From the inbox:
Sylvester Turner
HOUSTON, March 23, 2015 – State Rep. Sylvester Turner has earned the endorsement of the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association in this year’s mayoral race, the HPFFA said today.
HPFFA President Alvin W. White, Jr. said 84 percent of voting fire fighters approved the recommendation of the HPFFA board of directors to endorse Turner after a review of the public safety records of the mayoral candidates.
“Sylvester has been a consistent friend of fire fighters and an advocate for public safety in Austin for 25 years,” White said. “He is clearly the best choice for us in this mayoral race. We also appreciate that he has built a coalition of Democrats and Republicans, business leaders, unions and community groups.”
White added, “Rep. Turner understands that Houston fire fighters are delivering excellent service to citizens, are good stewards of city resources, and are giving back to the community. He also has been a sensible voice – here and in Austin – in the debate about city employee pensions.”
Rep. Turner said, “I am proud to have earned the support of Houston’s firefighters. Together, we will work to keep our neighborhoods safe, teach our youth the values of courage and shared sacrifice and show the world that Houston is a place that working families are proud to call home.”
Rep. Turner has served 25 years in the Texas House of Representatives. He is a member of the Legislative Budget Board; Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Committee; Chair of the Subcommittee on Articles 1, 4 and 5 (General Government, Judiciary, Public Safety and Criminal Justice); and the House State Affairs Committee.
Born in the Acres Homes community of northwest Houston, Rep. Turner graduated from Klein High School, where he was valedictorian and student body president. He then attended the University of Houston and Harvard Law School. More information is available at www.sylvesterturner.com.
The press release is here, for when I get around to creating a 2015 Election page. I’m not going to note every endorsement that comes my way, but this one was of interest for two reasons. One is that it happened at all, especially this early on. I figure a lot of endorsing organizations are going to take their time – at the very least, until they’re sure if Adrian Garcia is in the race or not – and many may keep their powder dry till the runoff, since Lord only knows who might make it that far. The other is that it wasn’t clear early on who if anyone would be the firefighters’ preferred candidate, given the intense focus by several campaigns on the pension issue. Once the pension deal was announced that sort of settled that matter, but for awhile there it was not obvious.
This is a nice get for Turner, since every inch is going to count in a race where the difference between making the runoff and being a runnerup is likely to be small. That said, the firefighters’ record in recent Mayoral elections is not that great. They endorsed Gene Locke in 2009, Fernando Herrera in 2011, and Ben Hall in 2013; going back a bit more, they backed Orlando Sanchez in 2003. We’ll see if they have better luck this time.
As predicted, the police are also endorsing him:
http://www.sylvesterturner.com/houston-police-officers-endorse-sylvester-turner-for-mayor/
HPOU PAC Endorses Sylvester Turner for Houston Mayor
For Immediate Release | March 24, 2015
HOUSTON – The Houston Police Officers Association has endorsed St. Rep. Sylvester Turner for mayor of the City of Houston.
After considering other candidates in the mayor’s race, HPOU President Ray Hunt said choosing to endorse Turner was easy for the police officers because of his long track record on public safety issues.
“For over 25 years, Rep. Turner has been a leader in our community, taking on the tough issues,” said Hunt. “Rep. Turner puts public safety first. We know he will work with the men and women of the Houston Police Department and every Houstonian to keep our city safe.”
“Thank you, Houston Police Officers, for placing your confidence in me,” said Rep. Turner. “We will work in partnership to keep crime, drugs and gangs out of our neighborhoods and inspire a new spirit of trust between the community and those who put their lives on the line to protect us.”
During his time in the Texas Legislature, Rep. Turner has been a respected leader in Houston and has always been a staunch supporter of public safety. For more information on Turner, please visit http://www.sylvesterturner.com.