Everyone that ever met Peter Brown is grieving his departure from planet Earth this week.

We know that he is in his pedestrian utopia with wide sidewalks, clear wayfinding, well-designed tree-lined streets and intersections with safe crossings.

I first met Peter Brown in the 1980’s. At that time Peter was very involved with the city on visioning and planning for long-term designs of Houston. He was so ahead of his time in worrying about flooding and design that did not encourage quality of life. In fact, it may be that I first learned that phrase from Peter – quality of life. Who cared? Very few as it was the bottom of the 80’s oil boom. We just needed to survive.

As a young woman, I would listen to Peter envision the city that I live in today. It’s hard when you are young to think past the next day, much less 30 – 50 years down the road. But Peter was always looking forward.

Peter never stopped looking forward either. From pushing for mobility to pedestrian pathways to improved parks and urban spaces.

Off and on for years, Peter and I would meet about once a quarter for breakfast at the Avalon Diner. First and foremost, Peter always cared about the person. He would want an update on life and self and would share his as well. Then, he would start telling me visions and ideas.

When Peter first announced he was interested in running for public office, I challenged him. I thought he was too pure and too visionary to be corrupted by public office. Once again, my friend Peter proved me wrong. He held tight to his steadfast beliefs and was a servant leader, always focusing on what was best for Houston. He embedded the term “quality of life” in the governance of the city.

I am so grateful that I had some time to visit with Peter in his final weeks. We talked a little politics and then I shared my idea to start a non-profit on sidewalks when I shift gears in the future. Even while not feeling well, he had me tightening up the idea and telling me what I needed to do to make it happen. He then told me, “Let’s do it!” I’m not ready yet, but will get there in the future.

Meanwhile Peter, we miss you with all our hearts.

To the Brown family, our thoughts and prayers are with you. Know that grief is a part of the process and that many more are grieving with you. Take your time to feel the pain and then remember your treasures and fondest memories.

How did this happen? Don’t we all still love our country? Well, most of us may have united on Monday but by Tuesday evening, we were yet again torn apart by violence with the loss of Alton Sterling. In the midst of our grieving, it happens again – immediately – the next evening with the death of Philando Castile.

And on day 3, we see the violence elevate, in an act of retaliation, to the Dallas Police and Dallas Transit Police in a random shooting event.

No wonder our emerging adult population is feeling less patriotic than we do. While we always knew this type of thing was happening, we did not watch the graphic video of it in real time. We did not watch a man bleed out and die in real time while his girlfriend and a 4 year old child are sitting in the car.

Technology has transformed how we view all of these events. Our youth do not feel safe in their society. They are probably less color blind than any generation before them as they grow with diversity in our country. They just cannot stomach what they see and they are becoming more cynical by the day.

Our great experiment of democracy is at risk. The candidates for President and an extremely unpleasant Congress are partly to blame. People very much feel that their vote doesn’t matter anymore and if I hear one more person tell me they won’t vote this year, I will punch them. I always try to remind them there is much more on the ballot than president.

We must find a way to continue the great experiment of America. (I refuse to call it ” ‘merica” as is so popular these days.) We must vote. We must educate. We must grieve for those lives lost. Black lives do matter. We have to start finding solutions to the challenges we face.

Raising a generation of hardened cynics will not help us do that. For the sake of everyone, can we please find a way to unite?

One of my favorite quotes:

“The ship of democracy, which has weathered all storms, may ultimately sink by the mutiny of those on board.” Grover Cleveland.

For my black friends, former students and all people of color – please tell us how to help. We do not walk in your shoes but we love you and want to help.

For all families and victims of random violence, our thoughts and prayers are with you. How can we help?

To the law enforcement officers who strive to protect most of us, we grieve your individual losses. How can we help?

It may be time for another “Hands Across America” movement.

I’m so sad. I grieve for our youth, the lives of innocent victims and our law enforcement community.

My family went last summer and we had a wonderful time. We hit 6 theme parks in 5 days! It was amazing. EVERYONE is welcome, as long as you are spending money. We saw so much diversity in the theme parks and so many languages we couldn’t even identify some of them. It is a truly happy place.

Not this week. Another act of random violence has taken over happy town and left the world grieving. I could not even process this loss initially. I’m writing now to help myself and hopefully a few others work through their grief.

This is not a political post, gun discussion or discrimination rant. It is not about anyone’s religion or other controversial topics. I hope it just stops and makes us think a little.

Mass shootings in America have become so regular that as a society, we may be numbing to them somewhat. Everyone was heartbroken after Aurora and many people stopped going to movie theaters. It lasted about a month. We were devastated when a shooter took out elementary students in Newtown, Connecticut. We prayed and shared our thoughts with families just prior to the holidays and then went on with our comfortable lives.

These events seem to occur every few months. They have not all been committed by “terrorists”. Yet that is how we react when we hear a name that sounds different. Maybe it is true but let’s hear the facts first.

The Oklahoma bomber was a simple, American country boy and he took many lives. The Newtown shooter and Aurora were also Americans, or “domestic terrorists”.

The bottom line is that these events keep coming. President Obama had said after the San Bernadino events that he “hoped and prayed that he did not have to do this again”, meaning address the press after a shooting.

A couple of weeks ago, a Professor at UCLA was shot. This one hit close to home as open carry begins on the UH main campus this fall, where I teach. A student’s anger can be very challenging to manage.

But Orlando punched me in the stomach. It was the “gay” community that got hit and “Latins” and “Gay Latins”. REALLY? Let’s drop all the labeling. It was 49 mostly young people enjoying their lives and letting off steam. It was 53 more injured young people and more than 300 fully traumatized. It was parents losing their children, no matter their age. It was mothers receiving texts from captured children telling them they loved them as they waited to die. How much pain can we tolerate?

I had to remove myself from social media channels over the weekend. Just a week before, I attended the HATCH prom as a sponsor while my daughter and her many friends enjoyed a prom without the pressures that school proms create. They danced freely and let their spirits fly. Another mother and I watched from the VIP room as our kids had the time of their lives. How vulnerable were we? Thankfully, there were four off-duty officers outside. I never considered safety an issue with this event.

My child is different. That has not changed the fact that I love her with all my heart and soul. Love her with every inch of my being, as many mothers do. This event also hurt her and made her question her own safety.

Let’s just pause: Stop with the hate, the victimization, the politics of it all, and grieve for families who have been torn apart by this tragedy. Rest assured that the news will dissect it until the next big story comes along or the next random act of violence. I will respond with random acts of kindness.

What will you do?

As the vote began to expand beyond white male landowners, women began to seek the right to vote. As the Civil War approached, many women were supportive of abolition. They learned that there opinions were not really welcome but their hard work and support were appreciated. Thus began a more solid women’s movement.

The 15th Amendment passed granting black males the right to vote. Women were once again excluded. And they were angry. They had encouraged the abolition of slavery, fought for freedom and were once again told to wait their turn.

In 1848, more than 200 men and women met in Seneca Falls, New York to coalesce on women’s specific issues. During this time, education was not available to all women, women could not own property or possess their own money except for rare circumstances. Men directed every aspect of women’s lives.

In 1872, a suffragist named Victoria Woodhull decided to seek the presidency. She was not even allowed to vote for herself but sought the highest office in the land. She ran on her own campaign and received a handful of votes. She was also the first woman to testify before a Congressional Committee on the subject of woman’s voting and the first woman ever to testify before Congress. Sojourner Truth was also a suffragist and reminded listeners, “Ain’t I a Woman” by telling her story as a slave. She was the first African American women ever invited to the White House by President Lincoln.

In 1890, Wyoming became a state and allowed women to vote. Some western states followed suit.

It took 72 years from the 15th amendment to the 19th amendment allowing women the right to vote passed. It took Susan B. Anthony illegally casting a vote and Alice Paul going on a hunger strike and having she and her supporters sent to jail before they finally won.

In the early 70’s, the Women’s “Lib” movement emerged after the Civil Rights movement. Between 1970 and 1980, many landmark court decisions brought significant changes to women’s lives from Roe v. Wade to Title IX. This era culminated with an agressive fight to pass the Equal Rights Amendment allowing an addition to the Constitution that would declare women equal under the law. This era culminated with a National Women’s Conference in 1977 held in Houston and underwritten by the government. Every living First Lady was in attendance, including Republicans and Democrats as well as numerous well-known women. Gloria Steinem was one of the foremost drivers of this period of change. FYI, the ERA never passed.

In 1984, the first woman was nominated as Vice President on a major political party ticket. The Democratic Party nominated Walter Mondale and he named Geraldine Ferraro as his running mate. Since that time, the Republican Party named Sarah Palin as a VP nominee. Many women have sought the Presidency over the last three decades.

96 years after women gained the right to vote, a woman has secured the nomination of a major political party. Whether or not you like Hillary Clinton or not, please recognize the fact that she has broken yet another ceiling in American “Herstory” and history too! Pardon some of us who have fought for women’s equality our whole lives if we are overly excited and or shedding a tear or two.

I won’t apologize for the long post. I have been teaching Women in Politics at the University of Houston for 14 years and enlightening students about women’s herstory. You must look at the long struggles to fully understand the exuberance many women feel at this crack in the ceiling.

Things were flying in January. I was working hard, eating healthier, and working new business. Lily was participating in debate and doing well at school in the second half of her Freshman year in high school.

Then, on January 29, I went to pick Lily up from a debate tournament. I tripped over an unmarked speed hump in the school’s parking lot and landed very hard. I had a concussion, bit through my lips, a black-eye and most importantly, a shattered right arm. In the word of the paramedics that arrived after someone called 9-1-1, “that arm is deformed.”

In fact, a part of the elbow shattered and a bone that was connected to the elbow shattered. Within days, I had major surgery to repair my arm. For much of this spring, I have been limping along with my arm. Writing has been challenging – either by hand (barely impossible) and typing. I can now comfortably type for short periods of time.

The wonders of Occupational Therapy and amazing medical care have helped me to heal better than most. My doc keeps telling me that I’m about 3 months ahead of where she expected  me to be. I keep telling her I’m an over-achiever and will be as best as the healing process allows. Count me blessed.

It’s not completely healed and will not likely be fully recovered for over a year. That’s o.k.. I’m functioning and back to writing.

There are too many things happening in the political world for me to lose my voice any longer. While I was down, prohibited from driving and not doing much at all, I spent some time watching politics on the news and primary debates. While it is a bit of a blur, I had some fun and spent time yelling at the television.

So, just an update to say I’m back and will be once again regaling you all with my take on the political world.

Stay tuned.

The 2015 Mayoral election has been and still is one of the oddest that I have witnessed. At the risk of offending the candidates, I share some thoughts on the reasons this election has been challenging.

1. The public does not seem interested, except in potholes. Many people are just now waking up to the fact that Mayor Parker has reached term limits. Daily I am asked why she is not running again.

2. The number of quality candidates has overwhelmed even the most aware voters. Several of them are great. Many people feel like they could comfortably support several of them. When pushed, they will come up with a favorite but they don’t really care among the top 3 or 4 they support.

3. Polls are inconsistent. No one poll has predicted the outcome that matches other polls. Each of them show a tight clump of candidates. They consistently reveal that “The Statesman” Sylvester Turner is in the lead but vary significantly and within the margin of error on who might make a run-off with him.

4. The debate over Houston’s Equal Rights Ordinance may be generating more emotion than the candidates. People have strong feelings about the referendum on this ordinance and it may bring voters to the polls that don’t consistently vote in city elections. This could also skew current polling data. The polls rely on “likely” City voters.

5. Where is the excitement? There are 6 really strong candidates who have trooped from forum to forum, spoken on their own and run aggressive grass-roots campaigns. Each of them have a cadre of hard-core supporters that engage. However, no one of them has captured the passion and dedication that normally accompanies mayoral candidates – from the underdog spirit to the secure front-runner. The Turner camp has many young people involved and you can feel passion around him at times. He personally is a passionate person. Garcia also has a cadre of youth backing him and good grass-roots support. King has been gaining with conservatives.  Bell generates a strong passion among his loyalists as does Costello. Hall has much of the conservative religious community backing him It’s just that the public is not catching on or connecting in a big way.

6. So, based on data, organization, endorsements, spending and more, one could say that expect Turner to be in the run-off. The question is who will share the stage with him?

This blogger has no intention of recommending a candidate to you. However, it is critical that you study these folks, pick one and cast a ballot. You may view the League of Women Voters guide to the election by clicking here.

The “C” Club is a conservative organization but they have surprised folks in the past by making unexpected endorsements. Many politicos think of them as the “rational” conservatives. They are a well-respected group of conservative-leaning, mostly business-oriented members.  Here is their own description of their organization:

“The purpose of the “C” Club of Houston is to promote an environment in which candidates possessing high moral principles and a clear vision of the future can be elected. The “C” Club’s non-partisan support of political candidates is heavily based upon, but not limited to, the candidate’s support of conservative fiscal policies; and, the preservation of our communities and the promotion of a strong economy. Founded in 1964, the “C” Club PAC is composed of 100 fiscally conservative Houston business and professionals members who make a continuous study of local, Texas government.”  http://www.cclub.org/

Our sources indicate that there were three contenders worthy of their support with most of the candidates having at least one or two members in their favor. The top three, however, were Stehpen Costello, Adrian Garcia and Bill King.

It takes 75% of the membership to approve their endorsement. This is a significant victory for King. King is a middle-of-the-road candidate who reasons out his positions and post lots of thoughtful white papers on complex issues. Many have expressed concern that his nebulous position on HERO will cause him grief on the campaign trail. King always shifts the discussion back to pensions and streets.

Unfortunately, we can’t share details of the debate with you as we did with the GLBT caucus endorsement as we weren’t allowed to participate.

Does this endorsement matter? It probably bolsters King’s support among conservatives and really helps him in the westside voter pool.

Ben Hall remains the only candidate stridently opposing HERO and continues to garner support from the Hotze family and other religious conservatives while Costello remains popular with many centrist voters.

The battle for the right-leaning voters continues but this endorsement gives King a real boost.

This caucus has one of the most thorough screening and endorsement processes of most organizations. They initially send a questionnaire to candidates. In the distant past, just returning the questionnaire earned points in the community but these days it is the opposite. If you don’t return the questionnaire, you are in a small minority.

Once they have received responses, they embark upon a rigorous screening process replete with assesments and scores of the candidate’s stance on relevant issues, electoral viability, and much more. The screening committee then makes recommendations to the full organization and all members are invited to participate in the final decision.

It is not unusual for the screening committee recommendation to be overturned by the organization. In fact, in big races it happens often. This year, five of the seven Mayoral candiates vigorously sought the caucus endorsement. The committee recommended Adrian Garcia while Stephen Costello received the highest score from them.  Garcia and Turner had near even scores. Chris Bell, a long-time ally of the community and the organization, received a surprisingly low score. Committee members indicated concerns about his electoral viability. Marty McVey received the lowest score but still appeared and asked the group for their support. Bill King submitted a questionnaire but chose not to screen with the organization. Ben Hall did not respond.

With five candidates seeking their endorsement, the meeting broke into raucus debate over who should ultimately receive their blessing. Sylvester Turner garnered the most votes and had some of the highest profile people in the community speaking on his behalf – from the early founders to former Elected Officials to current colleage students. Emotions ran deep.

As the caucus endorsement has been more sought after, the process has come under scrutiny. Many people are claiming that Turner “bought” the endorsement because he paid memberships for his supporters.

Personally, I have always viewed the endorsement for races of this magnitude as a representation of which candidate is best organized. Paid memberships or not, he got the crowd out for the vote and drove the process in his favor. It seemed that other candidates did not work as hard at organizing within the membership. The Turner campaign had their act together for the meeting.

In my humble opinion, all five of the candidates come out winners. The community knows that they are friendly to their issues and concerns. As the community grows, matures and expands, they will have more options of people to support. That is happening now.

The bigger question is does the endorsement matter? Well, yes and no. In a Mayoral race, people are much more aware of the candidates and engage at a higher level. The endorsement will have a much greater impact on the Council races, school board, etc. In these races, many progressive voters that support GLBT issues will follow their endorsement recommendations.

Congrats to the community! Now, if I can just garner invite to the C (Conservative) Endorsement meeting…………..

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.

The issue of flooding seems a little bit like a game of chess. Everytime one area of the city improves, another area floods. With the addition of more concrete everywhere in the city limits, areas that flood change. It is a challenge for a world-class city that arose from a swamp.

But the other issue that still dominates the election is the condition of our streets. This issue will not stop or fade from the minds of voters. Every single day, Houstonians hop in their cars and drive down our roads. The city has made an attempt to “patch” some of the thousands of potholes that make our streets look like they have a case of acne – a pox on the city.

Alas, the rains came and though not every area flooded, most of the patched potholes reappared as ideal opportunities to tear up your car. Many of the “quick fixes” for potholes involve a temporary fix with a mix of asphalt. The powerful rains washed away the mix exposing the gaping holes once again.

Historically, Mayoral campaigns will focus on a variety of issues but the one closest to the heart of voters will emerge as a top priority. My free advice to candidates this year is “It’s about the potholes!”

When there are such intelligent candidates seeking the office this year, many of them are talking about other important issues. Finances and pensions are vitally important to the well-being of the city and to the services it provides. Pensions alone could lead the city into bankruptcy. Yet, voters will likely receive a small tax roll back this year and the city just doubled the tax exemption for seniors. Voters will not necessarily be actually, tangibly experincing the looming financial crisis.

But, every day they get in their cars and drive. Every day. There is not a neighborhood in the city that does not have potholes, at least on a major thoroughfare.

I’m declaring a theme song for the Mayor’s race. It is by Twenty One Pilots and officially named “Tear in my Heart”. When you listen here, replace the word “heart” with car! Pay close attention to the lyrics.

Now! Tell us how you will fix the potholes! Go!