Tag Archives: Mayor

UH poll: Turner 43, Buzbee 23, King 8

Posted on October 21, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Another encouraging poll for Mayor Turner as early voting starts. Mayor Sylvester Turner retains a wide lead over his opponents, most of whom have failed to gain traction with weeks left until Election Day, according to a University of Houston … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Turner and Brown

Posted on October 21, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron saved its biggest endorsement editorials for the Sunday edition. I did expect them to endorse Mayor Turner for another term, and they delivered, with more of an emphasis on the campaign than I would have thought. Bats aren’t … Continue reading →

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30 Day finance reports: Mayor and Controller

Posted on October 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

All right, I’ve made some progress in the endless number of city candidate finance reports. We’re in crunch time, and the 30 day reports can tell us not just what kind of momentum candidates have had, but also whether the … Continue reading →

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Big Bucks Buzbee

Posted on October 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It is, by far, his best asset. Mayoral candidate Tony Buzbee put another $2.5 million into his campaign last month, widening his financial edge over Mayor Sylvester Turner heading into the stretch run of the race for Houston’s top elected … Continue reading →

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The Chron’s overview of the Mayor

Posted on October 7, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a fair picture. Mayor Sylvester Turner hugged his way through three dozen staff and supporters, reached the podium, and smiled. It was May 2017, and Turner’s landmark pension reform bill had just passed the Legislature, validating his decision to … Continue reading →

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Here now comes my favorite lawsuit of the year

Posted on October 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

OMG. Meanwhile in the Houston mayor’s race… Three candidates left off tomorrow’s debate stage — Demetria Smith, Johnny T. Taylor and Derek Broze — have filed a (very capitalized) lawsuit against @abc13houston and several others: — Jasper Scherer (@zjaspscherer) 7:30 … Continue reading →

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KHOU/HPM poll: Turner 37, Buzbee 20, King 10

Posted on September 26, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We must be getting into the serious part of Houston Election Season, because we have our first public poll of the Mayor’s race. Mayor Sylvester Turner leads trial lawyer and businessman Tony Buzbee by 17 points, according to a KHOU/Houston … Continue reading →

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Do you believe in magical thinking?

Posted on September 24, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I did not read this long profile of Tony Buzbee, because life is short and we all have better things to do. I did briefly scan the print version a bit, and in doing so I noticed the following paragraph, … Continue reading →

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No, crime is not up in Houston

Posted on September 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Facts are stubborn things. Like the rest of the country, crime in Houston has plummeted over the last 30 years, as has residents’ fear of crime being the city’s most pressing problem. FBI data show that most categories of crime … Continue reading →

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It’s not really a campaign until there are attack ads

Posted on September 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. Mayor Sylvester Turner launched a television ad Monday attacking Tony Buzbee for donating to President Donald Trump’s inauguration committee, marking the mayor’s first major attempt to link his political opponent to the … Continue reading →

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Campaigning for the Metro bond

Posted on September 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Our campaign finance laws can be a bit weird. Transit officials spent the past 18 months developing a plan to add $7.5 billion in new bus lines, rebuilt transit centers and rail expansion. They have nine weeks to sell it … Continue reading →

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Checking in on the Mayor’s race

Posted on September 4, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Remember the Mayor’s race? Yeah, that. “The candidates have been running for months but were focused on fundraising and defining their message,” said Nancy Sims, a Houston political analyst. “Labor Day is when people tune into the election.” The stretch-run … Continue reading →

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The 2019 ballot order

Posted on August 26, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Time once again for this risible ceremony. The order of the November Houston ballot was set Friday morning in a random drawing at City Hall, laying out how the candidates for mayor, controller and city council will appear when voters … Continue reading →

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Bonus commentary on 2019 lineup

Posted on August 22, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

There was a lot of last minute activity at Monday’s filing deadline, as there usually is. Probably more so this year, as approximately ten percent of Houston adults are running for office this November. The point here is that the … Continue reading →

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The 2019 lineups are set

Posted on August 21, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Barring any late disqualifications or other unexpected events, we have the candidates we’re getting on our 2019 ballot. More than 125 candidates turned in paperwork to run for city office by Monday’s filing deadline, setting up a packed November ballot … Continue reading →

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On to the next big financial issue for the city

Posted on August 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s always something. Four years ago, the main source of Houston’s deteriorating financial health — billions of dollars in unfunded pension obligations — loomed over the race for mayor, promising a massive test for the winner. Now, Mayor Sylvester Turner, … Continue reading →

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Metro referendum is set

Posted on August 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. Metropolitan Transit Authority board members voted Tuesday to ask voters in November for permission to borrow up to $3.5 billion, without raising taxes. The money would cover the first phase of what local leaders expect to be … Continue reading →

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Previous interviews with current candidates

Posted on August 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve said a few times that I’m going to be doing just a few interviews this fall. I will start publishing them tomorrow. I may pick up some more for the runoffs, but for now my schedule just does not … Continue reading →

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I for one am happy to be anti-drowning

Posted on August 5, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I’m almost irrationally furious about this. Wednesday’s event by the Bayou City Initiative was billed “Flood Resiliency and the State of City Infrastructure.” So, it was no surprise to see featured speaker Carol Haddock, head of Houston Public Works, get … Continue reading →

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July 2019 campaign finance reports: Mayoral candidates

Posted on July 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

All right, now that we are past the 15th, most of the campaign finance reports are in, so let’s start reviewing them. Because there are several thousand candidates running for office in Houston, I’m going to split them into several … Continue reading →

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“Pay to play” petition drive falls short

Posted on July 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Womp womp. The political action committee that launched a petition drive aimed at limiting the influence of contractors and vendors at Houston City Hall failed to gather enough signatures to put the measure on the November ballot, the group’s director … Continue reading →

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The Chron covers the #BoycottBoykins story

Posted on July 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

They don’t mention the hashtag, though. Houston city councilman and mayoral candidate Dwight Boykins is facing backlash for a recent incident in which he allegedly advised a group of students to “keep their legs closed,” among other comments that some … Continue reading →

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Sue Lovell announces for Mayor

Posted on July 2, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Sure, why not? Former Houston city councilwoman Sue Lovell announced Monday she is running for mayor, becoming the fourth major candidate aiming to deny Mayor Sylvester Turner a second term in November. Lovell made the announcement in a news release … Continue reading →

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#BoycottBoykins

Posted on July 1, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The headline is a hashtag started on Twitter as a result of this. Several Sugar Land families say they’re stunned and upset with how city council member and mayoral candidate Dwight Boykins addressed a room of teenagers Friday, even starting … Continue reading →

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Metro and the Mayor’s race

Posted on June 27, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This went pretty much as one would expect. Delivering his fourth State of Mobility speech to Transportation Advocacy Group-Houston Chapter, Mayor Sylvester Turner echoed previous years, noting the region needs more options than solo driving if it is to handle … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Buzbee billboard lawsuit dismissed

Posted on June 19, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I did say it was a dumb lawsuit. A state district judge has dismissed challenger Tony Buzbee’s lawsuit against Mayor Sylvester Turner and advertising company Clear Channel Outdoor over a series of billboards for the city’s AlertHouston campaign. In the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

How good a stepping stone is Mayor of Dallas?

Posted on June 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Stephen Young notes that being Mayor of Dallas has not been particularly helpful to others’ ambitions. If he’s anything, Dallas mayor-elect Eric Johnson is an ambitious guy. He’s got degrees from Harvard, Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania, and took … Continue reading →

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Prop B layoffs rescinded

Posted on June 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

No Prop B, no need for layoffs. Funny how that works. Houston City Council on Wednesday formally reversed the 220 firefighter layoffs and hundreds of demotions it approved earlier this year, making official Mayor Sylvester Turner’s pledge not to lay … Continue reading →

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Here comes another referendum no one will understand

Posted on June 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Be careful what petitions you sign, that’s my advice. A political action committee is launching a petition drive Sunday aimed at limiting how much city contractors and vendors can contribute to municipal candidates, marking the start of a month-long effort … Continue reading →

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Let the HD100 candidates come on out

Posted on June 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

With State Rep. Eric Johnson now also known as Dallas Mayor-Elect Eric Johnson, that means a special election for his legislative district is in the offing. Dallas community advocate Lorraine Birabil has launched a campaign to replace outgoing state Rep. … Continue reading →

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May runoff results

Posted on June 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

With 303 of 474 precincts reporting, State Rep. Eric Johnson was leading in the runoff for Dallas Mayor over Scott Griggs, 57% to 43%. At the time I started writing this I didn’t see any news coverage declaring the race … Continue reading →

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Looks like Boykins is in for Mayor

Posted on June 6, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This had been rumored for some time. Houston City Councilman Dwight Boykins has filed paperwork indicating he will run for mayor, setting up a clash with incumbent Sylvester Turner and at least two other major candidates. Boykins filed a report … Continue reading →

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The state of the city 2019

Posted on May 24, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

There are still things to do that don’t have to do with the endless fight over Prop B. Mayor Sylvester Turner used his fourth annual State of the City address Monday to announce a plan aimed at drawing private investment … Continue reading →

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Chris Bell looking at a Senate run

Posted on May 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We haven’t had one of these stories in a couple of weeks. Chris Bell, the former Democratic congressman and gubernatorial nominee from Houston, is mulling a bid for U.S. Senate in 2020 against U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. Bell told … Continue reading →

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