Elected officials in Houston are up for re-election every odd-numbered year.
That includes the Mayor, Annise Parker, who is seeking a second term.
She is viewed as favored for re-election, but one cannot take things
for granted in politics. Election day is Tuesday, November 8. There
would be a runoff if no candidate gets better than 50 %. Early voting
starts Monday, October 24.
She has 5 opponents. The filing deadline was Wednesday, Sept. 7.
I first knew of Annise Parker as president as the Houston GLBT Political Caucus
in 1986. I grew up wanting to see Houston become a cosmopolitan city,
and over the last 50 or 60 years it has done so, more and more. It
elected its first female mayor in 1981, Kathy Whitmire, who served 10
years. Now I am very pleased we have elected an openly lesbian mayor,
who has been a colleague of mine in the lgbt movement. Her life partner
is accountant Kathy Hubbard, who is notable as a past president of the
computer organization HAL-PAC.
Annise carries herself very well as a public person, has very good
rapport with constituents. After her first bid for office, the late Ann
Lower, a Democratic organizer in the Montrose area, told me she thought
Annise had good talent to be a politician. Ann should know; she was a
first-rate political organizer.
Annise Parker has had a good record for retaining staff. I have found
her campaign staff a pleasure to work with. Many of her people from 2
years ago are back again. She has built a loyal following over the
years.
Parker graduated from Rice University in 1978. For 18 years she was a
software analyst for Mosbacher Energy. She also was co-owner of a
bookstore, Inklings Bookshop, from 1986 through 1997.
In 1997 she was elected to the Houston City Council, after 2
unsuccessful races. She was re-elected to this at-large position
(elected citywide) through 2003, when she became term-limited. In 2003
she was elected to the first of 3 2-year terms as City Controller,
winning the 2003 runoff with 62 %. In 2009 she was elected Mayor. She
was unopposed for re-election in 2005 and 2007, maybe 1999.
At the 2011 US Conference of Mayors Parker this month won first
[http://yosemite.epa.gov/...
place] for the Climate Protection Award. Houston may seem an unlikely
place for this. She is
[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
quoted] as saying. "I like to say that if you're going to do missionary
work, you have to go where the non-believers are." This Conference
cited Houston's green buildings program, which includes a project to
retrofit all 262 municipal buildings and also pays private owners to do
likewise. Houston is the country's largest municipal purchaser of
renewable energy, such as wind energy.
Running for public office costs money. Please visit my personal
fundraising
page and
help by donating what you can. There is a deadline June 30 for
filing a campaign finance report. Let's make it look good.
You will
notice that the page shows what I am raising. I need more than the $50
I have
gotten so far. The campaign has set me a goal of $5000. I am doing this
as a volunteer. Even small donations help and add up. The best
campaigns get their money from a broad base of people. Please ask
friends to donate. If you have questions feel free to call the campaign
at 713-861-6464. The campaign would also love for you to volunteer, if
you live in the Houston area.
The deadline to file for re-election is this coming Wednesday,
September 7, 5 PM CDT. It is still possible some billionaire could make
a last-minute filing.
One of her opponents is professional homophobe
[http://m.dallasvoice.com/...
Dave Wilson], who has run
for the City Council several times. Two years ago he did not run, but
did a mailing that identified 3 gay candidates and urged a vote against
them. Strangely enough, I received the mailing.
I have mentioned early voting above. The new Texas voter ID law went
into effect September 1, and you can consider an election this year to
be a dress rehearsal for 2012. Early voting is a good way to be on the
safe side. Check that you have what you need to vote. Call your county
clerk, your local Democratic Party, or a local campaign. In Houston the
local Democratic Party is 713-802-0085. I have given you the number for
Annise Parker's campaign. The Harris County Clerk is 713-755-5792.
Texas is not the only state that has recently passed a voter ID law.
Consider yourself fortunate if you have a local or state election this
year.
Houston is a center of cultural pluralism in a mostly red state. Let's
keep Houston that way.