01 July 2007
Metro: There IS demand for commuter rail.
In last week's Chronicle story about how the Katy Freeway expansion isn't leaving room for commuter rail, Metro board chairman David Wolff admitted there is demand for commuter rail:
Metro vice president Bryan Pennington told the agency board Friday it was "very realistic" to believe Metro could be operating rail in the Katy Freeway corridor within five to seven years.
"I think that's optimistic," Wolff said afterward. "It's intriguing because the demand is there in the I-10 corridor for rail — but the demand is there for traffic, too."
Well, duh! And if this is the plan Metro had run with, instead of its current boutique-y, light-rail-as-taxi-cab-service plan, there'd probably be more support for rail. As we've said previously, a commuter line along the Katy (Metro was offered that rail-line right of way years ago, but declined it), along with a commuter line along the Hardy Toll Road (perhaps with a jog to Bush Intercontinental), would undoubtedly have greater support and ridership. Anyone who has seen The Woodlands Express buses running down I-45 knows what I'm talking about. Plus, a focus on commuter rail means Metro wouldn't have cut bus service so drastically -- the flexible service that Houston's poor, elderly and handicapped have depended upon for years.
If the goal were truly to get some cars off the roads, commuter rail would be the way to go. But that's not the direction Metro is headed any time soon.
KEVIN WHITED ADDS: This passage caught my eye:
However, Clark said the toll lanes were not Metro's only option for rail. Besides, he said, those lanes would pose problems getting passengers to and from the trains in the middle of a busy freeway.
The Red line and the Blue line in Chicago both have significant stretches that travel along the middle of busy freeways, and people use crossovers with no problems. The locals who criticize the idea of putting rail lines along freeways might want to look at how it works in Chicago, which has one of the nation's better mass transit systems. They might also consider that the Chicago Transit Authority makes very good use of its bus system to circulate riders from rail (people there don't think of buses as "icky"), and that transit users actually do expect to walk short distances. This notion from some locals that local light rail should be akin to a taxi (i.e. running right up to the doorways of "where the people are" as they like to say), in the middle of busy roads (like Main and Richmond), is just bizarre.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 07/01/07 08:50 AM |
30 June 2007
Aiyer pleads guilty to campaign-finance-related charge
The Chronicle's Kristen Mack reports that HCC Trustee Jay Aiyer has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor related to campaign finance:
Houston Community College Trustee Jay Aiyer pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of tampering with a governmental record Thursday and received a year of probation.
Aiyer, one-time candidate for Houston City Council, also must fulfill 160 hours of community service and pay a $750 fine. He also is prohibited from working on any political campaigns during his probation.
Aiyer, 38, a lawyer and former chief of staff for former Mayor Lee Brown, has served as an HCC trustee since 2001.
[snip]
Aiyer originally was charged with a state jail felony, but pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor to avoid a trial.
"It made sense to make peace," Aiyer's lawyer, Dennis Cain, said. "It could have had a massive impact on his future had he pleaded to a felony. It doesn't make sense to risk that kind of exposure. He wanted to put it behind him."
That is some kind of spin from Mr. Cain.
It is difficult to believe that a politician thought to have a bright future would cop a guilty plea to tampering with government documents simply because of the risk of exposure -- unless, of course, "risk of exposure" is translated as "high risk of guilty verdict."
At best, it appears that Aiyer made a mistake -- a really dumb, costly mistake. Indeed, that's the impression given by a part of the legal record reproduced on Miya Shay's KTRK-13 blog (although this is from the prosecutor's perspective):
On April 18th, 2005, Jay Aiyer was notified that a complaint had been filed against him regarding this with the Texas Ethics Commission. Mr. Aiyer was interviewed by HCDA Public Integrity on 11/15/06 and confronted with this information. Mr. Aiyer has told three different stories about when and how he came to file his original schedule F campaign finance report. When confronted with these inconsistencies, Mr. Aiyer came just short of admitting he had stolen the original Schedule F and substituted a more properly filled out one. When asked to tell the truth about what he did, and pointing out what evidences pointed to his tampering with the records, he stated that if he did admit to doing this, it could mean his losing too much.
Kristen Mack reported additional details in an earlier story on the legal charges.
It's an unfortunate and ironic turn of events for Aiyer. It's unfortunate, in that he seemed to have a future in Houston politics (indeed, we praised his willingness to talk about HPD's manpower shortage, back when the Mayor and his Council preferred to ignore the problem). It's ironic that his one-time opponent Sue Lovell's charges against him ultimately led to this outcome, since the appearance of organized labor seemingly purchasing her victory over Aiyer in their Council race also raised legal and ethical questions.
DEEP BACKGROUND: Questions over council candidate's campaign finance (Doug Miller, KHOU-11 News, 04/15/05), HCCS account at root of candidate scrutiny (Kristen Mack, Houston Chronicle, 08/05/05)
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/30/07 03:32 PM |
Fertitta self-celebration pre-empts Phoenix!
Look who attended Tilman Fertitta's celebration of himself last week (according to Chronicle columnist Shelby Hodge):
Police Chief Harold Hurtt and wife Lonetta passed on the tequila but didn't fail to observe the grandeur of the party and of the estate. "There's a lot of opportunity in Houston. That's for sure, and a lot of people take advantage," he said.
Hurtt added that Fertitta had just agreed to serve as chairman of the Houston Police Foundation, "and I'm here tonight to make sure that he doesn't change his mind."
It's good to know that some things in Houston are more important than getting away to Phoenix on the weekends!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/30/07 01:12 PM |
29 June 2007
Mack: Clarence Bradford eyes run for DA post
In a column about Democratic aspirations to sweep Harris County in 2008, the Chronicle's Kristen Mack includes this bit of hilarity:
Former Houston Police Chief C.O. Bradford will take on GOP District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal.
[snip]
The most intriguing matchup will be the DA's race, given the long history between Bradford and Rosenthal.Bradford, who served as police chief in Mayor Lee Brown's administration, still has some battle scars.
Among them, a last-minute pay raise Brown gave Bradford that increased his pension, the crime lab debacle that began during his tenure, and an indictment on a perjury charge that eventually was dismissed by a trial judge.
Bradford was considering running for sheriff — going from the top cop in the city to the top officer in the county seems a more natural jump — but his strategists advised him that Thomas would be able to capitalize on each of those mishaps.
A matchup against Rosenthal would play like a grudge match, potentially giving Bradford some inoculation.
It will be difficult for Clarence Bradford to inoculate himself against his own record during the Lee Brown reign of error, not to mention the pointed criticism he received in the Bromwich reports on the crime lab fiasco.
Come to think of it, Bradford never really has answered to the public following the criticism from Bromwich. His campaign for DA ought to provide an excellent opportunity for him to answer all sorts of questions about his significant role in the crime lab fiasco.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/29/07 11:18 PM |
28 June 2007
3,000
Future Hall of Famer Craig Biggio got his 3,000th hit tonight.
Baseball fans in most cities won't ever get to enjoy such an accomplishment, especially from a guy who stays on the same team his entire career.
Congrats, Bidge!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/28/07 09:40 PM |
27 June 2007
Connelly surveys Houston sports talk radio
There's an interesting story by Richard Connelly on Houston's explosion of sports/guy talk radio stations in this week's Houston Press
There are things we already knew (Charlie Pallilo is tops).
There are things we didn't know (Rich Lord actually claims to over-prepare!).
There are things that raise an eyebrow (like John McClain's on-air flirting).
And much more.
In all, it's a pretty entertaining read.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/27/07 10:36 PM |
Synchronization that doesn't make sense?
The Chronicle ran an interesting column from Lisa Falkenberg yesterday.
With recent stories on red light cameras, Falkenberg started wondering why the traffic lights downtown are "synchronized" in a way that makes little sense (that is to say, they all turn red or green at once, rather than maximizing the numbers of lights that a vehicle moving at an optimal speed can get through).
So she started to ask some of the city's experts.
Wes Johnson, spokesman for the Department of Public Works and Engineering, told me the lights were programmed "in sync" several years ago to help simplify traffic patterns during major downtown road construction.
But that construction was finished a few years ago. Why haven't the lights changed back?
Johnson wasn't sure. "It's real complicated," he said. "It's like rocket science. I've tried to get those guys to explain it."
That's just the way it is. Not to worry. Move along.
Another public works spokesman, Alvin Wright, tried to convince me that the lemminglike traffic-light pattern was "progress." He said it was part of a major mobility project and was helping reduce commute times.
I argued with him, then asked to speak with an expert. "We'll get you educated," Wright joked.
That's just the way it is. Not to worry. Move along, tee hee!
Finally, the expert, assistant public works director Jeffrey Weatherford, validated my concerns. He said he asked the same questions when he moved here from Arizona last year.
The traffic pattern downtown and in midtown's fringe isn't exactly progress, he said. It's a holdover from the heavy construction era. And the proper term for it is "simultaneous green." (Simultaneous red seems more accurate.)
"The driving habits right now of the public when you've got the simultaneous green are that it entices them to try and see if they can get that last green," Weatherford said. "And we don't want that."
Weatherford, who oversees Houston's traffic operations, said the "simultaneous green" remains for two reasons: Staff resources were focused on other parts of town and, when it was implemented, the public responded favorably.
Apparently, he said, drivers were delighted to see all the lights turn green at once and they felt like "gee, the system is working right."
The lights must have been really screwed up before, I thought. How could the stop-and-go pattern be an improvement?
Oh, it was really screwed up before. Falkenberg is lucky she came to the city after the Lee Brown era (or error, if you prefer).
Nonetheless, from "really screwed up" to "halfway screwed up" isn't the best we can do (and it certainly falls short of "world class"), especially after all the PR emissions from the administration on synchronizing lights and improving mobility.
Falkenberg notes that Weatherford has a project in the works to reprogram downtown north-south lights in a progressive pattern, but that he first has to build public support. Here's wishing him well in his efforts (maybe the mayor's PR staff could even help him out). Because like Falkenberg, I can't see why anyone would prefer traffic light eye candy to actual improvements in mobility.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/27/07 09:57 PM |
26 June 2007
Coven Gathering/300 Club celebration: Saturday, June 30
As threatened here, we've decided to have a long-overdue blog gathering on Saturday.
We'll be honoring Vernon Guy and the rest of the 300 Club (commenters with 300 or more comments).
The festivities will take place on Saturday, June 30, at Byzantio on West Gray, from 4pm - ????
If you're a bH reader, blogger, commenter, 300 Clubber, or just feel like sitting on the patio and having a nice drink or Greek appetizer, please feel free to drop by.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/26/07 10:52 PM |
What did we get for our $3.8 billion?
Last week, City Council passed a $3.8 billion budget. We didn't comment at the time, as we were a bit under the weather, but there was a fair amount of news and blog commentary.
As noted in the main Matt Stiles story for the Chronicle, here are some highlights:
* The Mayor and Council reduced the property tax rate slightly, although appraisal creep will still result in an estimated 7% increase in aggregate property tax revenue.
* Spending on public safety will exceed $1 billion for the first time. Council added one police cadet class (for a total of seven), which could result in an addition of 200 net officers if assumptions hold.
* The waste-reduction fee proposed by the Mayor's task force met its demise, which was also noted by Slampo.
We later learned from a Stiles blog post that Councilmember Michael Berry's amendment to abolish the Mayor's Office on Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (MOIRA) was withdrawn, after Mayor White "agreed that the office should end activities perceived as advocacy for illegal immigrants." Advantage: Slampo.
The city budgeted $75 million for HMEPS, which was short of the amount that would have been required by law, had the city and HMEPS not finally reached agreement on the new figure (see also NewsWatch: City Hall) in a deal that allegedly preserves benefits for current city workers but changes benefits for future workers. Nobody really wants to talk about the remaining unfunded liability, but that will now be the next mayor's problem. We'll surely be blogging about it a few years from now, unless we find a new hobby by then.
And finally, there was an odd column from Kristen Mack last Friday on the budget, in which Mack asserted that the budget reflects an overly cautious, micromanaging mayor contemplating a run for statewide office on a platform of tax cutting and public safety. That actually sounds pretty good to us, bringing to mind images of Rudy Giuliani (who cleaned up a worse mess in New York City than even Lee Brown could have caused -- although Lee P. did contribute in his own way). Alas, Houston's spending growth (and fee growth) along with the crime issue cause our mayor to come up a bit short in comparisons with Giuliani (which might have been a less confusing thesis).
So, there's your two-glasses-of-wine-and-nearly-a-week-late review of the budget. Please be sure to add your own thoughts in the comments.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/26/07 10:36 PM |
A conservative columnist for the Chronicle?
Chronicle reader representative James Campbell follows up on the news of Cragg Hines' retirement with this interesting blog tidbit today:
I spoke with Chronicle editorial page editor James Howard Gibbons who said he wants to hire a local conservative columnist to put in the mix of staff columnists. Stay tuned for more details.
That would be quite a development, if Gibbons actually follows through.
Still, we'd settle for a web-savvy columnist who might be willing to shake things up a little -- say, this guy or this guy. They both have journalism backgrounds, after all, and newspapers like that. Plus they're wicked writers (and I like that).
If you have any suggestions for the Chronicle, feel free to leave a comment on Campbell's blog.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/26/07 09:25 PM |
Breaking news you CAN get elsewhere (06-26-2007 edition)
The Chron.com Froot Loops bureau has been watching the TV news again this morning:
A tow truck driver was shot to death in southeast Houston late Monday night, according to televised reports by KTRK (Channel 13) and KHOU (Channel 11).
Authorities gave reporters this account: The driver was leaving a restaurant at Reed and Mallory after having dinner when he was approached by someone who shot him. The driver pressed the gas of his truck and plowed into a pole in the restaurant's parking lot, and died at the scene.
About 100 people who knew the victim gathered at the scene and were shocked to learn of his death.
Police plan to comb the victim's truck for evidence, but have no description of the suspect.
The driver was leaving a restaurant when he was approached by someone who shot him (according to the TV news, of course)?
That's some fine online city news desk the Chronicle is running these days.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/26/07 09:02 AM |
25 June 2007
Maybe if the bayou weren't so brackish...
The Chronicle runs a feature by Carolyn Feibel on the Buffalo Bayou Partnership's Sunday kayaking trip on the Buffalo Bayou.
While this blogger is generally a fan of leisurely sightseeing via kayak, sightseeing via kayak on that particular stretch of Buffalo Bayou doesn't sound that appealing (for free, let alone $50). For those who go, this advice from a Chron.com commenter seems worthwhile:
Make sure to take a shower with antibacterial soap, dress all cuts and scapes and insect bites, this water is polluted and full of sewage during some periods. Consider, going to another place, this waterway is an urban nightmare, even though it appears fine from a distance.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/25/07 09:18 PM |
24 June 2007
Cy-Fair ISD to consider $807 million bond referendum!
Wow:
A Cypress-Fairbanks school bond study committee unanimously approved an $807.1 million bond issue recommendation on Monday.
The bond issue would fund new schools, buses, technology and renovation work on several of the district's existing schools and facilities in the next five years.
The bond issue could raise Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District's debt service tax rate as much as 6.5 cents as the bonds are sold and debt is repaid.
Remember Cy-Fair ISD built the huge Berry Center for $81 million; included in this bond proposal are two high schools that could cost $97 million...EACH!
Bond committee members also considered ways to further reduce the cost of two proposed high schools, which would be the district's 11th and 12th high schools, in the bond recommendation.
They said there was concern in the community about building two schools at about $97.5 million each.
Concern? Ya think? High schools that cost almost $100 million should be a cause for concern. Will they look like this? Or maybe this?
Cy-Fair ISD officials have to worry that there will come a time when residents won't want to fund the continued fluff and extravagance. Will this referendum be too much for Cy-Fair residents? We'll find out.
PREVIOUSLY: Residents send a clear message to Spring ISD, The backlash against school bond elections
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/24/07 10:39 AM |
23 June 2007
KHOU's Lauck files last report
The veteran reporter is stepping away from the news grind because of his battle with Parkinson's disease, which he revealed to the public this week.
Lauck's farewell report is available here. Mike McDaniel's related story for the Chronicle is available here.
Here's wishing Dan Lauck all the best in his battle against Parkinson's. Houston news consumers will certainly miss him.
BLOGVERSATION: Isiah Carey's Insite.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/23/07 03:27 PM |
Chron D.C. columnist Hines to retire next month
Yesterday, MediaBistro's Fishbowl DC reported that Chronicle columnist Cragg Hines is retiring:
FishbowlDC has learned that Houston Chronicle Washington columnist (and former Houston Chronicle D.C. Bureau Chief) Cragg Hines is retiring after 35 years with the paper. A Gridiron fixture, Hines has become one of the great Washington monuments in the journalism community. He is leaving at the end of July.
Chronicle reader representative James Campbell confirmed the news in response to my email query last night.
In light of this news, maybe the Houston-area Coven will have a retirement party for Mr. Hines next Saturday (we can also celebrate Vernon Guy and the rest of our 300-comment club). Details to follow shortly.
So, will Hines be replaced, and will the Chronicle finally hire a moderate-to-conservative columnist to balance its stable of lefties? Or will Jeff Cohen consider shuttering that irrelevant D.C. Bureau altogether?
ANNE LINEHAN ADDS: Awwww, we're going to miss Cragg. Will his famous fur coat end up in the Smithsonian, seeing as how he's a "Washington monument"?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/23/07 12:54 PM |
City surplus jumps to $33 million
In her June newsletter, City Controller Annise Parker announced that the city's budget surplus had increased to $33 million -- $15 million more than last month's surplus:
The city's robust projected FY07 surplus jumped another $15 million this month thanks in large part to a FEMA refund for the city's Hurricane Katrina and Rita expenses.
Houston City Controller Annise Parker reported that the current Monthly Financial and Operating Report (MFOR) projects a $33 million increase in General Fund undesignated reserves compared to $18.1 million reported last month. This is the net result of a $13 million increase in projected revenues and a $1.9 million drop in expenditures.
Revenues
• Intergovernmental revenue rose $8.8 million because of FEMA repayment for city expenses during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
• Projected phone franchise fees are $2.9 million higher.
• Interest income jumped $2 million due to continuing higher cash balances.
• Other Taxes increased $575,000 because of third quarter mixed beverage tax receipt from the state.
• Projection for Miscellaneous/Other revenues dropped $6.4 million. [...]
Just thought you might find that interesting, especially the next time Mayor White says the city doesn't have money for ________ (fill in the blank).
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/23/07 10:13 AM |
21 June 2007
The Museum of Printing History hunts down Houston hoaxes
Houston's Museum of Printing History is one of my favorite local haunts. I've attended meetings there, visited exhibits, and shown off the museum to friends. Writers get a kick out of the miniature book collection. Artists embrace the working galleries and paper making classes. History buffs revel in the recreated printing shops and Early Texas news. This summer the halls are full of stories that brim with deception. Houston hoaxes. Surely I can find a free hour or two between now and the end of September to check this out:
Forgers, Frauds, & Pirates:
Faking the Book
May 10 - September 30, 2007Exposing the dark side of the literary world, this exhibition gathers many of the most infamous examples of published deception to appear over the past four hundred years. Visitors to the exhibition will see copies of the Texas Declaration of Independence and a newspaper account of the death of George Washington, as well as other works. All are fraudulent. Behind these fake objects stand the fascinating stories of their forgers, depicting the wide range of motives and personalities behind these frauds -- which sometimes led to other crimes, including murder. Be sure not to miss our cases devoted to forgeries and hoaxes perpetrated in Houston.
Posted by Vikk Simmons @ 06/21/07 10:36 PM |
METRO fires train operator
KHOU-11's Jason Whitely reports that METRO has fired train operator LaShonda Gordon following a wrong-track incident in May:
Gordon is telling her story here for the first time.
“I blew my horn,” she remembered. “He gave me a proceed sign to come through and I did. I crossed over from Track 1 to Track 2 and I thought ‘I don’t remember getting a command to crossover.’”
She didn’t get one.
As 11 News first reported, a crew was working on the switch and mistakenly left it open causing Gordon’s northbound light rail train, carrying 180 passengers, to move over to the southbound track.
“I’m trying to call on the radio but there were a lot of people on the radio at this time,” Gordon recalled as soon as she crossed over. “I don’t know who was talking or what but I couldn’t get through. So I called them on my cell phone.”
Her personal cell phone, a pink Sanyo, is how Metro found out.
When our story prompted the transit agency to call a news conference on May 21, Metro bragged its redundant safety procedures prevented disaster.
Not true.
Gordon’s call evidently did.
The switch crew didn’t realize the mistake, neither did the flagger and the Metro controller at Transtar never noticed the train on the wrong track.
Of all those people, LaShonda Gordon, the only one to apparently recognize the problem, was also the only one fired.
Just another METRO fiasco. Nothing to see here (say the METRO PR folks), move along.
The Chronicle's Rad Sallee reports on the firing here.
BLOGVERSATION: Houblog.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/21/07 10:20 PM |
Now the Houston Zoo raises admission fees
Okay, this business about the increase in toll road fees this week has been bad enough, but now the Chronicle reports that our friends at the zoo plan to make it a bit more financially difficult to watch the bears and walk among the snakes, bats, and birds at the zoo. Fie. Adults will pay ten dollars and then pay another five per child. While I want the zoo to take appropriate care of the animals, provide a good environment, and continue the great learning experience offered to Houstonians, it does seem a shame that a family of four will be spending twenty (uh, make that thirty) dollars just to gain entrance.
UPDATE: Thanks to Adam, an ever-alert reader, for the math correction. Too much frustration creates a fertile ground for very bad math. Reader Sedosi made the excellent suggestion to check into memberships. I haven't seen anything to indicate a raise in memberships--yet. A family membership (2 adults, up to 3 children) costs seventy dollars. Sounds like a great deal with a lot of additional benefits.
BLOGVERSATION: Lose an Eye, It's a Sport, Off the Kuff.
Posted by Vikk Simmons @ 06/21/07 08:58 PM |
Harris County residents 1, Harris County judge 0
Judge Ed Emmett and Commissioner Steve Radack enjoyed hearing from Harris County drivers yesterday and today regarding the (now dead) proposal to increase fees dramatically on the Westpark Tollway:
Harris County Judge Ed Emmett announced today that the county will not double fees during peak hours on the Westpark Tollway, backing off a decision made two days earlier that was assailed by many tollway drivers and area residents.
``We will cancel the Westpark (peak-hours) increase,'' at the next Commissioners Court meeting, he said.
Member of Commissioners Court, especially Commissioner Steve Radack, have received phone calls and e-mails from residents criticizing the court's decision Tuesday to raise Westpark fees from $1 to $2.50 per transaction during peak hours.
The plan to rescind Tuesday's unanimous vote by the court ``was certainly influenced by the public's reaction,'' Emmett said.
And in spite of the toll road authority hiring a consultant to figure out what to do about the crowded toll roads (no, not the judge's own transportation consulting company), Judge Emmett says there was more that he and the commissioners should have considered:
On Tuesday, Radack said of drivers who couldn't afford peak-hour fees, ``Let them go down Richmond Road. Or they can use Westpark,'' a secondary road near the tollway. His comment especially angered commuters.
But Emmett said Radack's comment may have been useful because many residents phoned or e-mailed to say that Richmond also is congested and is not a viable alternative.
Emmett said he and other court members reviewed alternatives to the tollway and decided that it was unwise to force some drivers onto backed-up secondary streets and highways where construction is under way, such as Interstate 10.
``The truth of the matter is, we and the consultants hadn't factored in the construction on the other highways,'' Emmett said. ``You can't have congestion pricing if you don't have a place for people to go to avoid congestion.''
Uh, didn't factor in alternatives for drivers to use? How much do these transportation consultants get paid, anyway?
This was probably an interesting couple of days for the new judge. And others have noticed, too.
COMPLETELY UNRELATED: Did you know Judge Emmett was named 2005's Transportation Person of the Year?
BLOGVERSATION: Tim Heller's Weather Blog
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/21/07 07:11 PM |
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