Monthly Archives: October 2009

Endorsement watch: ABCDEFG

Posted on October 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve been hard on the Chron lately for being so lackadaisical about getting to some of their endorsements. In my opinion, they should all be done before Early Voting begins, or else their value erodes. So I’m pleased to see … Continue reading →

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Opposition to Prop 4

Posted on October 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Prop 4, the Tier 1 Universities constitutional amendment, has gotten a lot of support across the spectrum. Any high-profile amendment will always have some opposition, however, and Prop 4 no exception. A proposed constitutional amendment to help the University of … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Seven of eight

Posted on October 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I didn’t get around to this yesterday, but the Chron endorsed nearly all of the remaining Constitutional amendments by giving its thumbs-up to propositions 2, 3, and 5 and 1, 6, 7, and 8. From the former: Proposition 2 would … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of October 12

Posted on October 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Yeah, I know, it’s late this week. These things happen. Click on for the highlights.

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Election tidbits for 10/15

Posted on October 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Just a few quickies… – Super Neighborhood 22 will be holding a candidate forum for At Large positions 2 and 5 this coming Monday: According to the email I got on this, CM Melissa Noriega will also be present. – … Continue reading →

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Today the HCDE, tomorrow the world!

Posted on October 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Remember those Cy-Fair school board candidates I mentioned last week? Turns out they each have Facebook groups supporting their candidacies. A brief look at them reveals a couple of interesting things. One is that spelling, or at least spell-checking, is … Continue reading →

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What the candidates say about mobility

Posted on October 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Citizens Transportation Coalition has done a candidate questionnaire every election in which the hopefuls are asked a bunch of questions about various transportation-related topics. This year is no exception, and as always there are a lot of detailed questions … Continue reading →

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Roy gets his moment in the sun

Posted on October 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Chron overview of Roy Morales, which like the Locke and Brown stories was done with a bit of gauze over the lens. Well, except for the bit where they quoted those mean ol’ bloggers. Political observers and bloggers … Continue reading →

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County to move forward on mental health center for inmates

Posted on October 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This sounds good. Harris County officials agreed Tuesday to establish a “reintegration center” to reduce the revolving door of mentally ill and homeless prisoners who are a major factor in chronic overcrowding at the county jails. The discussion of the … Continue reading →

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Term limits review on the horizon

Posted on October 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Without much fanfare, the Houston City Council agreed to the creation of a committee to study the often talked about issue of term limits. Currently, the Mayor, Controller, and City Council are elected for two years terms a maximum … Continue reading →

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RIP, William Wayne Justice

Posted on October 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

One of the great protectors of civil rights has passed away. U.S. District Judge William Wayne Justice — beloved by some, loathed by others — changed Texas civil and inmate rights in ways few political figures have over the past … Continue reading →

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Perry goes on the attack as evidence of a coverup mounts

Posted on October 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The evidence keeps coming in. Lawyers representing Gov. Rick Perry on two occasions grilled Austin lawyer Sam Bassett on the activities of his Texas Forensic Science Commission, telling him its probe into a controversial Corsicana arson case was inappropriate and … Continue reading →

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White reports another strong fundraising quarter

Posted on October 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Fresh from the inbox: To date, more than 5,000 supporters have contributed more than $6 million to Houston Mayor Bill White’s campaign since he announced his candidacy for U.S. Senate in December. The contributions for the filing period ending Sept. … Continue reading →

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Interview with City Controller Annise Parker

Posted on October 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We wrap up our 2009 interview season with a conversation with Annise Parker. Parker is serving her third term as Houston City Controller, having served three terms as an At Large Council Member before that. She is a native Houstonian … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: A late roundup

Posted on October 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Some recent endorsements in City elections over the past few days. Going back to last week, here are the endorsements from the Houston Black American Democrats (HBAD): Mayor – Gene Locke Controller – Ronald Green At Large #1 – Karen … Continue reading →

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Perry meddles again

Posted on October 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

All of his shenanigans with the Texas Forensic Science Commission have kept Governor Perry busy lately, but not so busy that he can’t mess with other things, too. Gov. Rick Perry plans to reshuffle the board leadership of the state’s … Continue reading →

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The DMN on the food stamp situation

Posted on October 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

It’s depressing reading these articles, but it’s important to do so, to really understand why we’re so screwed up. First and foremost, it’s an attitude problem. As in, the people who have the most power over it have the least … Continue reading →

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School construction update

Posted on October 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

As I read this story about the progress of school construction authorized by the 2007 bond referendum, it strikes me that we picked a heck of a good time to do this. Piney Point is one of about 160 campuses … Continue reading →

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Once again, from the “Even Kay doesn’t know what Kay is going to do” files

Posted on October 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I hate to say “I told you so”…actually, scratch that. I don’t hate it at all. And in the matter of when will Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison resign her Senate seat to run for Governor, all I can say is … Continue reading →

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Tim Cole advisory panel begins its work

Posted on October 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Tim Cole Advisory Panel on Wrongful Convictions, which was created to much fanfare by the Lege this spring, begins its mission this week in the shadow of the Cameron Todd Willingham uproar. Cole was wrongfully convicted in 1986 and … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Takings

Posted on October 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron endorses Prop 11, which is the constitutional amendment to limit eminent domain takings that were allowed by the Supreme Court’s 2005 Kelo ruling. [It] would prohibit “the taking, damaging, or destroying of private property” for purposes of economic … Continue reading →

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Interview with Council Member Peter Brown

Posted on October 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Our next Mayoral candidate interview is with City Council Member Peter Brown, who is currently serving his second term as the Member from At Large #1. Brown is a Houston native and UH grad who served six years in the … Continue reading →

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Monitoring the food stamps problem

Posted on October 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

State Sens. Judith Zaffirini and Tommy Williams will be keeping an eye on the food stamps situation. Zaffirini said in an interview that she and Williams will work with Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Tom Suehs on hiring more … Continue reading →

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The Mayorals on public safety

Posted on October 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Reading this story about the Mayoral candidates and their public safety plans, I have the same questions that I’ve had from the beginning. How do they plan to pay for the things they want to do? Hiring more officers, obviously, … Continue reading →

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Downtown grocery store coming

Posted on October 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Not a traditional big-box kind of place, but this seems like a good fit for downtown. While it won’t be on the scale of a large grocery chain, local caterer Jerrell “Rusty” Powers is preparing to open a market at … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Playing politics: Not just for the Forensic Science commission

Posted on October 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, you know that two billion dollars of federal funds we need to borrow to shore up the unemployment insurance trust fund? I’m sure you’ll be shocked to hear that Rick Perry’s appointees on the Texas Workforce Commission are thinking … Continue reading →

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Brown’s fourth ad

Posted on October 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Team Peter maintains the air assault: Okay, I’m a math major, so maybe I’m the wrong person to bring this up, but shouldn’t that be “I look at city government differently than other politicians”? I had to watch a few … Continue reading →

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Khan goes on the air

Posted on October 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We knew it was coming, and now here we have MJ Khan’s first TV ad. It’s…okay. Unlike Greg, I think Pam Holm’s ad, which was strong up until the last few seconds, was better. The presentation in Khan’s ad, with … Continue reading →

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More heat on Perry over the Forensic Science Commission

Posted on October 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Chicago Tribune provides further evidence that gutting of the Texas Forensic Science Commission was all about politics. Just months before the controversial removal of three members of a state commission investigating the forensics that led to a Texas man’s … Continue reading →

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Interview with Gene Locke

Posted on October 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

And we come to the end of the campaign interview season for 2009 with a conversation with each of the three leading contenders for Mayor. First up is Gene Locke, a native of East Texas and longtime resident of Houston … Continue reading →

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Spending on voter outreach: At Large races

Posted on October 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I did this exercise for the Controller’s race last week, let’s see now what we can learn about the four contested At Large Council races. First, At Large #1: Candidate Amount Purpose ========================================================== Karen Derr 88.32 Advertising (Allen Jamail) Karen … Continue reading →

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Bye bye, border fence funds

Posted on October 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Good riddance. A provision to build an additional 300 miles of pedestrian fence along the U.S.-Mexico border has been stripped out of a $42.8 billion spending bill for the Department of Homeland Security. The provision by Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., … Continue reading →

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Moody to run for Supreme Court again

Posted on October 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Good news for Democratic statewide prospects. A veteran state district judge who walked across Texas three years ago in pursuit of a seat on the state Supreme Court plans to go airborne next year for another shot at the high … Continue reading →

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Eat your veggies, kids

Posted on October 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Texas school children don’t have sufficiently healthy diets. I know, I can’t believe it, either. Only 8 percent of Texas teens are eating enough fruits and vegetables, a new report finds, despite efforts to stock school cafeterias with healthier foods. … Continue reading →

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