Tag Archives: Paul Bettencourt

Locke and Lanier endorse Parker

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

More support for Mayor Parker’s re-election bid. Mayor Annise Parker on Wednesday scored the endorsements of her 2009 opponent Gene Locke and former Mayor Bob Lanier, two of Houston’s most prominent power brokers, as she prepares to ask voters for … Continue reading →

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The “Dan Patrick thinks you’re too stupid to know what you’re voting for” bill

Posted on March 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. A bill that would remove churches and schools from the drainage fee Houston voters narrowly approved last November as part of Proposition 1 is scheduled for a public hearing Wednesday before the Senate Intergovernmental Relations Committee. Dubbed Rebuild Houston, … Continue reading →

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So will we have a Mayor’s race or not?

Posted on March 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

We’re now more than a month into the city election fundraising season, and as of this week the only person to file a declaration of Treasurer for the office of Mayor is the incumbent, Annise Parker. As of this time … Continue reading →

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Quittencourt

Posted on January 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I have one thing to say about this: Many things about Paul Bettencourt have been true for as long as he has inhabited public life. The former Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector hates when public money is spent on professional sports … Continue reading →

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Prop 1 opponents file “We think the voters are stupid” lawsuit

Posted on December 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’m really angry about this. Opponents of Proposition 1, Houston’s recently-passed drainage fee, filed a civil lawsuit Wednesday against Mayor Annise Parker and the City of Houston. The lawsuit calls Prop 1 “illegal” because “the ballot language does not accurately … Continue reading →

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No voter registration for you

Posted on December 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The following email, sent from the League of Women Voters registration address to its membership, was forwarded to me. I present it below in its entirity: From: LWV Voter Registration Sent: Sunday, December 05, 2010 3:19 PM Subject: Voter Registration … Continue reading →

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Who cares about the will of the voters?

Posted on November 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Prop 1 opponents don’t. Opponents of Proposition 1 are planning to lobby the state legislature to strike down the controversial drainage fee, even after voters narrowly approved it earlier this month. Don Hooper, who organized a political action committee blasting … Continue reading →

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The anti-Prop 1 factions gear up

Posted on October 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The usual suspects have gotten the band back together to ensure that no action is taken to mitigate flooding in Houston. Former Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector Paul Bettencourt has teamed up with anti-tax advocate Bruce Hotze and conservative activist Norman … Continue reading →

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Interview with Diane Trautman

Posted on September 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Diane Trautman was the Democratic nominee for Harris County Tax Assessor in 2008 against then-incumbent Paul Bettencourt. With Bettencourt announcing his resignation approximately five minutes after he won re-election, the office is on the ballot again this year, and Trautman … Continue reading →

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City gets OK on water rate hike

Posted on June 25, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

One obstacle cleared. In a letter to lawyers representing the city and conservative activists Bruce Hotze and Paul Bettencourt on Monday, state District Judge Stephen Yelenosky said the rate increases do not violate a charter amendment approved by voters in … Continue reading →

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Emmett calls for “elections czar”

Posted on May 25, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Harris County Judge Ed Emmett thinks we could use a dedicated elections supervisor. Proponents of an elections czar say an appointee would be insulated from accusations and lawsuits alleging partisanship in carrying out the duties of the office. In late … Continue reading →

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And the bitching about the water rate hike begins

Posted on May 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

It took a little longer than I might have thought it would take, but as the sun rises in the east, the kind of person who gets outraged when the government does something other than lower taxes is outraged about … Continue reading →

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Vasquez and Carrillo

Posted on March 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Newly-unelected Tax Assessor Leo Vasquez makes the same complaint about why he is headed for the unemployment line as Victor Carrillo did. Carrillo started the ethnic angst with an e-mail to supporters indicating racial bias had cost him re-election. That … Continue reading →

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Overview of the Tax Assessor primary

Posted on January 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We’re a bit more than three weeks out from the start of early voting, so it’s time for some overviews of the contested primaries on the ballot. Here’s the first one, for the Republican race between County Tax Assessor Leo … Continue reading →

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Tax cuts have consequences

Posted on December 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We’re all familiar with the financial constraints that the city of Houston is operating under. Harris County is experiencing similar problems. “As best we can tell appraisals are going to be flat, if not down a little, so that means … Continue reading →

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And here comes the nastiness

Posted on November 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I really thought that we’d make it through this election without there being any nasty anti-gay stuff. I guess I was naive to think so, because here it comes. A cluster of socially conservative Houstonians is planning a campaign to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2009 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 27 Comments

Settlement reached in Harris County voter registration lawsuit

Posted on October 23, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

You may recall the lawsuit that was filed back in December against Paul Bettencourt and the Harris County Tax Assessor’s office over allegations that thousands of voter registration applications were rejected for frivolous reasons. That lawsuit has now been settled. … Continue reading →

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County doesn’t want to help city collect red light camera fines

Posted on October 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Last year, City Council passed an ordinance that would put a hold on vehicle registrations for which there are outstanding red light camera fines. The city’s ability to do this is contingent on cooperation from the county, as it is … Continue reading →

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On the matter of turnout

Posted on July 23, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This Star-Telegram story about turnout in the 2008 election versus turnout in the 2004 election has got some people talking. The presidential race between Barack Obama and John McCain sent more Texans to the polls last year, but the state … Continue reading →

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Chron reports on Ed Johnson

Posted on June 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s their story about Ed Johnson and his questionable side venture as a Republican consultant. It doesn’t add much to what we already know, but it does get some local reaction, including from Johnson’s boss, Harris County Tax Assessor Leo … Continue reading →

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More on Ed Johnson

Posted on June 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

As expected, the Lone Star Project adds quite a bit to the Ed Johnson story from yesterday. Boy, do they ever. [Johnson] is a paid Republican campaign consultant. His company, Campaign Data Systems (CDS), has numerous Harris County Republican candidate … Continue reading →

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Ed Johnson’s conflict of interest

Posted on June 8, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, there was a lawsuit filed against Paul Bettencourt and the Harris County Tax Assessor’s office over allegations of illegal mishandling of provisional ballots in the past November election. That suit was later expanded to include allegations of … Continue reading →

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Vasquez responds to Coleman and Hernandez

Posted on April 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I received the following statement from the office of Harris County Tax Assessor Leo Vasquez, which was sent to KHOU and Fox 26 in response to the charges made by State Reps. Garnet Coleman and Ana Hernandez about the voter … Continue reading →

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Dems versus Vasquez

Posted on April 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Looks like we’re not ready to make nice with the Harris County Tax Assessor’s office over their handling of voter registration last year. Any honeymoon between Democrats and the new Harris County voter registrar ended suddenly today. Democratic state Reps. … Continue reading →

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Rep. Brown’s apology

Posted on April 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

In case you missed it, here’s State Rep. Betty Brown’s apology for her dumb remarks about Asian names. Answering a swarm of phone calls during a brief break on the House floor, Rep. Betty Brown , R-Terrell, kept telling reporters … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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More on Day One of the House hearings on voter ID

Posted on April 7, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

House Elections Committee Chair Todd Smith is full of ennui at how things have gone so far. Throughout today’s proceedings, Chairman Todd Smith, R-Bedford, has repeatedly insisted that he is “unimpressed,” and even on one occasion, “fabulously unimpressed,” with both … Continue reading →

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Making reregistration easier

Posted on March 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This is a positive step. In Harris County, the voter registration office is starting to anticipate your next move. County Tax Assessor-Collector Leo Vasquez has put together a coalition of private organizations and large employers to make sure that residents … Continue reading →

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Dewhurst makes the case against Voter ID

Posted on March 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

That wasn’t his intent, of course, but it’s clear to see in his plea for a “compromise” on the measure that the more people like Lt. Gov. Dewhurst argue for voter ID legislation, the more obvious it is that they’re … Continue reading →

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Vasquez officially selected to replace Bettencourt

Posted on December 23, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. Harris County Commissioners Court today appointed Republican businessman Leo Vasquez to fill the vacancy left by resigning tax assessor-collector Paul Bettencourt. […] Vasquez said he first will focus on customer service and efficiency and plans to meet with … Continue reading →

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More Bettencourt

Posted on December 10, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

We need to get a replacement for Paul Bettencourt soon, if only to stop the wild speculation about who that replacement might be. The most intriguing scenario mentioned so far involves the possible nomination of Commissioner Sylvia Garcia, who would … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Bettencourt speaks

Posted on December 7, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron is finally able to reach Paul Bettencourt for a comment on his sudden resignation. “I’ve had a wonderful 10 years of service with great people at the office who have done good things for the taxpayers of Harris … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Still more on Bettencourt

Posted on December 6, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

PDiddie, Greg, and Burka all comment on the Bettencourt resignation, with the latter positing a reason for the sudden departure: [I]f he had remained in office, the chances were that things would have gotten rather unpleasant for him. Democrats had … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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A little more on Bettencourt

Posted on December 6, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

The updated version of the Bettencourt resignation story has his statement, a brief summary of his career, and a couple of statements from folks like Jared Woodfill (who not too surprisingly loved him) and Gerry Birnberg (who not too surprisingly … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Bettencourt resigning

Posted on December 5, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

Whoah. I did not see this coming. Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector Paul Bettencourt has resigned, effective Dec. 10. Bettencourt, who was elected to his third term last month, turned in a letter of resignation to Harris County Judge Ed Emmett … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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