Houston City Council is set to start their discussion about redistricting, but some people want them to stop. Councilman Mike Sullivan views expansion as a function of mayor-council politics, and he opposes it. Houston’s residents, Sullivan said in an impromptu news conference after last week’s council meeting, “don’t want to see us trying to disenfranchise [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Mike Sullivan’
Council’s code of conduct
I’m not sure what to make of this. City Council is considering imposing a code of conduct on itself that would give it the power to reprimand or censure members. It already has the ultimate enforcement tool – impeachment – to punish misconduct. However, there are no intermediate sanctions in between outright removal of a [...]
The Dynamo Stadium rebate plan
Well, this is interesting. The city is poised to strike a 30-year deal giving back $3 million in projected sales tax to the Houston Dynamo as they prepare to construct their $60 million stadium. City officials say the tax rebate always has been a part of the deal that kept the team from leaving Houston, [...]
Dynamo Stadium groundbreaking delayed
Groundbreaking for Dynamo Stadium was originally scheduled for this Saturday the 29th, but due to a delay with City Council it has been put off till next week. Because the city council has not yet voted on the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) that is part of the inter-local agreement between the county and city, [...]
Revising the city ethics code
I don’t know enough about the specifics of this to draw any firm conclusions, but it sounds reasonable enough from the description. The city is poised to significantly tighten its ethics rules, closing loopholes that allow lobbyists to avoid registration and criminalizing some violations of a stricter code of conduct for city officials. “It’s a [...]
The mandatory furlough plan
Happy New Year, city employees. Thousands of city of Houston employees will have to take six unpaid days off in the coming six months, one of a series of actions Mayor Annise Parker is taking to close a $29 million budget gap. “This is a step that I didn’t want to take,” Parker said on [...]
Council shakeup
Things are getting mighty interesting down at City Hall. Mayor Annise Parker has parted ways with two major conservatives on the Houston City Council, removing Councilman Mike Sullivan from his role overseeing redistricting and accepting the resignation of Councilwoman Anne Clutterbuck as mayor pro tem. The development, which stems, in part, from a recent spat [...]
HPD braces for cuts
More than $15 million is going to be cut from HPD’s budget, in part to lost red light camera revenue and in part to the overall budget picture. The equivalent of more than 100 civilian jobs, including temporary workers, will be eliminated over two years through layoffs and attrition. Chief Charles McClelland has moved to [...]
The residency referendum
As we know, Houston will get two more City Council districts after the 2010 Census is completed. To allow potential candidates sufficient time to adjust to the new map, Council will put a charter amendment on the ballot that reduces the residency requirement from one year to six months; that is, you would have to [...]
HPD sends “Pay your red light camera ticket or else” letter
With predictable results. Houston police have notified 79,000 motorists that they cannot renew their vehicle registrations until they pay red light camera fines and penalties, even though Harris County officials repeatedly have said they will not prevent people from registering their vehicles because of the outstanding citations. Police Chief Charles McClelland denied critics’ charges the [...]
Council redistricting news
Campos had an interesting tidbit from the other day. The H-Town City Council [Wednesday] morning started discussing next year’s redistricting process. Instead of creating a city council committee on redistricting, the H-Town Mayor mentioned that she will probably let the process run through the Ethics and Council Governance Committee – currently chaired by CM Mike [...]
Council passes demolition moratorium for historic properties
Houston City Council has taken a step forward to providing stronger protection for historic properties. City Council passed a temporary law today that puts a moratorium on demolitions in Houston’s 15 historic districts. The city’s 15-year-old preservation ordinance has allowed a property owner to proceed with a renovation, demolition or relocation in one of the [...]
Council adopts higher water rate hike
City Council voted to adopt the higher water rate hike that was proposed this week. And apparently set the stage for a lawsuit. Council members Mike Sullivan, Oliver Pennington and C.O. Bradford voted against the plan. Pennington, Bradford and several council members who voted for the increases expressed concerns that the rate hikes would violate [...]
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 [...]
Interview with Council Member Mike Sullivan
We begin Round 2 of the incumbent district Council members with Mike Sullivan, who is serving his first term in District E. As with his colleagues, there’s been a lot of action in his district these past two years, and as such we had much to talk about. Sullivan has one opponent on the ballot [...]
Monday election tidbits
Just some news and notes that I thought were worth passing along… – KPRC had a longish story on the hoax email that was sent in the name of Christians for Better Government. Whoever pulled this particular dirty trick sure got his or her money’s worth for it. – Council Member Mike Sullivan tells CM [...]
City campaign finance reports followup
A few things to add to last night’s post. – Ronald Green’s numbers for City Controller are now in – my spreadsheet has been updated to reflect that. He took in $48,515 and has $32,700 on hand. Which is to say, about 10% of what each of his opponents has. You can do the math [...]
Council passes new sign ordinance
Still not sure about the wisdom of this, but it’s a done deal now. With one dissenting vote, City Council on Wednesday passed a major revision to the city’s decades-old sign ordinance that supporters hope will improve what they see as Houston’s reputation as an unsightly destination. The ordinance, which applies only to signs on [...]
Houston extends red light camera contract
We’ll have red light cameras to kick around for at least a few more years. The City Council extended the contract of the company that administers its red-light camera program for three more years Wednesday, aiming to thwart legislation pending in Austin that would sunset the use of the devices. The ordinance, which passed Wednesday [...]
Council OKs TIRZ deal for Regent Square
The deal to jumpstart Regent Square, the idle development on Allen Parkway, was approved by City Council yesterday. The program, approved unanimously by City Council, will reimburse the developer of Regent Square — a 4-million-square-foot community that will abut Allen Parkway near Dunlavy and Dallas — for public improvements the developer has agreed to make [...]