Tag Archives: Election 2011

Possible challenger in At Large #5

Posted on May 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

CM Jolanda Jones gets her first announced opponent for At Large #5, but it comes with an asterisk. Physician Joe Edmonds announced today his candidacy for City Council At-Large Position 5, currently occupied by Councilwoman Jolanda Jones. “I feel there … Continue reading →

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HISD does its redistricting

Posted on May 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Doesn’t get much easier than this. Houston ISD trustees today approved a preliminary plan to redistrict their positions in response to changing demographics. The plan, now available for public comment, generated no controversy among the Houston Independent School District board … Continue reading →

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More on the new Council districts

Posted on May 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

For just about everything you could want to know about the new Council districts, go read Greg. Population and registered voter data, 2009 election returns, a look at how the districts have changed and may change in the future, it’s … Continue reading →

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Council officially approves new redistricting map

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Let the filings begin! The Houston City Council approved a new political map for the city on Wednesday that expands the council by two seats and gives Houston’s burgeoning Latino population what community leaders see as its best opportunity to … Continue reading →

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Two more for At Large #2

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Open Council seats always draw a crowd, and when there’s only one of them for the At Large positions, it’s usually a big crowd. There were already several entrants in the At Large #2 sweepstakes, and as of today there … Continue reading →

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Our first campaign drama of 2011

Posted on May 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I’m pretty sure we’d have had some sort of kerfuffle like this by now if we hadn’t had to redraw Council lines, which has pushed the timeline back a bit. Lone Star Strategies has dropped City Council candidate Jenifer Rene … Continue reading →

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Apparently we do have an opponent for the Mayor

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Deputy Fire Chief Fernando Herrera, who had previously said he was 95% sure he wasn’t running for Mayor, has now decided that he will in fact run for Mayor. Houston Fire Department Deputy Chief Fernando Herrera plans to formally announce … Continue reading →

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Mayor presents revised Council map

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the release. There was a press conference today at 10 to roll it out. Mayor Annise Parker today revealed a second version of the staff redistricting map that incorporates recommendations from members of various Houston communities. The new plan … Continue reading →

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Mayor Parker officially kicks off her re-election campaign

Posted on April 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

We were out of town over the weekend, so I missed this. An Easter weekend campaign event replete with rousing speeches, dogs of both the hot and four-legged variety and a kids’ Easter egg “scramble” kicked off Mayor Annise Parker’s … Continue reading →

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San Antonio’s extended term limits

Posted on April 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This year for the first time, most candidates on the ballot for San Antonio city offices are not subject to the old term limits law. San Antonio [once] had some of the nation’s strictest term limits for City Council — … Continue reading →

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The last hearings on Council redistricting

Posted on April 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Lots of action, and lots of alternatives, at the two Council meetings on Wednesday. Hispanic civic leaders on Wednesday presented an alternative redistricting map for the Houston City Council that creates a third district on the city’s southwest side where … Continue reading →

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A third opportunity district

Posted on April 13, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Greg breaks out the mapmaking tools and redraws the city’s proposed Council map in a way that creates a more realistic third Hispanic opportunity district. It’s not a heavy favorite to elect a Latino candidate the way districts H and … Continue reading →

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Do we have an opponent yet for the Mayor?

Posted on April 13, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Probably not. Houston Fire Department Deputy Chief Fernando Herrera has filed papers appointing a treasurer for a mayoral campaign fund-raising committee. He was the Republican candidate for District 148 state representative in 2010. He lost to incumbent Jessica Farrar. However, … Continue reading →

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NYT on Ellen Cohen

Posted on April 12, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

You don’t expect Houston City Council races or candidates to get written up in the Times, but Ellen Cohen isn’t your everyday candidate. Well, and there’s the partnership with the Texas Tribune, too. Of interest is the question of whether … Continue reading →

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First public hearing on Council redistricting this Wednesday

Posted on April 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Public Hearings on Proposed City Council Redistricting Plan On Wednesday, April 6, 2011, the Houston City Council was presented with the proposed City Council Redistricting Plan. Three public hearings will be held to discuss the proposed plan … Continue reading →

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SAISD’s Trustee elections

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know much about San Antonio ISD or the makeup of its board, but I know they’re about to have some very interesting elections next month. Name the ills of a typical inner-city school district and San Antonio has … Continue reading →

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Proposed new City Council map is out

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Feast your eyes: Numbers and a sideways view of the map can be seen here. You can also see these docs plus a map of current Council districts at Houston Politics. A few rough observations: – The first thing you … Continue reading →

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Locke and Lanier endorse Parker

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

More support for Mayor Parker’s re-election bid. Mayor Annise Parker on Wednesday scored the endorsements of her 2009 opponent Gene Locke and former Mayor Bob Lanier, two of Houston’s most prominent power brokers, as she prepares to ask voters for … Continue reading →

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City caves on drainage fee for churches

Posted on March 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Mayor Parker Announces New Rebuild Houston Funding Plan with Exemptions and Assistance for Low Income Mayor Annise Parker today announced that she will ask City Council next week to approve a new Rebuild Houston funding plan that … Continue reading →

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Meet the new historical districts

Posted on March 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Not so different from the old historical districts. After months of petition drives and acrimonious public testimony over the protection of old Houston neighborhoods, the only change to the six historic district maps headed to the City Council on Wednesday … Continue reading →

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Don’t claim endorsements you don’t have

Posted on March 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Seems like that lesson needs to be re-learned every cycle. We already have two examples of it this cycle. Here’s example one: City Council candidate Eric Dick apologized for advertising an upcoming fund-raiser by sending out a mailer featuring a … Continue reading →

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It’s official – Council will expand

Posted on March 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Very good news. Council voted today to declare that the city’s population is 2.1 million. The number was a trigger point that mandates the city add a 15th and 16th council seat by the city charter. […] After much debate … Continue reading →

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So will we have a Mayor’s race or not?

Posted on March 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

We’re now more than a month into the city election fundraising season, and as of this week the only person to file a declaration of Treasurer for the office of Mayor is the incumbent, Annise Parker. As of this time … Continue reading →

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Council redistricting will be messier than it needs to be

Posted on March 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Houston City Council is set to start their discussion about redistricting, but some people want them to stop. Councilman Mike Sullivan views expansion as a function of mayor-council politics, and he opposes it. Houston’s residents, Sullivan said in an impromptu … Continue reading →

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Fantasy Map 2.0

Posted on March 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s Greg’s most recent attempt at drawing new City Council lines. We’ll get an idea of what the Planning Department has in mind shortly – speaking of which, here are the demographics of the current districts, taken from their data … Continue reading →

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Dan Barrett for Fort Worth

Posted on February 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I’m delighted to see this. Democrat Dan Barrett, a lawyer and former state representative, is planning to file as a candidate for Mayor of Fort Worth. “I think its time for a new direction,” Barrett said. “The other candidates in … Continue reading →

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Castro running for re-election

Posted on February 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Not that this was a surprise, but now it’s official. Under picture-perfect skies and surrounded by his family and young people he called the future of San Antonio, Mayor Julián Castro formally launched his re-election bid Sunday. He chose Café … Continue reading →

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Census data is out

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Start firing up the mapmaking units. U.S. Census data released today shows the Hispanic population in Texas increased by 42 percent since 2000, and the group now makes up 38 percent of the population. Texas’ population is now 25,145,561. That’s … Continue reading →

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Who’s got a treasurer?

Posted on February 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Noel Freeman, in a note on his Facebook page takes a look at who has filed a proper treasurer appointment for a City Council race, and who has not. (He did a “who’s in so far” report in 2009, too.) … Continue reading →

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Castro gets involved with school politics

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This will be interesting to watch. Mayor Julián Castro will take an active role in local school board elections and superintendent appointments, he said in an interview Saturday outside SA2020’s final community workshop, one in which education was heralded as … Continue reading →

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A very early look at 2011 fundraising

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

A couple of weeks ago I took an early look at the 2011 city elections, but there was a key ingredient missing in that analysis: Money. The fundraising season for city candidates, which has been closed since last January, will … Continue reading →

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The first fantasy map

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Behold, what Houston City Council districts could possibly look like in a few months. There are, as Greg discusses, plusses and minuses to the approach he took, as well as real-world roadblocks and political considerations that may trump theoretical optimization. … Continue reading →

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Let the redistricting begin

Posted on January 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

We’re a few weeks away from getting final Census data that will be used to redraw the boundaries for Houston City Council districts (and everything else), but here’s an early look at what to expect from the process. City Attorney … Continue reading →

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Time for a change in Farmers Branch

Posted on January 12, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Good riddance. Farmers Branch Mayor Tim O’Hare announced this morning that he will not seek re-election in this suburb that gained national fame for its stance on illegal immigration. […] O’Hare did not endorse any candidates for mayor but attending … Continue reading →

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