Houston Blogs: Houston Political Blog

1st on the Blog: Gordon Quan to announce for County Judge

Former Mayor Pro Tem Gordon Quan has decided to run for Harris County Judge on the Democratic ticket. We first reported here a few weeks ago that the immigration attorney was mulling over the concept. We have since learned that Quan has hired veteran political consultant Mike Malaise, and is set for an announcement ASAP.

His official news conference will be sometime next week.

Quan was elected at large, and does have firm Democratic roots. However, he irked some local Democrats in the most recent election by recording a robocall for Controller candidate M.J. Khan. Khan is a Republican, so Quan endorsement of him didn’t sit too well with some Dems. Then again, Democratic candidate Chris Bell also recorded a robocall for a Republican candidate in the City’s non-partisan race, so perhaps all will be forgotten.

It’s no secret that Quan has wanted to run for something for a long, long time. He toyed with the idea of running for Congress. However, his family doesn’t want him to move to Washington, D.C. He also thought about running for Mayor this time around. The timing just didn’t work, as he was merging his very successful immigration practice with that of Charles Foster. Finally, with his practice churning along, and his wife convinced, Quan is ready for a run.

Will he make an impact? Depends on who else gets in the race. Current Judge Ed Emmett bucked the Democratic trend during the last election cycle, and kept the seat he was appointed to. However, with Bill White at the top of the ticket, Quan is hoping to turn things around. Let’s see how the election shakes out.

Annise Parker's Transition: What will and won't happen

This morning, Mayor-elect Annise Parker held a news conference to announce her transition team leaders.  As an indication of the international interest in our Mayor-to-be, both the Associated Press and the European Pressphoto Agency sent photographers to the event. 

Parker named the three team leaders to her transition team, each bringing their own set of skills to the table. Gilbert Garcia, who chaired her campaign, is a finance guy in his day job.  Parker also named State Rep. Garnet Coleman (D-Houston), who is one of the few African American elected officials to publicly support Parker from the beginning of the campaign.  Finally, philanthropist Nancy Kinder is also on the team.  Having a Kinder is good for the bottom line, as her connections to the wealthy folks in town will be crucial for a city facing financial hardships. The photo above shows all three team leaders with the Mayor-elect.

Here's how her transition will go down:  Parker named eight areas of concentration her team will focus on. Each area will involve a committee that will be appointed by the team leaders. The committee topics are: Metro/transportation, housing department, contracts and personnel, relationships with other governments, neighborhood protection, permitting efficiency & procedures, public works, density and development ordinances (think Ashby Highrise,) and minority & women business enterprise contracts.  The photo on the right shows Parker's finance chair David Arpin, team leader Gilbert Garcia, and current City Hall government relations guru Darrin Hall.

You will notice that Police and Fire issues are not among the eight topics. That's because Parker plans to tackle those two subjects herself.  On the Police Chief question, Parker insists there are no lists, short or otherwise.  I believe her because two days ago, at the Police Union's Christmas party, one of her key staffers chatted up the issue with Union President Gary Blankenship.  He asked Blankenship for suggestions, names, and seemed open to everyone.  What is clear is that the Parker team does not appreciate people who float their own names out to the press.  Several people have told me that folks angling for high level appointments should remember that publicly campaigning for those jobs is not the best way to get a job.

Parker's first department head meeting will be with Chief Harold Hurtt.  Her second planned meeting is with Public Works Director Mike Marcotte.  It will continue from then on.  Expect some changes at various departments, but don't jump to conclusions yet  It will take some time.

As for the inauguration, it will be held indoors, as Parker promised her mother she would do so.  There will also be a concert for the public that evening. However, details have not been set yet.  Mark January 4th on your calendars.

Why Annise Parker won... and why Locke shouldn't be surprised.

In case you missed it, Houston made history Saturday night.  Not a big deal by our city’s standards, but a big deal around the country.

We became the first major U.S. city to elect an openly gay Mayor.  I know some people are just relieved that Houston is considered a top tier U.S. city.  But still, the election of Annise Parker just catapulted her to the national political stage.

This of course, wasn’t how the story was supposed to end, if you are a Gene Locke supporter.  The former City Attorney had everything going for him.  A year ago, many political insiders said it was his campaign to lose.  After all, he had the backing of former Mayor Bob Lanier, a cadre of influential attorneys, and dealmakers ready to make sure he got elected.  Locke promptly gathered the endorsements of various business and political organizations.  The local business community, realtors, developers, the police and fire unions, all fell into line.

It was all going so well.

Sure there was the wealthy Peter Brown, the conservative Roy Morales, and the veteran Controller Annise Parker.  But, the city’s elite figured, we’ll get our man elected.

The Parker campaign though, had a different plan.  They would not get the big bucks donors, they couldn’t self finance, and even their campaign headquarters was sort of a disaster:  It was a creaky old house just north of I-10.  But they had volunteers, they were disciplined, and their opponents would make some major mistakes.

The Locke campaign began their marathon toward the November election with pricey consultants, and lots of paid staff.  But from the beginning, you could feel something was not quite right.  For veteran reporters like me, the campaign just didn’t look like it gelled, even from the outside.  By summer, a big staff shake up brought in well regarded campaign professionals Christian Archer and Kim Devlin, but the momentum felt sluggish.

In the meantime, the Parker campaign was tight and disciplined.  Campaign manager Adam Harris kept his troops in line, focusing on Parker’s experience, and ignoring all the social significance of her campaign.  In the meantime, they quietly tuned up her look by updating her wardrobe, toting along a makeup person, and softening her hair. 

By the time November rolled around, Parker’s campaign was outraised and outspent, but she still came out with the most votes.  Gene Locke squeezed into second place, but the momentum was on Parker’s side.  The six weeks that followed were intense, negative, and pretty expensive.  However, despite hard hitting attacks by the Police Union calling her “soft on crime,” Parker just kept on going.  Then, as Locke aligned himself with the people who attacked Parker on her sexual orientation, you could literally feel the city give a big shrug. The collective electorate seemed to be saying, “Who cares? Who’s going to be our best Mayor?”

Two days before the election, Locke’s major backers, including several elected officials, the Police & Fire unions, and a group of local business people held a last minute rally.  By then, the atmosphere felt desperate.  Everyone except the diehard supporters knew in their guts that Locke was losing.

Then, it was election night.  Sure, it was tight in the beginning, but Parker would soon pull ahead and stay that way.  By then, the national newspapers, websites, and television networks were all clamoring with the headline that “Houston elected its first Gay Mayor.”  But in Houston, people knew better. 

They didn’t choose Parker because they wanted to make a statement.  They chose her because they thought she would be a better Mayor.  And, she ran a much better campaign.  Time will tell if she can run the city in the same disciplined manner.

Annise Parker makes history

Houston made history last night. It became the largest US city to elect an openly gay Mayor. Annise Parker focused on bread and butter issues to beat opponent Gene Locke. There is a lot of national attention on this race. Log onto abc13.com for the details. I will have a complete write up later today.

Annise Parker vs. Gene Locke: Houston results & live blog!

10:10 pm Gene Locke Concedes

9:45pm With 68% reporting

Parker 71,326   53%

Locke  64,266 (- 7060 votes)  47%

9:26pm.

Parker, Annise D.     62,684   52%
Locke, Gene      57,939   48%

Parker Party getting loud

9:00 pm All of Fort Bend County numbers in, early and today

36% reporting

Parker  53,174   51%
Locke  50,162    49%
 

14% reporting
Parker 40,890 51%
Locke 38,994 49%

7:40 pm  People filtering into Parker's party. Quiet. Waiting for numbers

7:22 Other early races:

Jolanda Jones and Sue Lovell are both leading their run-off races.  Brenda Stardig ahead in A, Karen Derr barely ahead in At Large 1, and Ronald Green is ahead in the Controller's race.

7:11p.m. Add in Ft. Bend County, it's a statistical tie:
Parker 34,039
Locke 33,516

7:02 p.m. Early Vote numbers:

Parker  33,945  51%
Locke 32,623  49%

---

Will it be Annise Parker or Gene Locke as Houston's next Mayor? We are getting set to live blog soon.. stay tuned!

Our Political Analyst, Dr. Richard Murray, says turnout across the city is very low.

The latest on the Controller's race, Khan vs. Green

City crews remove more than 1,000 Locke campaign signs

If you’ve driven on Houston’s highways at all recently, you probably have seen those orange Gene Locke for Mayor signs.  Most are on highway esplanades, over bridges and in some fairly precarious locations, including merging ramps.  Putting campaign signs in public right of ways is illegal.  However, over the years, many campaigns have done so.  You’ve seen them near side walks, around street corners, and near voting locations.

So, since all candidates tend to violate the law with their campaign signs, why are the Gene Locke signs such a big deal?  Simply put, because there have been so many of them, and often in very dangerous locations.  According to Andy Icken, the Deputy Director of Public Works, his employees have been picking up more Locke signs than any other candidates, by far.

“As of last Saturday, we picked up approximately 1,000 Gene Locke signs,” Icken told me over the phone.  “We picked up somewhere around the neighborhood of 10 Annise Parker signs.”

Icken also said he’s received several emails complaining of the signs.  In addition, he’s had to send out crews two to a truck to pick up signs in some of the more precarious locations.  He said he needs one guy to pick up the signs, and another to watch out for highway traffic.

Icken does point out that he believes the sign problem is easing.  “We’ve talked to the Gene Locke   campaign,” said Icken.  “Since we talked to them, we’re seeing fewer signs.”

Locke campaign spokesperson Kim Devlin says she's not aware of the city speaking with the campaign. Devlin says they have immediately removed any signs that are put up inappropriately as soon as they become aware of them. "We have taken several measures to inform our supporters to not put signs up illegally, including a note on our website," said Devlin.

The City of Houston can fine candidates, but they have not done so.  In reality, Icken points out that all candidates break the rules when it comes to campaign signs.  His department hasn’t written any tickets.  They would just prefer that candidates stick with the rules, and not put signs in potentially dangerous locations.

The "Non-Endorsement" endorsement by Roy Morales

There’s been much discussions about the various mailers that’s been hitting mail boxes.  I just got four at my place yesterday. 

One that’s jumped out this past week is the Roy Morales mailer.  A casual glance of the mailer may indicate that Morales is endorsing Parker, but he does not endorse her at all in the mailer.  Instead, it’s more of a joint campaign mail piece.  In fact, Morales told us he just wanted to let his supporters know how the remaining candidates for Mayor felt about the issues important to him.

So he called Annise Parker and Gene Locke, and asked them both to take part in a mailer answering questions about five conservative issues.  In fact, I blogged earlier that Morales even met with Locke’s campaign manager in Allen Blakemore’s office.  Morales asked for both campaigns to split the costs of the mailer, which was about $64,000, and answer questions about conservative issues.  Parker agreed and paid the money, but Locke said he did not want to take part.
"Mr. Locke, like I said had the opportunity,” said Morales.  “Same terms, but he refused, because he couldn't answer the questions."
The flyer came out, with Parker's picture and a list of responses, but without Locke's.  Now, some people in Locke’s campaign are saying Parker taking part in the mailer is just paying for an endorsement.
“I'm not going to buy the support of anybody,” said Locke. “I will not promise anything and I will not pay any money to get an endorsement.  I'm certainly disappointed that others have chosen to do that."

Adam Harris, Parker’s campaign manager, brushed off Locke’s response.  “We paid for the mailer to a direct mail vendor. Went directly to the mail house, which then went on and sent the mail out. That's exactly what you are supposed to do in a campaign."

Considering all the other mailers that are out there, this one is pretty straight forward. There is no talk of social issues, sexual orientation, or anything of that nature.  The only topics are things like tax cuts and other standard “conservative” issues.  Both sides can spin this how they want, but the bottom line is this:  Morales got 20% of the vote the first go around.  He has some legitimate support.  Taking part in a standard, legal, campaign mailer with him is not a bad idea in a tight election.  Every vote counts.  Sure the mailer is expensive, but if it shaves off a few points toward Parker, her campaign will say it’s worth it.

The Houston Fire Department needs to take a hard look at itself. That's what the fire chief said Tuesday after the release of an independent report that looked into racism and sexism within the department.

Five months after racist and sexist graffiti were scrawled on the lockers of two female Houston firefighters, a study commissioned by the city says more or less that was an isolated incident.

"We did not see the same type of issues that originally caused us to be engaged, the types of gender discrimination, race discrimination, incidents that got the attention in the summer," said study consultant Merri Schneider-Vogel.

But the 55-page report does point out some areas where the fire department needs work, including:

• Recruit and mentor diverse candidates
• Improve training at all levels in the department
• More human resources support
• Demonstrate leadership improvement

They're ideas that the fire chief welcomes.

"I think the study is meant to be comprehensive and assist the Houston Fire Department in taking a good hard look at itself, a good hard look at its and policies and procedures," said Houston Fire Department Chief Phil Boriskie.

But the study does not satisfy everyone. The lawyer representing several women, including the two whose lockers were vandalized, says it's hard to trust a study where most of the interviews were conducted inside fire houses.

"Certainly, you have to be aware there is potential retaliation and take all steps you can to prevent it so people can speak freely," said attorney Joe Ahmad.

Ahmed also points out that there is still no new developments from the Office of Inspector General in the ongoing investigation into who actually scrawled the graffiti on the women's lockers, a frustration that is shared by the fire chief.

"It's been hurtful for the entire department and nobody wants resolution more than Houston firefighters," he said.

As for the allegations of racist graffiti, the Office of Inspector General is still investigating that. Chief Boriskie says he wants to implement some of what's in the study, but doesn't have a firm timeline yet.

Bill White Announces for Governor: The Video

Here's the full video, if you haven't seen it.

Bill White's official Press Release

From the Bill White Campaign:

Bill White seeks to serve Texans as Governor
After listening to thousands across the state, Houston Mayor announces decision
 
HOUSTON, TEXAS -- Today, after listening to thousands of Texans from all backgrounds, Bill White filed to run for Governor, pledging to fight for Texas' future.

"I am proud of the people of Texas, and as Governor I will move us forward as America's great state of opportunity," White said. "I'll be a Governor who challenges Texans to lead, not leave, the United States."

White highlighted ways of creating new jobs with businesses small and large across the state. He emphasized that Texas could not be its best with skyrocketing insurance and electric rates and college tuition that increases faster than the incomes of Texans.

The son of San Antonio school teachers, White vowed to focus on improving educational achievement in K-12 grade levels, improving high school graduation rates, and reducing the costs of college.

White, a successful businessman, was first elected as Houston Mayor in 2003 and was twice re-elected with margins averaging 88%. He has been hailed as a strong leader and a problem-solver, with the Houston Chronicle noting that he has "deftly steered Houston through fiscal and tropical storms."

During White's administration, Houston led the nation's cities in job growth, adding more jobs than 16 states combined. At the same time, he cut property tax rates five years in a row. After Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Ike, Bill White mobilized an effective disaster response including first responders, businesses and churches.

"I don't have the polish of career politicians. But as a businessman and Mayor I know how to be accountable for results, not just rhetoric. I have a track record of bringing people together to get things done," White said. "That's what Texas needs now."

Last December, White launched a U.S. Senate campaign that in 11 months attracted more than 1500 volunteers, more than 5500 contributors, and more than $6.5 million. He has visited 70 Texas counties to date.

For Bill White's staffers, a sigh of relief

There was a collective sigh of relief among Bill White staffers and supporters last week.  You could almost hear it echo from City Hall to the campaign headquarters at the Galleria.

 

“Finally,” they murmured to themselves, “he’s come to his senses!”

 

What we’re talking about, of course, is Mayor White’s impending announcement to switch from the Senate campaign to run for the Governor of Texas.  Who knows if he’ll make a decent run or not, it’s too early for that.  What we do know is that just about everyone who works with him and talks to him have been trying to get him to run for Governor for years.

 

The buzz, albeit local, first began to build way back in 2006.  Mayor White had just come off a widely lauded, bipartisan handling of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  He was enjoying some national publicity.  Kinky Friedman was running as an Independent, and so was Carole Strayhorn.  The thinking behind the scenes went something like this:  Perry’s not that popular, you got two independents to siphon off votes, so a strong Democrat can make a run for it.

 

Mayor White, though, wouldn’t budge.  He told me then that he wanted to “finish the job” as Mayor.  Some of his political staffers were not too pleased.  As it turns out, a much underfunded Chris Bell got 30 percent of the vote, and Governor Perry got just 39 percent.  There are lots of people who wondered if a well funded Bill White could have nudged the numbers just enough that he would have already be in the Governor’s Mansion.

 

Two years later, as Mayor White embarked on his third and final term, the big question was:  What’s next?  After much handwringing, Mayor Bill White announced that he would run for Senate in an underwhelming online video.  And off he went. For much of 2009, White would spend his weekends in towns of the Rio Grande Valley, at county fairs in East Texas, or even a few pancake breakfasts far out West.  But no matter how far away from Houston he strayed, the question of running for Governor always followed him.

 

White, who likes to say he’s a man of his word, never changed his tune.  “I’m running for Senate,” he would say.  Privately, many of his supporters and advisors were still murmuring Governor; they just wanted White to listen.

 

Finally, last week, he did.  With non-resignation of Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, the prospect of a special election seemed uncertain.  Then, after a weekend meeting, then Democratic candidate for Governor Tom Schieffer withdrew.  Attention turned to White.  On cue, he announced he was actually going to “think about it.”

 

And with that, the people who have worked behind the scenes for White rejoiced.  They haven’t won a single vote, and the official announcement isn’t until Friday.  However, win or lose the people who have helped White achieve his status as a popular Mayor felt great.  That’s because after three years of talking, cajoling, arguing, and convincing, they felt Bill White would finally be in the right race.  Or at least, he finally listened to them.  Time will tell if they were right.

The KTRK Debate, and what happened.

Yesterday, Annise Parker and Gene Locke faced off in the first prime time Mayoral Runoff Debate.  Boy, by debate standards, it was a lively one!  Both Mayoral candidates came out swinging.  Gene Locke stuck by his line of attacks accusing Parker of being "soft on crime."  Parker, meanwhile, continued to accuse Locke of not being a good financial manager of the City's money.

As one of the local bloggers described it, it was a "wear your body armor, hunker down" kind of debate."  He was right.  Here are some highlights.

Behind the scenes, candidates Annise Parker and Gene Locke both seemed relaxed, and in good spirits.. But as soon the cameras turn on, the debate flared.

 

One of the first points of contention was whether Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt will keep his job.

 

“Every department will be reviewed, nobody has a lifetime contract,” said Locke, who refused to comment specifically on Hurtt’s future.

 

“I'm not shy in saying the Police Chief didn't do a good job,” said Parker.  ”Do you feel safer?”

 

Several initial questions focused on public safety, with Locke touting his endorsement by the Houston Police Officers Union, and Parker pointing out that several smaller law enforcement groups are supporting her.

 

 

 

But, things got really intense when the candidates were allowed to ask each other questions.  Parker accused Locke of being a City Hall lobbyist.

 

 “I've never been a lobbyist, I'm a lawyer,” said Locke.

 

“I think by definition someone who represents outside interests to a city, is a lobbyist,” retorted Parker.  Soon after the debate was over, Parker’s campaign sent over various links and paperwork detailing  Locke’s registration as a lobbyist in 1999.

 

Locke then accused Parker of raising taxes on Houstonians, which prompted another heated exchange.

 

“I actually never voted on a tax increase,” said Parker.

 

“There are no question that you have a record that questions the claim that you're a fiscal conservative, and you have been quiet on the growing deficit,” said Locke. 

 

“Is this an attack on the White administration?” asked Parker. 

 

“This is an attack on you, you're running for mayor,” said Locke.

 

The pointed attacks were a marked departure from the more cordial debates in the prior general election, where things were more cordial.  Our Political Consultant Dr. Richard Murray says it was a tough call on who actually won.

Early voting begins, and so do another round of attacks.

In case you didn't hear, early voting (again!) started today.  I'm off today, but you can catch up on full coverage on our station's website, abc13.com, where my colleagues are doing a great job.  Also, don't forget that the ABC13 debate is tomorrow night, prime time at 8pm!

 

Alright, we don't want early voting to start on a damp note, but it did.  However, that did not deter Mayoral hopefuls Annise Parker and Gene Locke from trudging to the early voting location on West Grey and casting their votes for themselves.  With less than two weeks to go, it's clear that pressure cooker is on full steam for the Mayoral campaigns.

 

Over the weekend, Dr. Steven Hotze, the conservative political player, dropped a mail piece on the Houston run-off elections.  You can see the images and postings on a variety of blogs.  The image on the left was scanned by local blogger Martha Griffin (thanks!). Basically, he endorsed every Republican in the technically non-partisan race.  The only exception is the race for Mayor.  Both Annise Parker and Gene Locke are Democrats, but Locke got the Hotze endorsement.  As I detailed in a blog entry earlier, Locke met with Hotze prior to the November general election.  In addition, his campaign manager also met with Roy Morales in the office of Allen Blakemore, who is also Hotze's consultant. 

 

Why does this matter?  It is important because, as our political analyst Dr. Richard Murray has said over and over again, the Republicans who are the swing voters in this election.  Hotze may be a lightning rod for controversy among the Democrats, but he does bring in some Republican votes.  Locke's campaign has been hammered by various bloggers and Democratic operatives for courting Hotze.  But, in a technically non-partisan race, what really matters is who gets the most votes by December 12th.  If your candidate doesn't end up being Mayor, will anyone remember what tactics you used or didn't use?

 

I think what's more interesting is that Stephen Costello, locked in a tight race with Karen Derr for the At Large 1 position, came out with a statement stating that he did not seek the endorsement of Hotze.  So far, he's the only candidate who has sent out a press release distancing themselves from the Hotze mailer.

 

In the meantime, the Houston Police Officers Union (HPOU) dropped another press release attacking Annise Parker.  The Union says Parker's television ads are "misleading" because it makes people think she was endorsed by the Police Union when she was not.  Parker was endorsed by several smaller law enforcement unions, but not the main union.  I've seen the ad, it doesn't specifically say she was endorsed by HPOU, but the union does make the argument that a voter who is not familiar with the nuances of various unions may infer that HPOU endorsed her.

 

The Parker campaign, meanwhile, is continuing to hammer Locke for not refuting the Hotze endorsement.  Their current slogan is "Come Clean Gene".  While Locke's slogan for its own candidate is "Locke the Vote".  Catchy, or just politics?  Either way we are less than two weeks and counting! Did I mention we have a live televised debate tomorrow?

Gordon Quan may challenge Ed Emmett for County Judge

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.

 

Quan, who served as an At Large Council Member, is a prominent immigration attorney in Houston.  His firm recently merged with Charles Foster, another prominent local firm.  At the time of the merging, Quan's name was thrown around for a possible run for Mayor.  However, the timing of his private practice did not mesh well with his public aspirations.

 

A year later, Quan's law firm is up and running, and he's looking at his political opportunities again.  Though the job of City Council is officially non-partisan, Quan will be running on the Democratic ticket.  He is fairly active in Democratic circles, and was a decent fund raiser in Houston for the Democratic Presidential candidates. 

 

When we spoke earlier today, I asked him what prompted him to consider challenging Ed Emmett.  He replied, "Well, I'm thinking it's now, or never."  However, Quan was quick to point out that this is not a "done deal." He's getting legal opinions on what relationship he can maintain with his firm.  He's also looking at the quality of campaign consultants that would be available.  In addition, he's got to convince his family members, who are often tough cookies.

 

Quan says he will make a decision in the next two weeks on whether or not to jump in the race.  If he does, he says he will make a call to Judge Ed Emmett first, as it is the proper thing to do.  Quan estimates he'll need at least a million bucks to run for County Judge.  Considering his vast connections within the legal, political, and Asian-American communities, it should be a reasonable goal.  In addition, the fact that Mayor Bill White is expected to jump into the Governor's race only makes more sense for Quan.  He thinks it will be a well coordinated campaign county wide.

Derr vs. Costello: Who do you want for City Council?

This is my story from Tuesday about the race between Karen Derr and Stephen Costello for City Council, At Large 1.  Does the fact that Costello has a lot of support from the contracting and developer community help?  What about the fact that Karen's a woman, and the majority of voters during the November election were women? Watch the story below and let us know.

Gene Locke releases tax returns

A few weeks after Annise Parker Released her tax returns, Gene Locke has released his as well.  You can read the 2006-2008 returns here, here, and here.

My colleague Ted Oberg is looking through them now, and will have more on ABC 13 at 6.

Bill White for Governor?

Well, anyone who thought Thanksgiving week was going to be a slow one politically would be wrong, very wrong.

 

It all started Monday morning, when news surfaced that Tom Schieffer, the former Ambassador, will soon announce that he is quitting the race for the Democratic nominee of Texas Governor.  Then, the attention turned to Mayor Bill White, who has been consistently asked whether he was running for Governor for.. well.. years.

 

Then, at 4:15 in the afternoon, Mayor Bill White made the announcement that yes, he is thinking of switching from the Senate race to the Governor's race.  However, he wanted to take 10 days to listen to Texans, and decide.

 

That being said, he’s already sounding like a candidate for the state’s highest office.

"What I tend to hear, since a week ago Friday, is that people think if I don’t step up and do this, that Texas faces more years of politics and highly charged partisan politics," said White, "and texas can’t afford to do that."

 

Our political consultant says switching from the Senate to the Governor’s race is the politically savvy thing to do for a Democrat in a Republican state.

 

"Historically is much more easier for a minority candidate to win the Governor, then the Senate," said Dr. Richard Murray.

 

Elected democrats are already lining up to support white’s not-yet-official campaign.  "He has the best credentials out of anyone who wants to run the Governor’s race," says State Rep. Garnet Coleman.  "He’s not afraid, he’s smart. Those are the kind of people we have to have, running for Governor."

 

Other candidates in the Democratic primary include humorist Kinky Friedman and hair mogul Farouk Shami, among others.  However, Mayor White is the obvious choice of establishment Democrats in Texas, and White is sounding like their man.

 

"Governor Perry got 39 percent in his last election, many of us are disappointed," said White. "Now it’s time to make new leadership in Austin."  Will that mean White will be jumping into the race?  It sounds very likely, but the official word will come December 4th.

 

 

Police Union "doubling down" on its choice for Mayor

Many Houstonians have said that public safety is one of their top concerns for the city of Houston. Now, one candidate is attacking the other as being weak, but the other candidate is hitting back.

The widow of HPD Officer Tim Abernathy and other members the Houston Police Officer's Union raised the stakes Thursday. They not only reiterated their support for Gene Locke, but also attacked Annise Parker as a candidate without a plan on improving public safety

"Every question that would move the police department forward, Gene had the right answer to and Ms. Parker would not," said Union President Gary Blankenship.

But Parker shot back Thursday, pointing out that she's had public safety plan on her website since August, promising that she "will protect the police department budget in this economic downturn."

"My goal as mayor is to make sure we have the best trained, best equipped and best paid police officers in the state," she said.

Locke says he too has a plan on his website and his main objective is to find more money for the police department.

"One of the things I want to do is try to find the money necessary to put more officers on the street, starting with overtime," he said.

Parker has challenged the HPOU to release or post the videos of the screenings the union conducted.  However, when we asked Blankinship about the video, he said they only had the video of Locke's screening.  The "tape ran out" when it was time to screen Parker, he said.

Our political consultant, Dr. Richard Murray, says Locke should showcase the police union endorsement because he says it could be an effective campaign tool and this is one race the union doesn't want to be wrong.

"These public safety unions, police and fire, have a huge stake in the election," said Dr. Murray. "It's interesting they made a bet on Gene Locke, and now they're doubling down."

Dr. Murray says neither candidate wants to appear weak on crime. While Locke has received the largest police union's endorsement, three smaller law enforcement unions have endorsed Parker.

Parker and Locke will debate live on ABC13 on Tuesday, December 1 at 8pm. We will have live coverage, both on TV and here on abc13.com. And if you want to ask a question to be used in the debate, you can send it in here.

Blakemore hosts meeting between Locke Campaign & Morales

Update: Kim Devlin, Senior Advisor to the Locke campaign, wanted to pass along a few notes.  Devlin says that Since Christian Archer joined the campaign in June, there has been no discussion of hiring Blakemore.  In addition, Devlin says Blakemore is not among Locke's group of paid advisors, nor among his cadre of key supporters.

 

Blakemore has always said he doesn't work for Democrats anyway.

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There has been a lot of rumors swirling around what Steven Hotze and his Political Action Committee will or won’t do during the run up to the December 12^th election.  The widespread belief is that Hotze’s PAC, Conservative Republicans of Texas, will pay consultant Allen Blakemore a pretty penny to print mailers attacking Annise Parker’s sexual orientation.  So far, that hasn’t happened.

But a lot of other things are on the record.

Just yesterday, Allen Blakemore hosted a lunch time meeting in his office between Christian Archer and Roy Morales.  Archer is Locke’s campaign manager, and Morales is the Republican who finished with about 20 percent of the vote during the November election.  Blakemore is Hotze’s consultant, but everyone involved says the meeting was not about attack ads.  Rather, the meeting took place because Locke’s campaign wanted Morales’ endorsement.   The topics were focused on financial and tax issues.  This was confirmed by all sides present at the meeting.

According to Locke’s campaign, Morales sent both Parker a letter saying he intended to send a mailing to his voters with Gene and Annise's answers to 5 topics, and they were meeting because of that proposed mailing.  However, Blakemore told me over the phone that he held the meeting in his office because he thought it was a “good idea” and it would be “good for Roy” if he endorsed Locke.

After about an hour, nothing happened.  Morales told me he decided not to endorse anyone right now.  Blakemore told me he thought it was an hour not very well spent.

Earlier this week, Locke said he met with Hotze “because I meet with all Houstonians.” He said he asked Hotze before the November elections for his support, Hotze endorsed someone else, and they haven’t had contact since.

While Locke may not have spoken with Hotze or Blakemore much, it’s clear that Blakemore’s had semi-consistent contact with parts of Locke’s campaign.  Blakemore’s told me that on several occasions.  Blakemore says he’s Republican, and he won’t work for Democrats, even though Locke’s campaign staffers have asked him several times if he’s interested in working with Locke.  Blakemore, though, is offering up free advice here and there.  It’s clear that Blakemore is relishing his role as an uncommitted, unpaid player. 

The day after the November election, he told me during an interview that it’s clear that Republicans will gravitate toward Locke’s business background, and that Parker’s sexual orientation will drive voters away.  This afternoon, Blakemore says he still has not been paid by anyone, including Hotze, in relations to this Mayoral race.  He says Hotze still has not made a decision on whether to jump in the race with his money yet.  In addition, he says no decisions are imminent because both Blakemore and Hotze have family weddings to attend this weekend.

Police Union increases pressure in Mayoral Race

The Houston Police Officers Union, HPOU, is putting an all out effort to get their guy, Gene Locke, elected as the next Mayor of Houston.  Before the November election, the Union sent out two targeted mailers on behalf of Gene Locke.  One of the mailers featured the widow of Officer Tim Abernathy talking about her husband and the need for Gene Locke to be elected Mayor.

Once Locke made it into the runoffs, the Union's efforts have increased.  Yesterday, HPOU sent out a press release accusing Annise Parker of week on crime. The release alleges that Parker has threatened to take apart the Police Department, and the Union says it's "lost confidence" in Parker.

Gary Blankinship, president of the 5,000-plus member Houston Police Officers' Union stated, "Our organization screened all the candidates and found Gene Locke to be, without equivocation, the only candidate to make the commitment to increase officers on the streets of our city and in the investigative divisions so that HPD officers can do a better job of protecting the people of Houston.
... 
Although HPOU has endorsed Parker in her previous campaigns, she has on several occasions been on the opposite side of Houston Police.

Today, the Union is prepared to turn up the rhetoric even more.  It's holding a news conference with the widows of both Officers Abernathy and Rodney Johnson.  The Union will make an effort to paint Parker as weak on crime.

It will be interesting to see how Parker responds.  Parker has said publicly that she wants Chief Harold Hurtt out.  Meanwhile, Chief Hurtt made an appearance at Gene Locke's party on election night.  Parker lost the HPOU endorsement, but has been endorsed by several smaller law enforcement unions that represents both police and Sheriff's Deputies.

Will the Union's efforts pay off?  We're heading to the news conference and you can watch later tonight on eyewitness News.

Mayoral race getting rougher

It's been a pretty quiet race, at least until now. Now there are new accusations on both sides in the run-off race for mayor of Houston.

As we are getting closer to the December run-off, the attacks have definitely increased. Gene Locke and Annise Parker are trying to differentiate themselves from each other. The biggest question is, will voters be paying attention?

In the hunt for voters, the last thing Locke and Parker want to hear is an opinion like Peter Diama's.

He said, "These two guys, I don't know. You can flip a coin."

So at forums they are sharpening their attacks on each other.

Locke said, "The reality is when (Parker) came in as city controller, she immediately, first year, opposed a tax cut that Bill White was suggesting."

In an email sent today, Locke's campaign says Parker voted against lower taxes, opposed capping homestead values and will raise taxes as mayor.

Parker disputes that, saying she was simply trying to protect needed city services.

"I have voted against lowering taxes on several occasions, when certain council members made motions that would have gutted the budget," she responded.

In return, Parker's campaign says Locke has ethical problems. Pointing out that his law firm, Andrews and Kurth, made millions from local government work and that clients like METRO and the sports authority create conflicts of interest, a criticism Locke calls disingenuous.

Locke said, "I am going to resign from Andrews and Kurth upon taking the office of Mayor. And the reason I have pledged to resign is because it will eliminate any possibility of a conflict of interest."

Neither candidate apologizes for the sharper tone.

"It's all about full disclosure," Parker said.

ABC13 Political Consultant Dr. Richard Murray says it might finally get some voters interested.

"It's a totally new game now," he said. "With a reset election, more people will vote in the run-off than in the first round. That will likely determine the election outcome, and they don't know who they're going to work for at this point."

Both Parker and Locke have pledged in this economy, they will not raise taxes if elected mayor. They've also said that public safety and the economy are their top priorities.

The Job Hunt..

With Mayor Bill White's tenure at City Hall winding down, more and more staffers are finding other places to land.  Though White's long time right hand man, Michael Moore, has not said publically where he will land, other senior staffers are finding new employment.

White's Director of Communications, Frank Michel, will be heading to the Texas Heart Institute, where he will head up the public relations division.  His last day is the end of the week.  With 160 doctors in the institute, I'm sure Michel will be busy.  Meanwhile, Press Secretary Pat Trahan will be making the transition to the Houston Fire Department.  Let's hope Trahan will help the department move away from the Friday late afternoon news releases.  That's what happened last Friday with the suspected Heights arsonist arrest.  The news release was sent out so late in the day that it even caught some Senior Command Staff at the fire department off guard.

City Attorney Arturo Michel, who came from the private sector, is expected to head back into the corporate world.  So far, Ann Travis, the Mayor's Director of Government Affairs, has not said where she will go.  Travis is the former District Director for then Majority Leader Tom DeLay.  She's got lots of connections on all sides of the aisle, so she should be landing somewhere fairly high profile.

A number of career civil servants in City Hall are expected to stay put, that includes the Director of Special Events Susan Christian, who manages to keep track of all those parade routes year after year.

It brings to question who will be populating the new Mayor's inner circle, whenever the new Mayor is elected.  Janice Evans, who has been Controller Annise Parker's right hand woman for quite a while, is expected to remain with Parker should she win the election.  As for Locke, since he is not a current elected official, he doesn't have a chief of staff that would obviously move with him to City Hall should he win.

Make no mistake about it, there are plenty of people who are angling for jobs, and a few who want to return to a city job.  For example, I ran into Jordy Tollet (the former head of the Convention and Visitors Bureau) a few months ago.  He made it very clear to me that he would love to return to City Hall, and have been chatting with the mayoral candidates to see if that can be accomplished.  Similarly, almost-candidate Bill King is widely rumored to be eyeing the job as head of the Board at METRO.  King has never denied the rumor the few times I've asked him about it.

So there you have it, the musical chairs have started at City Hall, we'll just have to see where all the pieces fall.

Endorsement shifts: Pastors to Locke, Brown to Parker

A week after the November election, Annise Parker’s campaign appears to be gaining some steam.  On Tuesday afternoon, Peter Brown, the third place finisher in the race, threw his support behind Parker.  The endorsement follows a series of analysis by local political watchers that showed Parker either winning or finishing a strong second in many of the precincts.  In fact, Parker's campaign manager Adam Harris feels so strongly about their position that he released an internal memo. Download Parker-internal

 

The endorsement by Brown should help solidify her inside The Loop base, something she already had a pretty strong foothold in anyway.

However, the endorsement game isn’t a simple one to play.  Locke and Brown were stuck in a back and forth debate over who had the endorsement of the African American community.  Brown had three prominent African American ministers on his side.  After Brown backed Parker, Pastor William Lawson, Bishop James Dixon, and Rev. D.Z. Cofield switched sides.  They moved from Brown to Locke.  That means Brown’s supporters will probably split, something our political consultant Dr. Richard Murray has predicted all along.  Half will go to Parker, half will go to Locke.

Is that confusing enough?  Unfortunately, there is no simple answer.  With Locke and Parker very similar on the issues, the biggest voting bloc of questionable voters are actually the conservatives.  Voters in Republican heavy West Houston, Kingwood, and Clear Lake have no natural candidate to gravitate toward.  Some politicos have said they will stay home.  Others wonder if conservatives are less likely to vote for an African American or an openly gay woman.  Either way, I think a good number of this crucial voting block will be showing up.  These are dedicated voters.  They vote for the school board, they vote for bonds, they even turn up for precinct chair elections.

 

So, let the campaign continue.

Beverly Kaufman's not-so-secret plan

A few weeks ago, when Harris County Clerk Beverly Kaufman announced she wouldn't run for re election, I didn't think it was a big deal.  Kaufman's always been friendly, and very available to the media during election season.  She's always good for a "find your precinct and go vote" sound bite.

When she announced her retirement, I assumed there would be a jockeying of candidates from both Democrats and Republicans.  On the Dem side, several names have been bantered about, including Sue Schechter.  On the Republican side, while there have been talk of several semi-notables, the main guy is shaping up to be Kevin Mauzy.  Who is he?  Mauzy has been Kaufman's chief deputy for years, and Kaufman quickly endorsed him as HER choice.

To be frank, I didn't give this much more thought until we taped an elections edition of "City View", ABC 13's public affairs show about three weeks ago.  During a typical segment on voting, Harris County Clerk PR man Hector DeLeon brought Mauzy to our TV studios.

"Where's Kaufman?" I asked.

"She wasn't available," answered DeLeon.

The taping went on as normal, and we talked about early voting, precincts and all the run-of-the-mill stuff.  Fast forward to Monday, the day before the election.  I called up the Clerk's office again, asking for an interview with Kaufman.  DeLeon once again said she wasn't available, but that Mauzy was.  Really? The day before the election? That's when I asked DeLeon if this was all to get Mauzy more TV time.  DeLeon laughed and said "You'll have to ask her, I can't answer that."

Good thing I run into Kaufman a lot.  Yesterday, while covering Prof. Barton Smith's bi-annual chat about the Houston economy, I ran into Kaufman and Mauzy at the luncheon.

"Are you trying to get Mauzy in front of the TV cameras so he'll have an advantage?" I asked.

"Isn't it obvious what I'm trying to do?" Kaufman answered with a big grin.  "It's called earned media, it's very important."

We chatted a bit more about Kaufman's plan.  Basically, during the run-up to the November election, she tried to hand over every on camera media request to Mauzy.  she plans to continue doing that as we get closer to the December run-off.  The idea is to give Mauzy free TV exposure, and valuable name ID.  In addition, since most of the questions asked by the media are mundane, uncontroversial clerk stuff, it's easy to sound like you know what's going on.

Basically, Kaufman's trying to give Mauzy the "air of incumbency" without being an incumbent or an elected official.  This is not illegal, and it just might work.  Think about every media outlet that will need an interview or a quote about voter turnout or polling hours between now and next March.  If Mauzy's the one giving the information, then that's an advantage his opponents can't buy.  It will help stave off Republican contenders, and force Democratic challengers into an even more uphill battle.

Like Kaufman said, it's obvious, and that's just fine with her, and her chosen successor.

The Election, the day after: lots of coffee.

Bleary-eyed politicians dutifully drudged to their day jobs after a long night of both reveling and loathing the election results.  One thing good about election nights is that there are definite winners and losers.  That was the case this time around as well.

First up, the Mayor's race.  After spending more than $3 million of his own money, Council Member Peter Brown managed to finish in third.  He was just barely ahead of Roy Morales, the little-known candidate with very little money.  It was a surprisingly poor showing for a man who poured so much resources in the campaign.  Controller Annise Parker and former City Attorney Gene Locke were the big winners.  With Parker just a few percentage points ahead of Locke.

The Mayoral results this first round were certainly a relief to Locke's campaign.  Even though he had the support of both the Police and Fire Unions, as well as former Mayor Bob Lanier, Locke's campaign didn't run as smoothly as many experts had anticipated.  Now the battle between Locke and Parker for the run-off should certainly perk up the election.  Parker will have her work cut out for her.  Even though she is ahead, Locke's got the backing of a lot of institutional powerhouses, including downtown businesses, and the Houston Association of Realtors, etc.  He's also out-raised her on the money front as well.  It will be interesting to see where the Morales and Brown supporters go.

The Controller's race also yielded a surprise.  Council Member Ronald Green was the front-runner going in, but many political insiders had expected him to go into the run-off facing well-financed Pam Holm.  Instead, by just a sliver of voters, fellow Council Member MJ Khan edged her out.  It will be interesting to see if Green's team questions Khan's nagging issue of residency.  Does Khan live in Houston or not? It's a question that's been raised a multitude of times, but so far, voters haven't paid much attention.

Finally, incumbent council members Jolanda Jones and Sue Lovell will both face run-offs.  This has to be disappointing to their campaigns, as usually incumbents at City Council get fairly easy election cycles.

It's now a sprint to the finish for the December 12th run-off election.  A low turnout is expected, so every vote counts! 

The election returns

With the latest votes showing Annise Parker ahead, a loud roar went up in the Hilton Americas ballroom.

8:31 p.m. 12.8% reporting

Gene Locke: 19,342  27%
Annise Parker: 20,640  29%
Peter Brown: 17,711 26%
Roy Morales: 12,171 17%
 

7:15 p.m. early vote:

Gene Locke: 17,183  29%
Annise Parker: 17,169  29%
Peter Brown: 15,387 26%
Roy Morales: 9,451 16%
 

The Pre-Results election day story!

It's election day! Are you ready?

Four leading candidates who want to lead Houston as our next mayor are running out of time to win your vote. With election upon us and the early voting now over, the candidates for Houston mayor have set their sights on turning out their supporters.

"I think there will be a decent turnout on Election Day. I think that a lot of Houstonians now who are focused on the race and who will actually go out and vote," said former City Attorney Gene Locke.
Experts have been predicting a lower than expected turnout, and so far that's holding true in the early voting numbers.

In 2003, during the last openly contested mayoral election, 76,285 early votes were cast. This year, the number is down to 71,368. Absentee ballots are holding a similar trend with 17,583 in 2003, and so far just 10,759 this year.

"The early vote shows that the vote is a little down than in 2003, but in the end we may have a large turnout on Election Day," said Hector de Leon of the Office of the Harris County Clerk.

The clerk's office says as the race among Gene Locke, Peter Brown, Roy Morales and Annise Parker has heated up, that turnout may increase for Election Day. But not every mayoral candidate is worried.

"I have a strong and deep base of community support. It really doesn't impact me whether it's a low turnout or a high turnout," said Parker.

Polls are open from 7am to 7pm today!

A busy week ahead...

We are in the home stretch now. Just one more week and it will be election night. Finally, the race is getting heated! Yesterday, Gene Locke and Peter Brown held dueling press conferences. Brown at 1:30pm, Locke at 3:00pm. Both men had supporters and campaign signs waving everywhere, and both men indicated that this campaign combat shows no signs of stopping.

This explosion of controversy is more than just last minute campaign theatrics by guys who want to be mayor. Sure, it keeps those of us who cover this stuff entertained, and it gets the candidates much needed free media coverage. On a deeper level though, it shows the power a group of people can have when they vote, and do so regularly.

Political experts have long pointed out that African Americans vote, and in far greater percentages than Hispanics. You can see the reality of this by simply going to early voting locations. Locations in predominately African American areas are generally far busier than those in largely Latino neighborhoods.

Groups that reliably vote and do so in large blocks generally get more attention from politicians, and they are not just grouped by ethnicities. We hear politicians talk about “home owners”, “working families,” and “seniors,” etc. All good buzz words. But you know what the biggest group is? Tax Payers! Congratulations, you pay taxes you vote, the candidates for Houston Mayor want you to head to the polls! Good luck.