He says he’s still thinking about it, but I’m guessing it’s a “yes unless something unexpected happens” situation.
Julian Castro
In an interview this week, former San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro gave the strongest indication yet that he’s interested in running for president in 2020.
Castro, a Democrat who led the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under President Barack Obama, told NBC News that he has “every interest in running.” His speech next week at an awards dinner in New Hampshire will help him take the temperature of voters in the early primary state.
“Part of the process of figuring out whether I’m going to run is going to listen to folks and feel the temperature” of voters, he said.
Castro told the San Antonio Express-News last week that he’d make a decision on whether to run by “the end of 2018.”
It’s way too early to think about who I’d like to support in 2020, but I’m all in favor of Castro running. The best thing he can do now to build a base and engender good will among the faithful is make that Congressional PAC of his as successful as he can. Be sure some of that action is here in Texas, too. We’ll await the go/no go decision, but we’ll be watching until then. The Current has more.
Julian will advance our country from “A chicken in every pot” to “A public housing project in ever neighborhood. “
Bill, I love it! Public housing should be in every neighborhood.
And as far as the city goes, TIRZ money for public housing should be spent inside the TIRZ.
Jules,
I obviously subscribe to the opposite view. People work hard and pay a heavy property tax burden to NOT live near people on welfare. Are there any housing projects in Chappaqua, NY, for example? Any in River Oaks? If I was running campaign ads, I’d run one discussing the murder of HCSO Deputy Goforth. I’d point out that the shooter was living with his mother, in a home in Copperfield owned by the Houston Housing Authority, and make it another Willie Horton moment for Castro. I’m convinced that single issue will sink Julian Castro in 2020.
Now, with respect to the TIRZ’s, I agree with you, although I’d prefer to see those just abolished. TIRZ’s seem shady to me.
Bill and Jules,
What was his work record as Mayor of San Antonio? Did the City strive under his Leadership?
Hold on, Bill… My Harris County taxes are somehow factored into in my home’s proximity to welfare recipients ?
Hold on, Bill… My home’s proximity to welfare recipients is somehow being considered by HCAD ?
@Julian: I really don’t know anything about Castro’s record in San Antonio. I know more about his national service as HUD director, the same HUD that was audited to discover half a BILLION dollars of accounting problems in 2016 alone. The buck stops with Julian Casto on that, and we are talking about 13% of the entire HUD budget that was screwed up. Was it fraud? Abuse? Whatever it was, it certainly wasn’t presidential.
@C.L.: If a bunch of undesirable (read: people on welfare) people move into your neighborhood, it will eventually lower the property value of your house. Call it the opposite of gentrification. This is the same reason why a tear down in Bellaire is worth three times or more what an equivalent house in Acres Homes or 5th Ward would be worth.
@Bill… I’m becoming convinced you don’t understand how HCAD values homes nor how residential appraisals are constructed. Oddly enough, there are no adjustments on a FNMA 1004 for ‘undesirable neighbors’…