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Putting the 2014 Ballot Together

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As the gravitational pull of the 2014 elections weighs ever closer upon Texas, the Republican party’s dominoes seem to be falling in line. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott is off to pretty massive start, having well over $20 million dollars in the bank for his Gubernatorial campaign. But even all that money hasn’t bought Abbott a flawless start to his campaign, which is good news for Democrats. His only challenger thus far for the GOP Primaries is Tom Pauken.

Texpatriate has done a fantastic job of tracking how the 2014 ballot is shaping up. Here are the basics…

Lieutenant Governor (David Dewhurst) Candidates– David Dewhurst- GOP incumbent Lt. Governor, Jerry Patterson- GOP current Texas Land Commissioner, Todd Staples- GOP current Ag Commissioner, and Dan Patrick- GOP State Senator.

Attorney General (Greg Abbott) Candidates– Dan Branch- GOP State Rep, Barry Smitherman- GOP Railroad Commissioner, and Ken Paxton- GOP State Senator.

Comptroller (Susan Combs- GOP incumbent… retiring) Candidates– Glenn Hegar- GOP State Senator, Debra Medina- GOP/ Libertarian and 2010 Gubernatorial candidate, Raul Torres- GOP and former State Rep., and Mike Collier- Democrat and businessman. Harvey Hildebrand- GOP State Rep is also expected to run.

Land Commissioner (Jerry Patterson) Candidates– George P. Bush- GOP attorney and well named offspring, David Watts- GOP businessman, and John Cook- Democrat former El Paso mayor.

Agriculture Commissioner (Tood Staples) Candidates– Tommy Merritt- GOP former State Rep., Eric Opiela- Former Texas GOP chair, and Brandon Creighton- GOP State Rep.

Railroad Commission (Barry Smitherman- GOP incumbent… running for Lt. Gov.) Candidates– Stefani Carter- GOP State Rep, and Malachi Boyuls- GOP businessman.

With John Cook and Mike Collier (thanks for the tip PDiddie) being the only Democrats in the races thus far, it’s clear that the party is going to have to start far behind the gate. But hopefully not too much longer, as word of Wendy Davis’ decision of what to run for is expected as soon as this week.

Once that big announcement happens though, Texas Democrats have a lot of work to do to get candidates lined up for the remaining 6 statewide offices. Here are some other folks that I hope considering a run…

Joaquin Castro— Though his brother Julian may have pledged to be “Mayor of San Antonio through 2017”, the freshman United States Congressman has made no such pledge to stay in Washington. And given the complete lack of leadership within the House of Representatives, he may just decide that Austin is calling him back. After all he, unlike his brother, spent 10 years in the Texas House of Representatives, and has better name ID than virtually any other Democrat in the state. It would be a big shocker if he were to announce for Attorney General or Lieutenant Governor, and would change the game for Texas Democrats in 2014. Quite interesting how he’s managed to let his brother have so much of the national spotlight. And in the case of a statewide run, that could actually turn out to be a good thing.

Leticia Van De Putte— as Off the Kuff has mentioned, the State Senator is widely considered to be the Democratic frontrunner for the Lieutenant Governer’s race, but she could be a credible candidate for some other races as well. Davis and Van De Putte would be a substantial pair, with both significant name recognition and solid records in the State Senate. Once Davis decides, she’d likely be the next person Democrats will look to.

Ana Hernandez Luna— Another clear and present rising star, the State Representative from Houston is a talented organizer and understands the political game from every side. Hernandez Luna gained national attention for fighting the 2011 sanctuary cities’ bill. She shared her story of being born in Mexico, living as an illegal immigrant, and finally gaining US Citizenship. Her jump to a statewide office would likely help forge new energy among Texas Democrats.

Trey Martinez-Fischer— the State Representative has spearheaded several battles… both within the Legislature and legally against Attorney General Greg Abbott in the Texas Redistricting saga. The skilled politician is known to Texas Democrats as a true fighter, and a statewide office would allow him an even better platform to fight for Texans. His activism has even extended to President Obama, when he attended a private meeting at the White House about the Voting Rights Act.

It’s a risky proposition for any politician, but once they see the flood of money Davis brings in when she announces, I think some brave Texas Democrats will be willing to join the fray.

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Texas Leftist appears on Houston Matters

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Well I must say this was a lot of fun.

Houston Matters is a brand new show on KUHF Houston Public Radio. The show is about all things Houston… discussing important events around the city, and the ever-changing nature of the region. Needless to say, it’s already one of my favorites for subject matter alone. Just this week, they talked about how Houstonians would be affected in Syria, the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Ike, and a host of other topics.

I was honored to be asked to participate on today’s show with Host Craig Cohen, John Beddow, Operator of the Houston Business Journal and Joe Holley, Columnist and Editorial Writer for the Houston Chronicle. KUHF reporter Edel Howlin arranged the segment. Check it out!

Houston Politics

A Retail Plan for Downtown Houston

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Between now and 2017, Downtown Houston is going to see some massive changes on all fronts. Along with new office towers and a slew of new residential projects, the city is also rolling out a plan to build a healthy retail core in downtown. Here’s the full press release, directly from the Mayor’s Office…

“Retail Task Force Releases Final Report

Goal to add destination national and regional retailers over a 3 year timeframe

(Reporters may contact Angie Bertinot at the Downtown District Friday to arrange interviews and obtain copies of the report.)

The panel Mayor Parker created in January 2013 to develop recommendations for increasing shopping options in Downtown Houston has released its final report. The plan presented by the Downtown Retail Task Force envisions Dallas Street serving as the commercial spine of a downtown shopping district that would extend from Milam to La Branch.

“Increasing the amount and quality of downtown shopping will enhance the economic vitality of the entire city,” said Mayor Annise Parker. “This report details how we can build a healthy, vibrant mixed-use downtown shopping district. Coordination between my office, the Downtown District and Downtown Redevelopment Authority will be crucial to achieve the vision.”

Dallas Street was selected because of its proximity to the dense office population in the southwest quadrant of downtown and to residential growth areas to the south and east. It is also near the George R. Brown Convention Center, seven existing hotels, two new hotels in development, Minute Maid Park, Toyota Center, Discovery Green and public transportation, all of which can help support increased retail shopping options.

Dallas and adjacent streets Main and San Jacinto also already have the only concentration of existing downtown street level shopping at The Shops at Houston Center and GreenStreet, formerly known as The Pavilions. Both properties are critical components of an expanded shopping district and have potential to add more soft goods, restaurant and entertainment-focused retail to their projects.

Although it will be a challenge to convert/develop existing properties along Dallas into retail space, the task force believes that this area has the highest amount of potential leasable retail space in the downtown market—approximately 325,000 square feet of retail space has been identified.

“Density, critical mass and co-tenancy are essential in creating a successful retail environment,” said Downtown Retail Task Force Chair Fred Griffin, Chairman of Griffin Partners. “The task force, supported by past studies and the potential for concentration of shopping activity, determined that efforts be focused on transforming Dallas into a pedestrian-oriented retail street by improving the streetscape and providing financial assistance to property owners to attract retailers. We expect improvements to building facades, in order to enhance retailing, will also be needed.”

The task force’s report details twelve recommendations as a path forward to ensure the evolution of shopping in Downtown:

1. As a major urban center, Downtown Houston should have a premier shopping district that adds to the character and reputation of the city and helps attract residents, visitors and employers.

2. Develop a unique, commercially viable setting for a premier shopping district on Dallas Street between Milam and LaBranch with connections to adjacent retail activity on Main, San Jacinto and Austin.

3. Provide a public realm within the shopping district that is supportive of a premier retail setting which will attract national, regional and local retailers and shopper that will support them.

4. Secure commitments from enough property owners to participate in coordinated development, management, leasing and promotion of the shopping district to ensure critical mass of shopping.

5. Provide incentives to help develop the shopping district, attract the right retail tenants and in the end, pay for themselves.

6. Designate or create an entity to coordinate planning, design, leasing, promotion, programming and management of the shopping district.

7. Attract anchor retailers to enhance the urban lifestyle mix.

8. Provide convenient parking, transit and pedestrian access to ensure high levels of shopper traffic.

9. Designate portals connecting the shopping district to the tunnel system.

10. Develop brand awareness of the shopping district.

11. Attract additional residential and hotel development in or adjacent to the shopping district to increase the pedestrian traffic and street life in the area and increase the attractiveness of Downtown as a destination.

12. Advance development of the shopping district by the 2016 NCAA Final Four and 2017 Super Bowl LI.”

Here’s the link to the full report.

I think this is a big step to help transfigure Downtown. The neighborhood is a highly under-utilized resource for Houstonians, who mostly visit downtown for work, government business or special events (games, concerts, etc.). But along with increasing overall retail for the area, hopefully planners will remember to incorporate tourist centered retail. As Houston works to increase the Convention business, it becomes critical to have more options for people staying in all of these new downtown hotels. Things like gift shops and tourist information booths (to point people to other nearby attractions) in close proximity to the Convention district shouldn’t be left out of the plan.

I drew up a quick map to pinpoint the areas being discussed. It’s good to see a comprehensive plan for Downtown retail, and I’m glad the city and downtown district have started the process.

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Greg Abbott’s Adviser thinks Wendy Davis “too stupid” for Governor

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At least, he thinks it enough to retweet the comment. From Christy Hoppe of the Dallas Morning News…

Dave Carney, a sharp political adviser who has helped guide Rick Perry’s state campaigns, tried to take on Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, over guns.

But he might have shot himself in the foot.

Carney was touting on Twitter the Colorado recall of two state senators who had supported gun control measures after Aurora and Sandy Hook. Both lost that election this week.

On Thursday, Carney was tweeting about it and pulled up posts by others that were critical of Davis on gun control measures.

He retweeted: “Total Recall in CO (and why Wendy Davis is too Stupid to be Governor)” Following the link supplied by Carney were posts that referred to Davis as “retard Barbie” and used other insulting language.

This social media fracas followed Abbott responding positively to a tweet last month that also called Davis “retard Barbie.” Abbott thanked the poster for his support.

On Thursday, Democrats expressed their outrage on behalf of Davis, who is contemplating a run for governor and would likely face Abbott.

“It’s clear that Abbott’s advisers are following a strategy of offending every woman voter in the state of Texas,” said Will Hailer, executive director of the state Democratic Party.

“A woman who worked her way from a trailer park to graduate from Harvard Law School with honors is anything but stupid,” he said.

And there we have it… another priceless bit of gold from the Greg Abbott campaign. You’d think for all of that money he’s raised, he’d ADVISE his advisers to not troll using their easily traceable Twitter accounts. Of course, I guess he’d have to teach himself the same lesson first. Needless to say, Texas Democrats need to put this one in the bank, and use against Abbott later.

Houston Politics

‘Engaging’ Houston City Council in the Equality Debate

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In the wake of both sweeping national changes and historic movement in another Texas city, many eyes are now turning to Houston, and wondering when we will follow suit with a comprehensive non-discrimination ordinance. But this debate has been very active in the Bayou City for a while. In fact, Texas Leftist asked Houston Mayor Annise Parker directly about her reluctance to move such a measure back in April. Here’s a reminder of that exchange…

Texas Leftist: During your administration, you’ve tackled some of our city’s toughest issues… Chapter 42, city pensions, etc. and as a result have made tremendous progress. But why has so little been done regarding the LGBT community? With the exception of city government and some other select businesses you can still be fired for being LGBT because we do not have a non-discrimination ordinance for general employment. This lags behind other Texas cities such as Dallas, Austin, and Ft. Worth. When will you work to pass city-wide non-discrimination laws for our city? And even if it weren’t to pass council, isn’t the conversation worth having for the sake of all Houstonians?

Mayor Annise Parker: The conversation is worth having and as an openly lesbian politician, it is clearly not an issue I’m afraid to tackle, but see the answer above. I am unwilling to bring an issue forward when I know there aren’t sufficient votes to pass it. A non-discrimination ordinance would be important, but I am more interested in seeing discrimination removed from our city charter.

The city is prohibited by charter from offering domestic partner benefits or from recognizing the domestic relationships of our gay and lesbian employees. It would require a vote of the citizens to undo. I hope Council will join me in placing it on the ballot at the appropriate time.

Of course, that was then, and thanks to San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro and some very brave city council members, this is now. When asked yesterday if a comprehensive non-discrimination ordinance is something Houston should do, this was the Mayor’s response, directly from Mike Morris of the Houston Chronicle…

“It is absolutely something we should do, and the majority of council members have publicly stated they are in support of a nondiscrimination ordinance,” said Parker, the first openly gay mayor of a major American city. “But this is an issue that requires all of council to be engaged and agree it is time to move it forward. When it happens, we will do that.”

So the Mayor confirms what many in the city have suspected… the majority of Houston City Council is probably in support of a comprehensive non-discrimination ordinance. But no one knows for sure because the council members themselves have not been put on record for their stance on equality.

Thankfully though, the day has come. If you haven’t checked out Off the Kuff’s 2013 election page and listened to his interview series, I highly recommend it as an essential voter resource. So far this year, he has asked every candidate for City Council whether or not they support domestic partner benefits for same-sex couples, and as it turns out, the responses are mostly in favor from the data he’s collected at this point. The question is out there, and unlike past years, Houston City Council will have to answer.

Of course he’s asking only about domestic partner benefits, and not about a comprehensive non-discrimination ordinance. Which is why I included it in the very first Texas Leftist Candidate Questionnaire (TLCQ), currently being distributed (via email) to all Houston municipal candidates. If Mayor Parker thinks that “all of council” should be engaged in the subject for political action to occur, then it’s time to help make that happen.

And if you’re wondering where the Mayor’s top challenger Ben Hall stands on LGBT equality, you’re going to have to keep doing so, as he has refused entirely to give an opinion on the issue. Hopefully Mr. Hall knows that whoever stands to be the next Mayor of the City of Houston will not have the luxury of ignoring monumental shifts in the fight for LGBT rights. And if he wants any credible chance of winning this year’s election, he won’t be able to ignore for much longer.

Texpatriate and Brains and Eggs have more.

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University of Houston Building Special 9/11 Memorial

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For those of us alive in 2001, September 11th is a day that few Americans will probably ever forget. I’m someone that misplaces my keys and phone on a regular basis, but the events of 9/11 are still crystal clear in my mind. In the span of a few short hours, our country would never be the same.

Houston is over a thousand miles away from Shanksville, Washington or New York City, but some University of Houston students took it upon themselves to create a special 9/11 memorial for the campus. Here’s more from Laura Gillespie of the Daily Cougar…

“Back in 2009, the president at the time was Kenneth Fomunung. A student came up to him from the Student Video Network and said, ‘Hey, I heard we can get a piece of the World Trade Center. I heard that they’re giving them out to different organizations and things of that nature. You should look in to it,’” said SGA President Cedric Bandoh.

“Long story short, they applied for a piece in the New Jersey Port Authority, and after going through a series of paperwork and other things, they got the assistance of the then-vice president of Student Affairs, Dr. Elwyn Lee. And we were eventually approved for a piece of the World Trade Center, which was very, very exciting news.”

The artifact, a large piece of steel that was broken off during the September 11 attacks, will be raised and lighted and turned into a memorial at the New UC.

“The Student Government Association really led the effort. They wanted to have it as a site of history, of the country, and also they wanted it to take place adjacent to a large student traffic area so that it’s just a memorial of sorts that represents the history of our country,” said Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Keith Kowalka.

In the midst of a rapidly changing campus, it’s welcomed news that UH students took the initiative to honor such an important event in our history. Sounds like this will be worth a visit.

(photo credit: Keith Kowalka)

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Texoblogosphere: week of 9/9

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The Texas Progressive Alliance sends its condolences to Sen. Wendy Davis for the loss of her father as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Off the Kuff encourages Sen. Leticia Van de Putte to join Sen. Wendy Davis on the ticket as the Democratic candidate for Lt. Gov.

Texpatriate interviews Annise Parker, the Mayor of Houston.

Health insurance premiums may go up in Texas. Not because of Obamacare but because Perry and the GOP didn’t expand Medicaid. WCNews at Eye on Williamson shows that it’s just More of the same from the Texas GOP.

Greg Abbott’s appearances on Spanish language media so early in the 2014 gubernatorial campaign reveal he’s taking nothing for granted, observes PDiddie at Brains and Eggs.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme knows that Ted Cruz is just another batsh*t crazy Republican. No more. No less. Cruz doesn’t care about anybody but himself. Certainly not other Latinos.

Neil at All People Have Value wrote about asking Houston Mayor Annise Parker if she would consider living wage legislation for Houston. All People Have Value is part of the website NeilAquino.com.

And here are some other posts of interest from Texas blogs.

Offcite continues its look at new school designs with a review of buildings from the 2007 bond referendum.

Jason Stanford marvels at Big John Cornyn’s disappearing act, courtesy of his junior colleague.

Better Texas Blog starts the countdown to coverage with an overview of the health insurance exchange marketplace.

Concerned Citizens decries Bible-based bigotry.

Educate For Texas gives an inside look at the so-called “Texas Miracle” in education.

Lone Star Ma commemorates Women’s Equality Day.

Texas Living Waters Project explains recent court decisions on groundwater law.

And finally, The Texican says that Houston abides.

A Voice for the Rest of Texas