Who do you like for Houston Mayor?

I remember Jeff had a good post about the mayoral race.

It listed all the candidates and possible candidates.

 

Good article, Batman. We certainly need some bigger thinking than we are get from Say Orlando Sanchez, who will focus his campaign on issues such as cutting back on taxes and city services. A Tom Delay follower is not what we need for such city issues as mobility.

 

I have to say...I like what I hear from Bill White so far, too. I haven't made a decision yet.

 

Matress Mack!

 

Texas voters are conservative, but I don't think the same can be said for Houston. This is a pretty working class town. Left of Dallas, right of Austin. I'm going for Turner at the moment, but if Wayne Dolcefino forces him out of the race, I suppose I'll vote for the White guy.

 

Batman...

actually houston isn't so conservative...harris county is conservative...but houston typically votes pretty liberal.

i am still undecided. i voted for sanchez the last time around. i really don't like brown, at all. but i'm open in this one. i'm much more likely to not vote around party lines on the local level...much more likely. i need to hear more from White before I make a decision. but i've liked what i've heard so far.

i voted for turner when he ran against lanier. i ultimately learned more about him and was glad he didn't win. i can't remember now what it is that turned me off on him...i'm not sure he's much of a leader.

 

The other reason why the Houston mayoral is a "political junkie's wet dream" is that might serve as a bellwether for the 2004 elections. There's always a race or two in an odd year that gives us a sneak peak at what might happen in the even years. (In 1991 it was Harris Wofford beating Dick Thornburgh over the head with the health care issue -- a preview of the Clinton playbook in 92.)

Houston's one of the few big cities in the country that will have a competitive mayoral race this fall where a Republican or a Democrat can win. (Philly's the other.) So people will be watching.

(For another sneak peak at 2004, watch the Jersey legislative elections where Republicans have a real shot at taking back the State Senate and the assembly.)

As for predictions ... I think one of the slots in the run-off is Turner's to lose (notice he was one of the only Dems not to go to Oklahoma). He could still get creamed in the run-off, though.

 

I haven't made my decision yet, but here's my take on them.

Orlando Sanchez

Basic Info: Sanchez is a far right conservative who almost beat Brown in the runoff last year thanks to a helluva lot of spending by the national GOP. Sanchez was a city councilman for two terms and spent most of that time disagreeing with other members of council including members of his own party. He's had several businesses, all of which have failed.

My Take: I think Sanchez is the absolute worst choice of all of them even setting aside the conservative political angle. He was an awful councilman who often ended up being the 1 in many 11-1 votes. Nevermind his conservative agenda, the guy is a nightmare when it comes to legislating. He couldn't get anything passed while he was a councilman and it would likely be worse now that Brown has eroded much of the power of the mayoral position in Houston.

His Chances: Unfortunately, Sanchez has a very good shot at making the runoff. His Hispanic name (even though most Hispanics in Houston are liberal Democrats) and the strong desire of the GOP to control the mayor's office gives him a really good shot at winning depending on who he faces in the runoff.

Bill White:

Basic Info: White is the former head of the Texas Democratic Party. He has no elected official experience but has served on a ton of local boards. He runs a consulting firm that works, primarily, with the oil and gas industry and has had some fairly decent success. White makes Lee Brown look like Jesse Jackson when it comes to public speeches, however, because White is bland with a capital B. He is also a relative unknown to the general public which is why he started his full-blast campaign earlier than any other candidate.

My Take: Like some of the others here, White is my personal favorite thus far. He is a Dixie-crat meaning he is socially liberal but fiscally conservative. Personally, I think White would make an ideal mayor in the vein of a more progressive Bob Lanier. Because he is a moderate, he would very likely be able to maneuver the divided council and his business experience gives him clout and makes him well-liked among the powerful business community.

His Chances: If White can make the runoff, he will likely win, but he will have a tough time making the runoff. Turner and Sanchez would seem to have the upper hand when it comes to getting the highest percentages of the vote heading to a runoff given the strong coalition of minorities behind each of them. But, White in a runoff would dismantle any candidate becauuse of the strong support of Dems and the very likely chance he would gather votes from moderate white Republicans.

Michael Berry

Basic Info: Berry is a first-term city councilman and a lawyer-turned-real-estate-broker. He is relatively young and a complete political novice who had no prior civic experience before being elected to an at large council position. Berry is a Republican who came into office as a relative moderate but has leaned slightly more right of center on most issues.

My Take: Berry doesn't have awful ideas, but his lack of experience in political office has made him look like stupid at times. He missed out on procedural votes that killed things he's tried to pass through council and then he got mad at council for not realizing that was how it worked. He is a relative moderate but his campaign coordinator is Alan Blakemore, a VERY far right conservative consultant whose primary clients have been the Hotze's. IMO, this was Berry's way of trying to appeal to that wing of the party to get a foothold against Sanchez.

His Chances: Berry is the least likely one to make the runoff. Not only is he an complete novice when it comes to politics making him particularly vulnerable to criticism from opponents, but he has shown very little ability to raise money - a really important factor in mayoral campaigns (and any campaign for that matter). Berry is just too weak on too many fronts to have a legit shot at winning.

Sylvester Turner

Basic Info: Turner is a long-time politican in city and state government. He ran for mayor against Bob Lanier in the early 90's and lost after a scandal involving him was reported by channel 13 just days before the election. It was later shown to be a fabrication and he even sued 13 and Lanier's campaign for false information. He lost that too. Turner has a ton of political clout among minorities and a lot of political muscle throughout the state.

My Take: Turner would very likely be Brown II. I think Turner had a better shot at running the city the year he lost to Lanier than he does now. He certainly has a ton of pull in the African American community - they love him - and he hired a Hispanic consultant (the same guy that ran Sanchez' campaign last year - go figure) so he knows he needs those votes too. I'm not sure if Turner would be a great mayor. I think his ideas are average and he still works politics a little too much like Brown - i.e. delegate and make excuses.

His Chances: Turner has maybe the best chances of all of them. He and Sanchez are the likely favorites to make a runoff and, assuming Turner can keep the black community together as Brown did, he has a very good shot at being elected mayor. Because of his connections, he has plenty of money and lots of help and support.

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Overall, I think this will be very similar to last year but with Turner taking the place of Brown against Sanchez. There are a few subplots that make this very interesting...

Can White gain enough support among minorities to get to a runoff?

If White manages to make inroads with minorities, he could sail into a runoff and blast anyone he is pitted against. The difficulty for him will be making the runoff. In the runoff, assuming he runs against a Republican like Sanchez (or even Berry), he'll get all of the Dems and a big chunk of the moderate white Republicans. But, getting there means finding some way to get minorities who would normally vote for Turner or Sanchez to back him in the general election. That will be a tough task.

Will the new coalition of blacks and Hispanics survive a Turner/Sanchez runofff?

The suit against the Rockets and Les Alexander recently created a very interesting and potentially powerful coalition of groups including the NAACP, the Urban League and LULAC. It has long been thought that if the African American and Latino communities could work out their differences and join forces, they would quickly alter the political landscape of the city. There was a lot of talk after the suit of this new partnership, but I honestly think that will dissolve quickly if Turner and Sanchez make a runnoff.

In the general election, I think things will stay roughly the way most expect with some Hispanics voting for Sanchez and others staying loyal to Democrats. Most Latinos in Houston are liberal democrats, but they are desperate to see the city have its first Latino mayor. If they bolt on Sanchez, Turner could run away with the whole election.

Will the national parties get involved?

Last year during the runoff, the mayoral race here was the most significant in the country mainly because all the other big races had been decided in the general elections. As a result, operatives from both national parties decended on Houston and turned the election into a freak show. There is a good chance, given Sanchez' Hispanic and far right support and Turner's African American and far left support that we could see a re-run of last year's runoff which was more like a bloodbath than an election.

Predictions: Frankly, I still think Turner and Sanchez will make the runoff and it will be a nightmare election like the last one. At that point it is a toss-up but Turner has the early edge. I really do think White, if he were a little more well-known and had a less politically adept minority rival like Tuner, would be the favorite and he could make a very good mayor.

Whatever the case, it is going to be an interesting fall.

 

Just to echo what others have said, the city of Houston is still a liberal stronghold with even Gore getting 51 percent of Houston voters over then-governor Bush. Harris County is the exact opposite, but Houston is still considered, even outside of Texas, as a predominantly liberal city due in part to the cosmopolitan nature of it and in large part to the tremendous amount of diversity here.

 

It seems Bill White is serious about relieving congestion on our roadways. I am waiting to see how he plans on doing it (minute detail please) and how he intends to pay for it all.

If I like what I hear, I will also be inclined to pull the level for Mr. White.

 

I'm writing in Batman Jones.

 

This is the link to his mobility plan:

http://www.billwhiteformayor.com/26409_rs.pdf

 

Ok, it took me a while to get this out of a PDF (and it is a long mutha), but I think it is worth the read. If White can get even 50 percent of the stuff in his mobility plan accomplished, our transportation problems will be greatly reduced. Even if he isn't elected mayor, I'm all for giving most of the stuff in this plan a shot:

1. BETTER STREET AND ROAD REPAIR

a. Coordination of construction. Major street repair and construction schedules will be coordinated to minimize inconvenience to drivers.

The installation of underground wiring, or maintenance of utilities, will be coordinated with street repair and construction to prevent the waste and inconvenience occurring when streets are torn up several times within several years. Work should be coordinated so there is no stoppage of activity during changes in crews or subcontractors.

Projects should be sequenced to minimize the time the street is under construction or maintenance.

b. Performance contracts. Contracts for road and street construction projects will be driven by strong incentives to beat deadlines and penalties for late completion.

c. Reducing delays of motorists. Contracts for street and road repair will include incentives for reducing public inconvenience.

Wherever possible, no more than one lane will be closed at a time. The number of lanes to be closed will be specified in the construction permit, and those permit limitations will be enforced. Quick-drying cement will be used to reduce delays. There will be 24-hour, 7-day-a-week construction schedules for major repairs and lane expansions on congested streets outside residential areas, and breaks in construction during peak traffic congestion periods.

d. Improved traffic management around construction sites. Traffic management plans, including the use of public safety officers and changes to traffic signals, will be part of every major street or road maintenance and construction plan. The City should assign a traffic engineer to ensure contractors implement an approved traffic management plan.

Stakeholders, such as adjacent businesses and homeowners, will be asked to comment on the plan. Their feedback will be solicited while construction progresses.

e. Removal of construction equipment. Street construction equipment should not be “left” in traffic lanes of congested roads and streets when the equipment is not in use. Construction equipment should be parked in staging areas or outside of traffic lanes when not in use, to minimize disruption of traffic flows.

f. Public information on street and road projects. Posted on a public website will be time lines, scope-of-work descriptions, and estimated costs for each major construction contract. Periodic updates will show:

(1) the progress to date compared to the original time line, and
(2) the final cost of the project. (This should track project management information systems used by the Department of Public Works.) Also posted on the site will be the names of contractors and subcontractors, with a brief description of their responsibilities, as well as the name and e-mail address of the Department of Public Works manager for each major project.

g. Funding priorities. Funds received by the City from Metro under the existing general mobility contract will be allocated first to the highest priority street and road repair and traffic management projects, based on the expected reduction in congestion and the projects’ contribution to the long-term plan. Also included in that calculation would be the cost of congestion caused by the repair during construction.

h. Use of volunteer experts. The Mayor will solicit volunteer citizens with engineering or construction expertise to monitor progress on road and street construction and repair. At a specified time each month, that group will report their observations to a designated senior manager within the Public Works Department or other government authority responsible for street and road construction. There would be clear conflict of interest rules for the group.

i. Project management advisory committee. The Mayor will form a bluechip committee of top engineers and contractors who are either retired or from firms that do not undertake city road and street projects. Within 90 days, this committee will report back to the Mayor on how repairs can benefit from the best private sector practices. There will be no sacred cows.

j. Cooler streets. To reduce surface heat, heat-reflective materials, such as light aggregates or concrete, should be placed as the top layer on road and street construction and repair. This will reduce the “baking” of cars, reduce fuel consumption, and decrease the maintenance costs associated with black asphalt toppings.

k. Banning of 18-wheelers from neighborhoods.
Laws against heavy vehicles taking shortcuts through residential areas will be strictly enforced.

Enforcement of these restrictions protects both neighborhoods and roads. Roads and streets where heavy traffic is permitted, such as Market Street near Pleasantville, should be constructed to bear these loads. The heaviest traffic will be banned, thus reducing potholes and repair costs.

l. Reduced impact on neighbors. Wherever feasible, major highway renovations will be undertaken in a manner to reduce noise, pollution, and disruption of adjacent businesses and neighborhoods. Where financially possible, the elevation of major highways passing through residential areas should be lowered.

m. Stopping work interruptions. If there is a work stoppage on road or street repair for more than 24 hours for any reason other than weather, a reporting system will bring that to the attention of the Director of Public Works immediately during the next business day. In turn, he or she will report in writing to the Mayor and City Council at the next City Council meeting regarding actions to prevent work stoppages on the project from happening again.

n. Keeping maintenance current. A complete inventory of all city streets should be completed and should include the estimated amount and timing of future maintenance required. The plan should be updated to coincide with the updates of Houston-Galveston Area Council regional long-term transportation plans.

o. Pothole relief. Potholes larger than a certain minimum size will be repaired within a fixed time of their being reported, with a repair status report on the Mayor’s desk every week showing the longest time between the date of the first report and date of repair. Potholes will be repaired with durable materials. The root causes of persistent potholes, such as base failures and water underneath the roadbeds, will be addressed.

2. IMPROVED TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT

a. Timing of traffic signals. We will begin to deploy technology that will improve the timing of traffic signals at the 50 most congested intersections, optimizing the flow of traffic through those intersections. In-person or remote monitoring of traffic will ensure that signal timing is adjusted to best relieve congestion.

b. A “traffic war room.” As soon as possible, we will set up a “Traffic War Room.” This will enable the remote monitoring and manual control of traffic signal timing to respond effectively and immediately to inordinate delays in traffic. While those controls are being implemented, individuals trained in traffic control will be posted at critical intersections. Once the traffic has been significantly improved at the 50 most congested intersections, the next 50 will be tackled. For several weeks before and after each set of 50 intersections, there will be objective monitoring of the extent of congestion, including the average wait at lights during peak periods. The results of the changes in signal timing or traffic control will be measured against that benchmark and posted publicly. Existing Transtar efforts can be used as the basis of the program.

c. More trained traffic controllers. Uniformed officers directing traffic have worked effectively to relieve bottlenecks at events such as Houston Texans games. The cost of deploying these at major congested intersections is small compared to the costs of new construction or gridlock.

Until new technologies allowing for remote control of traffic lights is in place, traffic controllers should be placed at major traffic intersections.

d. Switching direction of lanes on streets. Where practical, the configuration of lanes on several major thoroughfares with four to six lanes will be changed during peak traffic hours (e.g., four lanes going north, two going south). The direction of lanes will be clearly marked, using tools that have worked effectively in other cities. The effect of lane configurations on the ability to make turns at intersections will need to be considered. After public comments are received, and if these “flexible lanes” are judged a success, a program for more flexible routing of lanes will be instituted for more major thoroughfares.

e. Reversible lanes on major streets with heavy peak direction flows. Within the first year of the Mayor’s inauguration, a task force of professional traffic engineers will review alternatives for changing the configuration of lanes on congested major highways (such as IH-59 South) during peak commuting hours.

The direction of lanes should be clearly marked, using tools which have worked effectively in other cities, such as signs and overhead signals showing the lane direction. Initial streets selected for this treatment will have highly directional flows during peak traffic periods.

These engineers will report on the cost and practicality of movable barriers and other technologies available for changing the direction of highway lanes quickly and safely. The cost of these improvements will be compared to the value of motorists’ time that would be saved by such improvements. Expert recommendations will be implemented as quickly as possible. State and federal highway authorities will be consulted throughout the process.

f. Reducing lane changes on highways. The task force identified above should report on the desirability of closing certain entrance or exit ramps to prevent vehicles from entering a freeway and then quickly changing across multiple lanes in order to enter another freeway. This practice stalls traffic (e.g., note Interstate 610 West @ IH 59). The task force will also improve the timing of traffic signals that back up freeway traffic at exit ramps.

g. Exit ramp queues due to frontage road traffic signals. The task force should also examine re-timing of traffic signals along frontage roads where traffic backs up at freeway exits because of the timing of a signal at a frontage road intersection.

h. Removing stalled vehicles. The Mayor will ask a diverse group of citizens with expertise to review and report on improvements that will allow stranded, stalled, or wrecked vehicles to be removed as rapidly as possible from congested arteries in peak hours. Included in this review will be recommendations on:

(1) real time monitoring and reporting of wrecks and stalled vehicles, and
(2) towing practices. Motorists on freeways should not be delayed while a crowd of tow truck drivers sort out who will remove a stranded vehicle.

i. Truck solutions. Houston should support plans to construct highways circumventing the densely populated portions of the city. Trucks would eventually use these new highways during hours of peak congestion. In the meantime, an expert panel of citizens will recommend to the Mayor reasonable rules and regulations (with minimum disruption to the local economy) for limiting “through-truck” traffic on IH-10, 610, and perhaps other highways during peak commuter hours.

3. SHIFTING THE PEAK

a. Flexible work schedules. The CEOs of the top 50 largest private and public sector employers will be asked to report voluntarily on the practices and potential that would assist in moving at least five percent of traffic to off-peak times. Many local and national firms have created more flexible working hours, such as allowing a portion of the work to be done at home or dispersing part of the workforce to facilities in less congested areas. CEOs will be asked to describe their companies’ practices and incentives.

Many job categories may not require the traditional 8:30-to-5:30 shifts. Typically, many jobs that involve accounting or back office support on computer terminals, or sales and marketing, can be done outside central headquarters facilities. Studies have shown higher job satisfaction, greater retention rates, and reduced occupancy expense if employees can miss either the morning or evening rush hour, or both, by completing their work at a home office or another remote location close to their home. A program with the cooperation of leadership in the business community should not require mandates, simply voluntary goals. Innovative firms will be recognized.

b. Medical Center Task Force. The senior management from the major Medical Center institutions will be asked to determine if there are either changes in shifts or certain functions (e.g., accounting, bookkeeping) that can adopt non-traditional hours or be physically located outside the Medical Center complex. The current congestion at the Medical Center hinders the substantial needs of medical practitioners, researchers, patients, and visitors of patients. A task force of CEOs from the Greater Houston Partnership could also be enlisted to assist the Medical Center CEOs in this process. If this process works for the Medical Center, it may then be applied to other major employment centers.

c. H-GAC and Metro. The Houston-Galveston Area Council and Metro should make specific recommendations concerning any public incentives or rewards that may be offered to employers or their employees who participate in programs serving the public convenience and reducing the volume of commutes to highly congested areas during peak times.

4. MASS TRANSIT

a. Bus service. Excellent bus service should be preserved and maintained, especially to major destinations.

b. Managing transit operating expenses. Metro should implement a plan to limit the annual increase in transit operating expenses to any annual increase in transit boardings and transit passenger miles in its bus system, plus an annual inflation rate. Another year, such as Metro’s fiscal year 2002, with declining ridership and double-digit increases in operating expenses would impair future funding available for new transit alternatives. All public agencies and authorities should work diligently to discipline expense increases during periods of slow economic growth, and Metro is no exception.

c. Fuel costs. A task force of volunteer energy executives and oil and refined product traders and marketers will recommend new fuel purchasing practices that would reduce bus fuel costs.

d. “Our fair share” of state and federal funding. In the annual State of the City address, the Mayor of Houston will specify the amount of federal and state transportation funding that should be received by the Houston region, based on the amount of transportation-related taxes that this region pays to state and federal governments.

e. Expanded toll service. The use of special toll lanes on major highways and thoroughfares should be expanded, with these projects over time paying for themselves. Toll service should also be used to increase the revenue and use of HOV lanes. In other words, vehicles with single occupants could purchase the right to use the HOV lanes, with the price being high enough to manage congestion in those lanes. If necessary, changes in federal law should be sought to allow the region to retain the additional revenue.

f. Rail freight. Our community will be encouraged to seek funding of a new railroad transit alternative down the “90A corridor” to the southwest, which would divert existing rail traffic from the congested city center. Railroad extensions bypassing the city should be part of a plan to move freight traffic from congested corridors, such as train lines currently interrupting the flow of traffic on Westheimer and San Felipe. The City of Houston, in cooperation with other governmental authorities, will use every legal means to require or provide incentives for railroad companies to share tracks, thus reducing the need for any new railroad track construction in or near residential neighborhoods.

g. Light rail extension. There should be an affordable extension of the Main Street rail system to provide an additional needed mass transit alternative. New line(s) would tie into the Main Street line under construction.

This will allow for commuting to either of the city’s two most concentrated major employment centers from areas with a high existing residential base. The routing of the lines will be based on corridor studies undertaken by Metro and public comments received on Metro’s recommendations. Routing will take into account the future incentive it provides for higher-density residential development along the line, making it easier for people to live within easy commuting distance and easy commuting time of where they work. This “first phase” extension should be part of a long-term plan by Metro, which should be incorporated in H-GAC's 2025 Plan.

h. Funding of the rail extension. The extension of the Main Street rail system should occur without the imposition of new sales or property taxes. The scope of the first phase of the expansion should be based on the amount of funds available to Metro for its “local match” for any federal funding during the next multi-year federal transportation authorization. That federal authorization should cover fiscal years 2004-2009, although funds might be used for a longer time with a full funding agreement with the federal government.

The funding available to Metro for this local match should be those funds available after efficient expenditures for bus and Main Street rail operating expenses; after expenses needed to maintain and replace the current bus fleets; after expenditures needed to comply with the conditions of existing federal grants; and after the fulfillment of all contractual obligations to the City and any other local or regional authorities for general mobility. The length of the first phase of the Main Street Rail expansion will be based on the availability of funds, conservatively calculated with sufficient reserves to account for future uncertainties concerning sales tax collections.

i. The use of bonds and a public vote. Bonding authority could be used to accelerate the extension of the rail line during the “first phase,” to the extent that there is a predictable stream of free cash which would support the conservative underwriting of that debt. Any bond issue would have to be approved by the voters. The timing of a bond issue should be based on independent, expert advice from public finance experts and underwriters.

Factors they typically consider would include:

(1) the reliability of projections, based on the current economic environment;
(2) the timing of the use of the bond issuance and expenditure of the funds; and
(3) the interest rate environment. Other governmental entities outside Metro’s jurisdiction may be asked to participate to the extent the rail line would benefit those communities.

j. Regional consensus. The next Mayor of Houston will work continually to forge a new consensus on mass transportation, which will include and be based on the comments and leadership of the entire Congressional and Legislative delegations of the region.

5. LONGER-TERM PLANNING

a. Planning. Longer-term planning will be encouraged. Good examples of this include the 2025 plan by the Houston-Galveston Area Council and the Travel Rate Improvement Program spearheaded by the Greater Houston Partnership; the work now being done by the Gulf Coast Mobility Partners; and Metro’s long-term plan to be released this spring.

b. The discipline of updating. All planning will be periodically updated to account for new information and any changed market conditions. It is simply impossible to project the residential and employment patterns of Houston over periods of decades, because of how dynamic the city has always been. To be of any use, plans should be updated periodically, preferably every three to five years.

c. Making plans real. Any plan is nothing more than a wish list if it does not:

(1) specify a conservative cost estimate for recommended improvements;
(2) identify recommended sources of revenue; and
(3) set priorities among projects. By designating expected sources of funding in consultation with elected officials, and prioritizing all projects so that the scope of a plan can be based on the changing economic conditions and competing uses of tax revenues, we will attempt to avoid plans that fail to be implemented.

d. Updated information. Every year there should be updated information available to the public regarding the relative number of trips and passenger miles on city streets, county roads, highways, toll roads, mass transit, and by walking or bicycling to work. The amount of tax dollars invested in each category in the prior year should also be listed.

e. The key role of affordable housing closer to employment centers. As the Travel Rate Improvement Program report has observed, Houston’s future transportation needs will trigger excessive public expense and unacceptable increases in congestion, if more and more Houstonians must commute farther and farther to work as both the population and the geographic expanse of our urban area grow. This means that public infrastructure investments should be designed to create multiple urban centers, where people find it attractive and possible to live closer to where they work. Available housing at all price ranges close to major employment centers is a critical feature of regional mobility. The City of Houston must work shoulder-to-shoulder with Harris County and the surrounding counties to make sure that multiple employment centers have a cluster of public amenities necessary to build residential communities close to these centers. Our region is blessed with multiple employment centers outside the downtown central business district. Public capital improvement programs should be designed to provide an alternative to economic and residential development that “leapfrogs” existing neighborhoods, creating longer and longer commutes and straining this region’s limited transportation funding. Investment in sidewalks and bike trails should be given a high priority where they would be likely to assist pedestrian or bicycle commuting.

f. New communities. Mixed residential, commercial, and retail developments should be encouraged by expedited permitting and capital improvements, to build communities where people are able to walk or bicycle or take the bus or train to and from work and shopping. Plans for these developments should be driven by broad stakeholder input. The Main Street Coalition is one example of community-based civic planning.

 

I thought Ken Lay was supposed to run for mayor sometime soon. I wonder whatever happened there....

 

Wow, thanks Jeff. I'd read a summary of his plan, but it was great to see the whole thing.

My dad does a lot of business with folks around the country, and he was telling me a story about how a city in Florida (Tampa or Jacksonville, I think) handled the problem of utility construction tearing up the same streets over & over. They passed an ordinance stating that once a street is cut open, it cannot be reopened for 5 years. That made the utility companies use some acutal forsight & coordination in their planning, and reduced cost for both the public & private entities. I'd love to see something like that enacted in Houston.

I see no reason why White wouldn't make an outstanding mayor. In all honesty, I can't in good faith vote for Berry (inexperience), Turner (for the same reasons you mentioned), or Sanchez (for reasons too numerous to list here).

 

LOL!