Tag Archives: Fort Bend County

Open house meetings for US90A/Southwest Rail Corridor project

Posted on June 7, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

From Metro: The New METRO is continuing work on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the US90A/Southwest Rail Corridor Project with meetings to inform the public about alternatives that will be considered as part of this federal process. The … Continue reading →

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Three primary stories

Posted on May 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

TX Trib: 4 Democrats Vying to Replace Hochberg in HD-137 Observers say the winner of the contest for HD-137 is likely to be decided in the Democratic primary, whose four candidates are former Capitol staffers Joseph Carlos Madden and Jamaal … Continue reading →

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Rep. Reynolds busted for barratry

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, for crying out loud. State Rep. Ron Reynolds, D-Missouri City, was arrested Tuesday evening [for barratry, the unlawful solicitation of clients by lawyers] and posted $5,000 bail shortly after midnight. A former associate municipal judge for the City of … Continue reading →

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See you later, alligator

Posted on April 21, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

In some parts of town, it’s more like See you sooner or later, alligator. This time of year, the proprietor of Janik Alligators in El Campo spends much of his time trying to keep that scenario from happening. In the … Continue reading →

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Interview with KP George

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

There are many contested Democratic Congressional primaries around the state this year, but in a sense the most important one is for a race that’s not on any national list of races to watch. I’m talking about the CD22 primary, … Continue reading →

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Fort Bend ISD goes iPad

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I’m guessing stories like this are going to be increasingly common. [Three Fort Bend ISD campuses], all Title I schools that serve predominantly low-income students, are the launching pad for iAchieve, a school district initiative to create a tablet-based “e-curriculum.” … Continue reading →

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Weekend redistricting update

Posted on February 19, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

One more plaintiff has signed on to the Abbott map deal. The Mexican American Legislative Caucus is now joining the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund in saying that the state-backed Congressional District 35, a proposed new district that … Continue reading →

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Sanchez ends his Senate campaign

Posted on December 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This news broke late Friday. Leading Democratic U.S. senatorial candidate Ricardo Sanchez announced Friday that he’s ending his campaign to replace retiring Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. In a statement issued by his campaign to supporters, Sanchez said anemic fundraising and … Continue reading →

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Christie, Burks, Davis, Brown

Posted on December 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Those are your runoff winners. Jack Christie’s victory was the most dramatic, coming in his fifth attempt to defeat Jolanda Jones, an opponent he had forced into multiple runoff elections. Helena Brown was the other candidate who beat an incumbent, … Continue reading →

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Three for HD144, Lee for HCDE

Posted on December 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Since Monday night, I have heard of three people who are interested in running for HD144, the State Rep district that was drawn to favor the election of a Democrat by the San Antonio court. For the record, the 2008 … Continue reading →

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Early vote totals, Days Four and Five

Posted on October 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s your EV totals for Thursday and Friday, plus the 2009 spreadsheet, the 2007 daily EV report, and the Erik Vidor spreadsheet. And here’s the cumulative summary for the first five days: Type 2005 2007 2009 2011 ===================================== In Person … Continue reading →

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Our gay state

Posted on September 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Is getting gayer, according to the Census. It’s no secret that Austin and Central Texas have much appeal for same-sex couples, but new census data from 2010 underscore the depth and breadth of the attraction. Among the highlights from an … Continue reading →

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Seliger-Solomons 2.0

Posted on June 4, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Go to http://gis1.tlc.state.tx.us and have a gander at Plan C130 to see the version of the Seliger-Solomons Congressional plan that was passed last night by the Senate redistricting committee. The biggest changes are in and around Harris County, mostly due … Continue reading →

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New map, new opportunities: Outside the urban areas, part 2

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

More districts to look at for Democratic opportunities outside of the traditional urban areas. District: 45 Incumbent: Jason Isaacs (first elected in 2010) Counties: Blanco, Hays Best 2008 Dem performance: Barack Obama, 46.78% Patrick Rose won this district in 2002, … Continue reading →

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They like him! They really like him!

Posted on May 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s your heartwarming story for the week. The Republican Party of Fort Bend County Executive Committee has unanimously passed a resolution in support of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay expressing “appreciation for his tireless service to our community, the … Continue reading →

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San Antonio moves past Dallas

Posted on February 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

They’re #2! Not that it really matters. [San Antonio’s] 1.3 million residents put it at the No. 2 spot for Texas’ largest cities and had the office of Mayor Julián Castro declaring San Antonio’s “rising prominence as one of America’s … Continue reading →

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More on Metro’s rail to Fort Bend plan

Posted on February 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a story from the first of the public meetings Metro is holding on the proposed US90A rail line to Fort Bend. Planners of a proposed project to extend light rail service from Houston to Missouri City are hopeful about … Continue reading →

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Metro seeks input for commuter rail line to Fort Bend

Posted on February 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Metro is taking another step forward on the commuter rail line along US 90A to Fort Bend County that was part of the 2003 Metro Solutions referendum. Kimberly Slaughter, Senior Vice President of Service Design & Development for Metro, unveiled … Continue reading →

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A more suburban Metro?

Posted on January 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Another possible feature of the Census data, of which I had not been previously aware, could be characterized as Metro redistricting. The city of Houston could lose its majority control of the Metro board if the 2010 Census shows that … Continue reading →

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OutSmart story on the Fort Bend LGBT Political Caucus

Posted on October 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Nice story in OutSmart about the fledgling Fort Bend LGBT Political Caucus, which was formed a couple of months ago. This is one of those websites that’s basically a fancy scan of the print magazine, so you can’t quote from … Continue reading →

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Interview with Stephen Brown

Posted on October 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve focused entirely on Harris County so far in this interview series. That’s because there are a lot of interesting races here, both at a district and countywide level, and also because that’s where I live. But there’s a lot … Continue reading →

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This ain’t your daddy’s Fort Bend

Posted on September 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting article about the changing demographics in Fort Bend County and the changes in politics that have come with it. Today the GOP holds 27 of 31 elective offices in the county. Rick Miller aims to keep it that way. … Continue reading →

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Fort Bend LGBT Political Caucus happy hour Monday

Posted on August 28, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, I’m a fan of the Houston GLBT Political Caucus and the work they do. I’m pleased to note that Fort Bend County now has a counterpart to that, the Fort Bend LGBT Political Caucus, which you can … Continue reading →

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Commuter rail along US 90A

Posted on August 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s an update on a piece of the 2003 Metro Solutions referendum that has been largely quiescent till now, the proposed commuter rail line from the Fannin South station to Fort Bend County. Though efforts soon stalled after a 2003 … Continue reading →

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Fort Bend Democratic Party HQ grand opening

Posted on July 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Looking for something to do tomorrow afternoon? Come out to Fort Bend and celebrate the grand opening of their first ever Democratic Party headquarters. This ain’t Tom DeLay country any more. The FBC has been trending steadily Democratic this decade. … Continue reading →

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Meet Steve Brown

Posted on April 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Meet Steve Brown, the new Chair of the Fort Bend Democratic Party. Steve Brown, a 35-year-old with a résumé of political experience, has big plans for the moribund Democratic Party in Fort Bend, and his confidence in the party’s ability … Continue reading →

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Fort Bend ISD layoffs

Posted on April 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Unfortunately, I expect we’ll hear more stories like this in the coming months. On Thursday, many teachers in the Fort Bend Independent School District got the letter they had dreaded. It was notification from Rhonda McWilliams, the district’s chief human … Continue reading →

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Where the votes are going

Posted on March 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Matt Stiles looks at Census data and notes a political point. Seven Texas counties — Rockwall, Williamson, Collin, Hays, Fort Bend, Montgomery and Denton — are listed among the nation’s 30 fastest-growing areas, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates released … Continue reading →

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Metro approves study of Fort Bend commuter rail line

Posted on March 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

In the last act for several Metro board members, we get a step forward on another commuter rail line. Moving to extend Metro’s reach into Fort Bend County, the agency’s board agreed Thursday to spend up to $500,000 on environmental … Continue reading →

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The Lite Guv race by the counties

Posted on March 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Lite Guv primary was an interesting race. One candidate, Ronnie Earle, had a decent amount of name recognition, a base of support in a vote-rich area, with likely secondary support in other populous counties, and electoral experience. He didn’t … Continue reading →

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From the “You get what you pay for” department

Posted on January 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I have a hard time wrapping my mind around this story about the struggle of suburban fire departments to provide services for residents who don’t want to pay for them. I just don’t understand the mindset. Montgomery County ESD No. … Continue reading →

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Latino population growth in the suburbs

Posted on January 15, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We won’t know all of the specifics till after the Census is completed, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone to hear that the suburbs are changing in the same ways that the rest of the state and … Continue reading →

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Runoff precinct analysis, At Large Council races

Posted on December 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Continuing on with the precinct analyses from the runoff, here’s a look at the City Council At Large races. First up, At Large #1: Dist Derr Costello Derr% Cost% ==================================== A 7,200 8,160 46.9 53.1 B 5,737 4,859 54.1 45.9 … Continue reading →

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Runoff precinct analysis, Controller’s race

Posted on December 17, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Picking up from where I left off yesterday, here’s the breakdown of the Controller’s race by Council district. For comparison purposes, here’s the November analysis. Dist Green Khan Holm Green % Khan % Tot votes ========================================================= A 4,685 6,750 7,125 … Continue reading →

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