On January 7th of this year, my blog post was about HERO being a driving issue of the 2015 City Elections. Click here to review and remember.

I would love to tell you that I’m a futurist or have pyschic abilities but an issue that generates this level of passion will always remain present. Just remember that the Roe v. Wade decision was made 42 years ago and still dominates elections. On HERO, people are passionate about Equal Rights on one side of the issue and bathrooms on the other.

Houston City Council voted yesterday to put the Ordinance on the ballot, forced to do so by a Court decision, for a public vote. No candidate and few individuals will be able to escape the election without engaging in at least one conversation on the topic. The issue may drive a higher turnout than we have seen in recent city elections.

Where does this leave the candidates for Mayor? Bell, Costello, Garcia, McVey, and Turner support the Ordinance. Ben Hall is avidly opposed to the Ordinance. Bill King has developed a thoughtful white paper on his opinion on the subject. Click here to review.

This election will evolve into another example of social issues driving democracy. But will it fix the potholes or balance the city budget? Let’s remember to keep asking these questions amdist the emotional debate.