29 January 2008
METRO dispatches "queens" to hug frustrated customers
METRO's expensive blogger today described how the transit organization is coping with extra customers at its RideStore, as people purchase Q cards, transfer value from other cards, and engage in other transactions related to the big switchover:
To help get our message out and ease the Q Card transition, three of our best Ask Me team members have been stationed at the RideStore, where lines have sometimes been long, as people wait to get their Q Cards.
At one point in the afternoon, the line was 45 people deep. Those at the top of the line said they had been waiting 45 minutes to an hour. The METRO staff behind the glass windows worked rapidly to process each client.
But among the bored faces, three angels draped in red vests weaved their way through the crowd, each with a bright smile and sparkling eyes. Call them the Ask Me queens. That's what one customer today dubbed the three ladies - part of the 100-member team METRO has dispensed to the rail platforms, transit centers and RideStores to help in our transition to the Q Card.
With the lines 45 people deep, it sounds like METRO should have had fewer "queens" and more people actually helping customers. This rollout has only taken years, so it's not like METRO should have been caught by surprise.
Too bad the "queens" were not dispensing scratch-off cards to customers whose time was being wasted. That would have been a nice touch.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/29/08 09:23 PM |
Chron Eye for the (formerly) anti-Semitic black activist guy
It took two reporters and one photographer to work up this makeover of Quanell the Tenth.
The editorial decision-making that goes on at the Chronicle is just astounding.
BLOGVERSATION: Laurence Simon
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/29/08 08:32 PM |
There's poo-poo in the bayou
The Chronicle's Lisa Jackson reports on a nasty mess Houston is trying to clean up:
City of Houston environmental investigators are keeping tabs on a hot spot at the junction of Country Club Bayou and Brays Bayou that has shown high levels of escherichia coli bacteria in recent water quality test samples.
E.coli, a common type of bacteria, is found in the feces of humans and warm-blooded animals.
Its presence in water generally indicates fecal contamination.
Reni Millar, an Idylwood resident and community leader, said she contacted the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and city of Houston in mid-January after a second dead beaver was discovered at the Gus Wortham Golf Course.
Millar said she also reported seeing a massive amount of sewage pouring out of a storm drain from Capitol Avenue into those waterways.
"I asked for an investigation regarding the dead beaver and water quality," Millar said.
Lisa Groves, an investigator with the city of Houston's bureau of public health engineering department, said water quality tests taken in mid-January showed that the levels of E.coli at that location were higher than the acceptable standard for "contact recreation."
When the levels are above the acceptable level — 394 E.coli per 100 milliliters — waters are not safe for swimming or boating activities.
The Country Club/Brays Bayou test results showed levels at 39,000 E.coli/100 milliliters, Groves said.
Investigators immediately launched efforts to locate the source of the contamination, Groves said. Since high levels of E.coli are associated with sewage and or/pesticides in the water, they worked with the city of Houston's Public Works department to investigate local sewer lines to determine if there were breaks or back-ups in those lines.
She said public works employees cleared a stoppage in a sewer line, which halted the overflow of sewage from the Capitol Avenue area.
They also identified two broken lines, and are working on those repairs.
With all of Mayor White's soaring rhetoric about Houston going "green," we think he needs to focus on keeping Houston from going brown! We all know the mayor wants a new soccer stadium and a new soccer field complex and another convention center hotel, but Houstonians don't want sewage in the bayous.
You may recall back in 2005 when Houston was fined $1 million for "unauthorized discharges from 11 of its wastewater treatment plants." Ewwwww!
In the end, here's the city's advice to Houstonians:
Groves said that residents should report unusual odors, water discoloration, sewage sighting and other water quality concerns to the city of Houston's 3-1-1 service line.
Call 311? Good luck with that.
KEVIN WHITED ADDS: Now that Mayor White has enthusiastically endorsed the idea of suing surrounding communities because we don't like their industrial emissions (we have to admit, it's easier than making tough, expensive choices about infrastructure maintenance and improvements in our own city -- leadership, in other words), will he be as open to surrounding communities suing the City of Houston for polluting the bayous? Just curious.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/29/08 07:51 PM |
28 January 2008
Chron profiles GOP DA candidates
Yesterday, the Chronicle ran profiles of the four GOP candidates running for Harris County district attorney.
Here are links to the stories by Alan Bernstein:
Siegler's career in court comes with controversy
Lykos drops the charm to make court stricter
Leitner was prosecutor, now a defense attorney
HPD supervisor touts accounting, law skills
There was no accompanying profile of Clarence Bradford, but perhaps he couldn't be found by the local press, as he (understandably) tends to hide and go mute whenever the HPD crime lab is in the news.
BLOGVERSATION: Harris County Criminal Justice (I, II).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/28/08 09:26 PM |
27 January 2008
DA office pay raises: How the routine becomes "scandalous"
Several days ago, local media outlets reported that approximately 150 staffers in the Harris County District Attorney's office saw previously approved pay increases go into effect. The increases had been sought by DA Chuck Rosenthal (and approved by Harris County Commissioners) in 2007 after attorneys had received a raise earlier in the year.
Of course, most major media outlets chose not to report it like that, instead emphasizing that the sometime object of Rosenthal's affections (or at least affectionate emails), his executive secretary, received a hefty pay increase as well. Here is a snippet from KPRC-2's reporting, which was more balanced than some:
Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal recently approved an $11,000-a-year raise for his secretary to whom he had sent a series of romantic e-mails. However, he said he was not showing favoritism, KPRC Local 2 reported Thursday.
The raise for Kerry Stevens, the embattled prosecutor's executive secretary and former lover, took effect Saturday, according to county payroll records.
The raise boosts Stevens' salary from about $78,000 per year to about $89,500.
Rosenthal told KPRC Local 2 that Stevens' raise went into effect with 150 others in his clerical and administrative support staff.
The district attorney said he pushed for pay raises for all of his staff members after his attorneys and investigators were given increases earlier this year.
Rosenthal recently admitted that he and Stevens had an affair in the 1980s, but he said that is not the reason she was given a raise. He said it was because she has not had a pay hike since 2003.
"No, she wasn't granted any favoritism because of any relationship we had or you'd have to say that all these other 28 percent of the staff that got increases also got special favors because they were close to me," Rosenthal said.
Stevens' pay raise puts her at the top of her pay grade. Rosenthal has also been criticized for allowing Stevens to use one of the department's pool cars.
But in terms of percentage, other employees received larger raises than Stevens.
Payroll records show that many of Rosenthal's support staff saw salary ceilings increase 12 to 15 percent.
Harris County commissioners approved the salary increases on Dec. 18. Joe Stinebaker, spokesman for County Judge Ed Emmett, said commissioners usually follow recommendations of the county's elected officials.
We mostly agree with Cory Crow, who seems unpersuaded by the media piling-on with regard to this story.
However, we do think the piling-on does help illustrate why it's time for Rosenthal to step down. At the very least, his overly romantic emails and past history with his executive secretary have created a situation in which no aspect of her current or past job performance will be judged fairly or objectively by the media or the public. She may be a GREAT executive secretary, but because of Rosenthal's behavior, most people won't judge her that way -- instead, you'll see fairly routine staff pay raises portrayed as unseemly by MSM and alternative sources alike. It is not really fair to Rosenthal's executive secretary -- but it's a direct result of his bad judgment and inappropriate behavior.
Contrary to the view of Rosenthal's wife, whose letter to the Chronicle yesterday seemed ill-advised, Rosenthal's office behavior and advances toward a subordinate aren't just "private" behavior between Rosenthal, his wife, and his secretary, because it involved a public office -- and because it's human nature now for people to question the office's judgment and motivation on all sorts of matters (including routine ones, like these pay raises). That's another reason why it would be helpful to the operation of the office for Rosenthal to step down.
RELATED COVERAGE: Chronicle, AP.
BLOGVERSATION: Lose an Eye, It's a Sport, Harris County Criminal Justice, Slampo's Place, Red Ink: Texas.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/27/08 11:52 AM |
26 January 2008
Lee Brown's legacy
In Matt Stiles' story about the arrest of Mike Surface and Andrew Schatte, he garnered a laugh-out-loud quote from former Mayor Lee Brown:
Brown said Friday that the corruption alleged in the indictment should not tarnish his legacy of running the city.
He noted, for example, that the city's inspector general had launched an investigation of McGilbra before deferring to the federal authorities. Brown also said he had no dealings with Schatte or Surface.
"Many very positive things happened during my administration," the former mayor said. "It's one event, which does not characterize six years of my administration."
Pause and let that sink in for a minute. Actually, it may take several minutes, once you realize he wasn't kidding.
How should Mayor Brown's administration be characterized? Well, there was plenty of corruption, as has already come to the fore.
He loved going on international trade missions, earning the nickname Out-of-Town Brown. He abhorred bandit signs, with a passion. He didn't get bogged down in the intricacies of public infrastructure. And his dazzling budget skills eventually landed him the chairman's seat at a bank.
How about some more?
He left behind a $1.5 billion pension mess; he required a personal chef; and government work seemed to go on without him even when he was in the same room.
Remember when Laurence Simon cracked that Rice University would use a dumpster to house Mayor Brown's personal papers? Yeah, that's closer to Lee Brown's legacy.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/26/08 06:02 PM |
For two months, citizen tries, fails to get action on graffiti
KHOU-11's Rucks Russell reports on a familiar problem:
Steve Mueller anticipated construction of the new Highway 90 could bring some traffic headaches to the area.
What the leader of the Songwood Civic Association’s Civilian Patrol never imagined was graffiti. “I’ve reported this to TxDOT. I’ve emailed pictures to the mayor’s anti-gang office and also reported it to neighborhood protection.”
He has gotten, what he calls, the run-around for the last two months.
A spokesperson for TxDOT said it is the contractor’s responsibility to get rid of the graffiti, not the state’s.
Mueller feels that everyone he’s contacted is passing the buck and possibly danger to residents.
Government bureaucrats passing the buck? Surely not!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/26/08 03:21 PM |
25 January 2008
FBI arrests two in local corruption investigation
It was at the end of December that we learned that Mike Surface had resigned as chairman of the Harris County Sports and Convention Corp., citing "personal and professional interests" as reasons. About one week later, his name emerged in an FBI investigation as reported by KTRK-13's Wayne Dolcefino:
We've learned the FBI has delivered subpoenas to Houston City Hall looking for records of dealings with two companies and contractors with close ties to a slew of local politicians involved in the creation of city fire stations, county jails and even our football stadium.
Today, the feds came calling for him and an associate (again via Wayne Dolcefino):
It was just before 9am today when FBI agents arrived with their corruption catch at Houston's federal building. Two of the city's most politically powerful developers, Andrew Schatte and Michael Surface, were arrested on public corruption charges.
Their arrests will likely trigger political shockwaves through town. Before this morning, Schatte had a long list of close friends in Houston government, from city hall to the commissioners court to the Houston Firefighters Pension Fund.
Three years ago, Schattes' name first surfaced in a Justice Department investigation. Houston's former building director, Monique McGilbra, and Mayor Brown's former chief of staff, Oliver Spellman, were snared in that bribery case, but at the time, Schatte escaped indictments.
Schatte and Surface were partners in a company called Keystone, which developed Houston's troubled emergency center and others.
It would appear Schatte and Surface have some major "personal and professional interests" to attend to at the moment.
UPDATE: KHOU-11 adds more:
11 News cameras caught up with the two men as they left court. Surface posted a $100,000 bail.
He and Schatte were indicted on three counts of conspiracy and wire fraud. Surface is also accused of making false statements to authorities.
The charges allege that the two coordinated payments to a city of Houston employee, including trips, football tickets and thousands of dollars in cash in exchange for the awarding of the contract to build the Houston Emergency Center and a downtown fire station.
Both men say the charges are based on questionable claims. Both pled not guilty Friday.
Two people have already convicted in the bribery scandal.
Monique McGilbra, the former head of Houston's building services department pleaded guilty to accepting a bribe. She was sentenced to three years in prison.
Oliver Spellman, the one time Chief of Staff for former Mayor Lee Brown also pleaded guilty to taking bribes in exchange for city contracts.
Spellman got probation and a $10,000 fine.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/25/08 07:11 PM |
KHOU reports on more HPD Crime Lab problems
KHOU-11 posts the latest distressing news about HPD's Crime Lab:
The head of the Houston Police Department’s DNA testing lab has resigned and two other crime lab employees have been suspended following an investigation into cheating by staff members of the embattled crime lab.
Vanessa G. Nelson, the DNA Section Chief of the HPD Crime Lab, left the department Thursday after tendering her resignation.
Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt also suspended Sujatha Yarlagadda, a criminalist for the lab, indefinitely.
Another unidentified crime lab employee was placed on temporary suspension, according to HPD.
The resignation of the section chief and the suspension of two employees came after 11 News revealed that members of the crime lab were alleged to have cheated on mandated proficiency exams.
For those who may wonder why the bloggers (and many commenters) here are often so derisive about governmental press releases extolling what a wonderful job [Name the Organization] is doing with [Name the Project], the ongoing saga of the HPD Crime Lab is a nice example of why we try to maintain a degree of skepticism even when we are assured everything is swell. Thankfully, KHOU-11 has remained on top of this story for quite some time.
We'll be looking forward to a frank discussion of the crime lab's ongoing problems during the campaign for Harris County District Attorney this year, given one candidate's significant role in the bungling.
UPDATE: Here is the latest email blast from KHOU:
The DNA/Serology Section of the HPD Crime Lab has been shut down after the head of the Houston Police Department's DNA testing lab resigned and two other crime lab employees suspended following an investigation into proficiency exam cheating by staff members. Exclusive details on 11 News at 5 p.m. and KHOU.com.
The earlier KHOU story has been updated to reflect the shutdown.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/25/08 04:42 PM |
County Judge torpedoes Astrodome Redevelopment extension
Earlier in the week, Anne Linehan noted County Judge Ed Emmett's opposition to granting the Astrodome Redevelopment utopians yet another extension of their exclusive redevelopment rights to the decrepit dome stadium.
It therefore came as no surprise that Emmett's view prevailed (as reported by the Chronicle's Bill Murphy):
A company's bid to reinvent the Astrodome as a convention hotel suffered a major setback Wednesday when a county board refused to give it more time to negotiate a lease and finalize a loan.
Entrepreneurs from Astrodome Redevelopment Co., aiming to transform the building once known as the Eighth Wonder of the World into a 1,300-room, $450 million hotel, say their quest isn't over.
But the decision made Wednesday by the Harris County Sports and Convention Corp.'s board drops the development company's exclusive right to strike a deal, allowing the county to entertain other proposals to find a second life for the venue.
"It's really up to them whether it is the death knell," said County Judge Ed Emmett, who made a rare appearance before the board to ask it not to give Astrodome Redevelopment more negotiating time. "They still can move forward."
The sports corporation's board refused to extend the negotiating period on a 4-0 vote. Board members declined to discuss the vote in detail, saying there are confidentiality provisions in the letter of intent that limit what they can divulge.
[snip]
The Dome's future rests with two bodies. The sports corporation will review options and vote on a plan. Commissioners Court gets final say.
[snip]
With the letter of intent set to expire Jan. 29, county attorney Mike Stafford notified Commissioners Court that it would be appropriate to grant a 90-day extension because county financial experts hadn't finished analyzing the deal.
Emmett, however, urged the board Wednesday to deny the extension.
"There is no financing package that has been presented to the county," he said. "We are in a circumstance that this has been going on for years. There comes a point at which you can't just keep granting extensions."
Kudos to Judge Emmett for exercising some leadership on the matter and getting the county out of what has been an unproductive holding pattern.
Both Murphy's story and Jessica Willey's reporting for KTRK-13 emphasize that nothing precludes Astrodome Redevelopment Corporation from finally putting together a solid proposal and moving forward, but the group will no longer enjoy exclusive rights to do so. So, if the Astrodome can possibly be rehabilitated into a useful property, now is the time for all interested parties to move forward with their proposals. If not, we hope the management plants plenty of trees around the new parking lot (blogHOUSTON likes trees).
BLOGVERSATION: Off the Kuff.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/25/08 08:27 AM |
Mayor White will encourage Dynamo to use sports complex
A common theme in Tom Kirkendall's posts on Houston boondoggles is how the city would be much better off spending money on infrastructure improvements. That comes to mind when reading yesterday's Chronicle story about Mayor White's proposal to buy land for a sports complex he hopes the Dynamo will use:
The complex, a long-awaited home for youth and adult soccer teams, will probably include 18 playing fields, Mayor Bill White said. The council will need to approve the land purchase for $6.42 million.
Councilwomen Anne Clutterbuck and Melissa Noriega placed a one-week hold on the item. Clutterbuck said the administration did not give council members enough time before the Wednesday vote to review the details of the purchase.
The property is just northwest of the intersection of Almeda-Genoa and Texas 288.
White said the complex would include parking, but added that not all fields would be used for soccer.
He said the city would explore funding partnerships with corporate sponsors, Harris County and surrounding cities. The Houston Parks Board, a private nonprofit that supports parkland, will help raise private funds, White said.
White said the city will "highly encourage the Dynamo to build a practice facility on that land and pay a fair rental rate."
The city is still negotiating to purchase land downtown for a possible stadium for the MLS team. White reiterated his position that the stadium itself be privately constructed. He also said that if the deal with the Dynamo falls through, the city would find another use for the land or sell it.
That's an awful lot of wishing and hoping with millions of taxpayer dollars at stake. One would think these deals would be solid -- you know, with signatures and guarantees -- before the city loosens up the purse strings.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/25/08 05:07 AM |
24 January 2008
METRO blogger: Q Card rollout is swell!
It may have rolled out weeks months years behind schedule, but the Q Card is a major success!
At least that's what METRO's expensive blogger is proclaiming:
It's been three weeks after we officially launched the Q Card. How are we doing?
Despite some of the glitches a few of you have written about on this blog, the system is working, outreach efforts are working, and cards are getting into the hands of our riders.
How exciting for METRO! We hope Rad Sallee and the neighborhood sections of the Chronicle report this as quickly as possible. Maybe they can even include the METRO blogger's cool graphic!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/24/08 11:41 PM |
City forester: "Compromise" Kirby widening plan won't save many trees (updated)
Remember all the hoopla when it appeared that the Kirby widening project had been modified in a way that would preserve trees and walkability?
Apparently, it was another case of irrational exuberance from pols (imagine that!).
Michael Reed reports for ExaminerNews.com that the city's forester says most of the Oak Trees along Kirby are unlikely to survive the widening, even after the big "compromise":
Despite a compromise that reclaimed 7 feet of paved width from a plan to revamp Kirby Drive, it now appears that all of the trees between Richmond Avenue and Westheimer Road will be lost to construction.
Houston foresters told a group of about 30 residents Thursday that after walking the site Dec. 7, it was determined that even with a roadway that is 73 feet across, the majority of trees will be unable to survive.
City Forester Victor Cordova said only eight trees within the area have a “realistic chance” of surviving, and that is because they are relatively small rather than in a viable location. He called moving those trees “a very expensive venture.”
At an often-heated meeting Sept. 15, about 150 residents were told by an Upper Kirby Redevelopment Authority (TIRZ) arborist that plans to widen Kirby to 80 feet would mean the removal of all 143 live oaks and 18 smaller trees from the area.
However, at a follow-up meeting Oct. 4 a compromise was announced between the TIRZ and the nonprofit Trees of Houston that was intended to save “as many trees as possible.” However, no numbers were provided.
“Give us another 3 feet on either side and we can talk,” Cordova said of the logistics for the drainage project that will include pedestrian-friendly amenities and buried power lines.
Unfortunately, for those who hoped to see at least some of the present trees remain, traffic ordinances and safety issues preclude Kirby from being rebuilt at its present 66-foot width.
As David Crossley suggests, when city policy requires that so many valuable trees be destroyed to accommodate SUV drivers who find the current lane widths "uncomfortable" there is something seriously wrong with city policy.
UPDATE (01-28-2008): The Chronicle finally got around to covering this story on January 27. The Examiner News story ran on January 23. Way to get scooped by the little neighborhood newspaper, Hearst!
BLOGVERSATION: Houston Strategies.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/24/08 11:33 PM |
Is a Continental/United merger in play again? (updated)
Justin Baer reports in the Financial Times that United Airlines may consider rekindling merger talks with Continental Airlines:
United Airlines is considering a new round of talks to merge with Continental Airlines if its negotiations with another rival, Delta Air Lines, end without an agreement, people familiar with the company's plans said.
Glenn Tilton, United chief executive, an outspoken proponent of industrywide consolidation, signalled on Friday that the Chicago-based airlines could still strike a deal even if Delta merges with Northwest Airlines. Delta opened negotiations with both United and Northwest earlier this month, the people said.
[snip]
United and Continental discussed a possible merger a year ago after US Airways made a hostile bid for Delta, which was then under bankruptcy protection, the people said.
Those talks cooled after Delta rejected US Airways' advances, but the two sides remained in touch, they said.
[snip ....] United and Continental will probably need to wait for their peers to reach a deal before they sign their own accord; Northwest has the right to block a Continental merger under most conditions. Continental in turn can buy out that so-called golden share for $100 once Northwest reaches an definitive agreement of its own.
The Chicago Tribune's Julie Johnsson reports that one past stumbling block may not be now:
[United] was on the verge of combining with Delta a decade ago, but the deal fell apart over labor issues, sources say. And United has talked repeatedly with Continental but could never sort out ego concerns, like which team would run the company.
That's less of an obstacle this go-round, since Tilton appears more open to ceding control, say people close to United.
But that creates uncertainty as to whether Chicago's hometown carrier still would be based here after a merger.
A Continental/United merger would create a massive consolidated airline, but I think many Continental frequent travelers (not to mention executives) share my concerns over any merger that might displace Continental's excellent management team. This could get interesting if United is serious about a merger in which the smaller airline's management team gets to run the show (it's just hard to imagine that United is serious).
UPDATE (01-25-2008): The Chronicle decided to cover one aspect of this story today. Note the following paragraph from reporter Bill Hensel:
That 2006 agreement, provided United almost $5.5 million in financing to assist with the build-out of office space, along with as much as $10 million in fuel tax relief, if the carrier moved its corporate headquarters downtown from suburban Elk Grove Village instead of out-of-state. In return, United promised to remain on Wacker Drive, staffed with no fewer than 325 full-time workers, for at least 10 years.
If that seems really familiar, that's because it is! Here is the paragraph in the Jan. 20 Chicago Tribune article (linked above) that Hensel apparently lifted and rewrote only slightly:
In 2006, the City of Chicago offered United $5.5 million in tax-increment financing and up to $10 million in fuel-tax relief as incentives to move its corporate headquarters downtown rather than out of state. In exchange, United agreed to remain at 77 W. Wacker Drive, staffed with at least 325 full-time workers, for at least 10 years.
We're pleased we could help the hometown newspaper cover the hometown airline, but here's a little hint for the future: Using Google News alert emails will allow you to grab and rewrite copy from other newspapers much more quickly! In the internet age, your turnaround time should really be better than five days.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/24/08 12:14 AM |
23 January 2008
A novel counterproposal
As commenter Rorschach notes here, the City of Houston is apparently considering selling the Hilton Americas Hotel to help finance another convention center hotel. Nancy Sarnoff and Carolyn Feibel report for the Chronicle:
The city of Houston is considering selling its 1,200-room Hilton Americas-Houston convention center hotel.
The sale would allow the city to pay off bonds used to finance the property and create more financial flexibility to undertake another project, such as a second convention hotel downtown.
That's according to Richard Campo, chairman of the Houston Convention Center Hotel Corp., the nonprofit created by the city to develop and own the hotel.
City leaders have been talking about bringing another large hotel to a site next to the George R. Brown Convention Center and across the Discovery Green park from the Hilton Americas, Mayor Bill White said Monday.
For a sale to occur, however, the city would first have to clear up hotel-related obligations tied to its employee pension fund.
The City Council approved a proposal in 2004 to use the Hilton Americas as collateral to cover $300 million of a $2 billion shortfall in the Houston Municipal Employees' Pension System.
Instead of issuing a bond, the city worked out an arrangement with the pension system allowing it until 2033 to pay off the obligation. In exchange, if the city defaulted, it would have to turn over ownership of the hotel.
But as soon as next week, the city plans to seek council approval to issue pension obligation bonds that would pay off the note to the pension fund, said Judy Gray Johnson, the city's director of finance and administration. The city owes the pension fund about $360 million, including interest.
Here is a novel counterproposal for city leaders: Fund the pension instead of (mis)using the Hilton Americas as collateral, sell the hotel, get out of the hotel business, and stay out of the hotel business.
BLOGVERSATION: Houston's Clear Thinkers.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/23/08 11:41 PM |
Chron metro columnist follows up on Alice (TX) puppy
A few weeks ago, Chronicle metro columnist Rick Casey posted what was basically a rewrite of various stories from the Alice (TX) Echo News Journal on an odd fight over a puppy (he did credit the newspaper, which isn't always the case).
Casey has followed up by taking a cue from the Chron Froot Loop bureau, and has posted a rewrite of the most recent developments in the great Alice puppy caper, as reported by Corpus Christi television news reporter Gabe Caggiano.
We're still not sure why the Houston Chronicle (whose diminutive editor sometimes emphasizes "Houston") employs an alleged hotshot metro columnist to rewrite reporting from small-market Texas newspapers and television stations, but maybe some readers find it compelling.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/23/08 10:55 PM |
Houston's best employers
KPRC-2 and the Houston Business Journal report on Fortune Magazine's list of top employers, and Houston has four of them. From the BizJournal story:
The Methodist Hospital System broke the Top 10 this year after being in ninth place on the 2007 list. The health care organization continued to be the highest-ranked local firm.
Among the things that earned the system its ranking were its "No One Dies Alone" program, in which employees volunteer time with terminal patients, and the fact that every employee except top executives and physicians received a $200 Kroger grocery card.
Falling a couple of notches was David Weekley Homes LP, which ranked 17 on the list, down from 12th place last year. In light of the homebuilding slowdown, the company canceled its annual reward trip and tripled severance pay for laid-off employees.
Camden Property Trust (NYSE: CPT) came in at No. 50. It offers its employees a 20 percent rent break if they live in any Camden-operated complex. They also can spend a week's vacation at a Camden corporate unit for just $20 a night.
Oil-and-gas driller EOG Resources (NYSE: EOG) jumped to No. 64 on this year's list from No. 83 last year. As well as providing all employees with share options, EOG also matches charity contributions up to $60,000 per employee per year and offers 100 percent health-care coverage.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/23/08 05:02 AM |
Astrodome Redevelopment group wants another extension
Harris County's deadline for resolving financing issues related to turning the Astrodome into a destination resort is less than a week away, but the redevelopment group wants another extension. Judge Emmett and Commissioner Radack oppose an extension, but Harris County attorney Mike Stafford says giving the group more time is reasonable (via the Chronicle):
"There are still irresolvable issues. The financing was supposed to be in place," Emmett said. "At some point, you say enough. Either you have definite financing or you don't."
Emmett and other members of Commissioners Court have said they understand that the majority of county residents feel attached to the Astrodome — the world's first domed stadium, dubbed the "Eighth Wonder of the World" when it opened in 1965 — and would like to find a second life for the facility.
Radack has questioned whether reinventing the Dome as a 1,200-room upscale hotel is financially viable. He also has said he does not want the county forced into the hotel management business if Astrodome Redevelopment's $450 million investment falls through and it defaults on a loan.
Stafford said it would be appropriate to grant an extension because the county's management services department needs more time to analyze the deal.
The decision on whether to grant an extension rests with the sports corporation, which is scheduled to meet today.
"We probably would be inclined to take the advice of the county attorney, but it would be inappropriate to discuss the issue in detail," sports corporation vice chairman Charles "Sonny" Sowell said.
This boondoggle isn't dead yet.
BLOGVERSATION: Professors R-Squared.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/23/08 04:54 AM |
22 January 2008
City ready to build ANOTHER convention hotel?!
Today's news, that Houston is looking into how to get a second convention hotel downtown, is just stunning:
The city is considering plans to bring a second convention center hotel to downtown, in an effort to take Houston one step closer to becoming a top convention destination.
Officials involved said Houston gets scratched off the lists of a lot of convention planners because it has a limited number of downtown hotel rooms.
"The current convention center hotel is filling up, and Houston can attract more conventions if it had more hotel rooms in the Central Business District, and specifically, close to the George R. Brown Convention Center," Mayor Bill White said Monday.
The plan is in its early stages, with input being collected from groups that include the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau, the city's Convention & Entertainment Facilities Department and the Houston Convention Center Hotel Corp.
"We're trying to figure out what it would cost and how it would get financed," said Richard Campo, board chairman of the hotel corporation.
[snip]
Downtown hotel occupancy was 66.1 percent through November of last year. It was down slightly because 2007 was not a strong convention year, said Keeling of PKF Consulting.
The Hilton Americas has been performing well, Campo said. But for a new hotel, the ideal scenario would be for a private developer to build it.
The mayor said there are "significant pools" of private capital available that did not exist when the Hilton Americas was financed.
Greg Ortale, president and CEO of the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau, told the Chronicle on Monday that some type of public support would be needed.
Houston hasn't learned a thing.
BLOGVERSATION: Lose an Eye, It's a Sport, Houston's Clear Thinkers.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/22/08 05:01 AM |
21 January 2008
Soccer stadium and rail lines
Last week in our Local Blog Talk section, Kevin linked to Christof Spieler's post about how Mayor White's newly proposed downtown soccer stadium sits right in the middle of two proposed light rail lines.
In today's Move It! column, Rad Sallee takes up the topic and refers to "local bloggers" having raised the issue, without actually naming the local bloggER -- singular. As Cory Crow notes, it's odd that Sallee didn't name Spieler, and link to his post.
But then there's this quote in Sallee's story:
Mayor Bill White's spokesman Frank Michel said that is no surprise to the city or Metropolitan Transit Authority, since both have been involved in stadium talks with the Houston Dynamo soccer team since last spring.
Whoa! Are we to infer then that this location has been the preferred location since last spring? That would have been news to many of us! But then again, Mayor White was very stingy with details as negotiations dragged on.
Maybe the new stadium location wasn't a surprise to the city or Metro or the Dynamo. But it surely was to just about everyone else.
One commenter to Sallee's column wonders if the Dynamo will pay all the costs associated with making changes to the two light rail lines. Good question!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/21/08 08:27 PM |
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