Category Archives: Election 2015

Campaign finance reports may be a bit more interesting this cycle

Posted on July 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

And by “interesting”, I mean in the Chinese curse sense. From the city’s campaign finance reports page: In April 2015, the Texas Ethics Commission released a new Electronic Filing Application. The changes made have to do with the separation of … Continue reading →

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Our forthcoming early voting problems

Posted on July 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This is the view in front of the West Gray Metropolitan Multi-Service Center, also known as the busiest early voting location in Houston. 8,390 people voted early here in the 2013 election. There was a water main break there, which … Continue reading →

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Interview with Roland Chavez

Posted on July 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

And so we begin another campaign candidate interview season. I will be talking to candidates in various contested races on the ballot here this fall and presenting those interviews to you over the next three months. (Yes, it takes that … Continue reading →

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Initial Mayoral fundraising totals

Posted on July 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Lotta money being raised out there, though not quite as much as the topline totals say. Former Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia was first out of the gate with his figures, announcing Tuesday that he raised $1.5 million since announcing … Continue reading →

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Harris County road bond

Posted on June 29, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Harris County voters may be asked to vote on a bond issue this fall. Rapid population expansion and development in unincorporated areas of Harris County have strained roads, facilities and infrastructure so much that for the first time in eight … Continue reading →

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Turner and Garcia lead early Mayoral poll

Posted on June 25, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We have our first polling numbers for the 2015 Mayoral election. Sylvester Turner and Adrian Garcia have emerged as the clear front-runners in the first independent poll before the election that will determine Houston’s next mayor. The KHOU – Houston … Continue reading →

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Bell wants Meyerland flooding investigated

Posted on June 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a story about flooding and the Mayor’s race, but not the story about flooding and the Mayor’s race you might have been expecting. Mayoral candidate Chris Bell on Sunday called for an independent investigation into why so many Meyerland … Continue reading →

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Meet your Constitutional amendments

Posted on June 23, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

A pretty uninspiring bunch, if you ask me. Now that the dust has settled on the 84th Texas Legislature, voters are getting the first official look at which constitutional amendments they will be voting on come November. Texas Secretary of … Continue reading →

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ReBuild Houston and the Mayor’s race

Posted on June 22, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It’s all about the conservative voters, because no one cares what anyone else thinks. When the most conservative candidate in the Houston mayor’s race dropped out two months ago, the battle to win over right-leaning voters became a two-man show: … Continue reading →

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ReVote Houston?

Posted on June 20, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Mayoral candidate Bill King calls for a do-over on Renew/ReBuild Houston. Houston mayoral candidate Bill King wants to put ReBuild Houston, the city’s controversial streetand drainage program, back up for a vote. […] King, the most vocal opponent of ReBuild … Continue reading →

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Taylor wins SA Mayor runoff

Posted on June 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

And it’s over. Interim San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor claimed victory Saturday night, defeating Leticia Van de Putte for a full term in the mayor’s job and dealing the former state senator a tough loss in a city central to … Continue reading →

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Runoff day in SA

Posted on June 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I think I speak for a lot of people when I say I’m glad the San Antonio Mayoral runoff is almost over. We hope, anyway. After weeks of bruising attacks — and at least one hand left unshaken — the … Continue reading →

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Flooding as election issue

Posted on June 11, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I suppose this was inevitable. As thousands of Houstonians recover from the recent storms, the flooding is emerging as a political issue. Mayoral candidates are criticizing the city’s drainage infrastructure, attacking an unfinished project along Brays Bayou – around which … Continue reading →

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The Trib on the big Mayor’s races

Posted on June 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Those being the Houston and San Antonio Mayors races, with a look at how candidates of color are faring. If former state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte wins the runoff for San Antonio mayor next weekend, she’ll become the Alamo … Continue reading →

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The other stuff that got discussed at the third forum

Posted on June 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The third Mayoral candidate forum on Saturday was supposedly about “labor and workers’ rights”, but of course the story is all about the great and powerful pension question, because there’s been so little coverage of it and where the candidates … Continue reading →

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Reviewing the Mayoral websites

Posted on June 7, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron reviews the candidates’ online presence so far. Five months before voters head to the polls, the candidates’ digital platforms are up and running, but most are heavy on biography, light on ideas. “They’re checking the box. They have … Continue reading →

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Early look at the Controller’s race

Posted on June 7, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We have our first race overview story of the season, with a focus on the Comptroller and whether the successor to Ronald Green will be more visible and possibly antagonistic towards the new Mayor, or more of the same lower-key … Continue reading →

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Mayoral candidate forum season is underway

Posted on June 6, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

They talk about the arts. Houston’s mayoral candidates were full of praise for the city’s arts scene Wednesday, when they appeared at a forum together for the first time, though most said they would not support raising taxes or allocating … Continue reading →

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Making Pearland wet

Posted on June 6, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It always amazes me that there are still cities that don’t allow alcohol sales in this day and age. Absher is one of about 1,000 Pearland residents who have signed a petition to remove all restrictions on the city’s alcohol … Continue reading →

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Election 2015 page is up

Posted on June 1, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

If you look at the top of my homepage, you will see a tab up in the top right for my Election 2015 tracker. It’s a listing of all the candidates that were known to me at the time I … Continue reading →

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Moving equality forward in San Antonio

Posted on June 1, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From the Rivard Report: Members of San Antonio’s lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community want the city’s next mayor to follow the lead of Dallas and Houston and expand the 2013 non-discrimination ordinance (NDO) to include private companies. … Continue reading →

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Mayoral candidate forum season gets underway

Posted on May 31, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Gentlemen, start your oratorical engines for these upcoming Mayoral candidate forums. The events, which will focus on arts and culture, economic development, and labor and community concerns, kick off a months-long cycle in which the candidates will appear before various … Continue reading →

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From the “Who not to vote for” files, part 1

Posted on May 31, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The embedded image is a scan of a mailer we got about two weeks ago. Abel Davila is a former HCC Trustee; his wife Diana, whom I had originally heard was interested in running for District H, is a former … Continue reading →

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Montgomery County tries to figure out what it wants

Posted on May 27, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Can they ever pass a road bond? Montgomery County Judge Craig Doyal says he will hold community meetings to assess what direction the county should go to improve mobility after a $350 million road bond package was defeated by county … Continue reading →

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The Mayoral candidates and public transportation

Posted on May 17, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a start. When it comes to traffic, Houstonians and their mayoral candidates agree: The city is gridlocked and only getting worse. Judging by the candidates’ fledgling campaign platforms, many of which mention traffic as a top concern, road improvements … Continue reading →

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Montgomery County rejects its road bonds

Posted on May 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

One more election result of interest. In a hard-fought election, Montgomery County voters went to the polls in record numbers to cast ballots that ultimately defeated the $350 million in proposed road bonds. Nearly 58 percent of the more than … Continue reading →

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Moving on to the runoff for the SA Mayor’s race

Posted on May 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This Express News story on the beginning of the Mayoral runoff in San Antonio between Leticia Van de Putte and Ivy Taylor gets to the question of what if anything the two runnersup and their supporters will do. But all … Continue reading →

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Turner prepares his exit from the Lege

Posted on May 11, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Looks like we’ll have at least one more legislative special election this year. In 2003, state Rep. Sylvester Turner of Houston made the most definitive decision of his political career. Turner had arrived in the Texas House 14 years earlier, … Continue reading →

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Van de Putte and Taylor in SA Mayor runoff

Posted on May 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. Former state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte is set to face San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor in a runoff for the city’s top job. With 95 percent of all precincts reporting late Saturday, Van de Putte led … Continue reading →

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Adrian is in

Posted on May 7, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Speculation time is over. Ending months of speculation, Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia has declared his candidacy for mayor of Houston Wednesday. Garcia, whose strong name recognition and deep law enforcement experience make him a likely frontrunner, will make his … Continue reading →

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Getting nasty in Pasadena

Posted on May 7, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Pasadena Mayor Johnny Isbell is not on the ballot this year, but he’s definitely involved in the Council elections. A political action committee (PAC) with ties to Pasadena Mayor Johnny Isbell contributed more than $20,000 to three candidates in the … Continue reading →

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Homestretch for the SA Mayor’s race

Posted on May 5, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Jeanne Russell, wife of San Antonio Mayoral candidate Mike Villarreal, makes the case for her husband in the Rivard Report. Many people who have known Mike and I professionally associate us most often with our work toward building a stronger, … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Express News goes for LVdP for Mayor

Posted on April 27, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Early voting has begun in San Antonio, and the Express News has made its choice for Mayor. Will San Antonio be blessed enough to elect three exceptionally strong mayors in a row? That’s a tall order. But if any of … Continue reading →

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Jailhouse woes for the Sheriff

Posted on April 26, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Been a bad couple of weeks for Sheriff Garcia. A year and a half after a mentally ill inmate was found festering in squalor in a Harris County jail cell – apparently for weeks – Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia … Continue reading →

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