CM Helena Brown
We now enter the realm of district Council races, where in addition to two open seats there are two incumbents that face credible challenges. One of those incumbents is first term District A Council Member Helena Brown. If you’ve been a reader here for the last year or so you’re probably familiar with CM Brown, about whom I have written frequently. Obviously, she and I are not on the same page politically, but she represents a conservative district and is philosophically in line with many of its voters. She is a frequent critic of city spending, and often votes against ordinances that she believes are not good priorities for the city, though in the interview you’re about to listen to she points out that she votes Yes a lot more than she votes No. I had not met CM Brown before we sat down for this interview, and all I knew about her was what I had read and heard from others, so I was glad to have this opportunity to talk with her. Here’s the interview:
You can see all of my interviews as well as finance reports and other information on candidates on my 2013 Election page.
Wow she’s on the spot…makes sense. Seems that she is on the job and knows what’s going on. The last incumbent did virtually nothing and never got involved like Brown has been involved. Her challengers don’t have a clue and the one that left a multimillion dollar lifetime retirement has a lot to explain…….
I am voting for Helena Brown. She has done a good job.
Brown danced around the questions and provided no answers, clearly having learned some lessons on being a politician. Contrary to Mr. Kubosh’s assertion, she has not been an effective advocate for her district nor has she done anything for the city as a whole during her term. In our strong mayor form of government, a council member must really pull together alliances of citizen groups, other council members, and business interests to get anything done if they are not going to work with the mayor. Brown has done none of these to any degree signifying success. The biggest success she can claim from this interview is not sounding like a lunatic as is so often the case.
So who do you replace her with Stardig?
I don’t plan to vote for Brown. It’s good that we have Stardig and quite a few other options. This should be an interesting election.
Paul, there is a world of difference between suggesting she has done a “good job” and the implied “there is no one better in the race”. I haven’t heard anything from the other candidates, Kuff just posted another interview to listen to, but taken as a whole, if it were between Brown and Stardig, their records speak for themselves (whichever you prefer). I’m glad that Brown has been working on her image given just how bad it was/still is but you could literally put all the names of legal residents of District A in a hat and pick a better choice than Brown at random.
Interesting that Kubosh is going to “vote for Brown” since he does not live in the district!
District A is holding a “Health Fair” put on my Cena Health Care. I cannot find any information about CENA HEALTH CARE? This unknown “Health Care” is charging $5,000 for sponsorships and also charging vendors for tables and tents. How is Helena Brown and District A financially connected?
Here is the site: http://www.cenahealthcare.com
O.K. FactsOnly I misspoke. Helena Brown in my opinion has done a good job for her district and the City of Houston and I think she is the best qualified candidate.
Paul, what has she DONE for District A? Be interesting to see what someone not living in, or being familiar with our district perceives as doing “a good job.”
If you go to the cenahealthcare.com site, the page directs you to go to the cenahealthcare.com site for more information about Cena Healthcare. LOL
Is the Cena thing a fund raising event for Helena Brown? Maybe it is a pac? I know she is sending out a lot of mailings from the city even advertising her birthday party. Must be election season!
Just got an email from her office about a ditch clean up effort in the district. Must be election time.
Last fall/winter I had been trying for months to get the streetlights on at the 43rd St, esplanade between 290 and Lang, and no one seemed to know who was responsible, so I sent Brown’s office an email and heard nothing, not even an auto reply. The city finally realized that esplanade lights are their responsibility, not CenterPoint’s, and got them on. So in my opinion and experience she’s been a useless CM.
I was wondering if Paul was going to rent a condo in District A to establish voting residency much like he and his brother did downtown to allow Michael to run for office. That aside, I’m glad I’m not the only one asking exactly what his opinion of Brown’s “good job” is based on. The district loses out on desired projects, gets pushed back on Capital works projects, is given fewer city resources thanks to Brown, all while paying the same taxes. She’s not the worst when it comes to a photo-op but she darned sure hasn’t done anything of substance and I think we all know it.
Am sure about her feelings and stances on the Houston Police Department. Voted AGAINST things like bullet proof vests, a study to enhance the investigation and prosecution of sexual predators, purchase of police cars, a support grant for the HPD helicopters -etc etc.
I cannot see how she can say she is for public safety with her voting record. (good news is that she was the only council member to vote no on these public safety issues so they passed anyway – but what a black eye for District A!)
Whatever happened to william park? Seems should be important question