21 October 2010
Texas Watchdog: Harris County officials find no evidence of voter intimidation...
We've editorialized on the "voter intimidation" narrative that emerged at the start of early voting this week, a meme that (sadly) found its way into news reporting for two leading Houston MSM news organizations. Today, we are pleased to reprint (via the Creative Commons license) Texas Watchdog's in-depth review of those early voter-intimidation allegations. Thanks again to Texas Watchdog for making their work available via Creative Commons (we noticed the Chronicle took advantage of their excellent reporting earlier this week as well).
Harris Co. officials find no evidence of voter intimidation; co. attorney Ryan mediating election spat, says no conflict in donation to Houston Votes; feds not investigating tea party group
by Steve Miller
The state Democratic Party says that Republicans are using a group called the King Street Patriots to recruit poll watchers, who are in turn intimidating mostly Democratic and minority voters. Democrats have come to the defense of Houston Votes, a left-leaning group accused of voter registration fraud.
But among the mediators of the meeting was Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan, who has accepted and given donations to groups tightly connected to the Democratic side.
In April 2009, Ryan donated $1,000 to Houston Votes for its voter registration effort. Houston Votes was accused in August of numerous voting violations by Harris County Voter Registrar Leo Vasquez, including falsification of government documents. (See the Texas Watchdog story here.)
In May 2009, Ryan, a Democrat, accepted a $500 donation from Fred Lewis, who heads Texans Together Education Fund, for which Houston Votes serves as the get-out-the-vote arm.
And in March, Ryan donated another $100 to the Texans Together Education Fund for a luncheon ticket, and has given other similarly sized donations to Texans Together over the past few years, records show.
Ryan's first assistant, Terry O'Rourke, said the donations presented no conflict.
"Take a look at the size and the timing of that. There's nothing unlawful," he said.
Earlier this month, Ryan's office punted a public records request from a King Street Patriots volunteer to the attorney general, who will decide whether certain voter applications and volunteer deputy applications should be released. The AG's decision, called an open records letter ruling, would likely come after the election.
Ryan told the folks gathered in his office Tuesday that he would send investigators to take statements from "various people in the early voting stations where the trouble had occurred," according to Harris County Democratic Chairman Gerry Birnberg.
County officials found no proof of trouble
And all accusations of intimidation were looked into by the Harris County Clerk’s Office, which found no proof of any malfeasance, said Hector DeLeon, a spokesman for the office.
"We processed 26,031 votes, we had 14 complaints, all from Democrats, of intimidation," DeLeon said. "We had no complaints on Tuesday or [Wednesday]."
Representatives from his office went to each site of a complaint, spoke with officials there and found nothing to uphold any allegation of trouble, he said.
Still, Ryan called for a monitor from the U.S. Department of Justice, although reports that the DOJ was looking into any particular group – including declarations that some tea party members were involved in the intimidation accusations -- were incorrect.
DOJ: No investigation into any specific political organization, tea party
"The department is looking into allegations of misconduct in polling places that occurred in Harris County during the first day of early voting," DOJ spokeswoman Xochitl Hinojosa said via e-mail. "There is no investigation into any specific political organization, including the tea party, at this time regarding this matter."
Birnberg, the Democratic party chair, insists there was intimidation and that it has continued.
"The complaints the clerk's office deals with are different from the complaints we are receiving," he said. "We get the documented stories of intimidation, from credible sources. One was on the board of trustees at Houston Community College. One worked for a Texas senator."
The fracas, which involves investigations, lawsuits, ethics complaints and allegations of intimidation and improper activity at polling sites, stems from Vasquez' assertion in August that Houston Votes had turned in thousands of faulty voter registrations. The lame-duck Republican compared the work of Houston Votes to that of the much-maligned ACORN in a press conference.
The King Street Patriots is a conservative group that has taken up squelching voter fraud as a key issue, through its True the Vote arm. It provided Vasquez research of its findings before that press conference.
It’s too early for the King Street Patriots to file a tax form 990, which would shed light on the scope of its operation.
Claims, finger-pointing between political parties common in Houston, across U.S. around Election Day
But the maelstrom that has engulfed the Rosenberg-based political operation has moved the group from tea party niche status into the bulls-eye of Democrats and progressives.
Shortly after Vasquez announced the voter fraud investigation, state Dems responded by suing him.
The Patriots skated on that legal action, but this week the Texas Democratic Party amended an existing lawsuit against the Green Party to include the group.
"We're not interested in political gamesmanship," said Catherine Engelbrecht, who leads King Street Patriots. "We're interested in free and fair elections. We're doing nothing more and nothing less than any citizen has the right to do."
Houston Votes has not returned calls over the past several weeks.
Late last week, Texans for Public Justice, a liberal Austin-based group that focuses on corporate abuses of the political system, filed a complaint against the King Street Patriots with the Texas Ethics Commission.
The election next month has galvanized legions of special interest groups as well as the Democratic and Republican parties. Polls hint at large Republican gains in all levels of government, ginning up actions that traditionally provide as much news as the election itself.
In 2008, Wisconsin voters were allegedly targeted by Republicans with pre-printed absentee ballots that, if not mailed, would potentially thwart that voter’s in-person ballot.
In 2002, it was falsely predicted that Republicans would post poll watchers at strategic national locations to intimidate voters.
An investigation into race-related intimidation in Florida by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights found no evidence of voter intimidation but instead blamed flawed technology for possible miscounts.
Contact Steve Miller at 832-303-9420 or [email protected]
Photo of a polling place sign by flickr user momboleum, used via a Creative Commons license.
Texas Watchdog story reproduced via Creative Commons license. Original story is located here.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/21/10 01:23 PM |
20 October 2010
News and views roundup (10/20/10 edition)
Today's news and views roundup comes late....
- Major ReNew Houston/Prop 1 Contributor Steps in it - Again (Big Jolly Politics)
- Conflict of Interest on Red Light Cameras (Ed Schipul, Chron.com)
- City of Houston shopping for federal lobbyist, looks to trim overall lobbying costs (Steve Miller, Texas Watchdog)
Trimming costs? How can this be? I thought Bill White ran Houston like a business and cut all the fat? - Harris County Attorney addresses allegations of voter intimidation at polls (KHOU-11 News)
In contrast to the Lazy MSM Narrative (tm) discussed here, this is how more balanced TV news journalism can look. UPDATE: Sometime after I linked this story, KHOU.com posted a fairly significant rewrite of the original story I linked at the same url. Local media (looking at you too, Chron.com) need to learn to post stories to new URLs when they do these sorts of rewrites. - The End of the Harris County District Attorney's Office (Life at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center)
- Fair game? (Perry vs World)
To answer PvW's question: No.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/20/10 08:08 PM |
Voter Intimidation: Correcting the "narrative"
The first two days of early voting are done, and the Big Story so far, if we follow the Lazy MSM Narrative (tm), is that a bunch of thug pollwatchers from a local Tea Party group are busy intimidating voters right and left.
Two of the worst examples of this sort of reporting yesterday came from the Houston Chronicle and KTRK-13. Neither report actually rounded up any voters who had legitimate stories of pollwatcher efforts* to prevent them from voting (which would outrage us, to be sure), so rumor, innuendo and invective directed against the King Street Patriots/True The Vote pretty much carried the accounts. And according to Catherine Engelbrecht of King Street Patriots/True The Vote, neither news organization actually asked her for comment before running their stories, a violation of journalistic norms given the serious attacks being made. The Chronicle, apparently realizing that a story about voter intimidation that could feature no actual intimidated voters was not really journalism, ran a somewhat more balanced piece today (with contributions from beat journalists) that emphasized the efforts of election officials to calm the charged situation by reminding everyone of the election rules (including the fact that pollwatchers are a legitimate and legal part of the election process, and that they must operate under fairly restrictive rules that certainly don't give them the power to turn away voters).
Interestingly, as these area news leaders** worked to cover alleged early-voting irregularities, neither one reported on allegations about electioneering by Dem Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee in a polling place (discussed by Michael Berry about halfway through this recording of yesterday's KPRC-950 show) or allegations of inappropriate intimidation of a poll worker by Dem Harris County Commissioner El Franco Lee in his polling place (reported by Melissa Clouthier at Liberty Pundits) -- the sorts of behavior (among others) that pollwatchers are actually sent out to dissuade.
Cory Crow suggests the endgame of Texas progressives in what appeared to be a choreographed effort over the first couple of days of early voting to smear King Street Patriots/True The Vote and establish a narrative of voter intimidation (through their blog networks and faux-news outlets, and even ultimately in some Lazy MSM Narratives), is to lay the groundwork for legal challenges in any close races. Perhaps it's also an effort to gin up turnout among unenthusiastic Democrats, lest Matt Angle's effort to flip the Texas House in time for redistricting (nearly successful!) be thwarted (and thwarted, in part, by little old ladies volunteering to be pollwatchers! The gall!).
What is unfortunate is that so much acrimony choreographed from above is filtering down to the ground, where a lot of civic-minded folks (election judges, clerks, and yes, pollwatchers) are just trying to make sure all valid votes are counted and that we have honest elections under trying circumstances. King Street Patriots/True The Vote put out a statement today that concludes:
True the Vote trains citizens that a polling place is a sensitive site and all actions must be carried out in a civilized and lawful manner. True the Vote is dedicated to ensuring that elections in Harris County are free from fraud and intimidation of any voter.
Should those goals really generate the smears, harassment, threats of violence, and vulgarities that have been directed at pollwatchers who may have been trained by this organization (or by any other group, political party, or candidate, for that matter)?
* The KTRK story led with the tale of a voter (Willie Jones) who claimed to have all required paperwork being turned away from a polling location. The implication of the story was that mean King Street Patriots/True The Vote pollwatchers somehow prevented him from voting. In reality, under Texas law, a precinct judge ultimately makes that call (never a pollwatcher). Indeed, even then, Engelbrecht tells me today that based on what she saw in the report, the voter should have been allowed by the precinct judge to cast a provisional ballot. So much for voter intimidation.
** The Chron is the area's default newspaper of record. KTRK-13 news frequently wins the sweeps period, and has long described itself as "Houston's News Leader."
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/20/10 03:51 PM |
19 October 2010
News and views roundup (10/19/10 edition)
A nasty head cold derailed yesterday's news and views roundup, but we're turning the corner today:
- Houston's drainage fee campaign largely funded by engineers (Gabe Gutierrez, KHOU-11 News)
The headline did not add, one of whom deserves a good opponent in his next Council race. - METRO, Proposition 1, and Competing Costs (Houston's Clear Thinkers)
Tom Kirkendall raises a variation of the question we have raised for many years: Can Houston's tax base continue to support expensive "trinket" propositions that have won voter support (such as light rail and stadiums), or is there a limit to what taxpayers will bear?Here's another point to consider -- in many ways, the METRO Rail referendum was ideal from a conservative perspective in its specificity (of routes, funding, etc). And STILL, METRO managed to evade its responsibility to follow those specification to the letter. Prop 1, on the other hand, is an open-ended gargantuan tax increase coming on the heels of the massive water-rate increases already enacted, with no specific plans to reduce flooding. It is the worst sort of proposition from a conservative perspective, and deserves to be defeated.
- Keeping up with 70 judge races requires a lot of homework (Brian Rogers, Houston Chronicle)
For those still deciding, both Murray Newman and Unca Darrell have posted recommendations for these races. - Suburbs Dominate Huge Early Voting Turnout in Harris County (Big Jolly Politics)
- An Unscientific Take of Day 1 (Camposcommunications’s Blog)
- It's Kick a Teabagger Day! King Street Patriots up first (Bay Area Houston)
And so the election cycle winds down with threats of violence against pollwatchers (not to mention vulgarities from Houston's Sexiest Blogger*). Way to keep it classy in a down election cycle for the Left, guys! - Citizen watchdogs (World Mag)
A different take on the King Street Patriots than Matt Angle's choreographed progressive attack effort that emerged yesterday. - Bringing the Texas Tea Party to a full boil (David Benzion, Big Jolly Politics)
An analysis of the limitations and potential of the Texas tea party movement that is particularly informative in light of the Left's attacks on the same yesterday. - New GOP Billboard Targets Black Voters (On the Beat with Mary Benton)
I'm sure she didn't know anyone who voted for Nixon, either! *laugh* Seriously, this is a representative of the Texas political media? Wow.[I]n this year of the angry Tea Party, talk of taking “back our country” and Rush Limbaugh calling President Obama a jack###, most African-Americans I know are offended and turned off by the GOP.
- Why I'd Rather Eat Halal Food (Including Campbell's Soup) (Eating Our Words)
Ah yes, it's good to know that global anti-Semitism is a problem of the past, and Western civilization's battle against the barbarism of radical Islam is overstated (no doubt by the meanies who listen to KTRH!). *eyeroll* It's a shame the insipid political commentary overshadowed some interesting points about food handling, but then again, such amateurism is pretty much the standard at Village Voice Houston these days.Thankfully, Jews no longer suffer the same stigma, ostracization and discrimination on a massive scale as they once did. Unfortunately, that mindset has now shifted toward Muslim targets.
- Cameron Waldner is Houston's go-to guy for volunteerism (Bradley Olson, Houston Chronicle)
The Chron excels at this sort of rah-rah journalism (glowing profiles of Houston's power players). The public would probably benefit from more watchdog journalism and less glorification of the newspaper's sources, however. - Houston Chronicle Editorial Board Drops All Pretense, Endorses Democrats, Ignores Republicans (Big Jolly Politics)
- The Power of Principles (Live Oaks)
- Texas stimulus opponents later sought stimulus funds for their districts (Mark Lisheron, Texas Watchdog)
Quite a number of Republican "stimulus" opponents feature in this story, which sort of blows up millionaire progressive bully Steve Mostyn's unfounded legal assertion that Texas Watchdog is merely a Republican party press outlet. As noted here, though, the "model" is often all about the accusation (justified or not).
* Hat tip to Slampo.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/19/10 01:02 PM |
18 October 2010
Colorado Model, meet Harris County
The Chron Houston Politics blog passes along today's press-release news that the Texas Democratic Party has amended its lawsuit against the Green Party to include local grassroots tea-party group King Street Patriots.
The King Street Patriots' voter-integrity project True the Vote, of course, made news earlier this year in exposing potential vote-fraud efforts by Houston Votes, a Dem-activist-dominated "nonpartisan" voter-registration group.
King Street Patriots has also been active in inviting candidates and newsmakers to informational meetings, and their audience's affinity for certain candidates* has led to today's countercharges from progressive "ethics" front groups of possible campaign ethics violations**. Interestingly, reporting*** by an "independent" news organization is cited as part of the basis for the complaint, which is also then reported by the "independent" news organization. Circular (and "coincidental") enough?
The cherry on top is Matt Angle today announcing his support of the Democratic Party lawsuit because, in his words, "The King Street Patriots is not a legitimate nonpartisan or nonprofit organization. It is the most extreme and intolerant arm of the Harris County Republican Party."
Of course, Matt Angle features in The Blueprint, a fine piece of political journalism that describes how a handful of committed millionaire progressives managed to flip formerly reliably Republican Colorado to the Dems over a few election cycles, through strategic funding of down-ballot political races, creation of a loose network of "independent" news organizations and "ethics" groups to pound targeted opponents, and liberal use (no pun intended) of the legal system to tie up ostensibly conservative organizations. Angle all but promised to bring the Colorado Model to Texas, in the form of his Lone Star Project (and associated groups).
And if you begin to connect the dots locally -- as Cory Crow also does -- you can see elements of the Colorado Model at work, right here in Harris County. Now, There's nothing illegal or unethical per se about the model. In many ways, The Blueprint is a great political novel that just happens to be true. However, given the state political media's occasional interest in the influence of big money in politics (when it happens to be a donor like, say, Bob Perry), it would be nice to see that same interest extend to progressive big money and the machinations of nominally "independent" front groups.
*It's probably no coincidence that Jim Murphy's visit to the King Street Patriots attracted the attention of Matt Angle and affiliated progressive organizations. Murphy's effort to reclaim his old seat in HD-133 from progressive (and former ACORN) darling Kristi Thibaut makes Harris County, in some ways, Ground Zero for conservative efforts to beat back the Colorado-style onslaught in Texas.
** The accusations and lawsuits are everything, of course. Even if the charges -- as repeated by friendly "independent" media organizations -- ultimately have no merit, they work their way into mainstream coverage (since our state's political media reveals itself too frequently as an incurious, non-analytic lot), create doubts among the less informed about King Street Patriots, and generally occupy time and effort that the organization might otherwise put into its mission.
*** Straight news reporting usually offers some semblance of balance, at least a quote from the people being attacked.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/18/10 06:28 PM |
17 October 2010
News and views roundup (10/17/10 edition)
It's the two-week-vacation catchup edition of the roundup:
- City officials seem dismissive in Heights Walmart e-mails (Mike Morris, Houston Chronicle)
What, folks expect professionalism and objectivity from their ostensibly technocratic city departments? As we've detailed on this blog for years, that ship sailed under Mayor Bill White, when such offices became increasingly politicized (to boost White's fellow elites and pet projects). - Judge: City mistakenly booted Houston condo residents (Gabe Gutierrez, KHOU-11 News)
In 2008? Wasn't that during the Bill White "Running the City Like a Business" era? Whoops!A judge has ruled the city of Houston violated the state’s due process code when it ordered a group of condo residents to vacate their homes in 2008.
- Houston City Council OKs stricter preservation law (Bradley Olson, Houston Chronicle)
Alternate headline (and just as accurate): Houston City Council OK's stricter restrictions on property rights. But hey, at least now we don't look like such hicks to all those "world-class" elites! - Houston's income growth up 133% since 1989 (Christine Hall, Houston Business Journal)
What, Houston had been doing something right (with no zoning, low water rates, no drainage tax, and no "historic preservation" restrictions on property rights) over the last two decades? This is not the narrative I hear from advocates of A Place Called Perfect or even majorities on the current City Council. - Rethinking Renew Houston (Bay Area Houston)
There are plenty of good reasons to oppose that gargantuan drainage tax (the self-interested nature of its main public-office proponent being one of them). Here's hoping "Republican" Councilmember Costello will draw some principled, well-funded opposition when he runs for re-election. Maybe it's a cause some of the Tea Party organizations could take up.Renew Houston, a bunch of millionaire engineers, has pumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into a campaign to convince us to self tax ourselves so they can continue to be millionaires. And they have the gall to tell our schools, the ones that have been strapped for cash, to cut waste so they can make millions off our tax dollars?
- Metro Execs Riding Buses Or Rail: Not Quite What It Seems (Hair Balls)
"New METRO" management, same old METRO "not quite what it seems" equivocation? - Marketing Department Wins Award (Write on METRO)
Systemwide ridership has been plummeting for half a decade or so, but imagine how bad it might be if not for METRO's bloated PR and Marketing departments! Umm... - More room for bikes, strollers on Metro rail (Chron Houston Politics)
With systemwide ridership plummeting, they have plenty of room for more bikes and strollers! Rah Rah! - Another airport transportation option (Chron Houston Politics)
At a bare minimum, you'd think the newspaper's transit beat writer would look to the newspaper's archives himself as part of his research (Ken Hoffman has also written on the topic). But you'd probably be setting expectations too high. - Corrections: 15 October 2010 (Houston Chronicle)
These are the same old-media dinosaurs who are indignant that Governor Perry won't sit down with them. In reality, newspaper editorial board endorsements are increasingly irrelevant. And in Houston's case, full of errors.• An editorial endorsement of Loretta Johnson Muldrow for the 208th Criminal District Court (Monday, Page B9) incorrectly described her as a former regional manager for Southwestern Bell. She spent five years at Southwestern Bell managing business accounts and as a union steward.
• Thursday’s editorial endorsements for county criminal courts (Page B10) incorrectly identified the law schools of two candidates. Judith Snively, our choice for County Criminal Court No. 3, is a graduate of the South Texas College of Law. Denise Spencer, our pick for County Criminal Court No. 6, is a graduate of the University of Texas Law School.
- Another righteous takedown of the Chronicle editorial board (Unca Darrell)
It's kind of like shooting fish in a barrel at this point. Shutter the thing and redeploy the resources to the newsroom. - Missed Opportunities.... (Harris County Almanac)
Also on the topic of an institution that could be shuttered. - Brickbats for Lykos (Defending People)
- The Shamelessness of Pat Lykos (Life at the HC Criminal Justice Center)
- Revisiting an Old Favorite: Carrabba's (Eating Our Words)
Once upon a time, Village Voice Houston featured real journalism produced by professionals. Now, it's amateur hour, every hour. What a rapid, unfortunate decline.Carrabba's recently invited me to come in and sample a meal.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/17/10 01:24 PM |
29 September 2010
Vacation
THE LITTLE BLOG is going on vacation for a couple of weeks.
Unlike earlier this summer, it's an actual vacation. Feel free to discuss local news of note in the open-comments section of the forum. I may check in from time to time if I find myself on the net... or not, so we'll close the forum to new registrants to foil spammers. Here's hoping everyone enjoys this fantastic weather (save some, okay?).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/29/10 09:11 AM |
28 September 2010
News and views roundup (09/28/10 edition)
HERE is the day's news and views roundup (the "on-the-cusp-of-a-vacation" edition):
- Metro's Greanias Forcing His Top Execs To Take The Bus Or Rail (Hair Balls)
We've LONG criticized the arrogance and waste of so many generous car allowances at the area's public transit authority, so kudos to George Greanias for cutting that nonsense. Requiring 40 trips/month of execs seems excessive, but perhaps that sort of shock therapy is in order after the White/Wolff/Wilson "rogue transit agency" era. - There are so many things wrong with this.... (Harris County Almanac)
The Gulf Coast Institute can rename, rebrand, and remarket itself, but at the end of the day, Crossley is still Crossley. - Global and racial Houston, top rankings, good govt, healthy housing, and more (Houston Strategies)
- Houston Community College System's Official Newspaper Attacks King Street Patriots (Big Jolly Politics)
- Trial Lawyer millions funding Bill White attack ads? (Perry vs World)
Be sure to click over and check out Evan's sharp guess (which gives the link a Houston flavor).So is the DGA targeting Perry? Maybe...but likely not because there are much smarter places for the DGA to spend its money (FL, CA, OH, MA, PA, IL, MD, etc off the top of my head). It is much more likely that an uber-rich political donor is using the DGA to temporarily conceal the source of the money. That way, the media won't report who is funding the attacks, just that the DGA is spending money. Not only does it more or less conceal the source of the funds, but it leads political reporters who aren't paying attention (what's up WaPo?) to write about how the DGA is targeting the campaign, thus creating the illusion that DGA thinks the race is winnable.
Who would have a motive to try to conceal their identity for at least a few weeks?
- Two City Council members, controller, fined (Chron Houston Politics)
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/28/10 11:57 PM |
27 September 2010
News and views roundup (09/27/10 edition)
WELCOME to the "CB/LST alumni" edition of news and views:
- Texas State Sen. Rodney Ellis' firm profits from bond business with local public agencies, including many he represents in Austin (Jennifer Peebles and Steve Miller, Texas Watchdog)
- Houston tower once coveted by Omni Hotels to be demolished (Barbara De Lollis, USA Today)
One "expert" in particular: John Keeling!The news lays to rest a plan announced by Omni Hotels in July 2007 to transform the structure into a luxury hotel.
[snip]
At the time, hotel experts had said there was a need for more hotels.
- Metro Unveils New Transit Plan (Live Oaks)
Funny! - Teen robber gets wrestled by angry family (Mike McGuff, KIAH-39 News)
- Fake general denies fraud after donning medals at Parker party (Dane Schiller, Houston Chronicle)
- Fire Pelosi Bus Tour: Republican Thugs Try to Intimidate Blogger (Big Jolly Politics)
- Happy trails to you... (David Benzion, Lone Star Times)
I'm genuinely sad to see this conservative voice closing up shop, whatever our differences on occasion (in retrospect, too often kind of stupid and childish, at least on my part). The association with Dan Patrick that originally led us to create Chronically Biased eventually spawned his Lone Star Times as a followup effort, this blog as an independent spinoff, and, over time, countless other area blogs produced by Chronically Biased or Lone Star Times "alumni" so to speak. We wish all such "alums" the best in whatever comes next!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/27/10 10:35 AM |
26 September 2010
News and views roundup (09/26/10 edition)
HERE is a lazy-weekend edition of news and views:
- Reimbursing HUD may cost Houston millions (Bradley Olson, Houston Chronicle)
City officials characterized HUD's challenges to its use of federal money as old news, but sources with knowledge of the matter say the city could be on the hook to pay back between $35 million and $45 million due to previous issues and newly identified problems. Those include questions about "Houston Hope" homes, a signature initiative of then-Mayor Bill White that sought to help low and middle-income individuals buy their own homes.
- Houston Hope and Bill White's Legacy (Live Oaks)
- A conversation with Houston Mayor Annise Parker (David Taffet, Dallas Voice)
- The actual truth about Bill White and Houston property taxes (Bob Lemer, Scribd)
- Cell Phone Wreck Hot Spots In Houston (Mike McGuff, KIAH-39 News)
- Bus ads, fewer riders, ticket surcharge: Metro's 2011 budget (Chron Houston Politics)
At some point, one has to wonder if the compulsion to spin any and all METRO news positively is pathological at the Chron.Fixed-route bus and rail ridership, which has declined annually since it peaked in 2006, is projected to decrease again in 2011, by a combined total of 2.8 percent. (Page 90). That would be a dramatic improvement from the 8.7 percent decline expected this year. (Page 91).
To approach this slightly differently: Suppose the GDP of Country A shrank by 8.7% in 2008. Suppose it shrank by 2.8% in 2009. Would it make sense to say the country's economy enjoyed "dramatic improvement" in 2009 compared to 2008 (no), or would it be more appropriate to note that Country A had been mired in recession for two years?
- The Race for District Clerk (With Updated Links) (Life at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center)
- Scared White Republican Fear of the Day: Third-World Document-Review Terrorists (Defending People)
- Proposed condos stir up controversy in the Heights (Gabe Gutierrez, KHOU-11 News)
- This Draft of Changes to the Preservation Ordinance Is Different, Somehow (Swamplot)
Of COURSE Mayor Parker's valid criticism of the fiscal policies of her predecessor was going to be an issue in the gubernatorial race. How could it not be?As mayor of the state’s largest city, Parker said she’s had more contact lately with Gov. Rick Perry than former Houston mayor Bill White.
“But I am absolutely livid that Rick Perry has an attack ad on Bill White that features me,” she said. “I don’t want to be used as a wedge in that campaign.”
Parker said that Perry used a quote of something she said while controller. She said it was not out of context....
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/26/10 12:29 PM |
24 September 2010
Where are the editors? (updated)
IT'S just another Friday at a newspaper without enough editors:
Hosuton Chronicle? Ummm...
This is good too (from the FRONT PAGE of the little print edition):
We think the right verb is "elicit" (hat tip to Slampo for the catch).
Meanwhile, the newspaper's erratic features editor wonders if readers have seen "any language grotesqueries lately." Gotta love that.
UPDATE: It was even worse than we thought on Friday!
Cory Crow notes that the newspaper's editorial board apparently can't even read a candidate bio and incorporate the information into an endorsement accurately.
And a correction to a candidate profile that appeared Friday reads as follows:
A story on page B1 of Friday's City & State section incorrectly identified Harris County District Clerk Loren Jackson's undergraduate alma mater. He attended Texas A&M University.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/24/10 09:10 PM |
23 September 2010
News and views roundup (09/23/10 edition)
IT'S THURSDAY EVENING, and we thankfully haven't been subpoenaed by anyone for exercising our First Amendment rights, so here's a quick news and views roundup:
- Metro finally faces facts about its financial straits (Bill King, Houston Chronicle)
One of the smartest opinion pieces on METRO that's appeared anywhere in recent years -- a must-read. - Metro trustee legally stays on after term expires (Michael Reed, Examiner News)
- West U wants Metro answers (Michael Reed, Examiner News)
- Your opinion on METRO (GeorgeBoehme.com)
- This Draft of Changes to the Preservation Ordinance Is Different, Somehow (Swamplot)
- No Refusal DWI Crackdowns: Every Weekend For The Next Three Years (Hair Balls)
- New Urbanists Running Around with their Hair on Fire (Harris County Almanac)
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/23/10 10:17 PM |
22 September 2010
Millionaire trial lawyer/political activist Mostyn goes after journalism nonprofit Texas Watchdog (updated)
TEXAS WATCHDOG reports tonight that several members of its staff have been subpoenaed by mega-rich trial lawyer and bigtime Texas political donor Steve Mostyn.
Mostyn's gambit -- seemingly the filthy-rich-trial-lawyer version of a temper tantrum -- comes on the heels of a Texas Watchdog story about Mostyn's $25,000 donation to a state lawmaker who wound up mediating a proceeding that involved... some of Mostyn's clients. Although Mostyn has hurled accusations of political partisanship at Texas Watchdog, the complicating factor in that proposed narrative is the fact that the state lawmaker who received the donation is a Republican. As Texas Watchdog's Trent Seibert told the Quorum Report concerning the accusation, "If we’re a front group, we’re the worst front group of all time."
Millionaire Mostyn himself mostly backs LibDem candidates -- and in a big way. His Back To Basics PAC has been pounding Republican Governor Rick Perry for weeks. And taking a page from the Colorado Blueprint, Mostyn's PAC has more recently gone on the attack against Jim Murphy, who is taking on Democratic State Representative and progressive darling Kristi Thibaut. The crowd that sometimes bellyaches about money in politics doesn't seem to mind Mostyn's activities (to the contrary!), but of course Mostyn's on the right "team" (to use LibDem partyblogger parlance).
The filthy rich will always find a way to throw around their millions to exert political influence (even after untold campaign-finance "reforms" -- shocking, we know!). However, it's unfortunate when they start throwing around their millions in an effort to intimidate journalists. In fact, it's shameful.
We've linked many Texas Watchdog stories, and respect the work they do. They've taken on Democrats, Republicans, bureaucrats, you name it -- consistent with their stated mission. They are one of the more interesting experiments in nonprofit watchdog journalism, in a town that can definitely use that sort of journalism.
What Texas Watchdog's classy editor Jennifer Peebles didn't emphasize in the report I linked above -- but I will -- is that their organization is a small, bootstrap startup. They don't have a progressive activist's millions backing their operation. They don't have a huge staff. There is no legal department. And dealing with this nuisance lawsuit is going to cost Texas Watchdog, in dollars (First Amendment lawyers don't come cheap!) and in time (sitting in a deposition is time away from reporting).
We aren't normally big on telling people what to do with their money, but I'm going to make an exception tonight. If you have enjoyed the reporting done by Texas Watchdog and are in a position to toss a few bucks their way to help them defend themselves against a rich bully, I would highly encourage you to click on that donation button in the top right corner of their site. Texas Watchdog is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so any donation should be tax deductible. If you're not in a position to help them out financially, perhaps consider leaving a word of encouragement on their site.
UPDATE: Village Voice Houston had a post critical of Mostyn's legal intimidation tactics on their blog earlier, but just like that *POOF* it was gone, without even a google cache of the full post remaining. WEAK.
UPDATE 2: And now, HOURS later, Village Voice Houston has put the post back up, with edits and an addendum. Frankly, the updated post has become something of a butchered, incoherent mess, not unlike so much of the amateur content that is regularly posted to the publication's website now.
We may offer a more definitive post-mortem tomorrow, but the short of it seems to be that Mostyn finally called back Village Voice Houston, rattled their cage pretty good*, and scared them* into an embarrassing amount of equivocation -- so much so that they seemed to have missed what was newsworthy about Mostyn's latest attempt to bully journalists*: He's backed down from his efforts to subpoena Texas Watchdog.
We imagine they're celebrating that victory tonight over a LibDem bully and blowhard, but here's hoping Texas Watchdog will have more to say about it tomorrow as well.
BLOGVERSATION: Harris County Almanac, Big Jolly Politics.
* Our interpretation of what most likely happened. For you overly-literal readers and thin-skinned lawyers who like to take writers to court, we were not there and are merely exercising our First Amendment rights by offering speculative opinion.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/22/10 08:37 PM |
News and views roundup (09/22/10 edition)
THE DAILY DOSE of local news and views (99.95% guaranteed to offend some Sensitive, somewhere, for some reason):
- Cities and Democracy vs. Freedom (Houston Strategies)
Indeed!Some communities - like Portland or Austin - want to set and enforce a majority vision (or at least a majority vision among the politically active), and the minority can love it or leave it as far as they're concerned. Other cities - like Houston - don't impose a vision, and let the city develop bottom up from individual decisions. It's chaotic, but there's also a beauty in the chaos. I'm not saying one is right and other is wrong, but they are distinctly different approaches, and I think Houston should be proud of its (relatively rare) freedom-centered approach (like being the largest city in the country without zoning).
- How Houston Became A Global City (Next American City)
- Houston city council approves controversial Wal-Mart project in Heights (KTRK-13 News)
In a tough economy with tight credit, Mayor Parker's Council wasn't about to kill a big new development so that urbanists from A Place Called Perfect could pontificate on what might be done instead. I am sympathetic to folks in the immediately surrounding neighborhood (like my boss) worried about traffic and drainage, and hope the city does work hard to to deliver needed infrastructure improvements. - Council Vote Means Improvements To Walmart Site (Pat Hernandez, KUHF-88.7 News)
- Texas reaped $4.6 billion from federal stimulus (Stewart Powell and Yang Wang, Houston Chronicle)
That's roughly $865,000 per job![O]utside the Texas capital, Houston far outpaces Texas cities, with $1.69 billion of money covering an estimated 1,953 jobs.
- High costs, low production, substandard workmanship dog state's stimulus weatherization program (Mark Lisheron, Texas Watchdog)
These guys just keep on cranking out the details of your tax dollars being wasted in the name of the stimulus boondoggle. - This time, a wall helped unite people (Lisa Falkenberg, Houston Chronicle)
We hope that everything is okay with Ms. Falkenberg. That said, if the Chron's local editorialists (metro/state columnists and editorial board) all took an extended leave, would the opinion space in Houston take that much of a hit? And if not, shouldn't the newspaper consider redeploying at least some of those resources to local news coverage?Note to readers: Today's piece will be my last for a while, as I'll be out on leave for several weeks. I look forward to returning to the column as soon as possible.
- Corrections, Sept. 22 (Houston Chronicle)
Matt Bramanti strikes againTuesday's editorial "No Job left unfilled" on Page B9 discussed a mismatch between available jobs and workers with appropriate skills to fill those jobs. The editorial stated that fixing the mismatch could be: "Big enough to drop the national unemployment rate by 2.5 percent." The editorial should have stated: "Big enough to drop the national unemployment rate by 2.5 percentage points."
- Interview with County Judge Ed Emmett (Off the Kuff)
- If you had your HCA political decoder ring.... (Harris County Almanac)
- Sometimes this job is just too easy (Unca Darrell)
- And while we're at it . . . (Unca Darrell)
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/22/10 10:19 AM |
21 September 2010
News and views roundup (09/21/10 edition)
IT'S THE GRAY TUESDAY edition of local news and views:
- Chron Arts Writer Sends 1,400-Word Email on How to Communicate Efficiently (Gawker)
Words fail, so we'll turn it over to Culture Map.... - The CultureMap guide to arts coverage: An open letter (Sarah Rufca, Culture Map)
- Another Chronicle intellectual is being forced against her will . . . (Unca Darrell)
- Big state, bigger hearts (Andrea White, Chron.com)
Where's Anita Perry's Chron.com blog? - Continental, United make way for new NYSE ticker (Christine Hall, Houston Business Journal)
- Metro Meetings Go Live On the Web (Wendy Siegle, KUHF-88.7 News)
This is a good move by METRO. - Houston DWI "No Refusal" Weekends - Now Every Weekend in Harris County? (Houston DWI Blog)
- Bruce Mosier: A Democrat I will vote for, and reflections on the insanity of Democracy (Fireballs, Lightning Bolts, and Hell Storms)
- Massive, nationwide vote fraud is the among the most rotten fruit of ACORN-type activism (Washington Examiner)
- King Street Patriots on Frontline of Clean Election Fight (Big Jolly Politics)
As The Blueprint makes clear, progressives would love to bring the Colorado model (in which a disciplined alliance of filthy rich donors, lawyers, and an effective communications network managed to flip a previously reliably Republican state the other way) to Texas. Some local conservatives are starting to snap to components of the game plan.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/21/10 08:31 AM |
20 September 2010
News and views roundup (09/20/10 edition)
IT'S a catchup edition of the news and views roundup after a weekend of travel:
- Harris County kicks in $2 million more in stadium bailout (Chris Moran, Houston Chronicle)
As Cory Crow notes, the decision came Tuesday and finally hit Chron.com late Friday night -- not that it is any great surprise to anyone who's paid attention to the sports authority's travails. - Time for a change: Chronicle endorses Bill White for governor (Houston Chronicle)
Another for the "no great surprise" category. - On ex-chief’s watch, Metro derailed expansion plans (Mike Snyder, Houston Chronicle)
This is a solid historical account useful "for the record," so to speak. The Chronicle, as the establishment newspaper, is pretty good at serving up these sorts of definitive narratives when the city's "new" establishment inevitably finds problems with the "old" establishment's way of doing things. And so, the departed Frank Wilson gets (pardon the pun) thrown under the bus.Unfortunately, the Chron seems less interested in the sort of real-time watchdog/public-interest journalism that might expose/avert/mitigate expensive fiascoes in the first place. MANY Wilson subordinates who might have blown the whistle on Wilson's "Buy America" shenanigans are STILL at the "New" METRO, but undoubtedly knew that going to the Chron with their concerns would not be productive. As the FTA investigative report makes clear in faulting the organization generally (and not Wilson specifically), many METRO officials simply went along with the unethical and illegal procurement practices.
- City's attorney emerges as Houston's new power player (Bradley Olson, Houston Chronicle)
For those keeping track of the "new" establishment. - The Greening of Houston (Write on METRO)
Sedlak was a key player in the "old" METRO that has been criticized by George Greanias for having two empty floors of office space in its palatial headquarters. As my blogging colleague Anne Linehan pointed out in an email, that doesn't seem very green!METRO's John Sedlak, executive vice president, said METRO is not just into sustainability - it's our business.
- Metro Tackles Huge Budget Gap...By Getting Rid Of Some Office Printers? (Hair Balls)
- School defying closure order loses bid for funds (Ericka Mellon, Houston Chronicle)
- Investigators: Motel shooting of Aldine football coach was a set-up (KHOU-11 News)
- Odd Headline In Harris County Voting Machine Fire Story (Rhymes with Right)
- Leo Vasquez Promoted Voter Registration, Did Not Suppress It (Big Jolly Politics)
David Jennings continues his efforts to disrupt the LibDem partyblogging echo chamber's "voter suppression" meme.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/20/10 08:37 AM |
17 September 2010
Chron: "Metro’s flaunting of federal rules could cost taxpayers millions"
CHRON.COM is now touting (not taunting*) the latest big weekend "exclusive" designed to get you to purchase the shrinking, declining print product:
We think they meant "flouting" of rules, but whatever.
Obviously, the White/Wolff/Wilson-era METRO's "Buy America" fiasco is a big setback for an agency that is broke and planning to cut next year's budget by a few hundred million dollars, so we sort of already know the substance of this story (although we're sure it will have some really reassuring quotes from various METRO sources).
* Sorry, we couldn't resist the little pun.
UPDATE: The story is finally posted on Chron.com.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/17/10 08:04 PM |
16 September 2010
Examiner: METRO to seek new light-rail referendum (updated)
THE EXAMINER just posted breaking news from reporter Mike Reed that METRO will seek a new light-rail referendum:
The Examiners' Michael Reed reports from Metro this morning that Metro chair Gilbert Garcia has announced the transit agency will be seeking voter approval of a new referendum to go forward with its light rail projects.
It has become increasingly clear that a financially strapped METRO simply cannot afford to build the light-rail system specified in the last referendum with the funds specified in the last referendum.
That leaves METRO in the position of either disregarding/deceiving the public and moving forward (largely the approach of the White/Wolff/Wilson-era METRO), or revamping the plan to make it realistic and going back to voters.
Rather than simply cobbling together a new funding mechanism and presenting the same flawed rail plan, we hope METRO, area leaders, and concerned citizens work together to reconsider our whole approach to area mobility/transit as well as the funding. Looking to this Tory Gattis post as a starting point wouldn't be bad, either!
UPDATE: The updated version of the story is posted here. Unfortunately, it does not appear any significant reconsideration of METRO's plans is on tap -- at least not right now.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/16/10 01:42 PM |
News and views roundup (09/16/10 edition)
THE "fall is coming, really" news and views edition:
- Metro tied bonds to fare hikes in early ’10 (Michael Reed, Examiner News)
More detailed, adult reporting on METRO finances. Reed and the Examiner have become the go-to print sources for grown-up, balanced news coverage of METRO. Chron enablers should read and learn. - Houston Metro: We're a Train Wreck (Harris County Almanac)
Cory Crow's thoughts on the above. - METRO to start fining drivers illegally using diamond lanes (KTRK-13 News)
Side benefit. Real goal: METRO is hoping to raise revenues because the organization is BROKE. See above.METRO is hoping to reduce the number of bus accidents.
- Metro Cops Will Be Getting Ticket-Happy Downtown (Hair Balls)
Some years ago, the Chronicle's METRO PR desk at the time told readers it was safe to ignore the "diamond lane" guidelines (a later METRO PR desk writer hedged somewhat last year, leading to our prediction that a new revenue scheme might not be far off -- ADVANTAGE: blogHOUSTON). Will the Chron, as the area newspaper of record, wind up being used by defense attorneys to thwart METRO's new revenue scheme? - Houston is role model on public pensions (Mitchell Schnurman, FWST)
Alternate headline: How a lazy MSM columnist takes the Bill White campaign talking points and uncritically spreads them.As BH readers know well, the real story of Bill White and the pension mess is quite a bit different: In reality, White inherited a $1.7 billion (give or take) unfunded liability in the municipal employees pension fund, appeared ready to tackle the problem, apparently realized the political pain involved in truly fixing the problem, and wound up nibbling around the edges with incremental reforms that have hardly fixed the problem, but instead punted it to future Houston political leaders.
Don't believe me? Go pull up page 67 of the most recent HMEPS annual report, which projects a $1.194 billion unfunded liability out to the year 2018. That's better, but still not my idea of "fixed." You'd think a columnist at a big newspaper could at least pull off that minimal amount of research and fact-checking.
- American Express and Continental to part ways (The Wandering Aramean)
- Fall? I’m Still Sweating (The Loop Scoop)
- Re: Koehler St. Development (NeoHouston)
The view from twentysomething Houtopian Planner Fantasyland, where millions of dollars to develop property the "right" way magically appear as if one had a cheat code for SimCity! - Attaboy (and -girl) to the Chronicle (Unca Darrell)
- Why "Mr. Jones" quit the Chronicle (Unca Darrell)
- Hurricane Ike lawyer, Democratic mega-donor Steve Mostyn makes false accusations against Texas Watchdog (Trent Seibert, Texas Watchdog)
LibDem activist Mostyn looks foolish lashing out at alleged "partisan" news outlet for a story that... really made a Republican look bad. - 5th Ward charter school defies order to close, welcomes students (Ericka Mellon, Houston Chronicle)
Kudos to Ericka Mellon for standing her ground.The school’s founder refused comment this morning, kicking a reporter off her campus.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/16/10 10:02 AM |
15 September 2010
News and views roundup (09/15/10 edition)
HERE is today's roundup, heavy on the views....
- A better vision for Metro (Houston Strategies)
How much better would the "New METRO" be with this guy on their board? - Isn't it painful when your true love . . . (Unca Darrell)
- White takes hands-on approach to campaigning (Corrie MacLaggan, Postcards)
The pol who micromanages his campaign ads down to font size and who won his first mayoral campaign on the theme of "Getting Houston Moving" nonetheless wants you to believe that he had no idea of the financial shenanigans at METRO during his tenure as mayor. Gotta love political season!While in flight from Harlingen to Austin today, Bill White peered through glasses perched on the end of his nose and marked up drafts of newspaper-insert ads for his gubernatorial campaign.
The Democrat is taking a hands-on approach as he seeks to unseat Republican Gov. Rick Perry. White said he writes many of the messages that come from his campaign. And he’s heavily involved in editing.
“Somewhat larger font,” he wrote on one part of an ad today.
- For some, Walmart fills a need (Lisa Falkenberg, Houston Chronicle)
The Chron's precious teen columnist tries to go populist. Yeah, she has trouble pulling it off, but there ARE some folks who support the inner-loop Wal-Mart (even though *gasp* they don't have blogs and facebook petition pages). - Falkenberg’s Wal-Mart strawman (Off the Kuff)
Houston's most prolific blockquoter takes the Falkenberg bait.... Just one question, though: If light rail must be built "where the people are," as Kuffner and others contend, despite the traffic impact of running play trains down busy streets, then why doesn't that same "logic" apply also to Wal-Mart?[Wal-Mart opponents] want something other than a Wal-Mart, something that they think will be a better fit for the dense urban area immediately around it....
Yeah, we know -- the smart crowd likes toy trains and doesn't like Wal-Mart.
- Pat Lykos' Accomplishments (Life at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center)
- Public Defender Board appointed (Chron Houston Politics)
Be sure to check out Rorschach's comment on the post. - Sam Houston gets racing reprieve (Greg Barr, Houston Business Journal)
- Will Attacks on King Street Patriots Keep Citizens Away? (Big Jolly Politics)
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/15/10 09:06 AM |
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