Both of these candidates are running under basically Anti-Lee Brown platforms, promising focus on repairing the city's crumbling infrastructure. Does anyone know anything else about them? Their differences? I can only suppose they are shooting for a run-off, but it seems like two candiates with such similar agendas would hurt each other, more than they would Brown, by splitting their support.
sanchez is a bit more conservative...bell is fairly erratic. sanchez is a huge supporter of tax cuts...bell waffles on that.
Bell is essentially a Brown clone that kisses Republican ass. Sanchez is a conservative who won't discuss his conservative agenda with the mostly liberal Hispanic public because he is afraid he'll lose their votes if he opens his mouth. He's probably right. Bell's policies aren't awful, but he is a terrible manager. Sanchez is basically a right wing conservative. Both of them are shooting for a runoff though it might be tough to get there. Bell has a better chance against Brown in a runoff but Sanchez will probably get to the runoff ahead of Bell considering Bell has only about 9 to 10 percent of the votes in the latest polls. Also, keep an eye out because Bell is almost out of money and Sanchez isn't far behind which means their TV ad budget will be dwindling quickly.
"Bell is a Brown Clone and a terrible manager" -- Isn't that redundant? Could you elaborate? It's odd to have 2 with similar platforms, but the single value of the messed up "non party" system the city has, the "Nader" or "Perot" effect doesn't really happen. If someone doesn't get a clear majority, it goes to a runoff between the two with the highest votes. (technically it can be more, but it's unusual to have more than 2 get the required percentage.
Bell's policies are VERY similar to Brown but he has no clue how to delegate. The primary difference between he and Brown is that Brown has made his mistakes in delegating to the wrong people or not having accountibility in certain positions where Bell tries to do everything on his own. In nearly every department, this hasn't been a problem but, in the Public Works Dept., it has been. The firefighters think so as well. Brown's fault lies in not promoting the things he HAS done well (focusing on downtown, reducing crime and Neighborhood Oriented Government for example) and not doing damage control on the things that have failed (Public Works sticks out like a sore thumb). His problems, as a result, have overshadowed his victories. Even this campaign is a good example. He has barely been campaigning because he is spending most of his time working on protecting the city but he rarely goes public with his plans because he has said that he doesn't think it is right to try and capitalize on things that should be done as a matter of policy. He just doesn't talk about himself at all even in person. Bell, however, is another matter. Bell has the tendency to try to do EVERYHTING on his own. He has a tiny campaign staff, for example, and is almost completely out of funds with 3 weeks to go. If you've ever seen a council meeting, the guy talks and talks and talks and talks. He literally monopolizes meetings with incessant jabber. He also has made a number of questionable ethics decisions but he has made ethics a central theme in his campaign because he was the head of the ethics committee. The thing that has bugged me the most about Bell is that he almost never sided against the mayor in council and really didn't say much of substance until he committed to running for mayor. At that point, every city council meeting became his own soapbox. I remember during the arena thing last year that he was basically a non-factor either way because he just wasn't that involved with the process. This year, he is constantly talking at council meetings about his policies and agendas. He even tried to take credit for a transportation plan developed before he got into office.
The big concern in this election is that Bell will land many of the white urban democrats (including the gay vote though they have all endorsed Brown) because Bell is white and he isn't Mayor Brown. However, Bell will probably not make a runoff. He is REALLY struggling with money issues in his campaign.
Someone emailed and said that, to be fair, I should say I work for Brown's campaign. I, along with Clutch, designed the website and I do some other computer-related work for them. I haven't ever been a huge supporter of the mayor though I've voted for him each of the last two times and I do think he is the best candidate in this election. I thought that before they hired me. Everyone here should know that my opinion is based on my beliefs and my knowlege of the situation, not on who is paying me. Fortunately or un, I learned alot about local politics last year and I'm learning even more this year. I feel like I have a pretty good understanding of the candidates and their strengths and weaknesses. Everyone knows, I hope, that I wouldn't say anything on this board or anywhere else just because I was being paid. Honestly, I think that Mayor Brown's shortcomings are more about his highly-publicized problems that we all know about. The thing is that he has as many if not more strengths that don't get talked about. I also think he is a genuinely kind man. I've see him every couple of days and he is never anything but nice even when there are problems though he makes it known when problems need to be fixed. He has made mistakes but he also has made great strides and the city is better today than it was 4 years ago, partly because of the mayor and partly because of other factors. One thing is for sure, I'd rather have him (a guy who's spent his entire life in public safety) at the helm after all the terrorist crap than Bell or Sanchez.
jeff -- you truly believe the city is better off today than it was 4 years ago??? how?? why?? because of a new arena and a new enron field?? i understand you like the guy and that you think he's nice...but his neglect of very basic city services is appalling to me. when the firefighter's union doesn't back the incumbent, something is wrong. new arenas and new trains are real neat...but ultimately they shouldn't be at the expense of the most basic city services. oh, yeah...and this guy's budgets are a nightmare.
Geez, Max, do you honestly believe I am that big of a ****ing r****d that I think that just because the arena passed and we're getting light rail that everything is hunky dory? I would have hoped you'd think more of me than that. Here are a few things that have improved in the past 4 years: Ranked #1 in business start ups (2000, 2001 projected) Ranked #1 in women-owned businesses (2000) Ranked #2 in overall job growth (2000) Ranked #1 in overall job growth (2001 projected) Ranked #1 for African Americans (Black Enterprise Magazine) Ranked #3 place to live (Places Rated Guide) Ranked #2 in property value (out of 25 largest American Cities - 2000) As for the fire department, the police union are endorsing the mayor, so are the Sierra Club, the Houston Association of Realtors and the Greater Houston Partnership - a pretty diverse group. I'll be the first to admit that Mayor Brown has had problems and that he is probably not the best candidate out there, but he IS the best candidate RUNNING. I wouldn't vote for Sanchez if you paid me not only because he is an ultra-conservative person but because he was the most argumentative and obstinate member of city council. Even things his fellow right-wing cohorts voted for, he voted against. He consistently ended up in arguments with members of city council and the mayor's office even having both public and private in-fights with members of the Harris County Republican Party because of his inability to play well with others. As for Bell, I don't dislike his ideas. They are strikingly similar to Mayor Brown's. The problem I have with Bell is that the guy has all kinds of issues with micromanagement. He also tends to take his arguments public when he doesn't get his way. The mayor's biggest problem is that he doesn't promote what he does. Houston is the first city in America to have online response to public safety and public works issues through the city webiste. The Super Neighborhood Councils are a particularly important issue to me because it is such a good way to keep people in touch with government. I liked it LONG before I even considered who I would vote for in this race. In fact, I even posted something about it here. I like the mayor as a person and, yes, that does contribute to how I feel about him as an elected official. I also have met Bell and Sanchez (once each) and know many people who know them well. None of what I have witnessed or been told has made me more inclined to vote for either them. I would like to think that I am an informed voter based on a variety of substantive issues all of which I feel are in better hands with the current administration than with the proposed alternatives. Maybe I'm wrong but, after all, it is my opinion and my vote.
jeff - -you know i don't think you're an idiot!! as for those stats on where we rank in certain things: 1. how have those stats changed since before Lee Brown? houston has always been a hotbed for startups, it has always ranked high on the places rated index, etc. I don't see how Lee Brown added to that in any way. Perhaps someone could extrapolate and say the black enterprise thing came partly because we have a black mayor...but i sure hope not because it presumes you can't be an open city with a white or latino mayor..which is just ridiculous. 2. the things you're citing are all very objective. they're all polls put together by people who visit here but do not live here. 3. certainly it's opinion and certainly you have the right to vote for whoever you want. 4. though I thought the super-neighborhood thing was a good idea too, it doesn't seem to be having the desired effects...the groups go largely unnoticed. if lack of publicity for it is a problem mayor brown has no one but himself to blame...it's his program and, quite frankly, when you're trying to get civic involvement, lack of publicity is downright dumb. 5. ultimately, local govt is responsible for some very basic services first. those basic services have been neglected in the brown administration while he's focused on big-ticket, glossy items.
<b>4. though I thought the super-neighborhood thing was a good idea too, it doesn't seem to be having the desired effects...the groups go largely unnoticed. if lack of publicity for it is a problem mayor brown has no one but himself to blame...it's his program and, quite frankly, when you're trying to get civic involvement, lack of publicity is downright dumb.</b> Actually, that isn't true. It really depends heavily on the part of town you are in. Just more than half of the Super Neighborhood Councils have been established and are running well. Where I live in the Heights, ours is kicking major ass and has already gotten major road repairs, added policing and re-tooled sewer and power systems. A few of the others in minority areas are doing well and, from what I've heard, the Kingwood-area group is thriving. The problem is that it took nearly 2 years to get the system running and get people involved. When the mayor was police chief, he did the same thing with that department. The reason we have those little storefront police stations which are responsible for the response to the majority of neighborhood disturbances is because Brown set them up. It took him nearly 6 years to implement them and get them ingrained as part of the system. The EPA just gave the city an award for its plan to clean up the air. It was called "innovative" and "unique". The mayor and his enviornmental task force set it up. It will bring us into compliance with the TNRCC standards in 2005, two full years before it is required. The mayor and HPD implemented Crime-Stoppers.com 10 most wanted sex offenders list one month ago and it has already produced leads that landed four of them in jail. The 311 line has been a success after some initial problems and the city's webiste is the first in the US to provide direct response on public works issues. The mayor gets terrible pub on everything that goes wrong and NO pub on things that go right. It is partially his fault for not doing it himself and he's the first one to admit that.
fair enough...also glad to hear your super neighborhood group is flourishing. we'll have to agree to disagree on this one, though I do applaud the mayor for the sexual offenders website.
