Tag Archives: HCDE

The Socialists are coming

Posted on February 27, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

To a primary ballot near you. The revolution will be down-ballot. Or such is the implicit promise of Franklin Bynum’s campaign for Harris County misdemeanor court judge. A 35-year-old former public defender, Bynum said he’s seen Houston’s criminal courts routinely … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Socialists are coming

January 2018 finance reports: Harris County candidates

Posted on February 25, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

You know the drill. Links to reports where I could find them, plus a summary table at the end. Let’s do this. County Judge Ed Emmett Lina Hidalgo Commissioner, Precinct 2 Jack Morman Adrian Garcia Roger Garcia Daniel Box Commissioner, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on January 2018 finance reports: Harris County candidates

Endorsement watch: A veritable plethora, part 1

Posted on February 20, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Whoa, all of a sudden the Chron is chock full of endorsements. Let’s run through ’em. Actually, let’s start to run through them. So many appeared all at once that I’m going to need to break this into more than … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Interview with John Miller

Posted on February 9, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Today we come to the end of HCDE week. As I said, there are three candidates running in Position 6, Precinct 1 – there is no Republican candidate, so the winner of the primary has his ticket stamped – but … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Interview with John Miller

Interview with Danyahel Norris

Posted on February 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The Board of Trustees of the Harris County Department of Education is comprised of seven members, three At Large and one for each County Commissioner precinct. Republicans have generally held a majority of the positions on the Board, with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Interview with Elvonte Patton

Posted on February 7, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Did you know that the Harris County Department of Education serves as the central operations site of the Texas Virtual School Network

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Interview with Elvonte Patton

Interview with Richard Cantu

Posted on February 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s Day Two of HCDE Week here. Did you know that the Harris County Department of Education provides Head Start and Early Head Start services to 1,200 children in Harris County? There’s a big need for programs like that, especially … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Interview with Richard Cantu

Interview with Josh Wallenstein

Posted on February 5, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

This week’s interviews are all about the Harris County Department of Education, a body that serves as a co-operative and clearinghouse for the thirty-plus school districts in Harris County, providing programs and purchasing power to make their budgets go farther. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Interview with Josh Wallenstein

The Harris County slates

Posted on December 13, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s talk about the filings for Harris County. The SOS filings page is still the best source of information, but they don’t provide shareable links, so in the name of ease and convenience I copied the Democratic filing information for … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Filing news: Lupe Valdez is in for Governor

Posted on December 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here she comes. Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez announced Wednesday morning that she is running for governor, giving Texas Democrats a serious candidate for the top job with five days until the candidate filing deadline for the 2018 primaries. “Like … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Filing news: Lupe Valdez is in for Governor

Filing news: Jeffrey Payne and a whole lot of Congressional candidates

Posted on December 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

And then there were six Democratic candidates for Governor. Signing paperwork and presenting a $3,500 check, [Dallas businessman Jeffrey] Payne became the sixth Democrat to file for the state’s top office. In addition to Payne, the list currently includes Houston … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

At some point we will be able to stop talking about who may run for Governor as a Democrat

Posted on November 15, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

That day is December 11. I am looking forward to it. With less than a month before the filing deadline, the most prominent declared candidate for Texas governor is probably Andrew White, the son of former governor Mark White. White, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

We have a candidate for Treasurer

Posted on October 13, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The Democratic slate for countywide offices in 2018 is now filled out as Dylan Osborne has announced his candidacy for Harris County Treasurer. Osborne has been a City Council staffer and currently works in the Planning & Development Department for … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A couple of race updates

Posted on September 26, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The county slate is one step closer to being filled out for 2018, as Josh Wallenstein has announced his intent to run for the HCDE At Large Position 3 Trustee seat that Diane Trautman is giving up to challenge Stan … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

July campaign finance reports – Harris County candidates

Posted on August 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The Harris County situation for candidates and campaign finance reports is a bit complicated. Take a look at my January summary and the reports and data that I’ve found for July, and we’ll discuss what it all means on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Marilyn Burgess to announce for District Clerk

Posted on August 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

In addition to a large slate of judicial offices, there are four countywide executive offices on the ballot next year. Democrats in Harris County have nearly all of the judicial races covered, and Diane Trautman has been in the race … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

It’s HCDE hunting season again

Posted on March 10, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Every two years, like clockwork. A Houston-area legislator has filed two bills targeting the Harris County Department of Education, renewing his assault on the agency that provides special education therapy services to hundreds of students. State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on It’s HCDE hunting season again

Time to pay attention to the HCDE again

Posted on January 25, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Some highlights from the HCDE meeting agenda for this Thursday at 1 PM, as emailed to me: 1. Changing board meeting dates. 2. Michael Wolfe wants to name our Post Oak facility for his deceased mother. 3. Create a Home … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Kerner announces intention to run in CD07

Posted on January 21, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

In other candidate news, it has come to my attention that at Monday night’s Meyerland Democrats meeting, former HCDE Trustee Debra Kerner announced her intention to run against Rep. John Culberson in CD07. Kerner was elected to an At Large … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Trautman announces run for Harris County Clerk in 2018

Posted on December 8, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: As one of my long-time and best supporters, I wanted you to be one of the first to know that I have made the decision to run for Harris County Clerk in 2018! As you know, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Sustaining the Harris County Democrats’ success

Posted on November 18, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

All things considered, I feel reasonably optimistic about Democratic prospects in Harris County going forward, but I felt that way in 2008 as well, so I certainly understand the inclination to be cautious. Democrats swept Harris County last Tuesday in … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Races I’ll be watching today, non-Legislative edition

Posted on November 8, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This is my companion to yesterday’s piece. 1. SBOE district 5 I’ve discussed the SBOE races before. This particular race, between incumbent Ken Mercer and repeat challenger Rebecca Bell-Metereau, is the one that has the closest spread based on past … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Endorsement watch: HCDE

Posted on October 23, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I believe this wraps up endorsement season. County School Trustee, Position 1, Precinct 2: Sherrie L. Matula We emphatically endorse Sherrie L. Matula in this race to replace Marvin Morris, a respected trustee who lost in the Republican primary. Matula, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Endorsement watch: HCDE

Field set for HISD special election

Posted on August 29, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Four candidates have filed, so no one else got in since my last post. Four candidates have applied to run in a special election to be a trustee for the Houston Independent School District. The filing deadline was Aug. 25. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Republican filing deadline highlights

Posted on December 18, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

As a followup to this, here’s a look at who filed for what in the Republican primary here in Harris County. Set your phasers to “snark” and come on in with me. Congress There are nine Congressional districts partially or … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Filing deadline highlights

Posted on December 16, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I’m taking a look at interesting bits from the state and Harris County Democratic Party filings. You can see the latter here; there isn’t a page dedicated to this on the TDP webpage (why?) but via this press release we … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Auditing HCDE

Posted on July 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see about this. Later this summer, state auditors are expected to release their final report on the Harris County Department of Education. They’ve been examining the agency since last December. Superintendent James Colbert told lawmakers about it at a … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Auditing HCDE

HCDE happenings

Posted on May 26, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron paints an unflattering portrait of the Harris County Department of Education. HCDE has operated in relative obscurity for decades, fighting off lawmakers’ occasional efforts to eliminate it by bankrolling lobbyists and political consultants. Advocates for the agency say … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on HCDE happenings

Interview index

Posted on October 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

For your convenience, here is a list of all my interviews and judicial Q&As for the November election. This includes ones I did for the primary and runoff. Interviews US Senate – David Alameel Attorney General – Sam Houston Comptroller … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Interview index

Endorsement watch: Chron for Leticia

Posted on October 5, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s amazing how easy some endorsement decisions are, or at least should be, this year. The differences between the candidates this year could hardly be more stark. State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte of San Antonio, the Democratic candidate, is … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Endorsement watch: Chron for Leticia

Interview with Melissa Noriega

Posted on September 17, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

We round out the county races this year with the Harris County Department of Education, a seven-member board that handles federal grants and provides various programs for the many independent school districts in Harris County. It’s hard to believe, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Interview with Debra Kerner

Posted on September 15, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

We round out the county races this year with the Harris County Department of Education, a seven-member board that handles federal grants and provides various programs for the many independent school districts in Harris County. It’s hard to believe, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Interview with Debra Kerner

AG opines against Early To Rise

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

This kind of snuck in there. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott issued an opinion Monday saying a court would likely have found a petition effort last year to send a 1-cent property tax hike to voters to buoy local preschools … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

January campaign finance reports for Houston officeholders

Posted on February 7, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

One more set of finance reports to document, from city of Houston officeholders and candidates. I’m not going to link to the individual reports this time, since the city’s system automatically downloads the PDFs and I don’t feel like uploading … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on January campaign finance reports for Houston officeholders