Tag Archives: Bill White

On a side note regarding Commissioners Court

Posted on January 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Just a quick point to note regarding Commissioners Court and its various perks. In a few months, we’re going to hear from Mayor White’s term limits commission regarding suggested alterations to Houston’s term limits law. When we do, we’ll be … Continue reading →

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Perry (not) for President

Posted on January 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

By now you’re probably aware of the current Texas Monthly cover story, in which Paul Burka makes the case that Rick Perry is positioning himself for a run at the Presidency in 2012. I don’t care to get into a … Continue reading →

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Of smog and hot air

Posted on January 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Get ready for the upcoming fight over Texas’ – and Houston’s – air quality. The federal government proposed a tougher limit on ozone pollution Thursday that will force Houston to make deeper emissions cuts just as the former smog capital … Continue reading →

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White gets down to the business of being a candidate

Posted on January 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Bill White spent his first full day as a former Mayor in the Rio Grande Valley. It was a productive trip for him. Power brokers in one of the state’s most Democratic regions Tuesday pledged to throw their weight behind … Continue reading →

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The inauguration

Posted on January 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Here was my view of today’s inaugural festivities: Click the photo for a larger version. Tiffany and I were seated next to Martha, who has some pictures as well as a post about Mayor Parker’s inaugural address. It was an … Continue reading →

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The Whites say goodbye

Posted on January 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Outgoing Mayor Bill White and First Lady Andrea White say goodbye and thank you to Houstonians as his term comes to an end. Needless to say, they won’t exactly be riding off into the sunset any time soon; with any … Continue reading →

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Panel to review term limits appointed

Posted on December 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Back in October, Houston City Council agreed to create a commission to study Houston’s term limits law with an eye to possibly placing a resolution on the ballot next year with some changes. Yesterday, that commission was named. Mayor Bill … Continue reading →

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Air cleanup progress report

Posted on December 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news about efforts to get manufacturing plants to pollute less. In 2005, following Houston Chronicle and state reports about alarming levels of butadiene in neighborhoods near Texas Petrochemicals, the company signed a non-binding agreement with the TCEQ to … Continue reading →

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Shapleigh not running for anything

Posted on December 26, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a shame, because I was really looking forward to being able to vote for him for something, but at least State Sen. Eliot Shapleigh will be an active participant in the 2010 election. Shapleigh, 57, said he considered running … Continue reading →

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From the “Will they never learn?” files

Posted on December 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Back when I was having my Trib-based conversation with David Benzion, he mentioned a web ad that was released by the Texas GOP to attack Bill White in anticipation of his jump to the Governor’s race. That ad featured a … Continue reading →

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White v. Vasquez

Posted on December 17, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Harris County Tax Assessor Leo Vasquez says Look at me!” Mayor Bill White and Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector Leo Vasquez traded barbs Tuesday over two contracts that have led relations between the city and county to what Mayor Bill White … Continue reading →

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Kinky drops out of Governor’s race, will run for Ag Commish

Posted on December 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Musician and author Kinky Friedman will drop his Democratic bid for Texas governor and seek the agriculture commissioner post, instead. “This has never been about me; this has always been about what … Continue reading →

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Statesman profiles White

Posted on December 8, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We’re probably going to see a lot of stories like this in the coming weeks, as the papers outside of Houston inform their readers about the new Democratic candidate for Governor. That one is a nice, thorough effort, which among … Continue reading →

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More on BAE Systems

Posted on December 8, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Just a followup on the BAE Systems situation, which I didn’t get around to blogging about last week. I see that in addition to everything else he’s got going on, Mayor White will be trying to save BAE’s contract, along … Continue reading →

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KBH officially enters the Governor’s race

Posted on December 7, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

While I never believed that Kay Bailey Hutchison would actually resign her Senate seat in order to run for Governor, I also never believed that she would drop her primary challenge to Rick Perry, even as he played his mind … Continue reading →

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Carole the chameleon and Kinky the commissioner

Posted on December 5, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This would be a little too weird. [Bill] White, expected to say Friday that he’s shifting his political sights from the U.S. Senate to the Democratic nod for governor, confirmed Thursday that [former Comptroller Carole Keeton] Strayhorn has tried to … Continue reading →

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White makes it official

Posted on December 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Well, between a dead car battery, a preschool that closed early, and a wife that had an unbreakable noon appointment, I am at home instead of at the Bill White for Governor launch. At least I have Elise Hu’s liveblog … Continue reading →

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Today’s the day for Bill White

Posted on December 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

If you’re anything like me, you have probably received multiple communications from the Bill White campaign inviting you to come down to the Hilton Americas at noon and hear White say officially what office he’ll be pursuing. The Chron attempts … Continue reading →

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Lampson for Comptroller?

Posted on December 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Former US Rep. Nick Lampson may be getting back in the game. Former Congressman Nick Lampson, a moderate Democrat from southeast Texas, is considering a race for state comptroller, he confirmed this afternoon. “It’s something that I’ve been asked to … Continue reading →

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First, get someone to actually run

Posted on December 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I certainly agree that the Democratic statewide ticket would benefit from the presence of a qualified Latino candidate or two or three. Agreeing on that is the easy part. Finding someone who qualifies as qualified and who is actually willing … Continue reading →

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Quan considering a run for County Judge

Posted on December 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Miya has the story. Former City Council Member Gordon Quan is THISCLOSE to throwing his hat in the ring for Harris County Judge. I heard the rumors a few days ago, but confirmed with Quan this morning. […] When we … Continue reading →

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Me in the Trib

Posted on November 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

You might have noticed, when you opened your metaphorical copy of the Texas Tribune this morning, that they’re hosting a discussion between myself and David Benzion on the merits of Houston Mayor and (by God we sure hope he’s a) … Continue reading →

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The Bill White factor

Posted on November 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The thought that struck me as I read this story about Bill White’s expected switch to the Governor’s race is that maybe he was right to have taken this particular route to where he is now. I mean, he’s generated … Continue reading →

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Roundup and reaction to White’s announcement

Posted on November 24, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Bill White isn’t officially a candidate for Governor yet, but he’s already picked up endorsements from State Sens. Kirk Watson and Eliot Shapleigh. I feel confident that many more such endorsements will follow, perhaps even before he commits to the … Continue reading →

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Schieffer drops out, White (may be but probably is) in for Governor

Posted on November 23, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

By now, I’m sure you’ve heard the news that Tom Schieffer has dropped out of the Governor’s race, and that Bill White is considering switching over to it. I’ll add in a bunch of links later, but for now let … Continue reading →

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The reason why those “Bill White for Governor” rumors won’t die

Posted on November 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Shorter Burka: “KBH says in her new TV ad that she’s needed in the Senate. So why is she running for Governor?” It’s a good question. And given that no one knows what KBH will do, it’s the reason why … Continue reading →

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Solar power for Houston hits a snag

Posted on November 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Back in September, I noted a deal that the City of Houston was working on with a firm called NRG to build a solar plant that would supply some of the city’s power needs. This deal has apparently hit a … Continue reading →

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The Dynamo Stadium issue in the Mayor’s race

Posted on November 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Moving away for the moment from ridiculous homophobic scare tactics in the Mayor’s race runoff to an issue of actual substance, we have the matter of the Dynamo Stadium deal and where the respective candidates stand on it. [Annise] Parker … Continue reading →

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KBH: Not resigning till after the primary

Posted on November 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

That sound you hear is me saying I told you so. U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison is planning to hold onto her Senate seat until after Texas’ March gubernatorial primaries are over. […] Campaign officials provided The Associated Press a … Continue reading →

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Veterans Day

Posted on November 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I just want to pause for a moment to join Bill White, Stace Medellin, and many others in honoring those who served our country in the armed forces today. A number of members of my family served in World War … Continue reading →

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Ashby developers appeal to City Council

Posted on November 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

According to Nancy Sarnoff, the Buckhead folks have appealed to City Council to allow their original vision to go forward. They’ve already lost an appeal of that with the city’s General Appeals Board, and as it’s the Mayor who sets … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Bill White: Still running for Senate

Posted on November 8, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Tribune stirs up a persistent rumor that likely won’t go away till after the filing deadline. Or, you know, proves to be true. The rumor is that Bill White is contemplating a jump into the Governor’s race. The … Continue reading →

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White condemns anti-Green robocalls

Posted on November 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve heard from numerous people, including several in the comments here, who have received a nasty anti-Ronald Green robocall in the past week or so; at this point, I believe there are at least two variants on the call. It … Continue reading →

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Don’t mess with Bill

Posted on October 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

As everyone expected, Mayor White has stayed the heck out of the race to replace him. So it’s a pretty big deal when he feels compelled to speak up about something that is happening in the race. Mayor Bill White … Continue reading →

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