Special Session: Please Let it End!

Dear Governor Perry: Please send those Legislators home! If you absolutely must call another Special Session, at least give them a break before returning. The Legislators have been working day and night for several months now. Legislative Sessions are a little like summer camp. People are isolated from their families and their constituents. They are […]

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Oprah

Really? Why would Ponderings write about Oprah? I know that is what you are thinking. Allow me to explain. Let’s not forget that the author of this Blog teaches Women in Politics and is extremely dedicated to the empowerment of women. Oprah took this cause to all new levels. First, she empowered herself. She overcame […]

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City Redistricting Sets Example

The Mayor announced and presented a revised redistricting plan for the expanded City Council, surrounded by a diverse group of supporters. To the Mayor’s credit, she has made the city redistricting process an open and engaging experiment. To recap, the Planning Department staff initially presented a plan that added the two new seats but did […]

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Bone Dry and Dead Broke

This past weekend, my family took our annual trek to the see the Bluebonnets. This is one of our treasured, annual expeditions and we have captured our son with the state flower most every year of his life. However, this was a most alarming experience. My urban nature knew the state was in a drought […]

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Exempt Me, Please

Today, the Houston City Council moves the discussion of drainage and street improvements to the next step. Voters approved the Rebuild Houston referendum last November, in general terms. However, in policymaking, the devil is always in the details. Initially, the fees were to apply to all properties within the Houston City limits. During the campaign, […]

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Welcome J & K

The City Council voted this week to add two new Council Districts to their elite group of 14. We will now have 16 people representing a population of 2.1 million, give or take. I had to miss the actual debate this week as I was traveling on business in Chicago. As a local government junkie, […]

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Honoring Dr. King

Today is the official observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday. I’m blessed to observe this day as a holiday and am disappointed by how few people are joining me in this observance. For the fact is that Dr. King made a significant impact on American history and on our country. No, he was […]

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Delicate Balance of Democracy

On Saturday, a Member of Congress took to a neighborhood grocery store to visit with her constituents. Unfortnately, this simple exercise in democracy brought death and damage to the Member of Congress, her staff, a Federal Judge and other innocent people. In the world of governing, when any one person is injured, partisanship quickly fades […]

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Welcome 2011

Welcome 2011 and welcome to my new blog!  I am so looking forward to the New Year and all of that it brings. As a parent, I look forward to my son reaching double digits.  He’ll turn 10 in March.  We’ll also continue to participate in the Houston BoyChoir for the spring and have more […]

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