Robert C. Lanier, 1925 - 2014

Dairy Ashford · Dec 22, 2014

http://www.chron.com/news/article/Former-Houston-mayor-Bob-Lanier-has-died-5971148.php

Former Houston mayor Bob Lanier has died

Bob Lanier, a 6-foot-4 cowboy boot-wearing, sports-crazy political sharpshooter who rose from modest beginnings in blue-collar Baytown to become one of Houston's biggest developers and most influential mayors, died Saturday. He was 89.

In January 1992, Lanier began a six-year tenure as mayor that, in its successes, was hailed as a model for reducing crime and revitalizing the inner city.

At various times, for various reasons, Lanier was likened to Franklin Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. The commonality was that Lanier, the son of a Methodist minister turned oilfield roustabout, invariably was measured against America's greatest movers and shakers.

"I'd put him with (Chicago Mayor Richard) Daley and (New York City Mayor Fiorello) La Guardia as one of the great mayors in 20th century history," University of Houston political science guru Richard Murray once said. "He has the ability to get things done."

To former state Sen. Jon Lindsay, who entered public life as a county judge in 1975, Lanier was the most powerful person on the Houston scene in the century's closing decades. To county Commissioner Steve Radack, he was "authoritarian with a smile." For former city councilman and current Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan, Lanier simply was "the 800-pound gorilla."

The news of his death Saturday prompted remembrances of his fierce intelligence and confident swagger.

Mayor Annise Parker said Lanier "left a lasting mark" on Houston.

"Never one to shy away from a tough battle, he used his strength and popularity to push through affirmative action protections, rebuild the city's wastewater system, improve neighborhoods and add hundreds of officers to the police force," Parker said in a statement.

Lanier's wife, Elyse, whom he married in 1984, said in a statement that his decades of public service "brought a smile to his face and a twinkle to his eye these last few years."

"Bob wanted me to pass on a final goodbye and a hearty, 'Thank you for making a guy like me look good!' " she wrote.

Ben Hall recalled Lanier selecting him to be Houston's city attorney, in part, to help close divides with the African-American community after a contentious race for City Hall's top job against state Rep. Sylvester Turner. Hall, who is black, said Lanier didn't stop there, often reminding his staff in private meetings that "he would be the mayor for anybody and everybody in the city, not simply the people who elected him."

"The thing I'll remember most was his tendency to put his hole-ridden boots on the table while talking to you," Hall said. "I said to myself, 'That is one man with great confidence,' such that I had to watch the bottom of his boots at the same time we were discussing these serious policy decisions. I just thought it was fitting for the country boy who became the intellectual that he was."

Poverty was a goad

Lanier — the city of Houston's 50th mayor — spent his earliest years in a Baytown house without indoor plumbing, and such poverty was a goad.

"He was a brilliant kid bored with a life of poverty," said Dave Walden, who served as Lanier's chief of staff. "He had a raging thirst for knowledge about any arcane subject one might come up with, from transportation theory to religion."

Lanier once told his wife that his life's passions were politics, sports and business. As an undergraduate at the University of New Mexico, he boxed in club matches. He remained a lifelong boxing fan, zipping around the country to attend championship matches, where he would elbow-jab companions, feign punches and grunt with the action.

Lanier was an avid golfer, an accomplished tennis player and a noisy Astros fan. His passion for basketball was so intense that he'd sometimes write letters to team members on the eve of championship games.

Lanier tried his hand at sportswriting, but jettisoned that modest-paying career in favor of the more lucrative field of law. With a degree from the University of Texas, Lanier became a lawyer with the prestigious Houston firm Baker & Botts.

In the decades leading to his ascendancy to the mayor's office, he built giant subdivisions and apartment complexes, controlled a major savings and loan and served as chairman of the Texas Highway Commission and Houston's Metropolitan Transit Authority.

"He found politics a lot more fascinating than making money," Walden said. "He's not a greedy person. Once he made enough to live in comfort and style, he got bored with making any more."

Boxing was a metaphor for Lanier's life, inside and outside the ring. He liked to tell the story of his days in the U.S. Navy, when, assigned to supervise a group of veteran cooks, he challenged the burliest of them to a boxing match. Lanier held his own — and gained the respect of his underlings.

"That's just the way he operates," Walden once said. "You pick a fight with the biggest fellow and then no one will mess with you."

Lanier's political fights were high-profile and often bitter. He tangled with former Mayor Kathy Whitmire and former city controller George Greanias. "He is ruthless," Greanias later complained, "and he is totally committed to power and winning."

Lanier and Whitmire were like two speeding locomotives headed in opposite directions on the same track.

As mayor, Whitmire was a strong proponent of a $1 billion, 20-mile monorail line that would have linked downtown with the Galleria, Texas Medical Center and Post Oak Boulevard business area.

As Metro chairman, Lanier was instrumental in engineering his board's 8-1 rejection of the plan in November 1989. In response, Whitmire dumped Lanier as chairman.

No time to waste

He returned in 1991 to defeat Whitmire and Turner in the mayor's race. "The rail war provided the personal impetus to run, but he wanted to be mayor for a whole series of reasons," UH's Murray said. "He saw an opportunity to rebuild part of society. With all the power he had, he didn't have to waste much time getting these things done."

Lanier stacked the Metro board with his appointees, and began the process of allocating more than two-thirds of the agency's $650 million nest egg to Houston, Harris County and other cities.
Much of the money went to putting 655 police officers on the street, leading to a 21.7 percent drop in crime during his first two years in office. Over his entire tenure as mayor, crime dropped 31.4 percent.

Then, Lanier and Metro successfully campaigned for federal approval to spend $500 million in federal funds on the Better Bus System to beef up roads and traffic signals. He directed tens of millions of dollars to upgrade neighborhoods and parks.

Rail advocates blasted Lanier for his policies, arguing that in the 21st century great cities would require rail. "Mr. Lanier chose to take the easy way out," Houston developer Howard Horne lamented as Lanier ended his tenure as mayor. "This city will pay a high price in the lack of mobility for many years to come."

Lanier argued for a pragmatic approach in which rail would be utilized when needed. "It's not a basic tool," he said. "Use it when it works, don't use it when it doesn't. Don't make it an ideological dispute."

Political statesman

Lanier often contended that keeping the middle class in the city — or luring it back — was vital to Houston's health. He pushed for downtown redevelopment, including renovation of the Rice Hotel as lofts and expansion of the George R. Brown Convention Center.

The most ironic crisis for Lanier, the sports enthusiast, came in 1994 when Houston Oilers' owner Bud Adams threatened to move the team unless the city built him a new downtown domed stadium. Lanier attempted to block the move by asking Congress to change anti-trust laws applying to sports teams. When that effort failed, Lanier told Adams to "hit the road."

Lanier retained his personal interest in athletics, playing tennis and golf.

Despite his health challenges — in September 1998, he underwent triple bypass surgery — Lanier insisted on remaining active. He hosted fundraisers and appeared in television advertisements for charities, always with his wife at his side to care for him and protect his image. Mark Jones of Rice University said Lanier, unlike many other living Houston mayors, remained an intellectual and financial force after leaving office.

"In contrast with Kathy Whitmire, Lee Brown and Bill White, Lanier has remained more actively involved in Houston politics, fundraising and, primarily, public policy," Jones said. "He held the position of an elder statesmen following his departure from office and that was a position he held right up until his passing."
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rudan · Dec 22, 2014

Last good mayor houston has had. This shouldn't be in the D&D. RIP

Dairy Ashford · Dec 22, 2014

rudan said: ↑

Last good mayor houston has had. This shouldn't be in the D&D. RIP
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Other than Parker's foray into social issues and whatever venom Brown seemed to attract from suburbanites, they've pretty much all been in the same vein as Lanier and Whitmire: who ultimately patched things up after the rail and term-limits fight. Business-friendly technocrats who would all be Republican if everyone hadn't hightailed it to Sugarwoodlake.

A_3PO · Dec 22, 2014

I liked Mayorbob, but he was gifted a giant pile of money and spent it. That's why he accomplished so much while in office.

It would have been a lot different without the giant pile. Just sayin.

Dairy Ashford · Dec 22, 2014

A_3PO said: ↑

I liked Mayorbob, but he was gifted a giant pile of money and spent it. That's why he accomplished so much while in office.

It would have been a lot different without the giant pile. Just sayin.
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Was this in budget surpluses from Whitmire, or what?

A_3PO · Dec 22, 2014

pouhe said: ↑

Was this in budget surpluses from Whitmire, or what?
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It was a metro fund that was designated for rail. Because he helped defeat rail, Mayorbob spent that money on infrastructure.

plcmts17 · Dec 23, 2014

A_3PO said: ↑

It was a metro fund that was designated for rail. Because he helped defeat rail, Mayorbob spent that money on infrastructure.
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He spent it on getting more cops and whatever else was left on infrastructure.
He ran on getting more cops on the streets.

Dubious · Dec 23, 2014

Mayor Bob is a prime example of crony politics. Houston could have had a leading edge monorail system worthy of "Space City" but he killed it with easy political ridicule only to spend the federal money on an antiquated street car system that does nothing for real transportation needs and everything for his buddy developers that owned the Mid-town property.

There was a lot to like about Mayor Bob though every time a car crashes with the street train I ask WTF?

Colt45 · Dec 23, 2014

Dubious said: ↑

Houston could have had a leading edge monorail system
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Aaaah, that's more of a SHELBYVILLE idea.

CrazyDave · Dec 24, 2014

Sad. Always liked Mayor Bob. Didn't hurt he was a big Rockets fan. Condolences to the family.

Spacemoth · Dec 28, 2014

Dare I say the most popular political figure in Houston history.

And even he couldn't get zoning pushed through to law, ha. No one since him has tried, for good reason. And still to this day we have strip clubs next to school zones. THINK OF THE CHILDREN!

Mr. Clutch · Dec 28, 2014

Did a good job.

g1184 · Dec 28, 2014

Spacemoth said: ↑

Dare I say the most popular political figure in Houston history.

And even he couldn't get zoning pushed through to law, ha. No one since him has tried, for good reason. And still to this day we have strip clubs next to school zones. THINK OF THE CHILDREN!
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It's easier for moms to pick up their kids this way.

bobrek · Dec 28, 2014

g1184 said: ↑

It's easier for moms to pick up their kids this way.
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And dads....

Rocket River · Dec 28, 2014

I had no big negative or positive about him
Interesting then was no one blames him for the Oilers leaving on his watch

Rocket River

Teen Wolf · Dec 28, 2014

Dubious said: ↑

Mayor Bob is a prime example of crony politics. Houston could have had a leading edge monorail system worthy of "Space City" but he killed it with easy political ridicule only to spend the federal money on an antiquated street car system that does nothing for real transportation needs and everything for his buddy developers that owned the Mid-town property.

There was a lot to like about Mayor Bob though every time a car crashes with the street train I ask WTF?
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QFT

**** bob

A_3PO · Dec 28, 2014

Rocket River said: ↑

Interesting then was no one blames him for the Oilers leaving on his watch

Rocket River
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Not true. I assume you say this because the obituaries don't mention it. Mayorbob looked like a miscalculating buffoon in that case. He was totally clueless and had no concept of how limited his leverage was in that fiasco.

The guy who doesn't get enough credit for the Oilers leaving is Drayton "Bud Dome" McLane. What a liar.

Rocket River · Dec 28, 2014

A_3PO said: ↑

Not true. I assume you say this because the obituaries don't mention it. Mayorbob looked like a miscalculating buffoon in that case. He was totally clueless and had no concept of how limited his leverage was in that fiasco.

The guy who doesn't get enough credit for the Oilers leaving is Drayton "Bud Dome" McLane. What a liar.
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I was talking more about in this thread than anything

Rocket River
being so many sports fans here

Dubious · Dec 29, 2014

A_3PO said: ↑

He was totally clueless and had no concept of how limited his leverage was in that fiasco.
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Houston had had enough of Bottom-line Bud suck. The teams sucked and his constant blackmail in the midst of an oil recession sucked.

Dairy Ashford · Dec 29, 2014

A_3PO said: ↑

Not true. I assume you say this because the obituaries don't mention it. Mayorbob looked like a miscalculating buffoon in that case. He was totally clueless and had no concept of how limited his leverage was in that fiasco.
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Lanier wasn't going to be unseated as Mayor, unless there's some quantifiable tax or economic loss then the leverage probably wasn't worth having in terms of large-scale, long-term political or administrative goals.

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