Tag Archives: endorsements

Early voting for city runoffs begins today

Posted on November 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

You remember that we have runoff elections for four Houston City Council positions, right? Well, early voting starts today and runs through next Tuesday, December 6. Here are the early voting locations that will be open for the runoff. Early … Continue reading →

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More thoughts on the Council elections

Posted on November 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

One district at a time… – I confess that I did not see the District A result coming. Helena Brown did raise a decent amount of money since entering the race at the filing deadline, about $22K through the end … Continue reading →

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Chron retracts Rodriguez endorsement

Posted on November 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them. Earlier this campaign season, we endorsed Manuel Rodriguez Jr. for another term on the board of the Houston Independent School District. We now retract that endorsement in the race for HISD Position III trustee. A last-minute campaign … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: For Prop 2

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron recommends a Yes vote on another Constitutional amendment. If there were ever a summer to remind us of Texas’ water problems, this was it. During months of drought and earth-cracking heat, our reservoirs dipped, cities restricted water usage … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Robinson for HCC

Posted on October 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The last two contested races awaiting Chron endorsements are the two HCC Trustee elections. They deal with the open seat race in District IV by recommending Carroll Robinson. The contest to replace outgoing Houston Community College District IV trustee Michael … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Bell for Jones

Posted on October 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Former Council Member and Mayoral candidate Chris Bell has endorsed Jolanda Jones for re-election, writing his own letter of support for her, which you can see here. Normally, I’m not that interested in this sort of personal endorsement, but since … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: HISD incumbents

Posted on October 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron sticks with the incumbents in the three contested HISD Trustee races. For HISD Trustee in District III: Manuel Rodriguez Elected to the board in 2003, he was its president in 2007, when the district successfully passed an important … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: The Chron proves me wrong

Posted on October 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I had thought that the Chron was going to endorse challenger Laurie Robinson in the At Large #5 race. I was wrong. Of the current 15 members of Houston City Council, including Mayor Annise Parker, none arouses the intense passions … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: White for Christie

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This came as a surprise to me. Former Mayor Bill White has endorsed Jack Christie for the At-Large 5 City Council seat. It is the only endorsement the ex-mayor has made in this year’s city elections. White sent out a … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: For Prop 8

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

After two weeks of following a predictable path, the Chron veers off in an unclear direction. Proposition 8, on this year’s ballot, is easy for everyone to love. It’s supported by farmers and city dwellers. Republicans and Democrats (the supporting … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: For Parker

Posted on October 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron endorses Mayor Parker for another term, noting how eventful this term has been. After she beat opponent Gene Locke in a 2009 runoff, the former three-term at-large council member and city controller opined that she felt like the … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Noriega and Bradford

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Another twofer, and another easy and obvious choice in At Large #3. For the past four years Houston has been well served in At-Large City Council Position 3 by Melissa Noriega. We recommend Noriega for a third and final term … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Costello and Thibaut

Posted on October 13, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Another day, another twofer as the Chron makes recommendations in the first two At Large races. In At Large #1, they go with the incumbent: Houston City Council member Stephen Costello, an engineer, is best known as the force behind … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Laster and Green

Posted on October 12, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Today is a twofer as the Chron finishes its endorsements in the district races with recommendations for the two new seats. In District J, they pick Mike Laster: District J’s inaugural City Council race has drawn three capable candidates from … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Rodriguez in I

Posted on October 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron votes for experience in District I. District I is the cradle of Hispanic municipal political power in Houston, initially represented by Ben Reyes and since then by a string of Latino successors. It encompasses most of downtown as … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Gonzalez in H

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron makes the easy and obvious choice of endorsing CM Ed Gonzalez for a second full term in District H. In the shuffle brought by the addition of two new City Council district seats, Houston’s District H has been … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: René and Pennington

Posted on October 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Today we learned that the Chron is apparently not endorsing in uncontested elections, as they skipped over CM Mike Sullivan in District E, and we got our first endorsement of a challenger over an incumbent. After a series of controversies … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Cohen and Adams

Posted on October 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a twofer, and it’s apparent confirmation that the Chron is going alphabetically by district. First, they tap Ellen Cohen for the reconfigured District C. Among a strong field of candidates for Houston City Council District C – the district … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Daniels in B

Posted on October 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron has made its choice among the candidates in the open seat District B race. In a crowded field vying to replace term-limited incumbent Jarvis Johnson, the Chronicle believes retired Postal Service supervisor and community activist Kathy Ballard-Blueford Daniels … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Stardig

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron gets off to a surprisingly early start in the endorsement game by backing Brenda Stardig for a second term in District A. We believe City Councilmember Brenda Stardig has proved her mettle in her first two-year term and … Continue reading →

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Lineup update

Posted on September 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron story that ran in yesterday’s news is now updated online to reflect the fact that CM Melissa Noriega does have two opponents, Brad Batteau and Chris Carmona. I emailed reporter Chris Moran yesterday to ask about that discrepancy, … Continue reading →

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A word about endorsements

Posted on July 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

As I have done in prior elections, I will be keeping track of endorsements for the 2011 elections. You can argue all you want about the value of endorsements – clearly, some are more valuable than others, and some mean … Continue reading →

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The Mayor and the firefighters

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Despite the tone of this, I wouldn’t make too much of it. While looking for tens of millions of dollars through a combination of cuts, deferrals, savings and fee hikes, Mayor Annise Parker repeatedly has identified the Houston Fire Department … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Runoff reiteration

Posted on November 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron reiterates its endorsement of Judith Cruz in the HISD Trustee runoff. To a large degree, the solution to the United States’ education problems is being worked out here in Houston. We’re the birthplace of some of the nation’s … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Early voting? Never heard of it

Posted on November 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Somewhat incredibly, there were still endorsements being made over the weekend. Two newspapers finally got around to picking a side in the Governor’s race. The good news is that at least they picked the right one. First up, the Abilene … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: One more

Posted on October 28, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I was wrong when I said the Chron was done with endorsements. I’d forgotten that they hadn’t endorsed in the one contested County Commissioner race. They have now rectified that. In two terms on the five-member Harris County Commissioners Court, … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: State House

Posted on October 25, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I think this list of State House recommendations wraps up the endorsements for the Chron. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of any other races left for them to do. Anyway, in twelve contests they went with … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: What took them so long?

Posted on October 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Nearly a full week into early voting, the last of the five major dailies, the Star Telegram, endorses Bill White. The hard economic reality of 2010 is that Texans deserve a governor who can work effectively on a national level. … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Congress

Posted on October 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Nothing to see here. Six contested Congressional races in Harris County – the 7th CD, in which there is a write-in candidate but no Democrat on the ballot, is not included – six recommendations for the incumbents. Had there been … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Ellis and Whitmire

Posted on October 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron finally turns to legislative races by endorsing two Senate Democratic incumbents in a pair of lightly contested races. [Sen. Rodney] Ellis, the longtime Democratic incumbent in Texas Senate District 13, has made his mark in many legislative areas, … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Beware the really bad candidates

Posted on October 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Gloria Padilla in the Express News has some good advice. Voting is not as easy as it used to be when communities were smaller and everyone knew the candidates. Smart voters need to do their homework and research their candidates. … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: The HISD Trustee race

Posted on October 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron endorses Judith Cruz in the HISD Trustee special election. Cruz firmly supports the Waiting for Superman brand of school reform: She believes that urban schools can do a much better job of educating our kids than they do … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: All for Bill White

Posted on October 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We don’t have another sweep yet, as the Star-Telegram hasn’t weighed in quite yet, but all the endorsements so far have gone Bill White‘s way as expected. A sample: The DMN is particularly pointed. Perry, 60, has done relatively little … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Probate court

Posted on October 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The probate courts in Harris County have been messed up for some time. The Chron is ready for some changes. Harris County Probate Court No. 1: Kathy Stone, the Democratic incumbent, is our choice to be returned to this bench. … Continue reading →

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