These posts deal with Harris County government
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 →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 […]
Continue reading →For the past 31 years, Dr. Stephen Klineberg at Rice University has been studying Houstonians. He started when Houston was a predominantly white, oil boom town in the 1980’s, through the oil bust, and onward through our gradual diversification of people and business. If you are not familiar with the study, trust me that it […]
Continue reading →Local governments always deal with ethics. The base nature of these entities creates consistent opportunity for “grey areas” among their employees and for Elected Officials. Whether it is HISD, Harris County, City of Houston or any of our regional governments, the opportunities abound for corruption. This has been clearly demonstrated over the last few years […]
Continue reading →The County and the City have been in a spat over the application of the City of Houston’s drainage fee on Reliant Stadium. Discussions on this property have been ongoing for months. Most county property is exempt from paying the drainage fee but the Reliant Park property is considered income-producing. While it is a county […]
Continue reading →2012 will be a big year in politics. Presidential election years always stand apart as the most exciting time frame in American politics. The President of the United States is the one office that unites, or divides, the entire country. From New York to California, all Americans will have the opportunity to choose who leads […]
Continue reading →County government is one of those entities that few people understand and even fewer people notice. If one mentions the “County Judge”, it usually requires an explanation that “no, he’s not a Judge but the County Executive.” Every county in the State of Texas has one County Judge and four County Commissioners. It doesn’t matter […]
Continue reading →Wrapping the Week with more Investigations It just doesn’t seem to stop in the Houston area lately. Now, the Sheriff and a popular East End Constable are on the hook. In fairness, Sheriff Adrian Garcia swept into office on the heels of a scandal. Only three years ago, our then Sheriff and then District Attorney […]
Continue reading →The Monday Ponderings discussed scandals and investigations that are sweeping throughout Houston. That very day, Commissioner Jerry Eversole submitted his resignation as County Commissioner for Precinct 4. A long-time FBI investigation and a pending trial likely contributed to his departure. The timing of the resignation allows County Judge Ed Emmett to appoint his successor. Political […]
Continue reading →It seems that many of our public entities are facing challenges and questions on their behavior these days. The Houston Community College System is dealing with questionable contracts issued by their board. The Houston Independent School District has Board members who are being questioned about their involvement in issuing contracts. The Port of Houston is […]
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