Houstonians: Get out and VOTE today!

I heard on the news last nite that its such a close race that the deciding factor will be...ya ready...will be...voter turn out for each of the parties! So get out and vote for your candidate of choice.

Today's the vote for mayor
By JOHN WILLIAMS
Copyright 2001 Houston Chronicle Political Writer

A blistering mayoral runoff campaign concludes today as Houston voters decide whether to keep the city's first black mayor or elect its first Hispanic one.

The race between Mayor Lee Brown and City Councilman Orlando Sanchez has been one of the closest in recent history, with polling earlier this week indicating the two were in a dead heat.

Voters can expect pleasant weather for the trip to the polls, which are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Partly cloudy skies and highs in the upper 60s are forecast.

Those who registered to vote before Nov. 2 are eligible to vote in this runoff, whether or not they voted in the Nov. 6 election.

In 174 of the 449 Harris County precincts voting today, poll locations have changed since the first round.

Polling places are listed on Page 31A of today's Chronicle or at the Harris County Clerk's Web site at www.co.harris.tx.us/cclerk/elect.htm.

In addition to the mayoral runoff, voters will select four new City Council members:

· Andrew C. Burks, a communication consultant, or Shelley Sekula Rodriguez, a dermatologist, for the At-Large Position 3 now held by Councilman Chris Bell, who ran for mayor.

· Real estate broker Michael Berry or management consultant Claudia Williamson for the At-Large Position 4 now held by Sanchez.

· Community activist Ada Edwards or developer Gerald Womack for District D in south central Houston, now held by term-limited Jew Don Boney.

· Retired chemical engineer Bernard Maristany and former council aide Addie Wiseman for District E in northeast and southeast Houston, now held by term-limited Councilman Rob Todd.

Under voter-mandated term limits, elected city officials can serve only three two-year terms.

The Houston Independent School District has a runoff for Trustee of District 5 between Dianne Johnson, a former teacher and school counselor, and Pat Rosenberg, co-founder of Parents for Public Schools of Houston.

A Houston Chronicle/KHOU-TV poll released Wednesday showed the mayoral candidates statistically tied, with Sanchez at 42.1 percent to Brown's 41.3 percent. But polling was conducted before a week of heavy advertising by both sides, heightened media coverage and a televised Thursday night debate.

Brown, the former police chief of Atlanta, Houston and New York, is attempting to win a third term. In 1997, he defeated Rob Mosbacher in a runoff and became Houston's first black mayor.

Sanchez, a term-limited council member and former probation officer, is a Cuban-American who was elected to council in 1995.

The two made the runoff after eliminating Bell and three other candidates Nov. 6.

Since then, both sides have been particularly ferocious. Brown has harped on what he considers lack of managerial experience by Sanchez. Sanchez has repeatedly criticized Brown's performance as mayor.

In what is officially a nonpartisan election, the mayoral runoff has proceeded largely along party lines.

Brown has support from the Harris County Democratic Party and high-profile Democrats like former President Clinton and Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe.

Sanchez has had endorsements from GOP heavyweights including President Bush, his parents, former President and first lady George and Barbara Bush, and New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. The Republican National Committee and the Republican Party of Texas have given a combined $180,000 to local party officials to assist Sanchez.

The Sanchez campaign, worried that Brown will try to get unregistered voters, has solicited Republicans to watch the polls.

The Brown campaign has countered that that could lead to voter intimidation and suppression because the poll watchers are being directed to heavily Democratic neighborhoods likely to support Brown.

Acting Secretary of State Geoff Conner will send eight inspectors to monitor the voting and report any regularities to election judges.