Category Archives: Election 2013

Dave Wilson is up to his usual tricks

Posted on October 30, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, Dave Wilson is running against incumbent HCC Trustee Bruce Austin in HCC District 2. I wasn’t sure at first if it was that Dave Wilson or not, but it unquestionably is. The fact that he’s running in … Continue reading →

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Ben Hall comes out against LGBT rights

Posted on October 29, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I can honestly say I’m not surprised by this. Mayoral candidate Ben Hall spoke to KUHF this morning and (finally) spoke publicly regarding issues of equality for the LGBT community. Hall not only came out staunchly against introducing and implementing … Continue reading →

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EV Day 7 totals: Is this the 2008 of city elections for early voting?

Posted on October 28, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

One full week of early voting is in the books, and the fast pace has not let up. Here are the comps: 2013 2011 2009 2007 The seven-day totals for each: 2013 – 14,342 mail, 37,828 in person, 52,170 total … Continue reading →

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Annise Parker is in your Internets

Posted on October 26, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

She’s in mine, anyway. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but an awful lot of the websites I surf to now feature a familiar face looking back at me: Here’s another: Clearly, she’s seeking to dominate the liberal nerd humor … Continue reading →

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EV Day 3 – Where the early votes are

Posted on October 24, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Three days into early voting and the numbers continue to be strong, with a third consecutive day of in-person totals topping 5,000. Here are all the daily totals: 2013 2011 2009 2007 Some people, like Campos, have been trying to … Continue reading →

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Interview with County Judge Ed Emmett

Posted on October 23, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

In addition to all of the races for local office and the nine constitutional amendments, there are two county referenda on the ballot this fall. One is the Astrodome proposition, with which I trust you are familiar. The other is … Continue reading →

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Chron profile of Ben Hall

Posted on October 23, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

As promised from last week. When Ben Hall left the city attorney’s office in December 1994 after three years as a confidante to and attack dog for Mayor Bob Lanier, observers assumed the ambitious 38-year-old’s path would lead back to … Continue reading →

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Interview with Kevin Hoffman

Posted on October 22, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

My second and final interview for HCC Trustee in District 1 and for candidates this cycle is with Kevin Hoffman. Hoffman has a diverse background, working in the energy industry after previously working non-profit theater companies as a department head. … Continue reading →

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First day EV totals

Posted on October 22, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It was pretty brisk, with higher turnout than any of the previous three elections. Here are the relevant daily totals: 2013 2011 2009 2007 And here are the numbers for each for day one: Year In person By Mail Total … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of District I

Posted on October 22, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron covers the District I race. The contrasts in this eastside, heavily-Latino council district are dramatic: from the gleaming George R. Brown Convention Center in the heart of downtown, to older neighborhoods lacking modern street drainage where vacant lots … Continue reading →

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Interview with Zeph Capo

Posted on October 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Early voting starts today, and so this is my last week of presenting interviews. The last frontier is the HCC Board of Trustees, and I have two interviews, both in District 1 where scandal-marred incumbent Yolanda Navarro Flores faces two … Continue reading →

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Early voting starts today

Posted on October 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Today we arrive at the more action-oriented part of the election cycle, in which voting actually happens. Early voting starts today and runs through next Friday, November 1. Here’s the schedule and map of locations for Harris County. Check with … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: For the joint processing center

Posted on October 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

An easy call. [V]oters should consider themselves fortunate that they can easily cut $25 million in unnecessary spending from the city’s annual budget by voting for the Joint Processing Center on Election Day. The overlapping criminal justice duties of Houston … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of Controller’s race

Posted on October 20, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It’s an interesting race. On paper, City Controller Ron Green would appear to have been ripe for a bevy of challengers in November. The city’s elected financial watchdog owes tens of thousands of dollars to the IRS, was criticized for … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: For Calvert

Posted on October 20, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron’s second endorsement on Friday, and what should be their last for the regular election, was for Rogene Calvert in At Large #3. Experience is valuable on Houston City Council. Council members often spend their first two-year term learning … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: For Christie

Posted on October 19, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron endorses freshman CM Jack Christie in At Large #5. At-Large council members act as a sort of minister without portfolio. While district council members focus on constituent issues, at-large members can set their own agendas. The previous incumbent … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of At Large #2

Posted on October 19, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron looks at one of the most competitive races involving an incumbent on the ballot this year. A minister, architect and city accountant are vying to unseat Councilman Andrew C. Burks Jr. from the Position 2 at-large seat on … Continue reading →

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Where things stand going into early voting

Posted on October 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

A few impressions of the state of the races as we head into early voting. Mayor – The thing that I will be looking for as initial results get posted at 7 PM on November 5 is how the gaggle … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Brad and Graci

Posted on October 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Another endorsement twofer from the Chron, this time an incumbent and an open seat. First up, the Chron endorses CM Brad Bradford for a third term. The duties of an at-large council member are not as specific as those of … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: For the amendments

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron stumps for the constitutional amendments on the ballot this year. It’s an off-year election, but Texas voters still have good reasons to go to the polls Nov. 5. In addition to local races, they’ll be deciding nine proposed … Continue reading →

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Interview with Lana Edwards

Posted on October 16, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, District D is a very big field with twelve candidates running to succeed CM Wanda Adams. I published interviews with five of the candidates a few weeks ago. I don’t always reach out to all candidates in … Continue reading →

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Mostly looking good for Prop 6

Posted on October 16, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

A good poll result for the water infrastructure Constitutional amendment. Texans support $2 billion in water infrastructure financing by a better than 2-to-1 margin, but nearly a quarter haven’t decided how they will vote on the issue this November, according … Continue reading →

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Chron profiles the Mayor

Posted on October 16, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Sunday Chron has an expansive profile of Mayor Parker. In a system where term limits cap elected officials at six years, City Hall veterans joke that new council members spend their first year finding the bathrooms and their sixth … Continue reading →

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Interview with Ben Hall

Posted on October 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

In the era of term limits, we usually only get contested Mayoral races in the open years. Lee Brown faced a strong challenge from Orlando Sanchez and Chris Bell in 2001, prevailing in a runoff. Many people expected Mayor Parker … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of At Large #3

Posted on October 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Chron’s look at the At Large #3 race. Citywide races demand more money and name recognition for candidates to be successful, unlike district seats where neighborhood familiarity can matter more. Perhaps the candidate with the best mix of … Continue reading →

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Interview with Mayor Annise Parker

Posted on October 14, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Early voting for the 2013 elections begins next week, and so my interviews for this election season are coming to an end. I will have two interviews with HCC Trustee candidates next week, plus a little bit more, and that … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of District D

Posted on October 14, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron tries to wrap its arms around the District D race, talking to all 12 candidates. Since I have interviewed six of them – an interview with Lana Edwards will run on Wednesday – I will just quote from … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of District B

Posted on October 13, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

CM Jerry Davis has three opponents in his first re-election. Since I’ve interviewed CM Davis and one opponent, Kathy Blueford Daniels, here’s what the article says about the other two hopefuls. Each candidate claims to have the best vision and … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: For the Mayor

Posted on October 13, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron endorses Mayor Parker for a third term. During Annise Parker’s first term, Houston was stuck in a drought. The global economy was in an economic downturn. And City Hall had to prune a budget suffering from wilting revenues. … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Twofer number two

Posted on October 12, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Another pair of endorsements from the Chron, again one obvious and one that required more thought. First, the easy one. Centered along the Westpark Tollway toward the city’s far west edges, District F is Houston’s international district. When people from … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Our first twofer

Posted on October 11, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron has two endorsements today, one that was easy and one that was likely more challenging. First, the easy one. In four years as an at-large city councilman, Stephen Costello has gradually become a “go to” guy on two … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Pennington

Posted on October 10, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron endorses CM Oliver Pennington for a third term. For the past four years, District G has been ably represented by attorney Oliver Pennington. We recommend a vote for Pennington to continue his service at city hall. Pennington, a … Continue reading →

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30 Day fundraising reports are coming in

Posted on October 9, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

For the Mayor’s race at least, they’re a lot like the July reports. Even as top mayoral challenger Ben Hall ramped up his campaign in recent months, launching several television ads, Mayor Annise Parker continued to outpace him in fundraising, … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Jerry Davis

Posted on October 9, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron endorses Jerry Davis in District B. In his first term in office, council member Jerry Davis launched a pilot project to deploy surveillance cameras to catch illegal dumpers. He and his staff personally went into neighborhoods to mow … Continue reading →

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