It used to be that the day candidates and Elected Officials were required to submit their campaign and expenditure reports was a really big news day. Reporters would hang around City Hall and the State Capital offices and wait for the reports to be delivered.

Now, submission is mostly electronic and media is less interested. While there has been some coverage on state donations, I have seen little mention of city elections.

In less than a week, candidates and incumbents seeking election/re-election to City offices this year will be allowed to initiate their fundraising efforts. A strict City Ordinance limits fundraising to certain timeframes. Thus, it makes sense to at least look at the Mayor’s figures.

There is much ballyhoo that Mayor Parker will draw a significant opponent this election cycle. Well folks, she starts the day with over $1,000,000 in her campaign account and no outstanding debts. She has maintained a campaign office and kept campaign advisors throughout the year. That is a formidable sum of money.

With the start of fundraising, she should be able to easily double that figure by the time reports are due again on June 30.

Anyone who is seriously considering contesting her will need to quickly raise funds to be at all competitive.

Since Houston adopted Term Limits, no incumbent Mayor has been defeated. Part of the reason this has been the case is that it is very difficult to raise money against an incumbent. Former Mayor Lee Brown faced stiff opposition each election, particularly in his third re-election effort. Opponents were able to raise money but found it very challenging.

The question remains, will Mayor Parker receive a major opponent?

On another front, there is much discussion about Council Member Jolanda Jones. She narrowly won re-election in 2009 and likely faces significant opposition again this year. She has less than $23,000 cash on hand. This makes her somewhat more vulnerable. However, she is an Incumbent and will launch her fundraising soon.

Stay tuned for further analysis.