Tag Archives: Election 2010

The unemployment tax and the Enterprise Fund

Posted on May 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We know that unemployment insurance taxes have gone up, and we know that the increase is more than it would have been had Governor Perry not rejected $555 million in stimulus funds for unemployment insurance. But there’s another way in … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

O’Neill to resign from Supreme Court

Posted on May 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

State Supreme Court Justice Harriet O’Neill, who announced last year that she would not run for re-election, has now announced that she will step down from the Court in June. She told Gov. Rick Perry and the other members of … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Interview with Linda Chavez-Thompson

Posted on May 10, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

No, I haven’t started my slate of 2010 candidate interviews yet. It’s too early for that. But I did have the opportunity to ask Linda Chavez-Thompson, the Democratic candidate for Lt. Governor, a few questions about immigration reform and the … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Three more election tidbits

Posted on May 10, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Tidbit #1: The city of Irving had its first election with its court-ordered single member Council districts. Voters ousted one sitting council member and sent another into a runoff election. They also put two minorities on what has been an … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Election results

Posted on May 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Congratulations to Galveston Mayor-Elect Joe Jaworski, who won a majority of the vote in a five-candidate race. “I think our message was one of energy and it was one of progress in Galveston,” Jaworski said. “I think people are tired … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Meet the Statewides: Moody and Weems

Posted on May 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Two more candidate videos from the TDP’s “Meet the Statewides” series. First up, Supreme Court candidate Bill Moody: Moody, a District Court justice in El Paso, was the top performer among Democratic candidates in 2006, getting 45% of the vote … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Meet the Statewides: Moody and Weems

Elections today

Posted on May 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Just a reminder that for some of you, there are elections today, including a special election to replace State Sen. Kip Averitt in Waco, school board elections in Austin and Dallas, and of course elections for Mayor and City Council … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Analyzing the Republican judicial primaries

Posted on May 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Last month, I printed an analysis of the Democratic judicial primaries by University of Houston political science professor Brandon Rottinghaus, who along with grad student Chris Nicholson built a mathematical model to predict the number of votes a candidate would … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

It may take an act of God for Rick Perry to admit he was wrong

Posted on May 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Governor Perry is being questioned about his silly “act of God” comment regarding the BP oil leak in the Gulf, and he’s apparently a mite touchy about it. Look, we all know – clearly Perry does – that “act of … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Of guns and kittens

Posted on May 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Sen. Kirk Watson has the definitive response to the Rick Perry coyote incident. About all that’s missing is music by Ennio Morricone. Just go read it and you’ll see what I mean. Thanks to the Trib for the pointer.

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Drainage update

Posted on May 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

City Council Members Stephen Costello and Ed Gonzalez had a public meeting last week to bring folks up to date on their efforts to upgrade Houston’s drainage system. Neighborhoods that report drainage problems to the city wait five years for … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Drainage update

Sixty thousand and counting

Posted on May 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

In March, the Dallas Morning News wrote about how Rick Perry was running a new kind of campaign. Rick Perry’s campaign has a radical approach that eschews traditional voter turnout efforts in favor of extensive use of social media networks … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The historians have their say

Posted on April 30, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The various legislative groups held their SBOE hearings on Wednesday. In pointing out the many ways in which that unesteemed body screwed the pooch on social studies, they joined with others in calling for a delay in adopting the new … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

I shot a coyote in Austin just to watch it die

Posted on April 30, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I believe that very little happens in politics by accident, so I feel certain there’s a reason that Rick Perry picked this week to tell us all about that coyote he killed in February. Something like this: WildEarth Guardians, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Interview with Chula Ross-Sanchez

Posted on April 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I have one more interview for the Galveston city elections on May 8, that being with Chula Ross-Sanchez, who is running for Council District 6. She is a former member of the Planning Council whose non-reappointment caused a bit of … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Will Texas make like Arizona?

Posted on April 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

If there’s been one small positive thing about the ridiculous Arizona anti-immigrant law, it’s been to remind the rest of the country that states besides Texas do crazy, inexplicable things as well. And I do believe that there’s a reason … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Debating about having a debate

Posted on April 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We will eventually have televised debates between Rick Perry and Bill White. But first we have to sit through the kabuki dance. Belo Corp., the company that owns WFAA and TV stations in Austin, Houston and San Antonio, sponsored a … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Debating about having a debate

White in West Texas

Posted on April 27, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

West Texas has not been friendly territory for Democrats lately, and won’t be any more so this year, but that doesn’t stop Bill White from seeking out support there. The Texas Panhandle town of Canadian, where morning weather reports include … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Interview with Joe Jaworski

Posted on April 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Today is the start of early voting for the May 8 uniform election date in Texas. There’s not a whole lot happening in Harris County, but down in Galveston they will be electing a new Mayor to succeed the term-limited … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The anti-red light camera referendum drive begins

Posted on April 25, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, the anti-red light camera forces intend to collect enough petition signatures to put a charter referendum on the ballot this November. On Friday, they got started. Because red-light camera citations remain outside the realm of tickets that … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | 41 Comments

The Valero effect

Posted on April 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This is just what all of our cash-strapped local budgets need right now. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is not typically a big player in school finance debates. But an upcoming decision by the commission could strike a major … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Meet Steve Brown

Posted on April 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Meet Steve Brown, the new Chair of the Fort Bend Democratic Party. Steve Brown, a 35-year-old with a résumé of political experience, has big plans for the moribund Democratic Party in Fort Bend, and his confidence in the party’s ability … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Meet Steve Brown

From the “Tell us something we didn’t know” department

Posted on April 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We don’t actually need the CREW crew to tell us that we have one of the worst Governors in the country. We’ve known that for a long time. But it never gets old saying it, and I must admit their … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on From the “Tell us something we didn’t know” department

Rasmussen: Perry 48, White 44

Posted on April 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Just in time for his closeup, Rasmussen has a poll result that shows Governor Perry with a four point lead over Bill White. A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely Texas voters finds Perry with 48% support. His Democratic … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

The Trib interviews Rick Perry

Posted on April 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

It’s here, and there are links to audio snippets, if you just have to hear his voice. The interview was part of a Texas Tribune collaboration with Newsweek, and kudos to them for that. For those of you who have … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

We’ve done well, but we can still do better

Posted on April 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The defeat of wingnut candidate Brian Russell, who was backed by departing SBOE member Cynthia Dunbar to succeed her, in the GOP runoff this week is unquestionably good news that will help de-loonify that dysfunctional body. I’m as glad as … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

No anti-health care special session

Posted on April 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Thank God for small favors. Gov. Rick Perry tamped out rumors today that he would call a special legislative session to consider whether Texas should seek to exempt itself from federal health care law. Harris County Republican Chairman Jared Woodfill … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Volunteer Deputy Voter Registrar Training

Posted on April 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Want to help register people to vote? Attend the next Houston Area Table meeting and get deputized: Please join Houston Area Table and Marti Morrison from Harris County Voter Registrar’s office for a volunteer deputy voter registrar training and Q … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Volunteer Deputy Voter Registrar Training

Meet The Statewides and The Other 49%

Posted on April 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The TDP is running a ten-week campaign between now and June 14 to promote the statewide slate. It includes a bio with 60-second video for each candidate, a discussion of the candidate’s race and the issues in it, and an … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Meet The Statewides and The Other 49%

More on the red light camera poll

Posted on April 15, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Last week I wrote about a poll commissioned by a group called the Keep Houston Safe PAC about attitudes towards red light cameras. The result was quite favorable for the cameras, but at the time I didn’t have full information … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , | 24 Comments

The legal bills keep piling up in Farmers Branch

Posted on April 15, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Ka-ching! The Bickel & Brewer Storefront law firm submitted a bill for $850,000 this week in federal court for its share of costs in the successful challenge to the constitutionality of the ordinance. A second legal team is expected to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010, La Migra | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on The legal bills keep piling up in Farmers Branch

Runoff wrapup

Posted on April 14, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Here are the Republican and Democratic runoff results from yesterday. With the exception of Marc Brown, who came from behind to defeat Danny Dexter in the GOP runoff for the 180th Criminal District Court, everyone who led in early voting … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Runoff results

Posted on April 13, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Going by early vote totals, it seems likely that the remaining Democratic nominees will be Tanner Garth, Bob Thomas, Bruce Kessler, and Deborah Wright. On the Republican side, Danny Dexter and James Lombardino look to be in good shape for … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Runoff results

Runoff Day is today

Posted on April 13, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Polls are open from 7 AM to 7 PM today. There aren’t many voting locations, so check where you need to vote before you head out. The Republican Party will open 72 polling locations and the Democratic Party 77. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Runoff Day is today