Tag Archives: Mayor

Turner not running for Mayor

Posted on June 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Mayoral field for this November should now be set. State Rep. Sylvester Turner announced today he would not attempt a run for mayor of Houston. The 11-term Democrat representative’s announcement comes a little more than three weeks after he … Continue reading →

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Another Mayoral wants Hurtt out

Posted on June 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

It’s just Roy, so it’s not like this materially affects Chief Harold Hurtt’s status, but still. “We want police officers to stay,” said Harris County Department of Education Trustee Roy Morales, one of five candidates who talked about crime and … Continue reading →

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HOPE press conference on employee efficiency suggestions

Posted on June 17, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Ever think that the city’s employees probably have some good ideas for how they could conduct their business in a more efficient manner? Well, the Houston Organization for Public Employees (HOPE) thought so, and they conducted a three-week survey of … Continue reading →

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Foulard announces in G, Khan for Controller

Posted on June 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

With the Legislature out of session (hopefully till 2011) and the District H special election about to wrap up, it’s time to refocus on the November elections for Houston. I think we will have a pretty good idea of who … Continue reading →

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Parker wants to boot Hurtt

Posted on June 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

And the Mayoral campaign just got a little more interesting. Mayoral candidate Annise Parker has plans get rid of Police Chief Harold Hurtt if she’s elected. “I will replace the police chief. I think he’s ineffective,” Parker told the Houston … Continue reading →

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A third try for Sly?

Posted on June 6, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I find this a little hard to understand. Rep. Sylvester Turner is thinking about running for Mayor of Houston, again. His press folks just confirmed to me that he’s “thinking it over” and will make a decision in two weeks. … Continue reading →

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Graduation rates

Posted on May 24, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

According to one study, a little more than half of HISD’s high school freshmen ultimately graduate. Despite dozens of commencement ceremonies planned for the next two weeks, only 58.5 percent of Houston-area students who should be graduating will be earning … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Parker on education

Posted on May 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Last week, I noted that Mayoral candidates Peter Brown and Gene Locke expressed very different opinions at a candidate forum about the Mayor’s role in public education, with Brown advocating an urban school district with Mayoral appointees for its board, … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Three Senators for Locke

Posted on May 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Via email from the Gene Locke campaign, the three Democratic State Senators who serve in Houston have all endorsed Locke’s candidacy for Mayor. “At a time when Houston needs a strong, accomplished leader at City Hall, the right candidate has … Continue reading →

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Roy takes my advice

Posted on May 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

When I blogged about a recent story in the Chron about some resume-stretching by Roy Morales, I suggested that he should turn his firing by the Houston Emergency Center as a positive. Well, he’s now written a letter to the … Continue reading →

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Outside agitation

Posted on May 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve got to agree with Stace here: Why should anyone in Houston care what some outfit that’s based in Spring thinks about anything related to Houston politics or policies? Last I checked, the citizens of Spring don’t vote in Houston … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Grading the Houston Mayoral campaign websites

Posted on May 17, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

David Ortez casts a critical eye at the campaign websites of the Mayoral hopefuls, and grades them out on things like design, content, and social networking. It’s an interesting exercise, and one for which an aesthetic imbecile such as myself … Continue reading →

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Brown and Locke spar over education

Posted on May 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

At a Mayoral forum on Thursday, Gene Locke and Peter Brown get into it over the school system. Gene Locke, the former city attorney, targeted Councilman Peter Brown’s recent statement to the Chronicle that Houstonians should consider forming an urban … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Roy’s self-inflation

Posted on May 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This is not the kind of story candidates like to see written about themselves. Houston mayoral candidate Roy Morales told a group of voters in March, “I manage the Head Start program.” The claim by the retired Air Force lieutenant … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Mayor White’s final budget

Posted on May 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here you go. Faced with a dour economic climate, Mayor Bill White unveiled a $4 billion budget proposal on Tuesday that keeps the property tax rate the same and holds spending at what it was the current fiscal year. The … Continue reading →

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Ed and Maverick in District H

Posted on May 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

All the votes are in, and it’s Ed Gonzalez and Maverick Welsh in the runoff for District H. With all 13 precincts reporting and nearly 4,200 ballots cast in a district of more than 93,000 registered voters, Gonzalez had 31.4 … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Joe for Galveston

Posted on May 7, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

From my inbox, some good news from Joe Jaworski: Galveston matters, and the Island’s next Mayor must ensure this message is clearly understood: Galveston is more than a storm ravaged Island with a history; it is an iconic Texas coastal … Continue reading →

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More candidates

Posted on May 7, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I was just saying to someone the other day that while I thought the fields for the upcoming city races were largely set, there would certainly be a few more candidates appearing between now and the filing deadline. Lo and … Continue reading →

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More candidates

Posted on May 7, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I was just saying to someone the other day that while I thought the fields for the upcoming city races were largely set, there would certainly be a few more candidates appearing between now and the filing deadline. Lo and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Bring on the funk

Posted on May 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This may be the most awesome thing of this election season. The Houston Politics blog will go to the ends of the mirth to bring you political news from the edge. This explains why we were in the wings of … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Castro for San Antonio

Posted on April 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Julian Castro, who narrowly lost the 2005 Mayoral race in San Antonio to outgoing Mayor Phil Hardberger, was endorsed for the office this year by the San Antonio Express News. Castro is the best prepared candidate, and he offers the … Continue reading →

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The Mayorals and gambling

Posted on April 25, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

What the Mayoral hopefuls think about expanded gambling in Texas, in particular for the Houston area, is an interesting question, but I’m not sure it’s a relevant one. Three candidates for Houston mayor bobbed and weaved today as they were … Continue reading →

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Hey, at least it’s not an L

Posted on April 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The best bit in this story about Gene Locke‘s campaign kickoff rally at Minute Maid Park yesterday is at the end, and doesn’t really have anything to do with Locke’s party. Locke’s multi-ethnic audience and endorsers were a refutation of … Continue reading →

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Last candidate forums for District H

Posted on April 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Just a reminder about tonight’s candidate forum sponsored by the Woodland Heights Civic Association. 7:30 PM at the Zion Lutheran Church on Pecore at Beauchamp. Here’s the map, the street address is 3606 Beauchamp. I am aware of one more … Continue reading →

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Mayoral Musings

Posted on April 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

New blog alert – Mayoral Musings, by Nancy Sims, who is a PR professional and Adjunct Professor of Political Science at the University of Houston. From the welcome post: This Blog has been created to serve as a resource for … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Council OKs TIRZ deal for Regent Square

Posted on April 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The deal to jumpstart Regent Square, the idle development on Allen Parkway, was approved by City Council yesterday. The program, approved unanimously by City Council, will reimburse the developer of Regent Square — a 4-million-square-foot community that will abut Allen … Continue reading →

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ITL and OTL

Posted on April 5, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t suppose it really matters what part of town Mayors and Mayor wannabees live in. What does matter is how they want to approach questions of what different parts of town want and need. Candidate and Councilman Peter Brown, … Continue reading →

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Let the gloves come off

Posted on April 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Yes, there is a big election coming up this year in Houston. More than one of them, actually. And yes, some of these elections involve people who are currently elected members of city government. Which means that a certain amount … Continue reading →

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Stimulus package, Council-style

Posted on April 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

What to make of this? Houston is set to embark on a program to provide a boost to some of the city’s biggest developments, many of which have been put on hold amid the ongoing financial crisis. The plan aims … Continue reading →

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Locke to formally announce today

Posted on March 26, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t think there’s any mystery about who is and isn’t running for Mayor, but as other candidates have had their formal campaign announcements, so today will Gene Locke. From the press release: WHAT: Gene Locke To Announce Candidacy Gene … Continue reading →

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“Houston first”

Posted on March 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

City Controller and Mayoral candidate Annise Parker has proposed a new policy for giving Houston firms an advantage when bidding for city-financed work. Under Parker’s plan, when companies bid on a city project — say, to build roads or provide … Continue reading →

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Another City Council lineup update

Posted on February 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Time for our periodic check on who’s running for what this fall. The Memorial Examiner gets us started. Five confirmed candidates are vying to replace Lawrence in District A. Jeff Downing, Amy Peck, Bob Schellkopf, Brenda Stardig and Alex Wathen … Continue reading →

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ULI Mayoral candidate forum report

Posted on February 23, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

As I am not a member of the Urban Land Institute of Houston, I did not get an invitation to their members-only Mayoral candidate forum on Thursday, which got a brief mention in the Chron on Friday. Fortunately, Andrew Burleson … Continue reading →

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Roy announces

Posted on February 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Dream big, dude. A Republican elected official who twice ran unsuccessfully for Houston City Council is claiming a spot as the conservative choice in the nonpartisan campaign for mayor. Roy Morales, 51, elected in 2006 as a Harris County Department … Continue reading →

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