Category Archives: Election 2015

HD17 runoff overview

Posted on February 17, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It’s Runoff Day today for the legislative special elections, and this overview of the HD17 runoff gives a good idea of what to expect from the winner in that race. As Republicans John Cyrier and Brent Golemon prepare to settle … Continue reading →

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More candidate updates

Posted on February 16, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Another Council hopeful tosses his hat into the ring, though we don’t know exactly which office he intends to seek just yet. Tom McCasland, who took over the Harris County Housing Authority after it suffered in scandal, will run for … Continue reading →

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Early voting is up in the special election runoffs

Posted on February 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Make of that what you will. If three days of early voting are any indication, the tense runoff fight for the state Senate 26 seat between Trey Martinez-Fischer and José Menéndez is attracting more voters than cast ballots in the … Continue reading →

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Early voting for special election runoffs has begun

Posted on February 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It began yesterday, but I forgot to queue up a post in time to mention it. Here’s some relevant information for those of you who need to get out and vote in one or more of these runoffs. For SD26 … Continue reading →

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Where are the women?

Posted on February 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I have several things to say about this. The slate running to replace Mayor Annise Parker features a globetrotting sailor, a triathlete grandfather, a millionaire minister and no women. Despite the most-crowded pack of mayoral contenders in decades, no female … Continue reading →

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Two city race updates

Posted on February 7, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Item one: We have another candidate for Comptroller. Jew Don Boney, who sat on City Council for three terms in the 1990′s, will run for City Controller, he told the Chronicle Wednesday. Boney joins Houston Community College trustee Carroll Robinson … Continue reading →

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2015 Mayoral manifesto: Quality of life and other issues

Posted on February 6, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Preliminaries Transportation Public safety A few quick hits on topics that didn’t fit elsewhere. Making Houston affordable again Remember when Houston was an inexpensive place to live? If you haven’t been here at least a decade – more like two … Continue reading →

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2015 Mayoral manifesto: Public safety

Posted on February 5, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Preliminaries Transportation When I first started thinking about this series a couple of months ago, this section was all going to be about the budget. We’ve covered this ground before – public safety is about 65% of the total city … Continue reading →

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2015 Mayoral manifesto: Transportation

Posted on February 4, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Preliminaries Please note that I have called this part of my manifesto “Transportation” and not “Traffic”. I agree that traffic sucks and that the Mayoral candidates ought to have some ideas for how to deal with it. It’s my opinion … Continue reading →

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2015 Mayoral manifesto: The preliminaries

Posted on February 3, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

As you may have heard, we are electing a new Mayor this year. There’s already a large field of candidates in the race, and it is likely to grow before all is said and done. Each will have his own … Continue reading →

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Two more for At Large #4

Posted on February 3, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We know that At Large #1, one of two open At Large seats for this year, has already drawn a crowd. Now the other open seat, At Large #4, is drawing one as well. Laurie Robinson, Amanda Edwards and Larry … Continue reading →

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HD13 runoff date set

Posted on January 30, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We are now all set on special election runoffs. Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday scheduled a Feb. 17 runoff in the special election for Lois Kolkhorst’s old seat in the Texas House. Austin County Judge Carolyn Bilski and Caldwell attorney … Continue reading →

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January campaign finance reports – HCC Trustees

Posted on January 28, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

There are nine trustees on the HCC board. With them serving six-year terms, in a normal year three trustees are up for re-election; 2013 was an abnormal year, with two extra races to fill out unexpired terms. We are back … Continue reading →

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The situation in Plano is complicated

Posted on January 27, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I had not realized this. The nation’s largest LGBT political advocacy group indicated this week it is unlikely to help defend a nondiscrimination ordinance in Plano due to exemptions affecting the transgender community. The announcement from the Washington, D.C.-based Human … Continue reading →

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Chris Oliver joins the At Large #1 crowd

Posted on January 27, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Houston Community College Trustee Chris Oliver has announced his candidacy for the open Houston City Council, At-Large Position 1 seat to be filled this November. Chris brings years of experience as a businessman, legislative advocate, and Houston … Continue reading →

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January campaign finance reports – HISD trustees

Posted on January 26, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Four HISD Trustees are up for re-election this year. There are nine Trustees in all, and they serve four-year terms, so in a normal year either four or five are up for re-election. As things stand right now, all four … Continue reading →

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First three runoff dates are set

Posted on January 25, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Greg Abbott completes a bit of business left to him by Rick Perry. Gov. Greg Abbott has scheduled runoffs from the Jan. 6 special elections for Feb. 17, according to his office. The decision officially sets head-to-head match-ups in state … Continue reading →

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Bell makes his announcement tomorrow

Posted on January 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Making official what we had long known. Former Democratic congressman Chris Bell will announce his mayoral bid this Sunday afternoon in Sam Houston Park, becoming the first candidate in a crowded field to officially kick off a run to lead … Continue reading →

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January campaign finance reports – San Antonio

Posted on January 23, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, while we wait for the Mayoral field to shape up here in Houston, there’s already a hot open-seat race going on in San Antonio, featuring now-former State Rep. Mike Villarreal, State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte (who … Continue reading →

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Garcia appears to be in for Mayor

Posted on January 23, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Not official yet, but stories like this don’t get run without justification. Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia is sending every possible message that he intends to run for mayor this year, aggressively increasing his political operations and signaling to some … Continue reading →

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January campaign finance reports – PACs

Posted on January 22, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Mayoral reports Controller reports Council reports There are a lot of PACs that play in Houston’s elections. It’s hard to keep up with all of them, and I say this as someone who reads far more campaign finance reports than … Continue reading →

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January campaign finance reports – Council

Posted on January 21, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Mayoral reports Controller reports Four Council members are term limited this year. Two, CMs Stephen Costello and Oliver Pennington, are running for Mayor. The other two, CMs CO Bradford and Ed Gonzales, do not have any announced plans at this … Continue reading →

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Plano equality opponents turn in their petitions

Posted on January 21, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Yesterday was the deadline for the opponents of Plano’s equal rights ordinance to turn in petitions to force a repeal referendum, and the haters of Plano duly did so. Opponents of Plano’s Equal Rights Ordinance say they’ve met the deadline … Continue reading →

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January campaign finance reports – Controller wannabes

Posted on January 20, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Like the Mayoral race, the 2015 race for City Controller is wide open, as incumbent Ronald Green is term-limited. There are three candidates of which I am aware so far – HCC Trustee and former At Large city Council member … Continue reading →

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January campaign finance reports – Mayoral wannabes

Posted on January 19, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I wrote yesterday about the start of the 2015 campaign season in Houston, and how it’s started a bit early thanks to the ruling in the lawsuit filed by Trebor Gordon that invalidated the blackout period. This week also marked … Continue reading →

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And they’re off

Posted on January 17, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Gentlemen, start your fundraising engines. The Twitter handles have been rechristened, the first attacks have been fired and the “DONATE!” buttons have gone live. The yearlong slugfest for mayor of Houston has begun. In what is expected to be Houston’s … Continue reading →

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Bilski and Schubert advance in HD13

Posted on January 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From the Secretary of State: State Representative District Becky Berger REP 1,076 10.72% Carolyn Cerny Bilski REP 4,318 43.45% Leighton Schubert REP 3,259 32.79% Cecil R. Webster, Sr. DEM 1,283 12.91% This race now joins the other three in requiring … Continue reading →

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The haters are gathering petitions in Plano

Posted on January 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

God help us all. Opponents of Plano’s new ordinance banning discrimination against gays and transgendered people have drawn support from Pastor Rafael Cruz, father of Sen. Ted Cruz. “This is an attack on Judeo-Christian beliefs in America,” Cruz told a … Continue reading →

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Injunction granted against Houston fundraising blackout period

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a whole new ballgame out there. A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked a law limiting when candidates in Houston municipal elections can raise money, prompting a scramble to contact donors sooner than campaigns had intended. The injunction, two … Continue reading →

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HD13 special election news roundup

Posted on January 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The special election in HD13 to succeed Sen. Lois Kolkhorst is next Tuesday. Early voting ends today, and there’s not much news out there to find. HD13 is a rural district with only small-paper coverage – one of those papers, … Continue reading →

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More on the three legislative runoffs

Posted on January 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From the Chron/Express News on the Bexar County races. In the Senate contest, Martinez Fischer and Menéndez, both D-San Antonio, are vying to replace District 26 state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, who’s exiting the Legislature to run for mayor … Continue reading →

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All special elections will go to runoffs

Posted on January 7, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From the Bexar County Elections webpage: STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT 26 VOTE FOR 1 Votes Pct (WITH 322 OF 322 PRECINCTS COUNTED) Al Suarez (DEM) . . . . . . . . 644 3.39 Alma Perez Jackson (REP) . . … Continue reading →

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Special Election Day for SD26, HD123, and HD17

Posted on January 6, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

At long last, we have some endorsements. The Express News recommends TMF for SD26. Martinez Fischer has demonstrated distinctive leadership that makes him the clear-cut choice for the Senate. Early in his career, Martinez Fischer stirred the pot ineffectively. The … Continue reading →

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Special elections roundup

Posted on January 4, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I haven’t seen any newspaper endorsements in the special elections that will conclude on Tuesday. I can tell you that the Texas Parent PAC has endorsed Diego Bernal in HD123 and John Cyrier in HD17. In the absence of further … Continue reading →

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