Category Archives: Election 2015

Interview with Rhonda Skillern-Jones

Posted on September 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We move over to HISD Trustee races, which I’ll be running this week. There are four Trustee seats that are up for election this cycle, and I have interviews with a total of five candidates in them. First up is … Continue reading →

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Time to guess the Chronicle’s endorsements

Posted on September 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We are a bit more than a month out from the start of early voting, and as such we are getting close to the start of Chronicle endorsement season. I know from doing candidate interviews that the Chron has been … Continue reading →

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Mayoral debate #1

Posted on September 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Who watched? In the first televised debate in the Houston mayor’s race, three of the candidates jockeying to replace Mayor Annise Parker took aim at former Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia and the agency’s allegedly low crime clearance rates. The … Continue reading →

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Chron Mayoral profile: Adrian Garcia

Posted on September 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the third in a series of profiles on the top candidates running for mayor in Houston, in this case on Adrian Garcia. The youngest of six children born to poor Mexican immigrants could soon occupy the mayor’s office of … Continue reading →

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On the value of endorsements

Posted on September 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron asks what they’re good for. Houston mayoral candidate Sylvester Turner has the backing of the city’s three unions. Do you care? The C Club, a group of top conservative donors, supports former Kemah Mayor Bill King, and a … Continue reading →

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2015 candidates’ voting history

Posted on September 3, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Regular commenter Mainstream took the time to investigate and document the recent voting history of the candidates on the 2015 city of Houston ballot. Here it is, for your perusal. A couple of caveats: Data is for Harris County, with … Continue reading →

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More on voting centers

Posted on September 3, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I’ll be interested to see how this goes in Galveston. Just in time for the November election, Galveston County has launched the first mobile app of its kind in the state, called “Galveston Votes.” It uses GPS to direct people … Continue reading →

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Interview with Philippe Nassif

Posted on September 2, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We wrap up City Council interviews with At Large #5 challenger Philippe Nassif. Nassif is a first-generation American, the son of immigrants from Mexico and Lebanon. A founding member of New Leaders Council Houston and member of Leadership Houston, Nassif … Continue reading →

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Houston Unites’ first ad

Posted on September 2, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Not bad: The story: Supporters of Houston’s equal rights ordinance released their first official radio ad Friday, countering opponents’ claim that the law presents a public safety threat and seeking to reframe the debate before voters consider the issue in … Continue reading →

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The anti-HERO horde

Posted on September 1, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a lot of them out there, though many of them claim their mostly last-minute filings didn’t really have to do with HERO. Members of the anti-HERO campaign and other prominent conservative activists disputed suggestions of a widely-coordinated effort, saying … Continue reading →

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Chron Mayoral profile: Steve Costello

Posted on September 1, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s “the second in a series of profiles on the top candidates running for mayor in Houston”. It was July 2007, and Steve Costello, leading a crowded meeting of the region’s most influential engineers, had just silenced the room. “You … Continue reading →

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Interview with CM Jack Christie

Posted on August 31, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We enter our final week of City Council interviews with a tour of the other contested At Large Council race, in At Large #5. CM Jack Christie is in his second term, having first been elected in a close-fought race … Continue reading →

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Wilson denied by Supreme Court

Posted on August 30, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news that came in late Friday. Anti-gay activist Dave Wilson’s attempt to amend City Charter and bar men “who perceive or express themselves as women” from entering women’s restrooms will likely not appear on the November ballot after … Continue reading →

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Special election set in HD118

Posted on August 29, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I wonder what the record for special elections in a county in a single year is. Gov. Greg Abbott has scheduled Nov. 3 as the date for a special election to fill former state Rep. Jose Farias’ seat in the … Continue reading →

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Ballot order drawn

Posted on August 29, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here is the official ballot order for City of Houston candidates this November, via Chron reporter Mike Morris on Twitter. You’re all familiar with my rant about ballot order by now – we have electronic voting machines, they should simply … Continue reading →

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HERO ballot language set

Posted on August 28, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. City Council on Wednesday approved the language that will appear on the November ballot for voters to decide the fate of Houston’s equal rights ordinance, one week after the Texas Supreme Court ruled that the original wording … Continue reading →

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Interview with Matt Murphy

Posted on August 27, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We conclude our tour of the At Large #4 candidates who seek to follow term-limited Council Member C. O. Bradford with Matt Murphy. A Navy veteran and former professional golfer, Murphy is now a certified fire protection engineering designer. He … Continue reading →

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Interview with Laurie Robinson

Posted on August 26, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Next up in my series of interviews with candidates seeking to succeed the term-limited Council Member C. O. Bradford in At Large #4 is Laurie Robinson. Robinson is the only repeat candidate in this group, having run for At Large … Continue reading →

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First anti-HERO radio ad airs

Posted on August 26, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here it comes. In the ad, a young woman talks about the perceived threat to public safety the ordinance presents. Critics have long asserted that the broad non-discrimination law, which includes protections for gay and transgender residents, would allow male … Continue reading →

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Interview with Amanda Edwards

Posted on August 25, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We continue in At Large #4, where multiple candidates compete to succeed the term-limited Council Member C. O. Bradford. Today’s interview is with Amanda Edwards, a native Houstonian and Eisenhower High graduate now practicing law with Bracewell & Giuliani. Edwards … Continue reading →

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Your official slate of candidates

Posted on August 25, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Yesterday was the filing deadline. Here’s the official list of candidates, modulo any challenges or subsequently invalidated applications. The highlights: – There are thirteen candidates for Mayor. The City Secretary might consider starting the ballot order draw now, this may … Continue reading →

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Interview with Jonathan Hansen

Posted on August 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We move on to At Large #4, the other open At Large seat on the ballot this year, currently held by Council Member C. O. Bradford. I have four candidate interviews for this race, and we begin with Jonathan Hansen. … Continue reading →

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Chron Mayoral profile: Chris Bell

Posted on August 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It’s “the first in a series of profiles on the top candidates running for mayor in Houston”. Friends and colleagues said it’s [Chris] Bell’s belief in good government and that streak of political ambition, even in the face of sometimes … Continue reading →

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Just how old are our city voters?

Posted on August 20, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

In my previous installment, we talked about how many people vote across city elections. In this post, we’re going to look at another aspect of our city races that is often remarked on but seldom specified: The ages of the … Continue reading →

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Supreme Court requires HERO ballot language change

Posted on August 20, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Whatever. The Texas Supreme Court has again overruled Mayor Annise Parker’s administration in connection with the legal fight over her signature nondiscrimination ordinance, ruling Wednesday that the mayor and City Council erred in choosing the language that will appear on … Continue reading →

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Interview with Doug Peterson

Posted on August 19, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We now finish up with At Large #3, where CM Michael Kubosh is in his first term. As I said on Monday, I unfortunately do not have an interview with CM Kubosh. I reached out to him and we talked … Continue reading →

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Who are the city voters?

Posted on August 18, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Everybody knows that city of Houston elections are fairly low-turnout affairs. The general perception – and it’s one that I’ve echoed as well – is that the elections are dominated by the same voters, year after year. What I haven’t … Continue reading →

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The contours of the HERO fight

Posted on August 18, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see how this goes. When City Council sent Houston’s embattled equal rights ordinance to the November ballot two weeks ago, the vote raised the curtain on dueling campaigns that had been bracing in the wings for a political showdown … Continue reading →

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Interview with John C.B. LaRue

Posted on August 17, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We move on to At Large #3, where CM Michael Kubosh is in his first term. I have two interviews to bring you for this race, and unfortunately neither of them is with CM Kubosh. I reached out to him … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: The score so far

Posted on August 16, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve had a slew of endorsements for municipal races this past week. I’ve been keeping track of them as best I can on my 2015 Election page. This isn’t always easy to do, because some groups are not very good … Continue reading →

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Turner’s police plan

Posted on August 16, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Time to look at a major policy proposal, from Mayoral candidate Sylvester Turner. Mayoral candidate Sylvester Turner unveiled a plan Thursday to expand the Houston Police Department by 540 officers by 2020, an effort he said is needed to help … Continue reading →

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Houston Unites

Posted on August 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The pro-HERO campaign has been launched. Supporters of Houston’s nondiscrimination ordinance launched a formal campaign Wednesday urging voters to defend the measure this November. ACLU of Texas Executive Director Terri Burke urged Houstonians to “send a message that this is … Continue reading →

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Interview with Chris Oliver

Posted on August 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We wrap up our tour of the At Large #1 field with a visit with Chris Oliver, who currently serves as Trustee in HCC District IX. A businessman and graduate of TSU, Oliver has worked as a Congressional aide and … Continue reading →

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Change to term limits will be on the ballot

Posted on August 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Whatever. Houston voters will decide whether elected city officials should serve two four-year terms rather than three two-year terms starting in 2016, potentially lengthening the terms of some current council members. The City Council voted 12-5 Wednesday to place the … Continue reading →

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