I will be attending a debate for the Houston Mayoral race tonight. Are there any good sources you guys would recommend for me to educate myself a little bit about both candidates. I would also love to hear everybody's take on what both candidates really bring to the table outside of the usual rhetoric.
a little info from the chron on the two prior to the general, there is a more in-depth q&a at the links king http://www.chron.com/politics/election/local/article/Mayoral-candidate-bios-Bill-King-6476231.php turner http://www.chron.com/politics/elect...al-candidate-bio-Sylvester-Turner-6476253.php
Increase property taxes (Turner) or force new city employees to go 401K instead of pensions (King). Personally, I'm getting a bit sick and tired of liberals in city hall. And this is coming from someone who thinks the modern Republican party is a glorified clown show racket.
[rQUOTEr]ST: As mayor, I will fight for a world-class, comprehensive transportation system that includes not just improved roadways but buses, rail, bikes and pedestrian options to provide effective and affordable transportation to all areas of the city. It is crucial that any citywide transportation proposal includes usable transportation for every community, not just point-to-point transportation for commuters. I support TxDOT’s plan to update I-45 and METRO’s recent steps forward on its long-term BRT proposal. I also believe we must strike the right balance between emergency road repairs and larger, long-term improvements. http://offcite.org/mayoral-runoff-c...arking-parks-pollution-preservation-and-more/ [/rQUOTEr]
Dems have had complete control of all the big cities for decades. If you want more of the same, vote for them.
king has written a lot of articles over the years in the houston chronicle. hes more of a moderate, not a tea party republican. watched the debate last time. i like him, smart guy. he doesnt come off as a typical politician like turner does. he acutally puts thought into the answers and doesnt give the repeat slogans. im a pretty left liberal btw, but turner is a longtime career politician and i dont really trust the guy.
The thing that makes me think the city's financial issues are very difficult to solve is that our current Mayor Parker was the City Controller and ran on her experience with the City's finances and yet she has been unable to solve both the city's finances or the crumbling roads, though one can argue she did find money to bridge budget shortfalls and the money to improve the city parks. I would love it if King could make headway on these problems, but it seems like a Herculean or maybe Sisyphean task. Turner strikes me as a career politician. He'll keep the city running, but not sure that he'll do anything to improve it. He'll try to keep all of the factions happy and avoid making waves.
King bought and named his yacht "Hard Times" LOLOLOOLO!!!! what a facking troll, rubbing his wealth in everyone's face!!! oh yea, he was also a partner in the largest small debt collecting firm in the country. they go after unpaid tolls, parking tickets, etc... charging outrageous fees even for minuscule unpaid tolls. an example, $20 in updaid tolls, they'll turn into over $400!!! real shady company buying out lawmakers since the 70s. a debt collector scumbag who has made millions off the poor and working class. sounds like the perfect guy to lead our working class city!!!
By more of the same, do you mean dynamic economic engines that are the pillars of American GDP? http://theweek.com/articles/449334/how-just-6-cities-dominate-americas-economy--astonishing-chart
Thank god we had Mayor Parker or oil prices would never have risen to such levels that spurred the investment boom in Houston over the past decade.
A lot of that corporate talent and ownership lives in the suburbs and makes sure their kids are educated there, if not in private or now charter schools insulated from public leadership. This is probably where commuter taxes and annexation come into play.
I don't think this is true: I'd like to see specific aggregate data if you have some. Anecdotally speaking, San Francisco is currently benefitting/suffering (depending on your point of view I suppose) from a massive influx of the best data/engineering/design talent in the world (maybe a few business/law people too) who are moving in from, not only the Bay Area suburbs, but also suburbs and cities around the world. this is off-topic, so I'm glad to start a new thread if you'd like.
Was listening to the two debate on NPR. Basically, Turner wants small reductions in spending and seems unwilling to work with city employees to reduce pensions. King seems willing to do spending cuts and pension reductions.
