For most it is common knowledge that Houston is one of the largest cities in the country. Even with troubles in the oil industry, the metropolitan area is still growing at an impressive pace.
But what some may not consider is how Houston grows, and the important ways that development guide the Houston of tomorrow. Unlike any other major city of its size, Houston also holds the unique position of not having formal zoning practices. Without governance, where and how structures get built can be very serious business, and influence the politics at many levels. Anyone familiar with the Ashby Highrise saga knows this.
So today’s announcement from the great folks over at Swamplot will be welcomed news indeed. Long-known for their innovative reporting and exclusive dedication to Houston’s real-estate landscape, the website will be back to full capacity starting December 1st, with a new team of personnel at the helm.
Texas Leftist is glad to see Swamplot back on the beat. So add this item to your ‘thankful for’ list.
With a record-setting year, record-breaking Football team and lots of world-wide attention, the University of Houston has seemed to be unstoppable as of late. But some interesting moves by another state power-player have leaders at the ‘Powerhouse’ seeing red away from school.
Here’s the scoop from Benjamin Wermund of the Houston Chronicle. The Houston area could be in for a big educational shake-up…
After hearing that the University of Texas’ purchase of more than 300 acres in Houston is a potentially illegal “land grab” and an “invasion” of University of Houston territory, UH regents unanimously approved a statement Thursday protesting UT’s planned Houston expansion.
UT Chancellor William McRaven said earlier Thursday that he has no intention of competing with UH. But the regents, meeting in the afternoon, were skeptical.
[…]
Law professor Michael Olivas argued that UT was “thumbing its nose” at the state’s higher education coordinating board and current Houston schools by not consulting them before buying 332 acres south of the Texas Medical Center.
The statement approved by the regents argues, in part, that UT already has a significant competitive edge over UH because it has access to the Permanent University Fund, a state-owned investment fund that funnels hundreds of millions to the UT System.
“If the State of Texas is to allow duplication of services and competition as a practice for higher education in the future, then we respectfully ask the legislature to provide parity in resources, including PUF, for the University of Houston System before allowing the University of Texas System’s expansion into Houston,” the statement said.
The UT System has established universities in every major city in Texas, except for Houston, where the UH System has the vast majority of its institutions.
But the one area UH has yet to officially enter is the establishment of a medical school. UT’s only educational footprint in the Houston region is in the medical arena, with UT Health Science Center at Houston, MD Anderson Cancer Center, and UTMB in Galveston.
In some ways, this is kind of a milestone for the University of Houston. After years of playing a very safe 3rd chair on the state higher education stage, the institution is finally getting a taste of the “other side” of Tier 1 status… Turf War. Welcome to the big leagues, UH.
That’s the posturing, but here’s the truth. For a Metropolitian area of 6 million people, there’s no question that Houston can not only support another major university, but is in growing need of one, if not two. The Bayou City falls below other major metropolitan areas when it comes to educational options.
Recent years have seen an especially perplexing situation for UH, where the school has raised admissions standards, yet somehow continues to experience record enrollment growth. It’s a cycle that is not likely to continue with the evolution of a more selective student population.
But even as institutions like Texas Southern University and UH System schools work hard to create educational pathways for area students, their capacity cannot keep up with growth being seen in Houston-area high schools. In the 2013-2014 Academic Year alone, over 63,000 students graduated from high schools in the Greater Houston region… a number equal to the size of the entire UH System.
So does the Bayou City have room for a ‘UT-Houston’ without causing some unforeseen damage to UH? Probably so. But the UH Regents are also right to point out that their system operates without PUF access. If UH were being funded at the same levels as UT, would another university already exist in ‘Cougar Country’?? It’s yet another question worth asking.
It may be a much shorter ballot and in the throes of Holiday Season, but the 2015 Election process will not be complete until December 12th— the date for the Houston Run-off Elections. As predicted, many important local races have gone to a runoff, and Houstonians will need to come back and vote. After all, this is where the city’s next Mayor will be selected.
Houston City Council At-Large Races
Position 1: Georgia Provost
Position 2: David Robinson
Position 4 Amanda Edwards
Position 5: No Endorsement
District Races
District F: Richard Nguyen
District H: Karla Cisneros
Distrcit J: Mike Laster
HISD Trustee District II– Rhonda Skillern-Jones
There will be Early Voting for the Run-off, though it is not yet officially posted for Harris County. Check back here for the updates. And please support these PRO-EQUALITY candidates!!
So about last night. Katherine Driessen of the Houston Chronicle has the formal wrap-up…
Houston voters soundly rejected the city’s embattled equal rights ordinance Tuesday in one of the most heated local political contests in recent memory that drew national scrutiny and sparked months of impassioned back-and-forth about social issues, particularly transgender rights.
The decision leaves Houston the only major city in Texas and one of the few nationwide without some form of a nondiscrimination law. It also marks the third time Houston voters have rejected protections or benefits for gay residents, as they did in 1985 and 2001.
The equal rights ordinance, known by its acronym HERO, would have extended local protections against discrimination to 15 groups, ranging from veterans to pregnant women to gay and transgender residents, with the latter proving the biggest flashpoint for conservative opponents of the law. In recent weeks, the contest played out on a national stage, drawing comments from the White House and top state officials as well as media attention from a slew of top outlets.
Critics pinned their campaign on the controversial claim that the law would allow men dressed as women, including sexual predators, to enter women’s restrooms. Opponents’ most talked-about ad featured a man bursting into a bathroom stall occupied by a young girl as ominous music played in the background.
So that’s what happened. And here’s what you need to remember, whether you live in Houston, or somewhere else in the United States of America…
Houston , Texas is a city of 2.3 million people. Of that robust and rapidly growing number, 1 million Houstonians are eligible to vote.
Just over 1/4th of those 1 million Houstonians showed up to vote on the Proposition 1 issue. 15.7 percent of those eligible to vote in Houston rejected HERO, and 10 percent of voters wanted to uphold it. And getting over 1/4th turnout for an off/off-year election is considered “historically high”.
Voter Apathy folks… the struggle is real.
As was pointed out in an earlier post, even this 25.7 percent doesn’t give the best gauge of what our city actually thinks about HERO, as over half of those showing up were in the 65 or older demographic.Voters aged 18 to 24 came in at under 2 percent of the electorate, and when combined with those 25 to 34, the two groups were still under 10 percent. At age 59, Mayor Annise Parker herself isn’t even in the age demographic that basically made this decision. We saw some things in 2014 that were very similar.
And by the way… many Houstonians in that 65 and up bracket did support equality, so we definitely don’t want assume the values of everyone. But the demographic information is important to know.
Far from being “haters”, what we had here were a lot of good-hearted, mostly Senior Citizen folks that saw egregious TV ads and reacted as to them as many would expect. Given those facts and the very long history of equality measures being defeated when put up for a popular vote, last night’s result seems less of a surprise.
To the titular question… Houston has absolutely NOT turned into ‘Hate Town’. More like “we’re not ready” town, and “we were the latest forced to endure the embarrassment of an equality popular vote” town.
Until we figure out how to increase Civic Engagement for Houston, Texas and across the country, we’re going to deal with elections where good ideas and candidates are defeated by misinformation and malice. So before we battle for a new vote, maybe it’s time to double and triple the education effort.
Is it a surprise that Texas Governor Greg Abbott is opposed to the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance? Not exactly, especially given his long record of being against LGBT Texans, equality in general and local control for cities.
But in his effort to stoke the flames of fear and falsehood, our esteemed Governor left out one small detail about the irony of his opposition to Houston Prop 1… his current place of residence.
Like the Lieutenant Governor, Mr. Abbott happens to reside in Austin, Texas… you know, the same city that has had comprehensive Non-Discrimination protections for its citizens since 2004. Before being elected to his current position, Abbott served as Attorney General to the State of Texas
So umm, if the Governor and his family have resided safely in Austin for over a decade (assuming during that time that they also used restroom facilities), then why is it such an atrocity for Houston to implement similar Equal Protections?
Anytime you’d like to respond Governor, I am all ears.
As Early Voting comes to a close, the fight for the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance is intensifying on both sides. For supporters of Proposition 1 this week, that means some serious star power. After meeting with the Houston Unites campaign, Academy Award-winning Actress and long-time Equality advocate Sally Field used her celebrity platform to draw attention to this critical vote.
Here’s the story from Drew Karedes of KHOU 11 news…
HOUSTON – Sally Field says she is compelled to stand up to what she calls evil lies surrounding Houston Equal Right’s Ordinance.
The two-time Oscar winning actress says this is very personal to her because her mother and grandmother were both born here in Houston, and she’s the mother of a gay son.
However, the actress says this goes much deeper than that.
“Why here, why Houston, why me? Because everyone in this country is watching this. This is incredibly important. Eyes are on Houston. This is Texas,” Field said.
She’s a name big enough to grab plenty of attention. Field is hoping Houston voters will listen to her message and vote “Yes” on Proposition 1.
“There are 15 different categories of people it protects. I fit into many of those categories,” she said. “This is my country, this our fight to bring about equality as a right for everyone.”
Also in attendance were State Senator Sylvia Garcia, Council Member Ellen Cohen, and a host of prominent Houstonian women in support of the ordinance.
As to be expected, the celebrity star power in support of Proposition wasn’t welcome by everyone. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick wasn’t too pleased…
HOUSTON: Liberals from Hollywood and Washington, D.C. are trying to impose their radical agenda in Texas. Vote NO on Houston's Prop 1!
Spirited as they may be, Lt. Gov. Patrick’s tweets do come with a bit of irony. As Texas’ second in command, he happens to reside in the beautiful city of Austin, Texas. You know… the same Austin, Texas that imposed its “radical agenda” of equality back in 2004. One wonders if Patrick lives in a constant state of fear for all of his fellow female legislators and employees as they traverse the big, scary, non-discriminating halls of their offices.
But anyway…
Having voices like Sally Field step up in Support of HERO has so far had the desired effect. Her name was trending on Twitter for most of yesterday in Houston, and helped to increase national awareness of the truth on Proposition 1. Let’s hope Houstonians turn that attention into votes.
To outgoing Mayor Annise Parker, and at least one candidate hoping to succeed her, the innovative ReBuild Houston program is viewed as a signature accomplishment.
To others desperate for every last vote, the program comes with hesitant support, if not outright opposition, mostly due to “poor implementation. Thankfully for them, the issue has received little Press during this election cycle.
But today, ReBuild Houston enters the fray, just hours before we see Election Results. Here’s the story from Katherine Driessen of the Houston Chronicle…
A trial court judge ruled Thursday that the ballot measure Houston voters narrowly approved in 2010 obscured the nature and cost of the drainage fee at the heart of the city’s multi-billion dollar ReBuild Houston program, effectively voiding the election.
Judge Buddie Hahn ordered the city to hold a new election on the drainage fee, though that’s unlikely to happen immediately as appeals get underway. Hahn sided with a ruling issued by the Texas Supreme Court in June, saying the city had failed to make clear the ballot language surrounding the drainage fee, part of the city’s effort to dramatically improve Houston’s roads and drainage during the next two decades.
In a brief court hearing Thursday, Hahn said he had little discretion because the “Supreme Court has just about said as a matter of law” that the election should be voided.
Conservative activists, who deride the fee as a “rain tax,” filed suit against the city in 2010. The city originally prevailed at trial court, but opponents appealed. Now, attorney Andy Taylor is calling on the city to halt collection of the drainage fee altogether.
All along, opponents have claimed that there’s no possible way that voters could understand what they were getting themselves into back in 2010. So from the viewpoint of Conservative lawyers, Council Member Michael Kubosh and Mayoral Candidate Bill King, this ruling should be the “nail in the coffin” for ReBuild. But to be frank, this argument borders on the ridiculous. As fellow blogger Off the Kuff so well reasoned back in June, if you could read the ballot, you knew that a vote for ReNew Houston was a vote for a fee. Quantum Mechanics it ain’t.
However that just about in the judges’ statement proves to be of import. According to the Mayor’s Office, the 2010 election results still apply. Per City of Houston Press Release…
We are disappointed with the court’s ruling and are considering our legal options, including a possible appeal. This case places at risk the voter approved amendment to the City Charter that prohibits the City from using debt financing or spending the drainage fee on anything other than street and drainage improvements. Those two issues have nothing to do with whether the city is able to continue the Rebuild Houston program and the collection of the drainage fee. The ordinance remains valid and in effect.
It may not have garnered constant press attention like the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance or the City’s looming Pension woes, but the fate of ReBuild Houston will prove critical to the future of Texas’ largest (and rapidly growing larger) city. At the end of the day, if Houston can’t repair and improve its infrastructure, the Southeast Texas region, and the whole state will suffer greatly.
If you’d like more information on where 2015 Municipal Candidates stand on ReBuild Houston, check out the TLCQ Questionnaire Response page.
