom entered their races more recently in the cycle. I will finish the Council races with At Large #5 next week, then the Mayor and Controller, and finally on to the HISD and HCC races. Today’s interview is with [...]
Interview with Kristi Thibaut
We conclude our tour of the At Large #2 field with Kristi Thibaut, who was the State Representative for HD133 from 2009 to 2011. Thibaut has worked for Continental Airlines and as a fundraiser for non-profits such as the American Heart Association. She was also the first Executive Director of the Texas Youth Hunting Association. [...]
Interview with Bolivar Fraga
Next up for At Large #2 is Bolivar “Bo” Fraga, who is the son of former City Council member Felix Fraga. Fraga is a graduate of the Air Force Academy who spent more than six years on active duty, including service in Afghanistan and as an Intelligence Officer. He currently works as the Community Developer [...]
Interview with David Robinson
We continue our tour of At Large #2 with David Robinson, who is an architect and neighborhood activist. Robinson has served on the Houston Planning Commission and is currently an Advisory Board Member on the Hermann Park Conservancy. He is a former President of Super Neighborhood 24, and is the current President of the Super [...]
Interview with Eric Dick
Next up in At Large #2 is Eric Dick, who is an attorney that runs his own firm after having spent time in the Attorney General and District Attorney’s offices. You’ve probably seen his campaign signs around the city; they’ve been in the news recently. We discussed that and other issues in the interview: Download [...]
Interview with Jenifer Rene Pool
We now turn our attention to the last open seat for this year, At Large #2, where a diverse group of candidates are vying to succeed CM Sue Lovell. First up is Jenifer Rene Pool, a community activist and business owner who serves on the Building & Standards Commission and the Police Advisory Committee. She [...]
Interview with CM Al Hoang
CM Al Hoang is serving his first term in District F. He was born in South Vietnam and emigrated to the US in 1975. An attorney by trade, Hoang is the first Vietnamese-American to serve on Council, and serves as the vice chair of the city’s International Business Initiatives committee. Since I had previously noted [...]
Interview with Kathy Blueford Daniels
Wrapping up my weeklong tour of District B is Kathy Blueford Daniels, who is a retired postal worker and lifelong resident of the district. She is also the founder of BLACMoM (Black, Latino, Asian, and Caucasian Mourners of Murder), which she organized after her son was killed. This is what we talked about: Download the [...]
Interview with Alvin Byrd
District B candidate Alvin Byrd is the Constituent Services Director for current Council Member Jarvis Johnson. He is a Navy veteran who has worked at numerous community organizations and was the first president of the Greater Fifth Ward Superneighborhood Council. Here’s what we talked about: Download the MP3 file You can find a list of [...]
Interview with Bryan Smart
District B candidate Bryan Smart is, at age 24, the youngest candidate I’ve interviewed since I started doing this regularly in 2006. Smart is a graduate of Howard University, where he was the Executive President of the Howard University Student Association and served on the Budget Advisory Committee, which helped bring the university out of [...]
Interview with Phillip Paul Bryant
Next up in District B is Philip Paul Bryant, whose bio lists him as a Community Organizer, Television Talk show Host, and Businessman, among other things. Bryant is the son of Bishop Prince Earl Williams Bryant, Sr., who is the pastor of the Island of Hope Church of God in Christ, and has served in [...]
Interview with Jerry Davis
For this week, I have five interviews with candidates from District B, which like District C is open this year. First up is Jerry Davis, founder of the nonprofit organization Making It Better and co-owner along with his brothers of the restaurants the Breakfast Klub and The Reggae Hut. Davis also manages an investment company [...]
Interview with Mike Laster
Our third and final candidate in District J is Mike Laster. Laster is an attorney and neighborhood activist who has also been active in Democratic politics. He ran in 2009 for District F, losing in the runoff to Council Member Al Hoang. Like the other two candidates, Laster is a resident of Sharpstown. Here’s our [...]