These posts discuss city government.
Last Friday, my firm hosted a half day session on Policy Projections for 2013. We focused on how the 2012 elections will impact policy in 2013 and what that means for business. Providing speakers from the national, state and local level, we addressed how the federal government is refusing to act, the state government overreacts […]
Continue reading →For months now, we have been posting about the bond elections on the ballot. Today, we focus on the confusing Metro referendum. What is it exactly that you are being ask to vote on regarding Metro? This ballot item is probably the most “insider” game question as well. Many years ago, Metro was asked to […]
Continue reading →We’ve been writing about potential bond elections on this Blog since early this year. While we were on vacation, 3 entities adopted ballot language asking the voters to approve bonds. Houston ISD is seeking the most with a bond request of $1.9 billion. Gulp. That is a lot of money, any way you describe it. […]
Continue reading →In 1981, Kathy Whitmire was elected Mayor of Houston, defeating the “good ole’ boy” system for the first time. Her winning coalition of inner-loop progressives, west side women, gays, African-Americans and Hispanics was a first for the City. She took office (prior to the adoption of term limits) and served for 10 years. She faced […]
Continue reading →Now that we are in the doldrums of summer elections, my circles are starting to seriously buzz about Houston city politics in 2013. While we are only weeks away from the Texas Primary Run-offs, they are just not as much fun as the early speculation for 2013 in Houston. The bonds on the 2012 ballot […]
Continue reading →As most of you know, I’m a lifelong Houstonian. My family moved here from the Valley of Texas when I was a mere 3 years old. I’ve been blessed to live and travel elsewhere and always come back to the City I love. One of the treasures of “My Houston”, is the Astrodome. I remember […]
Continue reading →It took me a day to ponder my thoughts on the City of Houston budget process this year. While I joked last week about the “Christmas Tree” affect of the voluminous amendments to the budget, I was actually stunned that some of these became presents for Council Members. How a budget amendment on term limits, […]
Continue reading →During the spring, this blogger let you know that bonds were high on the agenda for multiple local governmental entities. Now, we are moving closer to reality. HISD publicly floated their bond consideration in the news this week while Metro has truly stepped up their game. HISD reported on what they have been able to […]
Continue reading →It’s the time of year when City Hall becomes solely focused on adopting a budget for the next fiscal year. This ritual of summer is one that always brings out the best and worst in Council Members and city departments. This year, for the first time in the last several years, a severe shortage of […]
Continue reading →Lots of discussion centers around how to make the Houston “region” better and more cohesive. Any one unit of the region standing alone is not as strong as the cumulative area. We do have some government operations that function regionally. The Port of Houston and Metro are two examples. The City appoints the majority of […]
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