I voted Parker and could flip too. My vote was strictly ID politics. I think either would be an unremarkable but solid caretaker.
I wonder: can you vote in a Houston runoff if you didn't vote in the original election? (I did vote, but I can't remember the rule.)
Main reason I don't want Parker to be mayor... City election casts cloud over Dynamo stadium While Houston Dynamo players think about their playoff rematch with Seattle on Nov. 8, team executives are keeping an eye on another date. While the Major League Soccer team awaits pending approval — or a thumbs down — from Harris County for a tax financing structure that would make the team’s long sought-after downtown stadium a reality, another potential political hurdle has popped up. Although the city has already set aside the land for the 22,000-seat venue near Minute Maid Park under the watch of Mayor Bill White, the results of the Nov. 3 municipal election might cloud the stadium picture. A recent television campaign ad by mayoral candidate and City Controller Annise Parker, for example, specifically mentions her opposition to new sports venues. “I won’t raise taxes or cut police to fund more stadiums we can’t afford,” the ad states. Though the team has not made a public endorsement, Oliver Luck, Dynamo president, is privately backing attorney Gene Locke’s bid to be mayor. As City Attorney and later in private practice, Locke worked alongside the Harris County Sports Authority during negotiations to fund and construct other downtown sports stadiums such as Toyota Center and Reliant Stadium during Luck’s four-year tenure as CEO of the sports authority before taking over as Dynamo president in 2005. Meanwhile, some Dynamo fans are chipping in on cyberspace to try to sway the vote. A recent e-mail message from the Facebook group “Home for the Dynamo,” cites an anonymous quote from a Dynamo official endorsing Locke and also links to Parker’s campaign ad on YouTube. Majority Dynamo owner Anshutz Entertainment Group is expected to pick up the tab for $60 million of the $80 million total stadium cost. Other smaller pieces of the financing puzzle could include tax credits as part of the U.S. Treasury’s flow-through from the federal stimulus package. New York firm Populous, which created the new Yankee Stadium, is project designer for the Dynamo stadium. http://houston.bizjournals.com/hous...election_casts_cloud_over_dynamo_stadium.html
Funny I didn't know Parker was Gay? Have nothing against Gay's it's just that this is a position in Houston in the state of Texas.. I'm amazed because I thought this was a very conservative state? Put it frankly it is hard for me to show support for Obama at my work(Gas company)...
Not to derail but every time I have mentioned being met with hostility at work when I mention supporting Obama (or being atheist) a group of people here claim they also live in Houston and have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about. I work in the energy industry also and I feel your pain. I suspect those that don't experience the anti-Obama/anti-Dem attitudes are either still in school or work in the arts or entertainment industries.
It would be shocking. If the chron.com Commons demographic is any indicator, there certainly is an inordinate amount of wingnut conservatives in and around Houston, so it would be surprising that they would vote for a gay mayor. Almost as surprising however, would be that they vote for a black mayor.
The mayor before Bill White was black (Lee Brown), so it really wouldn't be that surprising at all. Also, the city of Houston is actually fairly liberal. Most of the bastions of conservatism are outside city limits.
I would hope so, but it wouldn't matter cause no one is gonna vote anyway. I cannot vote because I live in West University. We have to live by Houston City law for the most part, but I am unable to vote for the Mayor.
I also work for an energy company and don't get the same persecution here or the previous energy company I worked for. I avoid politics at work as a rule, but I wouldn't fear the reception I'd get if I sang Obama's praises there. My old boss was an outspoken democrat; she got some ribbing occasionally but not hostility. I think maybe there is just something about you that makes people want to pick on you.
I voted Locke in the first round. I think it would really be swell to have a gay mayor, but she is too fiscally conservative for me. This race is really bothering me because I know how much it would mean to have a gay mayor of a major city and honestly, I may end up switching at the last minute for that reason alone, but if Parker were straight, it wouldn't be a contest for me. Listen to her rhetoric and look at her record. Fiscally, which is the main thing that matters in a mayor, she is a moderate Republican. I believe the city needs to spend money on social services, rail, museums, a soccer stadium, downtown revitalization and the like. These are my important issues. Parker's important issues are putting more cops on the street and being responsible with our tax dollars. I expect the former mayor she would be the most like is Bob Lanier. Technically he was a Democrat, but just barely. Always finding excuses not to spend money on things besides cops and halted rail for six years. What I like about Bill White is that he has been proactive and unafraid to do big things. He spent money and everyone benefited. Locke also seems to want to do big things. That's what I want out of my mayor. I am a Democrat. I like big government and believe that everyone benefits when the government spends money to get things done and helps the city grow in a smart way without forgetting the less fortunate. I recognize that there are a lot of people that agree with Parker's brand of small, cautious government. They are Republicans. This race is really fascinating to me. The right has to either vote for the big government money spender or for the lesbian. The left has to either vote for the one that wants to cut services or vote against what may be the only chance in a generation of electing an openly gay mayor of a major US city. I didn't finalize my vote for Locke until November 3rd. I probably wont finalize my vote this time until December 12th.
