Tag Archives: Election 2013

Judge affirms Wilson residency verdict

Posted on August 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

No surprise. The Harris County Attorney’s office, which has been challenging [Dave] Wilson’s residency for months, asked state District Judge Mike Engelhart to throw out last month’s jury ruling, arguing that Wilson was breaking the law by claiming two residences. … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Judge affirms Wilson residency verdict

County Attorney asks judge to overturn Wilson verdict

Posted on August 1, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I’m not sure what the point of this is. Although a jury decided Dave Wilson lived where he claimed when he ran for the Houston Community College seat he holds, the drama surrounding the perennial candidate continues. Harris County attorneys … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Wilson wins residency fight

Posted on July 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

That was quick. Houston Community College trustee Dave Wilson lives in the residence he claimed and can keep his seat on the college system’s board, a jury decided Thursday. “Thank you,” Wilson shouted when the verdict was announced about 4:30 … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Dave Wilson residency lawsuit is underway

Posted on July 17, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Almost missed this. A trial is set to begin Tuesday morning to determine whether Houston Community College trustee Dave Wilson actually lived in the district in which he ran last November. Wilson, who ousted former HCC Chairman Bruce Austin in … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Dave Wilson residency lawsuit is underway

The Rodeo and the Texans would like to demolish the Dome now, please

Posted on July 12, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Yeah, I don’t know how well this will go over. County leaders said Thursday they are open to considering a $66 million plan devised by the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and the NFL’s Houston Texans to demolish the iconic … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

One point of perspective on the repeal petitions

Posted on July 7, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Chron story about the HERO-haters turning in their repeal petitions. Opponents of Houston’s new non-discrimination ordinance Thursday turned in well more than the minimum number of signatures needed to trigger a November vote on whether to repeal the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Dave Wilson reminds us again why elections matter

Posted on June 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Because now when he does crap like this, it’s as an elected official and not just a yahoo crank of long standing. Dave Wilson, an anti-gay activist who won a contested race for a seat on the Houston Community College … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Dave Wilson reminds us again why elections matter

Yes, Greg Abbott opposes the HERO

Posted on June 3, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

He just doesn’t want to be forced to admit it. When the Houston City Council passed its nondiscrimination ordinance including gay and transgender protections, top Democratic statewide candidates such as Sen. Wendy Davis were quick to celebrate. “All people should … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Astrodome preservationists make their case for historic landmark status

Posted on June 3, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Ted Powell and Cynthia Neely, the driving forces behind the push to designate the Astrodome as a national and state landmark, write an op-ed outlining their reasoning. As the Texans and the Rodeo view a third-party investor as not boosting, … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Astrodome preservationists make their case for historic landmark status

Post HERO, watch for the petition drives

Posted on May 30, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the full Chron story about the passage of the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance. I’m going to skip ahead in the story and focus on what the haters are saying and planning to do. Opponent Dave Welch, of the Houston … Continue reading →

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

Let’s talk about the Dome

Posted on May 8, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Time for a come to Judge Emmett meeting about everyone’s favorite historic yet threatened local landmark. Emmett said he wants to use the meeting next Wednesday to clear up any confusion surrounding last week’s unanimous vote by the state’s Antiquities … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Wilson whines to Commissioners Court

Posted on April 14, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Dave Wilson would like to not be sued any more, so he went to Commissioners Court to air his grievances over the lawsuit that stemmed from his controversial election last year. After Wilson won the election, and County Attorney Vince … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Wilson whines to Commissioners Court

HPD’s good, bad, and ugly

Posted on April 12, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The good news is that the testing of backlogged rape kits has led to the identification of a serial rapist in Houston. Houston police on Tuesday for the first time identified a criminal suspect – a possible serial rapist – … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Counting votes on the non-discrimination ordinance

Posted on April 10, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From the Houston GLBT Political Caucus Facebook page: Members have asked for the responses on our questionnaires to the questions below. The President of the Caucus, Maverick Welsh, has asked me to post the information. As the chair of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Counting votes on the non-discrimination ordinance

Pasadena lurches towards redistricting

Posted on April 6, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s getting ugly. A Pasadena councilwoman was forcibly ejected by armed officers and the mayor was accused of packing a gun during recent meetings on a controversial redistricting plan. Councilwoman Pat Van Houte was removed from a meeting Tuesday on … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Pasadena lurches towards redistricting

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

Early voting begins tomorrow for the March 4 primary

Posted on February 17, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s that time again. Here’s a message from County Clerk Stan Stanart, via the inbox: As early voting gets underway for the March 4, 2014 Democratic and Republican Party Primary Elections, Harris County Clerk Stan Stanart reminds voters that photo … Continue reading →

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

If we must have voter ID, let’s make sure people know about it

Posted on February 12, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Democratic Senators from Harris County write a letter to County Clerk Stan Stanart. Three Houston state senators are asking Harris County officials to emulate Dallas County’s voter outreach efforts tied to Texas’ new voter identification law. State Sens. Rodney … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | 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

How the voter ID law was and was not enforced in Harris County

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Greg does some investigative reporting on how the new voter ID law was actually applied in Harris County in the 2013 election. So what percentage of voters ended up signing an affidavit? … and what does it suggest about how … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Next stop, Virginia

Posted on January 25, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

More lawsuits coming on same sex marriage. Almost overnight, Virginia has emerged as a critical state in the nationwide fight to grant gay men and women the right to wed. This purple state was once perceived as unfriendly and even … Continue reading →

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

Federal judge denies Abbott motion to consolidate same sex marriage lawsuits

Posted on January 24, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From Lone Star Q: A key hearing in a federal lawsuit challenging Texas’ same-sex marriage bans will go forward next month in San Antonio. U.S. District Judge Orlando L. Garcia, of the Western District of Texas, on Wednesday rejected Texas … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Federal judge denies Abbott motion to consolidate same sex marriage lawsuits

Trial date set for Wilson residency lawsuit

Posted on January 24, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Mark your calendars. County officials have dropped their request to temporarily keep Houston Community College trustee Dave Wilson from his office in favor of an expedited trial date that will allow jurors to decide if he lives in District 2. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Trial date set for Wilson residency lawsuit

TRO against Wilson lifted

Posted on January 16, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

He gets to take his seat. After that, I don’t know what happens. A judge Wednesday declined to prohibit small businessman and anti-gay activist Dave Wilson from taking his seat at the first meeting of the board of the Houston … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Wilson gets to take his seat

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The legal battles continue, but HCC will swear in Dave Wilson today regardless. Houston Community College has cleared Dave Wilson to take his seat at this week’s board meeting despite legal uncertainty raised by Harris County officials about the trustee-elect’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

You can’t stop Dave Wilson

Posted on January 12, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

You can only hope to restrain him. The battle over whether Dave Wilson is actually a Houston Community College trustee could come to a head on Thursday when the 67-year-old tries to take the seat behind the District II placard … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Runoff precinct analysis: At Large races

Posted on January 10, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I finally got a draft canvass report from the Harris County Clerk for the December runoff elections. Let’s take a look at the two At Large runoffs and see what we can learn about them. Here’s At Large #2: Dist … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Falkenberg on Dave Wilson’s residency

Posted on January 9, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Lisa Falkenberg has another chat with Dave Wilson to try and solve the mystery of where he really lives. No bathtub. No refrigerator. No TV. If 67-year-old small businessman Dave Wilson really lives in a warehouse apartment on West 34th … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Wilson swears himself in

Posted on January 4, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Of course he does. Days after a Harris County judge signed a temporary restraining order barring Houston Community College trustee-elect Dave Wilson from taking the oath of office, the perennial candidate submitted notarized documents to the state showing he has … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Judge grants TRO halting Dave Wilson’s inauguration to HCC

Posted on January 2, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: A state district judge has ordered David Wilson to refrain from taking an oath of office to serve as trustee of Houston Community College System District II until a court can determine the issue of his residency. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , | 15 Comments

We need to take better care of our water

Posted on December 28, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

We lose way too much of it because our infrastructure is old and in need of replacement. At a time when the Lone Star State is facing a grave water shortage and its population is expected to double by 2060, … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on We need to take better care of our water

Wilson sued over residency for HCC

Posted on December 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Dave Wilson and lawsuits go together like peanut butter and jelly. The Harris County attorney sued Houston Community College trustee-elect Dave Wilson on Thursday, alleging the small business owner and anti-gay activist was not a resident of District II when … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Yes, Council is short on women

Posted on December 17, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It is what it is. The Houston City Council will have its fewest women in 15 years this January, which political observers called a troublesome regression for one of the most diverse cities in the U.S. Just two women will … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Is CM-elect Stardig term limited or not?

Posted on December 16, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I brought this up yesterday in my wrapup of the city and HCC runoffs, and I’m asking it again here in the hope that someone who can provide a definitive answer will offer one. The question I have is whether … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments