Former State Rep. and Harris County Democratic Party Chair Sue Schechter has announced her intent to run for the to-be-open Harris County Clerk position next year. Schechter was known to be interested in this position, and now she’s made it official. I’ve reprinted her press release beneath the fold, to which I’ll add two observations. One is that she’s already lined up a decent amount of support for her candidacy – there are a lot of elected officials and other heavy hitters in her list of who’s with her. And two, the timing of all this has been just awful for Council Member Sue Lovell, whose interest in the Clerk’s office is longstanding, as Lovell is engaged in a runoff for her Council seat that won’t be resolved until a week after the filing period opens. Will these things deter her from running? Hard to say. As for the Republican side of things, incumbent Clerk Beverly Kaufman has made no bones about whom she would like to see succeed her, though her man Kevin Mauzy will almost certainly not go unchallenged. It’ll be fun to watch, that’s for sure. Click on for Schechter’s release.
Sue Smith Schechter today officially announced her plans to run as a candidate for the position of Harris County Clerk in the Democratic Primary in 2010.
“It is with great pride that I have decided to run for the position of Harris County Clerk, ” said Schechter. “The Harris County Clerk’s office is an important resource in our City that will touch most of our lives at some point. Whether one needs to obtain a marriage license, vote in an election, buy or sell a home or even access information for an estate in Probate Court, the County Clerk’s Office plays a vital role in supporting one’s access to necessary information.”
Schechter, an attorney, has been involved in politics for more than 20 years. She has served in the Texas House of Representatives representing District 134 (1991-1995), managed multiple campaigns for Democratic candidates running for various positions and also has served as Harris County Democratic Party Chair (1998-2003). Schechter is also an active participant in the non-profit community, taking leadership roles on various board and organization initiatives.
“It would be a privilege and an honor to take the lead in providing an efficient, proactive records system for Houston’s citizens,” said Schechter. “It is imperative that our citizens have access to an office that is streamlined, modernized and transparent. For whatever a citizen’s needs may be, I want each individual’s experience to be positive.”
Schechter has evaluated the needs and strengths of the Harris County Clerk’s office and has the knowledge and experience that is necessary to fulfill the duties of the County Clerk position. Duties of the County Clerk position include maintaining records for Commissioners’ Court, probate and civil courts; overseeing records of real property, tax liens and vital statistics; and supervising elections.
Among Schechter’s supporters are Congressman Al Green, State Representatives Alma Allen, Ellen Cohen, Garnet Coleman, Harold Dutton, Kristi Thibault and Sylvester Turner; former State Representatives Rick Noriega and Sissy Farenthold, former Texas Democratic Party Chair Molly Beth Malcolm, former Harris County Democratic Party Chair David Mincberg, HISD Trustee Carol Mims Galloway, Houston City Councilmember Ron Green and former Councilmembers Ada Edwards and Gordon Quan, Rev. William Lawson, Ambassador Arthur Schechter, Roland Garcia, Bobby Singh, Gerald Womack and many more.
Schechter has designated Richard Schechter, HCC Board Trustee, as her campaign treasurer. Filing for the Harris County elections begins December 5. Current County Clerk Beverly Kaufman is retiring at the end of her term.
Mauzy has already drawn one contender from within the GOP grassroots, very conservative base. Stan Stanart, who does technology work, precinct lists, database for the Harris County GOP, and was an unsuccessful candidate for Harris County Board of Education in 2008 has already announced and lined up many of the (fairly far right) precinct chairs already. His wife is chair of the Candidates Committee which formulates questionnaires to determine who is a “real” Republican, and will issue a star rating to the candidates based on their answers to questions.
Better Sue Schechter than Sue Lovell but better anyone than Sue Schechter. A lot of people haven’t forgotten how she withheld that taped endorsement of Lee Brown by Bill Clinton during his last campaign for mayor. Phone calls were made. Which is the only reason it finally hit the airwaves. Even then it was aired at the 11th hour.