16 September 2007
Not every city is afraid of a "food fight"
Mayor White and City Council may not have the stomach for a bidding battle over the right to operate food concessions at Bush Intercontinental, but Albuquerque, New Mexico, has no such qualms. That city is currently soliciting Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for its airport food concessions contract:
DESIGN, DEVELOP AND OPERATE FOOD CONCESSIONS AT THE ALBUQUERQUE INTERNATIONAL SUNPORT - MANDATORY PRE-PROPOSAL MEETING: 09/13/2007, 10:00 A.M. (LOCAL TIME)
RFP Number : RFP2008-003-SB
Closing Date: 11/15/2007
Albuquerque's website even includes a helpful definition of an RFP:
Request for Proposals (RFP) involve situations where the award cannot be made on lowest price alone. Proposals are primarily for services, or include services, and a scope of services is provided by the City. Responses are evaluated by a committee with a predetermined evaluation criteria that encompasses more than price and allows for evaluation of proposals best accomplishing the scope of services. Full details of all current Requests for Proposals are available for free to everyone.
The definition doesn't mention donations to elected officials, or a current vendor's less-than-expected revenues as part of the evaluation process. Go figure.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/16/07 01:39 PM |
12 September 2007
Running the city like a (family) business
The Chronicle's Carolyn Feibel reports that Council today is expected to consider a sweetheart airport concession extension for a politically connected contractor, instead of opening the bid process:
Mayor Bill White and the City Council are poised today to extend a lucrative airport food contract for at least eight years rather than go through a potentially messy competitive bid process.
The concession contract, which is scheduled to expire next June, has not been put out to bid since 1990. The original agreement has been amended three times.
"You're essentially making an evergreen contract here," City Controller Annise Parker said. "I'm also really surprised that an administration that really prides itself on its transparency has made a decision in the back room."
The deal would give JDDA Concession Management, owned by local businessman Jason Yoo, until the end of 2016 to manage the food courts in Terminal C at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, with an option for another two years after that.
Since 2003, Yoo has donated at least $28,000 to the campaigns of eight council members and $1,260 to White.
The city's awarding of food and beverage concessions for Bush and Hobby airports has led to public and politicized "food fights" in the past. The concessions are highly desirable; JDDA took in more than $46 million in revenue during the past three fiscal years, and turned over about $4.6 million of that to the city.
Controller Parker's criticism seems spot on.
Mayor White, who often preaches transparency (when he's not preaching about running the city like a business), seeks to deflect blame for this decision:
The mayor said he initially wanted to rebid the contract, but said he was approached by some council members on behalf of JDDA, which wanted the extension.
Sorry, Mayor White, but you control the agenda, and you have demonstrated a winning track record on your priorities (whether it's SAFEclear, red-light cameras, Houston MediaSource, or dumping Jordy Tollett). This notion that "Council made me do it" is unconvincing coming from one of the strongest mayors in recent Houston history.
Feibel does some good work in figuring out which Councilmembers pushed the Mayor in the direction of back-room dealing:
White declined to name the council members who had stepped forward on behalf of JDDA. But when asked, Councilmen Jarvis Johnson and Michael Berry said they had.
"They had, I guess, a slump in business," said Berry, who received a $5,000 contribution from Yoo in 2005. "And they didn't think it was fair that the contract was up as soon as it was."
JDDA purchased the contract from the previous vendor, Entertainment One Inc., in 2005, but the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and renovations at Terminal C meant lower-than-expected revenues, according to JDDA's attorney, Robert Miller.
Johnson said the extension was the "right thing for the city to do," since food sales declined during the airport renovations.
"The new deal gives us what we need. It also gives the city more income," the councilman said. Johnson received a $2,000 contribution from Yoo this May. Yoo's daughter also worked briefly on Johnson's staff in early 2006. But Johnson and Berry denied any political favors or conflict of interest.
Councilman Ronald Green, who got $5,000 from Yoo in March, also supports the contract extension.
"I wanted us not to have a major food fight," Green said. Extending the contract allows "continuity" and brings in more money for the city, he said.
So, transparency and open competition should be tossed out -- and the contract extended until 2016 -- because there was a slump in the business and a political contributor thinks it's unfair that the contract he acquired has an expiration date?
That's a stunningly unconvincing (and condescending) assertion from Berry and his colleagues.
Matt Stiles further breaks down Yoo's political contributions here.
While we do not support the way this deal was constructed, we do understand why Mayor White is on board (despite his previous rhetoric about transparency):
The mayor agreed to negotiate an amended contract, but added conditions: JDDA had to bring in a partner with national experience in airport food management, boost the city's cut on food and beverage sales, and commit to spending $10.5 million for new food courts.
If the concession were publicly bid, the city probably could get only $7 million for renovations, airport officials said.
Mayor White has consistently worked to create new revenue streams or enhance existing revenue streams for the city during his tenure, so it seems in this instance that boosting a revenue stream trumped his previous rhetoric about transparency. And it's consistent with the theme of "running the city like a business" -- even if it's more like the family business.
Kudos go to Councilmember Anne Clutterbuck, who is a sane and compelling voice on this topic:
"We're elected to make the tough decisions," she said. "I don't think we should shy away from the controversial issues because it might not be something we're interested in working on."
"We need to open it up," added Clutterbuck, who received $1,000 from Yoo in 2006.
We concur.
UPDATE: Councilmember Clutterbuck tagged the item today, saying the process should be opened to competition. Mayor White sounds determined to move forward with the sweetheart extension, however. The tag will postpone consideration of the item until next week.
BLOGVERSATION: NewsWatch: City Hall, ABC13.com Political Blog, Slampo's Place, Lose an Eye, It's a Sport.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/12/07 09:48 AM |
05 September 2007
bH salutes Mr. Perennial Losing Candidate Guy
Today is the filing deadline for municipal elections, and the Chronicle's resident database/spreadsheet guru has the list of candidates.
There will be plenty of time for the serious candidates to tell us all their serious plans. But for now, we're just happy to note the entertainment value likely to come from official candidates Outlaw Josey Wales IV, Michael "Griff" Griffin, and Roy Morales.
Someone ought to do a "Real Men of Genius" spoof of them!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/05/07 09:37 PM |
30 August 2007
Dolcefino and the Sports Authority - Part 3
Part 3 of Wayne Dolcefino's investigation of the Sports Authority gave us a glimpse of internal board members' emails and their unflattering portrayal of Billy Burge.
The story really has to be read to be believed, but some of the "highlights" include Burge's effort to get his niece hired to a $40,000-per-year position; Burge's getting a personalized love song written for his wife by someone who hoped to get future Sports Authority business; the Toyota Center garage that has cost taxpayers over a million dollars; and a ridiculous lack of public meetings (what a shocker!).
All this from a quasi-governmental agency that has access to taxpayer money, with little oversight, and no accountability. It's everything that's wrong with government, wrapped up in one nice little package. And Billy Burge is the bow on top.
In Part 4 tonight, Dolcefino hints that tax dollars might already have been used toward a soccer stadium -- another shocker!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 08/30/07 07:36 PM |
16 August 2007
Emmett tweaks Bacarisse, "Friends" fire back
A couple of weeks ago, the Chronicle's Kristen Mack reported on a bit of political gamesmanship/fiscal leadership (the term you prefer depends upon your loyalties, I suppose) from selected-not-elected County Judge Ed Emmett:
At last week's Commissioners Court meeting Emmett slapped the hand of potential rival District Clerk Charles Bacarisse, who is eyeing a run for county judge. Emmett delayed a vote on Bacarisse's annual leadership retreat by questioning the cost to taxpayers.
This year would be the district clerk's eighth retreat to Moody Gardens for 23 of his staffers.
"It's a boondoggle trip down to Galveston," Emmett said. "Spending $8,000 to take county employees down there and miss two days of work for something called leadership could be perceived as a bad (use) of taxpayer dollars.
This week, the Friends of Charles Bacarisse fired back. Here's an excerpt:
Despite adding at least three newly created positions to his own staff, at an additional annual cost of roughly $197,000 to county taxpayers, newly appointed County Judge Ed Emmett has recently led the Harris County Commissioner's Court in denying a comparatively modest amount of funds for basic operations by staff members in the Harris County District Clerk's office run by Charles Bacarisse — a potential, but as-yet unannounced, GOP primary opponent to the little-known Mr. Emmett.
Let's first look at how Mr. Emmett is lavishly spending additional county tax dollars in his own office. To start, Mr. Emmett has created two new "policy" positions in the office of county judge: his new policy "director," who used to work for him in Washington, DC and who now makes approximately $85,000 a year (based on her $41.05 hourly wage at a full-time rate); and Emmett's new policy "analyst," who used to work for The Emmett Company and who now makes roughly $42,000 a year (based on his $20.19 an hour wage). These two new hires alone make for as much as $127,000 in new salary costs for policy advisors that Mr. Emmett's predecessor, Robert Eckels, did not require.
A third new hire by Mr. Emmett, director of his newly created "placement and employment" department, makes another $70,000 a year based on her hourly wage at a full-time rate. As with policy advisors, Judge Eckels likewise did not require a "placement" director, nor did he need the three different personal "assistants" of various stripes that Mr. Emmett now has. In fact, according the County Auditor's office, the county judge's staff under Mr. Emmett has expanded from 45 full-time positions at the end of February 2007 to 51 in the current pay period. We also understand there are significant renovations on the fourth floor of the county administration building at 1001 Preston to accommodate Mr. Emmett's growing empire. The total cost for Mr. Emmett's spending spree to local taxpayers is not yet clear.
We suspect that these developments have Friend of Bill and likely Dem Harris County Judge candidate David Mincberg smiling.
Incidentally, did anyone see our selected-not-elected County Judge on television discussing the flooding, in his lovely green Harris County polo shirt, with "County Judge Ed Emmett" featured on one side (link to KTRK-13 video)? I felt a little embarrassed for the guy, who either has trouble remembering his name or is really feeling insecure about being the selected-not-elected incumbent.
BLOGVERSATION: ABC13.com Political Blog.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/16/07 11:48 PM |
12 August 2007
Mayor White excels at getting pro bono legal representation for city
This City Hall blog post by Matt Stiles about Mayor White's response to a lawsuit aimed at the city's tougher smoking ban, included information that a law firm will represent the city pro bono. That led to today's story by Stiles about the mayor's ability to get free legal representation for many of the city's legal battles:
The mayor, a former civil litigator, has recruited some of Houston's most skilled — and expensive — lawyers to fight the city's legal battles. White isn't the only Houston mayor to ask lawyers for favors, but he's clearly taken the practice to a new level.
In recent years, he has persuaded top firms to take on chemical companies, coal-fired power plants and nuisance nightclubs. The lawyers say they do it for several reasons: interest in the issues, civic responsibility and their relationships with White.
"I think he's got people at half the law firms in town doing it. I mean, it's hysterical," said Jim Moriarty, a local lawyer who has taken on several high-profile projects in recent years at no charge, including negotiating a $2.5 million settlement with a trash-hauling contractor accused of overbilling the city.
"You know, I laugh when he calls, because I know it's just one more job I have to do," Moriarty said in jest, adding that being asked to do the work is an honor.
"Said in jest," of course, but there undoubtedly is an expectation that these law firms will help out when the mayor asks.
On the sidebar, Stiles has included some of the issues/mayoral pet projects that have relied upon such representation:
• Smoking ban: Kathy Patrick of Gibbs & Bruns is defending the revised ordinance, which bans smoking in most public places starting next month, from a recent federal court challenge.
• Trash: Jim Moriarty of Moriarty & Associates got a one-time city contractor, Republic Waste Services, to pay for an audit and $2.5 million settlement in 2006 after allegations that some of its employees were overbilling the city.
• Revenue cap: Scott Atlas of Weil, Gotshal & Manges has defended a lawsuit over a ballot measure, passed by voters in 2004, that capped city revenues. The case is on appeal.
• Environment: David Berg of Berg & Androphy negotiated a deal with Texas Petrochemicals. The company agreed to reduce carcinogenic emissions and upgrade its facilities.
• Coal plants: Stephen Susman of Susman Godfrey prepared an administrative challenge on behalf of Houston and a coalition of other Texas cities that opposed a plan to build numerous new coal-fired power plants.
• Nuisance nightclubs: Allan Van Fleet of Greenberg Traurig represented the city in a lawsuit seeking to close down three clubs on Richmond near South Gessner that city officials said were magnets for crime.
• Illegal signs: Lance Lubell of Heard, Robins, Cloud & Lubell filed a lawsuit against a sign company that installed billboards in violation of a city ordinance.
BLOGVERSATION: Sit, Ubu, Sit, Houston's Clear Thinkers.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 08/12/07 10:37 AM |
17 June 2007
Judge Emmett: the emir of the state of Incumbistan
Columnist-extraordinaire Mark Steyn made a killer observation last week regarding Mississippi Senator Trent Lott:
I have no serious expectations of Senators these days, but I would like them at the very least to try and sound a little less like the plump complacent emirs of the one-party-state of Incumbistan. Trent Lott fails even that test.
If he gets in, Bacarisse will face County Judge Ed Emmett in a Republican primary. Emmett was appointed by commissioner's court earlier this year when Robert Eckels resigned.
"I know he wanted to be county judge. The folks down at the county considered him and chose me instead," Emmett said of Bacarisse.
Emmett also questioned Bacarisse's qualifications for the job. Bacarisse, 43, has been district clerk for 12 years, his ministerial duties include summoning prospective jurors for state and county courts and maintaining certain court files. The county judge deals largely with regional issues, including transportation and emergency management.
"The other thing that is woefully lacking, is if Charles were not district clerk, what would he be? He has never had a job outside government," Emmett said.
"He's sat at the public trough his whole life."
If Emmett is practicing bare knuckles politics before Bacarisse has even declared, it's a just a taste of what's to come in a primary.
Or it could be to scare Bacarisse out of entering the race.
Emmett said he doesn't understand why "Republican activists" would want a spirited primary when there is going to be a tough general election next year.
The only reason to throw out an incumbent is if you want to do something different or better, Emmett said.
It's a stretch to call Emmett an incumbent said Jim McGrath, a spokesman for Friends of Charles Bacarisse.
"He is the sitting judge. I accord him the respect the office is entitled to. But no one deserves a coronation. There should be a contest of ideas. He needs to be tested in a primary," McGrath said.
"Voters get to decide who has the right experience for the job. No one should be arrogant enough to substitute their own personal will against that of the majority."
Holy cow. Ed Emmett is quite a piece of work. Thanks (again), Judge Eckels.
ADDING MORE: Emmett's quote above really grates, where he says HE was chosen, not Bacarisse. Just because a backroom deal was cut does not mean Harris County Republicans have no say in the next election. From the beginning, Emmett has come across as a fairly unlikable fellow, and maybe that's just his public persona, but he needs to win over voters, and this type of arrogance isn't the way to do it. Voters don't appreciate being left out of the process, and we certainly don't like being told that we don't need a choice.
Also, The Emmett Company, a transporation consulting group, will continue to be headed by Judge Emmett:
Currently, Mr. Emmett is serving as County Judge of Harris County, Texas. The Harris County Commissioners Court unanimoustly appointed him to replace Robert Eckels, who resigned on March 6, 2007. Judge Emmett will continue to own The Emmett Company and direct the overall strategy[...]
I certainly hope some local watchdog journalist will keep an eye on the transportation projects the county approves, if you get my drift.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/17/07 08:39 AM |
26 May 2007
Council Agenda for May 30
It's been a while since I've looked at a City Council agenda, but thanks to Tom Bazan, I saw that the latest one has quite a few interesting items in it.
First is something that caught Tom's eye:
4. RECOMMENDATION from Director Building Services Department for approval of final contract amount of $2,429,031.86 and acceptance of work on contract with CARRERA CONSTRUCTION, INC for Sylvester Turner Park fka West Little York Park, WBS F-504B02-0002-4 - 21.20% over the original contract amount - DISTRICT A - LAWRENCE
Twenty-one percent over budget! Love how government operates. Instead of telling a contractor that they have to work within the accepted contract, and any cost overruns have to be eaten by the contractor, the city gives them more money. Any contractor that accepts city work should be expected to do its own homework to determine if a contract is reasonable when it is approved and accepted. Now imagine the cost overruns for Metro's rail lines and the Dynamo's soccer stadium.
We are still unclear why the City of Houston should be in the subsidized housing business, but it's a priority of Mayor White, so next up are items 39 through 45:
39. ORDINANCE approving and authorizing agreement between the City of Houston, WHITNEY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION and TEJANO CENTER FOR COMMUNITY CONCERNS to provide a second lien construction loan of Federal “HOME” Funds in the amount of $700,000.00 for eligible costs in connection with the construction of ten (10) affordable homes - DISTRICT H - GARCIA
40. ORDINANCE approving and authorizing agreement between the City of Houston, WHITNEY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION and AVENUE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION to provide a second lien construction loan of Federal “HOME” Funds in the amount of $700,000.00 for eligible costs in connection with the construction of ten (10) affordable homes - DISTRICT H - GARCIA
41. ORDINANCE approving and authorizing agreement between the City of Houston, WHITNEY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION and GUIDING LIGHT COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION to provide a second lien construction loan of Federal “HOME” Funds in the amount of $420,000.00 for eligible costs in connection with the construction of six (6) affordable homes - DISTRICT D - EDWARDS
42. ORDINANCE approving and authorizing agreement between the City of Houston, WHITNEY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION and RE-WARD THIRD WARD to provide a second lien construction loan of Federal “HOME” Funds in the amount of $700,000.00 for eligible costs in connection with the construction of ten (10) affordable homes - DISTRICTS D ‑ EDWARDS and I ‑ ALVARADO
43. ORDINANCE approving and authorizing agreement between the City of Houston, WHITNEY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION and ACRES HOMES COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION to provide a second lien construction loan of Federal “HOME” Funds in the amount of $700,000.00 for eligible costs in connection with the construction of ten (10) affordable homes - DISTRICT B - JOHNSON
44. ORDINANCE approving and authorizing agreement between the City of Houston, WHITNEY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION and MACSC AND HOUSING, INC to provide a second lien construction loan of Federal “HOME” Funds in the amount of $210,000.00 for eligible costs in connection with the construction of three (3) affordable homes - DISTRICT D ‑ EDWARDS
45. ORDINANCE approving and authorizing an agreement between the City of Houston, UNITY BANK and HOLMES COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION to provide a second lien construction loan of Federal “HOME” Funds in the amount of $700,000.00 for eligible costs in connection with the construction of ten (10) affordable homes - DISTRICT D - EDWARDS
The HOME webpage states that "participating jurisdictions (PJs) match 25 cents of every dollar in program funds mobilizes community resources in support of affordable housing." Maybe someone can explain which entity will be paying the matching dollars -- City of Houston (taxpayers), or the partner group listed in each entry.
Finally there's this entry:
60. RECOMMENDATION for supplemental allocation of the following funds for Professional Civic Art and Conservation Administration Services Contract for the Houston Arts Alliance:
· $183,000.00 - Fire Consolidated Construction Fund
· $467,500.00 - W&S System Consolidated Construction Fund
· $369,000.00 - Police Consolidated Construction Fund
· $161,250.00 - Public Library Consolidated Construction Fund
· $187,800.00 - Parks Consolidated Construction Fund
· $140,000.00 - Public Health Consolidated Construction Fund
DISTRICTS B ‑ JOHNSON; D - EDWARDS; G - HOLM; H - GARCIA and I - ALVARADO
TAGGED BY COUNCIL MEMBER WISEMAN
This was Item 3 on Agenda of May 16, 2007
Ultimately the recommendation will pass, but we love that Addie Wiseman asks questions about agenda items.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/26/07 08:14 AM |
22 April 2007
Mayor White clears way for Alvarado to regain Mayor Pro Tem title
Last week on the Chron's City Hall blog, Matt Stiles noted a change that's coming to the Mayor Pro Tem office; specifically, administrative duties will now be handled by the city's finance department, as opposed to Mayor Pro Tem staffers. This change comes about as a result of (still temporarily not Mayor Pro Tem) Carol Alvarado's lax oversight of the office while she was in charge:
The idea is to improve oversight by having career finance officials, rather than political appointees, handle the paperwork, payroll and other duties handled by the office. Here's White's take from an interview today:
There is a strong argument and sentiment by council members that there ought to be both responsibility and accountability in a regular city department for the administrative functions in the office.... I don't think any council member welcomes or wants that responsibility.
The plan has the backing of "temporary" Mayor Pro Tem and At-Large 5 Councilman Michael Berry, who outlined the proposed changes in a memo to White [PDF]. He has been running the operation, with the help of an experienced aide from his office, since March.
That's when former Mayor Pro Tem Carol Alvarado, who supervised the four accused employees, stepped down "temporarily" amid an investigation. Prosecutors have cleared her of wrongdoing on the bonuses, but a broader probe into other city officials and procedures continues.
The council sets annual budget totals for each of the 14 offices, and the Office of Mayor Pro Tem has allowed council members some freedom in spending that money under Houston's strong-mayor system.
Not everyone thinks the change is a good idea, however:
Former at-large Councilwoman Gracie Saenz, a lawyer who served as pro tem during the Bob Lanier administration, said:
It is a very strong mayoral form of government. Heaven forbid that anybody gets crossways with the mayor, and that this could be used against a council member. I'm sure that would never happen, but it needs to be discussed.
And former Councilman Gordon Quan, who served as pro tem during the Lee Brown administration, said the change might not be disruptive. But he said it would strip the council members' autonomy in monitoring their offices:
I don't know whether one bad episode means we have to change the whole system.
Well, yes, one bad episode DOES mean drastic changes must occur. That's how Mayor White operates, and managerially-challenged Councilwoman Carol Alvarado agrees:
Alvarado, who knows firsthand the difficulties of maintaining a council office while also overseeing her colleagues' operations, said the mayor's change is "the right thing to do."
Which means she could soon be Mayor Pro Tem again, without having any of that pesky management oversight nonsense to bog her down.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 04/22/07 09:47 AM |
15 April 2007
COH and Metro thank you for your support!
Via the Houston Business Journal we see that sales tax revenues are flowing in quite nicely:
Houston received a sales tax allocation of $35.7 million for April, a 13.5 percent increase over April 2006. Houston's Metropolitan Transit Authority received $36.2 million, an 11.5 percent increase over the previous year, and one of the highest transit allocations for April.
So far this calendar year, sales tax allocations to local governments are up 6.4 percent.
No wonder Metro is confident enough to be venturing into the real estate market!
Meanwhile, with the city raking in lots of money and sitting on a surplus (last we heard), HPD has started a program where citizens can report petty crimes online (via KUHF-88.7):
Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt says they came up with the online reporting in an effort to save police man hours. Each report made online will save about 60 minutes of officer time.
"We think that if we can cut the number of responses to these types of reports in half, we will save about 50,000 man hours a year. Which equates to about 48 full-time employees."
That's good news for a heavily overburdened and stretched police force. Officers will no longer go to the scene, take testimony and file a report by hand.
That means on weekends Chief Hurtt will be able to keep an eye on "minor" crimes from his home in Phoenix, just by logging on. And wait 'til HPD expands the online crime reporting -- Chief Hurtt can stay in Phoenix seven days a week!
BLOGVERSATION: Lose an Eye, It's a Sport
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 04/15/07 08:59 AM |
01 April 2007
The new definition of "free"
Remember how Houston's wifi was to "be free to city government, as well as Houstonians who bring their own laptops to select hotspots, such as large parks"?
The definition of free is $2.5 million over five years:
24. ORDINANCE relating to proposed Citywide Wireless Network; approving and authorizing two contracts between the City and EARTHLINK, INC for 1) a Wireless Broadband Network License Agreement and 2) a Wireless Services Agreement; providing a maximum contract amount - 5 Years - $2,500,000.00 - Central Service Revolving Fund
Hat tip: Tom Bazan
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 04/01/07 07:36 AM |
18 March 2007
Denied Council candidate blasts city
Earlier in the week, the Chronicle's Matt Stiles broke another interesting story from City Hall -- this time on the inconsistent treatment of candidate applications by city officials in recent years.
He followed that story with a report on the complaint by a candidate whose application was recently rejected on a technicality:
Ray Jones Jr., who was denied a space on the ballot for the May 12 special election to replace former Councilwoman Shelley Sekula-Gibbs, filed a petition in state appellate court trying to force the city to let him run.
He contends that city officials denied his notarized application because he left an oath section blank while other candidates with mistakes on their forms were approved.
In a petition to the 14th Court of Appeals on Thursday, Jones' attorney, Richard Leach, also suggested that his client's advocacy on behalf of the disabled in conflict with the city may have played a role.
His daughter, Kristen Jones, who is disabled, recently won a federal court case against Mayor Bill White and the city in which the judge required that dozens of curbs be fixed or rebuilt to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Jones also said he has appeared before the council and other groups to complain about White's policies on mobility and parking.
"It appears that, if you're favorable to the city, then the city will allow you to run," Leach said. "If the city doesn't like you, as in the case of Ray Jones, then it doesn't allow you to run."
We're pretty sure that the current Mayor of Houston has more important things to do with his time than to micromanage the vetting of applications for City Council races.
However, given the earlier reporting by Stiles about the inconsistent application of standards in these matters, it doesn't look good that one of the rejected candidates just happens to be a thorn in the side of the city. We hope that's just an unfortunate coincidence.
BLOGVERSATION: NewsWatch: City Hall, KTRK Political Blog.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/18/07 10:28 PM |
01 March 2007
Surely he doesn't want to be crushed like a bug...
Blogger Tory Gattis attended a lunch put on by the Blueprint Houston utopians and reports this bit of entertaining bluster:
I'd characterize it as a regroup-and-rally for the pro-planning forces after the disappointment last year. To summarize, last summer Councilmember Peter Brown got the City Council to approve a measure directing the Planning Commission to come up with a "plan to plan" - a timeline and budget to create a comprehensive general plan for Houston. They came back at the end of December, and instead decided to focus on the top priorities of mobility and drainage, to much disappointment by the pro-planning forces. My understanding is that the mayor influenced the Planning Commission in this more targeted direction, but I have no specific inside knowledge.Peter Brown attended and was pretty feisty and fired-up. He guaranteed comprehensive urban planning in Houston before the end of his tenure, and noted that he just needs to corral eight votes on the council, with or without the support of the mayor. Pretty bold and gutsy statement.
Mr. Brown was obviously among fellow utopian planner types, and if he truly said that (and I have no reason to doubt the Gattis account), it was probably partly as a result of the euphoria of being among so many true believers. But surely the architect-councilmember understands that with this powerful and politically astute mayor, he's not going to move anything "without the support" of Mr. White.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/01/07 09:06 PM |
26 February 2007
Someone set up Councilmember Johnson a Google Calendar reminder
Apparently, Councilmember Jarvis Johnson likes to use Chronicle reporter Matt Stiles as his own reminder service.
As the reporter notes on the Newswatch: City Hall blog, he's twice reported that Johnson has been late filing his campaign spending reports (doing so only after inquiries from the Chronicle). The councilmember has also declined to discuss the matter with reporters.
As Stiles notes, it's even stranger behavior since Councilmember Johnson has spent a trivial amount of money compared to his colleagues. But it's apparently something Johnson doesn't want to discuss.
Oh well -- at least Stiles serves up the councilmember regular reminders of the legal requirement to file the campaign finance reports.
UPDATE (02-27-2007): Matt Stiles' report appears in the Chronicle today.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/26/07 09:19 PM |
23 February 2007
Chronicle's Mack reviews Council candidates
The Chronicle's Kristen Mack runs down the candidates for the May 12 special election to fill the seat once held by Doctor-Councilwoman Shelley Sekula Gibbs.
Clearly, Melissa Noriega is the favorite, as she enjoys the support of the Democratic establishment.
Former HPD officer Tom Nixon could possibly add some spice to the mix.
Ivan Mayers is of interest only because of his description of himself as a "Nelson Rockefeller progressive."
Too bad there is no candidate who describes himself as a Teddy Roosevelt big-game-shootin' populist. THAT might be enough to attract some interest!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/23/07 11:03 PM |
17 February 2007
County judge successor already chosen?
Along with other local news outlets, KUHF-88.7 is reporting that the person who will replace Harris County Judge Robert Eckels may be former state Rep. Ed Emmett:
[I]t seems the decision for a successor may already be made. At least three members of the court appear to favor local consultant Ed Emmett, including Commissioner Steve Radack.
"He's very talented, very intelligent from Rice University, graduate of Rice University. A number of people have talked to me about him and I've yet to hear one negative word about Ed and I think he'll be a -- you know if Robert does go and Ed gets the vote of the Commissioners' Court -- I think he'll be an excellent county judge."
[snip]
University of Houston Political Science Professor Dick Murray says Ed Emmett has support from both political parties.
"To the average voter he's an unknown person, but he served with Robert Eckels and with El Franco Lee in the legislature so he's known to two of the five votes on the court pretty well and apparently is a well-liked person. And it looks like he may be an acceptable compromise to the members of the court that have to make the replacement."
This appears to be a bio of Emmett.
Back room deals that choose "elected" officials really stink.
BLOGVERSATION: Off the Kuff
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/17/07 08:25 AM |
05 February 2007
City of Houston Agenda 2-6-07
Readers might remember that for a few months, I summarized the City of Houston agendas, first on Houblog, and later, here on blogHOUSTON. However, work commitments and the fact that it took me upwards of six hours to craft those posts led to my abandoning the effort. It's past time I picked the task back up, though I'm not going to go so overboard this time. I will no longer attempt to post explanations or comments about each and every item on the agenda; instead I will select the items I think are most noteworthy and bring them to readers' attention each week. This will make the articles much shorter and easier to get through as well, perhaps inviting more comment.
The drawback is that the original style allowed the reader to decide what was important; now it's up to my judgment. I invite readers to bring any overlooked agenda item to my attention in the comments if they believe it is important; I'll endeavor to update the article prior to the meeting if I have any input to add.
Once again, readers are cautioned that I delete what I judge to be extraneous text, and often paraphrase in order to make the legalese a lot more readable. Such deletions may accidentally result in a key omission; if you wish to read the original text, please follow ths link to the currently posted agenda. Note that I use the full "backup"; the agenda with the actual Requests for Council Action appended. These are often quite illuminating, but are not available online to the public prior to council meetings.
It's a long agenda this week, and I've cherry-picked some really good items for you. Head below the fold and check it out.
Posted by Ubu Roi @ 02/05/07 09:53 PM |
20 January 2007
Put red light camera money to good use
Yesterday ten more red light cameras starting clicking away in Houston; for safety purposes, of course, not revenue purposes (wink, wink).
Interestingly, Charlotte, North Carolina, ended its red light camera program last week after a state appeals court said revenue generated from fines must be turned over to public schools. It would seem Charlotte city officials weren't that interested in safety if it meant losing ticket revenue while still having to pay the camera vendor.
Closer to home, MayorWhiteChiefHurtt could prove their dedication to safety by giving all Houston red light camera revenue to a very worthwhile cause: funding an adoption-only municipal animal care facility.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/20/07 10:58 AM |
18 January 2007
So this is running government like a business?
Slampo's been poking around on the webpages of the Mayor's Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs, and has a few observations:
In addition to advising the mayor on immigration policy---which we thought he himself has said is a federal matter---the office seeks to “inform and educate the public about immigrant and immigration policies, act as a liaison between immigrant communities and city government [and] advocate on behalf of constituents.”
Some picky sorts might take issue with the notion that all people living in Houston are entitled to the “full benefits” offered by the city “regardless of … current citizenship status,” but we wouldn’t quibble with the larger notion that in a city with so many immigrants---many of them legal!---the mayor’s office ought to have some sort of formal liaison with the newcomers and the various institutions, organizations, Bar card holders and gum-beaters who represent them.
But check out almost any issue of MOIRA’s newsletter and it’s apparent that this arm of the mayor’s office takes its charge to “advocate on behalf of constituents” (which constituents, by the way?) to mean advocate in one of the most blatantly partisan and political manners that we’ve seen in supposedly non-partisan city government.
It's the usual good stuff from Slampo, so better go read it all.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/18/07 10:17 PM |
10 January 2007
Mayor bows to reality on Council special election
The Chronicle's Kristen Mack reports that Mayor White has set a May election date to fill the seat once held by Doctor-former Congresswoman Shelley Sekula Gibbs, who resigned her seat to go to Washington for a few weeks:
Giving up on efforts to delay the vote until November, Mayor Bill White today called a May 12 special election to fill the City Council seat vacated by Councilwoman Shelley Sekula-Gibbs when she resigned in November for a brief stint in the U.S. House.
White had hoped for a change in state law to let the city wait until November's regular election to fill the seat, avoiding the cost of a special election that he estimated could cost as much as $4 million.
As the the [sic] legislative session opened this week, however, White realized that he did not have the support of Harris County legislators to push the change through.
Given the speed with which the state government would have had to move on the mayor's request, it was always highly unlikely that he was going to be able to postpone this election. His Boss Hogg White act simply doesn't play in Austin like it does here in town.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/10/07 05:36 PM |
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