Category Archives: Election 2013

Interview with Bill Frazer

Posted on October 8, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

City Controllers have generally had it easy in re-election efforts. No sitting City Controller has had an opponent since Sylvia Garcia knocked off Lloyd Kelley in 1997. Until now, that is, as Bill Frazer filed to oppose Controller Ronald Green. … Continue reading →

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Hall’s tax troubles, again

Posted on October 8, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This isn’t new news, but it’s getting a lot more play now. Top mayoral challenger Ben Hall agreed to pay the IRS more than $680,000 in back taxes and penalties earlier this year, court documents show. On Jan. 16, less … Continue reading →

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Interview with City Controller Ronald Green

Posted on October 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

We move now from the Houston City Council races to the executive offices, beginning with two-term City Controller Ronald Green. Like his predecessor in the office, Mayor Annise Parker, Green served three terms as an At Large City Council member … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: A change for Controller

Posted on October 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron endorses Bill Frazer to be Houston Controller. At a time of looming pension obligations, we need someone who isn’t there to make friends, but to make sure that our house is in order. Bill Frazer is the man … Continue reading →

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Have you gotten your text from the Ben Hall campaign?

Posted on October 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Ben Hall campaign sent out this press release on Tuesday: The Ben Hall for Mayor campaign has launched a new initiative to reach Houston voters and communicate with them on a platform where they already spend a lot of … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Robinson in D

Posted on October 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron makes a somewhat surprising choice in District D. An open seat in Houston City Council District D has drawn an even dozen aspirants to succeed the term-limited Wanda Adams. In both quality and number, this field speaks well … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: HISD

Posted on October 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Clearly, this is an early endorsements year for the Chronicle, as they follow up their HCC recommendations with their endorsements in the contested HISD Trustee races. District 1: Anna Eastman, the board president, has been a thoughtful leader and a … Continue reading →

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Interview with Wanda Adams

Posted on October 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, longtime District IX Trustee Larry Marshall decided not to run for re-election this year. Three candidates are running to succeed him, one of whom is term-limited City Council Member Wanda Adams. Adams is serving her third term … Continue reading →

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HISD race overviews

Posted on October 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron takes a look at the three contested HISD races. The District 9 race in south Houston sees the return of W. Clyde Lemon, an attorney who held the seat for two years until Marshall ousted him in the … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: HCC Trustee

Posted on October 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron makes its recommendations in the HCC Trustee races, though they manage to get the district wrong in one of them. We recommend the following candidates for election to the nine-member HCC board: District 1: This northside district, redrawn … Continue reading →

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Interview with Anne Sung

Posted on October 3, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Challenging Harvin Moore in HISD district VII is Anne Sung. Sung would be somewhat of a rarity among trustees in that she has actual classroom teaching experience – seven years in the Rio Grande Valley with Teach For America, as … Continue reading →

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Interview with Harvin Moore

Posted on October 2, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Harvin Moore has been the HISD Trustee in District 7 since 2003. A former national bank examiner for the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Moore is now the senior vice president for finance and operations at a local aerospace company. … Continue reading →

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Interview with Hugo Mojica

Posted on October 1, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Opposing Anna Eastman in HISD District I is Hugo Mojica. The Executive Director of the Greater Northside Chamber of Commerce, Mojica is a longtime community activist, serving on numerous volunteer groups for Davis High School and on Parents for Public … Continue reading →

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Early To Rise referendum probably would have passed

Posted on October 1, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

For what it’s worth. It’s one of those questions we always ask ourselves in love, life and politics: What if? In this case, what if the Early to Rise campaign had gotten its one penny tax increase for early education … Continue reading →

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The water campaign begins

Posted on October 1, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The most high profile constitutional amendment now has a campaign behind it. Supporters are laying the groundwork for an aggressive effort to educate voters and drown out opposition with roughly one month before early voting starts. A coalition of political … Continue reading →

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Interview with Anna Eastman

Posted on September 30, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I still have some Houston elections to cover here, but for this week we turn our attention to the HISD Trustee races. I have five interviews to bring you for these races, beginning with my Trustee in District I, Anna … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Saving the Dome

Posted on September 30, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chronicle gives its blessing to the Astrodome renovation referendum. There has been a lot of finger-pointing over the Astrodome’s mismanagement, but come Election Day it only matters that voters point their fingers to the ballot button and approve the … Continue reading →

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Inmate processing center polls favorably

Posted on September 29, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The other issue on the county ballot appears to be in good shape. Results from a recent KUHF-KHOU 11 News poll suggest strong voter support for a $70 million November bond issue for a city-county inmate processing center. The poll, … Continue reading →

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Other interviews

Posted on September 27, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

You may have noticed on my 2013 Elections page some new links in the Interview column for various candidates. That’s because three other local blogs have done interviews with candidates, both recorded and written, which is something we haven’t seen … Continue reading →

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Interview with Leticia Ablaza

Posted on September 26, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

For my last City Council interview for the 2013 cycle, I return to District I for a conversation with Leticia Ablaza. Ablaza turned her activism against the historic preservation ordinance into a filing-deadline candidacy for I in 2011, eventually getting … Continue reading →

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Dome poll

Posted on September 26, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

In addition to their poll of the Mayor’s race, KHOU and KUHF also polled about the Astrodome referendum. These results are a bit harder to read. The fate of the Astrodome rests with voters who’ll decide whether Harris County should … Continue reading →

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Interview with James Horwitz

Posted on September 25, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

My last planned interview for City Council At Large races is with James Horwitz, who filed a few days before the deadline in At Large #5 against CM Jack Christie. Horwitz is an attorney, the owner of his own firm, … Continue reading →

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KHOU polls the Mayor’s race

Posted on September 25, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The first poll of the season is always exciting news. Annise Parker seems headed for a runoff in her campaign to keep her job, but she commands more than twice as many supporters as her leading challenger in a newly … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: SEIU and HAR

Posted on September 25, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This came in on Thursday: SEIU (Service Employees International Union) Texas, including janitors who clean office buildings, housekeeping workers at GRB and food service workers, have endorsed Mayor Annise Parker for re-election. Houston members have also launched an effort to … Continue reading →

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Interview with Issa Dadoush

Posted on September 24, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Filing to run just before the deadline against CM Bradford in At Large #4 is Issa Dadoush. Dadoush spent a number of years in city government, serving as the Director of General Services Department for six years under Mayor Bill … Continue reading →

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Interview with CM Bradford

Posted on September 23, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This week we venture back to the At Large Council races, as there were a couple of late filers that brought opponents to previously unchallenged incumbents. One of those incumbents is Council Member C. O. “Brad” Bradford, now in his … Continue reading →

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Sen. Garcia joins the fight in Pasadena

Posted on September 23, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Good. State Sen. Sylvia Garcia on Tuesday joined forces with four Pasadena council members and a community organizing group to mount a campaign against a new redistricting plan they say is designed to dilute the voting strength of Pasadena’s growing … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of District A

Posted on September 22, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It must be getting close to the start of Election Season, because the first of the Chronicle’s local race overviews has been published. Since winning a seat on the Houston City Council two years ago, Helena Brown has become known … Continue reading →

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Leila Feldman resigns as HCC Trustee

Posted on September 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Leila Feldman was appointed by the HCC Board of Trustees in February to fill the seat that had been vacated by the resignation of Richard Schechter the month before. Feldman subsequently decided not to run for a full term this … Continue reading →

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Interview with Ben Mendez

Posted on September 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

My third and at least for now final interview in District I is with Ben Mendez. I’ve sent two emails to Leticia Ablaza and left two voice mail messages to arrange an interview, but as of this writing we have … Continue reading →

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Interview with Robert Gallegos

Posted on September 17, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Next up in District I is Robert Gallegos. Gallegos works for the Harris County Sheriff’s Department, having previously been a Community Liaison for then-County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia. Before his stint in government service, he spent 25 years in Logistics Sales … Continue reading →

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Interview with Graci Garces

Posted on September 16, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The final open District Council seat is in District I, where CM James Rodriguez is termed out. Four candidates vie to succeed him, including one from 2011. The first candidate for review here is Graci Garces. Garces is the Chief … Continue reading →

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HISD candidate sues to get back on the ballot

Posted on September 16, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I missed this when it first happened. Anthony Madry, a former administrator in the Houston Independent School District, filed a petition with the 14th Court of Appeals this week after HISD rejected his application to run for the school board. … Continue reading →

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Here comes the Dome renovation committee

Posted on September 14, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I was wondering when we’d see this. Reliant Park and Harris County officials on Thursday announced the launch of a campaign to garner voter support for a plan to redevelop the Astrodome, with Harris County Judge Ed Emmett and Precinct … Continue reading →

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