There are two points of interest in this Chron editorial about the Legislature and the desire of the city to get a bill passed that would give it some leverage over the firefighters in their fight over the pension fund. Sometimes we wonder if there really is such a thing as a “Houston delegation” representing [...]
Posts Tagged ‘HPFFA’
Let the endorsement race begin!
We may not have a date for the SD06 special election, but that doesn’t mean the race hasn’t begun. In particular, the race to begin collecting endorsements has begun, and both major declared candidates have announced wins. Sylvia Garcia has the AFL-CIO on her side. [Wednesday] Harris County AFL-CIO COPE Members met with Senate District [...]
Lineup update
The Chron story that ran in yesterday’s news is now updated online to reflect the fact that CM Melissa Noriega does have two opponents, Brad Batteau and Chris Carmona. I emailed reporter Chris Moran yesterday to ask about that discrepancy, and he replied that it was just an error on his part, for which he [...]
HFD ratifies deal with city
It was a close vote, but the deal they reached in March was ratified. Union members passed the contract by a 1,560 to 1,391 vote. The deal saves 236 firefighters from layoffs in 2012, but concessions include a two-year pay freeze and a 1 percent raise in 2014. Also under the agreement, the firefighters who [...]
The Mayor and the firefighters
Despite the tone of this, I wouldn’t make too much of it. While looking for tens of millions of dollars through a combination of cuts, deferrals, savings and fee hikes, Mayor Annise Parker repeatedly has identified the Houston Fire Department as one of the largest of budget bogeymen. Whether describing an intransigent pension board, a [...]
Firefighters avoid layoffs
The city and the firefighters’ union reach an agreement on the deadline for sending layoff notices to cut HFD’s budget by $17.7 million but not require any layoffs. The agreement’s components include program cuts and fees for services that are currently free such as plan checks for new construction. But the largest chunk of the [...]
Mayor seeks pension fund cuts
Given the size of the budget shortfall for next year and the amount that the city pays into the various pension funds, Mayor Parker’s proposal to pay less should not be a surprise to anyone. City Attorney David Feldman and Finance Director Kelly Dowe already have asked firefighter pension executives to accept $14 million less [...]
Jolanda versus the world
If you’re on Carl Whitmarsh’s mailing list, you’ve probably seen this, which is one of several mailers being sent out by the Jack Christie campaign. That one is going to the Heights, Montrose, and District C. The others are this one, being sent to voters in Council Districts A and G; this one, being sent [...]
Jones v. Christie
And here’s the Chron overview of the At Large #5 runoff between Council Member Jolanda Jones and former SBOE member Jack Christie. I’ve said before that I like CM Jones, and I plan to vote for her in the runoff. I believe she is the favorite to win in the runoff, though not by much. [...]
Interview with Council Member Jolanda Jones
I feel like Council Member Jolanda Jones needs no introduction. She’s got a fairly high profile these days, and if you follow Houston politics at all, you’ve probably got a familiarity with her and an opinion of her. Mine remains the same, in that while I don’t always agree with what she’s doing, I like [...]
Endorsement watch: We take it back
Here’s something you don’t see every election. The Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association, which had previously endorsed City Council Member Jolanda Jones for re-election to her At Large #5 seat, has now rescinded that endorsement. You can read their letter to CM Jones here (PDF), which is signed by union President Jeff Caynon, who are [...]
Jones and Caynon, take two
If you thought that the fight between Council Member Jolanda Jones and Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association president Jeff Caynon was over, think again. Earlier this week, City Councilwoman Jolanda Jones sent out a letter with nearly 70 names collected by firefighters expressing support for her advocacy about racial problems in the Houston Fire Department [...]
Jones gets another opponent
In the wake of her comments about Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association President Jeff Caynon, Council Member Jolanda Jones has drawn a new challenger for her seat. On Friday, retired HISD administrator Davetta Daniels filed to challenge Jones in November. Daniels says Jones has been an embarrassment. Bellaire native Carlos Obando also announced for the [...]
Jones versus HPFFA
Yeesh. The head of the Houston firefighters union blasted City Councilwoman Jolanda Jones for her handling of allegations of racism and sexism in the Houston Fire Department, saying in a sharply worded letter on Thursday that she had disparaged “thousands of firefighters.” The letter, written by Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association Local 341 President Jeff [...]