Tag Archives: HCC

Jamaal Smith: Cracking Down on For-Profit Colleges in Southwest Houston

Posted on July 6, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The following is from a series of guest posts that I will be presenting over the next few weeks. I come from a family of educators. Four out of five of my aunts were teachers, and my wife is currently … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Interview with Mary Ann Perez

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

We come now to my final interview for Harris County and for the State House. Next week I will start running interviews with Congressional candidates from elsewhere in Texas. Today’s candidate for HD144 is Mary Ann Perez. Perez was elected … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The “Crazy College of Qatar”

Posted on February 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

As you may know, Houston Community College opened a satellite campus in Doha, Qatar, a couple of years ago. Apparently there have been a few bumps in the road along the way. The dean chosen by the Qatari government was … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit against HCC Board of Trustees dismissed

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

A good outcome for eight of the nine members of the HCC Board of Trustees. Houston Community College trustee Yolanda Navarro Flores must pay the school $35,700 to cover attorneys’ fees after a judge Friday dismissed the defamation lawsuit she … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Evaluating the endorsers

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, I kept track as best I could of endorsements that candidates received on my 2011 Election page. Now that the regular election is over, I thought it might be interesting to go back through those endorsements and … Continue reading →

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2011 Houston results

Posted on November 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s go through the races… – Mayor Parker won with a shade under 51%, with none of her opponents cracking 15% on their own. Obviously, this is not a position a Mayor with no serious opposition wants to be in, … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Robinson for HCC

Posted on October 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The last two contested races awaiting Chron endorsements are the two HCC Trustee elections. They deal with the open seat race in District IV by recommending Carroll Robinson. The contest to replace outgoing Houston Community College District IV trustee Michael … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2011 | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Interview with Jew Don Boney

Posted on October 21, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

We conclude this interview cycle with a familiar name in Houston politics. Jew Don Boney, who is running for the open HCC District IV seat, was the Council member in District D from 1995 to 2001; he was my Council … Continue reading →

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Interview with Carroll Robinson

Posted on October 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The other contested race for HCC Trustee is in District IV, which is the open seat being vacated by Michael Williams. It features two former City Council members, the first of which is Carroll Robinson, who served in At Large … Continue reading →

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Interview with Wendell Robbins

Posted on October 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Opposing Chris Oliver in District IX is Wendell Robbins. Robbins was a late entrant into the race whom I noticed when he picked up the endorsement of the Harris County Tejano Democrats. Robbins owns a construction company. This is his … Continue reading →

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Interview with Chris Oliver

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

There are two contested races for HCC Trustee seats this year. Chris Oliver is the incumbent in District IX. He was first elected in 1993 and first served as Board Chair in 1999. Oliver is a businessman who has also … Continue reading →

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Interview with Richard Schechter

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Along with HISD Trustees, there are three HCC Trustee races on the ballot. First up is Richard Schechter, who is serving his first term in District V. Schechter is an attorney who has also taught law classes at the Thurgood … Continue reading →

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My overview of the 2011 election

Posted on September 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Note: I was asked to write a guest post at BOR to summarize the 2011 Houston elections. I figure if I’m going to put all that effort into something, I may as well use it here, too. It’s mostly familiar … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2011 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

FBI investigation of HCC

Posted on September 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Any time the FBI comes to town to investigate possible corruption in your business, it’s not a good thing. The FBI is investigating possible corruption at Houston Community College, an inquiry that appears to involve its former chief financial officer … Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Your 2011 electoral lineup

Posted on September 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

There are many candidates running for office this year. Some of them have a better rationale for running than others, but thankfully for them that’s not a requirement. A flurry of late filings to run for city office Wednesday filled … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2011 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Texas Watchdog followup on HCC reports

Posted on September 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

So after I published those HCC Trustee campaign finance reports, I got an email from Jennifer Peebles of Texas Watchdog, who asked me if I had redacted the files to hide the mailing addresses of the trustees and their donors. … Continue reading →

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At long last, HCC campaign finance statements

Posted on August 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, I had sent an Open Records request to the HCC General Counsel to get copies of July campaign finance reports for all HCC Trustees and candidates. I sent that in on August 10, and the reply I … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2011 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

HCC Trustee sues HCC Board

Posted on August 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Back in April, the HCC Board of Trustees censured Board member Yolanda Navarro Flores after an investigation reported that she had engaged in unethical behavior. Here’s the Chron story from the time, which I did not blog about: The Houston … Continue reading →

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

Boney to run for HCC Trustee

Posted on August 15, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

We have our first contested race for a non-city of Houston office as former Council member and Mayor Pro Tem Jew Don Boney has announced his candidacy for the HCC Trustee District IV seat. You can see his press release … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2011 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Update on HISD and HCC finance reports

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I had mentioned before that it was hard to find campaign finance reports for HISD and HCC Trustees. I now have some updated information about this, so I wanted to share it with you. First, HISD Trustee Anna Eastman (who … Continue reading →

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The other races

Posted on July 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

In addition to the city of Houston races, I am trying to follow the HISD and HCC Trustee elections as well. I say “trying” because there’s just no information out there that I can find. For one thing, though there … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2011 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The 2011 interview season has begun

Posted on July 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

As of this week, I will begin interviewing candidates for the 2011 elections. At the top of the site, you can see the 2011 Election page, where I will be keeping track of interviews, endorsements, campaign finance reports, and possibly … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2011 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

HCC redistricting update

Posted on June 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The last of the HCC public meetings on redistricting is tonight at 7 at HCC – Northeast College (map here), so those of you that are into that sort of thing should make plans to attend. There is now a … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

HCC redistricting

Posted on May 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Turns out that the HCC Trustees have done some work on redistricting for themselves. Their meeting agenda for May 19 lists “Resolution Accepting Draft Plans for Redistricting of HCCS Board of Trustees Districts and Confirming Public Hearings” as the fourth … Continue reading →

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

Where we stand on redistricting

Posted on May 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

With final passage of SB31 and HB150, the Senate and House redistricting bills, the Lege has done three of its four redistricting-related tasks. There’s still a pretty big one not yet done, however, and it’s not looking like they’ll get … Continue reading →

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A very early look at the 2011 elections

Posted on January 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Texas on the Potomac lists 11 national races of interest for 2011. Well, of interest to some – outside of the Dallas Mayoral race, none of these mean much to me, and that’s only if incumbent Tom Leppart leaves to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2011 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The community college crunch

Posted on July 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Increasing enrollment and decreasing funding is a bad combination. Community colleges, like most other state agencies and institutions of higher education, faced a 5 percent cut in state funding for 2010 and 2011. That was about $3.2 million each year … Continue reading →

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Michael Williams followup

Posted on June 14, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Between some comments I got on my previous post and some emails I received as well, I can say with confidence that the Michael Williams in question is the HCCS Trustee. In addition, it is my understanding that he intends … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2011 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Recount in HCC 3

Posted on November 5, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

No surprise at all. Mary Ann Perez appeared to pull off a tight victory in the Houston Community College’s District III trustee race Tuesday night. But her opponent was in no mood for a concession. “I’m requesting a recount,” said … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2009 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Endorsement watch: Jewish Herald Voice and African-American News

Posted on November 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here are some last-minute endorsements, for those of you who plan to do your civic duty on Tuesday. First, from the Jewish Herald Voice: City of Houston, General Election Mayor Annise D. Parker Council Member, District A Amy Peck Council … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2009 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Some info on the HCC Trustee District 3 race

Posted on October 31, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I mentioned before that I knew nothing about the HCC District 3 Trustee race, which is the only such contested race on the ballot. In response, Sergio Davila forwarded the following press release from a group called Concerned East End … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2009 | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Endorsement watch: HCC trustees

Posted on October 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron endorses in the HCC Trustee races, which even I had forgotten they hadn’t yet done. In the westside District VI, Sandie Meyers is unopposed as the replacement for incumbent Robert Mills Worsham. In District III, which stretches from … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2009 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Endorsement eatch: For HCC annexations

Posted on October 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Missed this from Wednesday. In this fall’s elections, voters in the Spring Branch and North Forest Independent School Districts are being asked to approve annexation of their respective districts into the Houston Community College System. We believe the larger region … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2009 | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Interview with Gene Locke

Posted on October 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

And we come to the end of the campaign interview season for 2009 with a conversation with each of the three leading contenders for Mayor. First up is Gene Locke, a native of East Texas and longtime resident of Houston … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2009 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments