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Tony Buzbee's Bid For Houston Mayor


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Unless anybody has been living under rocks, the 2019 campaign for Houston, TX Mayor just got kick-started..... Prominent Houston attorney Tony Buzbee has announced his candidacy for the Bayou City's top job.

 

Buzbee was also the legal counsel for then-TX Governor (now US Energy Secretary) Rick Perry in 2014 after Perry was indicted on 2 felony counts. In 2009, Buzbee won the largest jury verdict against BP in history. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University: where he was a member of the Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets (where he served as Battalion Commander) & was named Distinguished Naval Graduate, Distinguished Student, Outstanding NROTC Senior & Outstanding Commander in the Corps of Cadets. Following graduating from TAMU, Buzbee served as Marine Corps infantry officer in the Persian Gulf & Somalia. He commanded the Recon Company of the First Marine Regiment, awarded the Naval Commendation Medal & was promoted to the rank of Captain.

 

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2018/11/07/mayor-turner-tony-buzbee-sound-off-on-houstons.html

 

 

https://abc13.com/politics/prominent-attorney-tony-buzbee-to-run-for-mayor-of-houston/4603317/

 

https://www.texastribune.org/2018/10/31/prominent-attorney-tony-buzbee-says-hes-running-houston-mayor/

 

Besides Buzbee & Houston, TX Mayor Sylvester Turner (D), who's seeking reelection., there's also the possibility of former Kemah, TX Mayor Bill King (R) seeking a rematch against Turner.

 

Any thoughts on Buzbee running for Houston Mayor & how do you think he'll do ?

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What is his platform going to be?

 

The city has budget issues caused by overspending on traditionally conservative, red meat issues like firefighter pay with the recent passage of prop B.  It can't increase taxes or revenues. It already has low quality services and low quality infrastructure relative other cities. There aren't a lot of parks and libraries and things like that to cut. No magic money tree. No silver bullets.

 

Republicans always want to go after the mythical "government waste" that apparently represents a huge pile of free money unlocked only when conservative wins office. There must be literally billions spent on illegals getting abortions, lets use that money! /s

 

IMO I am a "progressive" because conservatives in Texas are small minded about what local government can accomplish. I'm not a social justice person though, justice is not constructive. I would prefer a leader who had a mind like a builder or engineer who can design complicated systems to solve complicated problems. Last thing I would want is a former trial lawyer who is vindicative and punitive. But then again this is a place where there is no public good or civic mindset. It's just all about me and my property taxes and my bigass pickup truck. 

 

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The extra billions are locked up in the large commercial real estate appraisals where corporations can hire lawyers to litigate their property appraisals to well below market value.  That shifts the burden directly to the average homeowner.  Fix that and the local governments will have more revenue.

 

That will help keep a lid on my property taxes.  Don't even think about messing with my bigass truck.

 

 

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Buzbee is just taking one for the team so he can move up in the Republican ranks to run for a big state or national office.    Most Texas Republicans hate Buzbee because he is a big time plaintiff's lawyer.  He also was on team Dewhurst and has to prove himself to the Abbott/Patrick hard right wing of the Texas Republican party.  So, they are going to make him walk a few miles barefoot across broken glass before letting him on the team.  Making Mayor Turner and Texas Democrats burn some resources in the next mayoral election is all this is about.  Republicans know that the City of Houston is locked down for Democrats for the foreseeable future.  So, Buzbee will drop 5 mil on mission impossible to try to kiss up to the current crop of Texas Republican power players.  I think he is tired of running his law firm and wants to get into politics full time.  He has enough invested in real estate that he doesn't need to work another day in his life, but he will have to pay penance for his years of being a plaintiff's lawyer.

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3 hours ago, ekdrm2d1 said:

As a Marine and Republican, I wonder his stance on “America first”. Sounds like he would be against Sanctuary Cities and the alike.

 

Buzbee supported Trump until the "grab her by the ___" video surfaced.  Then, he came out and said he was "done" with Trump.  After Trump won, he donated $500k to his inauguration committee.  

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On 11/9/2018 at 9:28 AM, zaphod said:

What is his platform going to be?

 

The city has budget issues caused by overspending on traditionally conservative, red meat issues like firefighter pay with the recent passage of prop B.  It can't increase taxes or revenues. It already has low quality services and low quality infrastructure relative other cities. There aren't a lot of parks and libraries and things like that to cut. No magic money tree. No silver bullets.

 

Republicans always want to go after the mythical "government waste" that apparently represents a huge pile of free money unlocked only when conservative wins office. There must be literally billions spent on illegals getting abortions, lets use that money! /s

 

IMO I am a "progressive" because conservatives in Texas are small minded about what local government can accomplish. I'm not a social justice person though, justice is not constructive. I would prefer a leader who had a mind like a builder or engineer who can design complicated systems to solve complicated problems. Last thing I would want is a former trial lawyer who is vindicative and punitive. But then again this is a place where there is no public good or civic mindset. It's just all about me and my property taxes and my bigass pickup truck. 

 

 

Houston isn't quite the same thing as other cities politically, but "government waste" is an issue in bigger cities where they demand more and more taxes every election year while the city is perpetually broke and quality of life begins to deteriorate (see San Francisco, for instance). The other issue is even if you have a good mayor, there's probably councilpeople that will block initiatives and cause gridlock. As for "progressives" in city government, it's not really a good thing either. Take College Station for instance, county has consistently voted red for years (still is), but the city council itself is "progressive" in many aspects, with efforts made toward city beautification and new projects, but none of these have really increased the quality of life in the city and are more for ego projects (there was a park in College Station that was actually renamed after a sitting city councilman, for instance!). The alternative is of course, the "develop everything" team, but that has made things worse, too. If only life was more like SimCity, where you could keep everything funded with every ordinance and still turn a healthy profit.

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  • 4 weeks later...
On ‎11‎/‎9‎/‎2018 at 5:11 PM, s3mh said:

 

Buzbee supported Trump until the "grab her by the ___" video surfaced.  Then, he came out and said he was "done" with Trump.  After Trump won, he donated $500k to his inauguration committee.  

FOX 26 KRIV-TV Houston reporting former Kemah Mayor Bill King (R) will be running for Houston Mayor once again in 2019.

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Hopefully Buzbee and King will split the malcontented conservative vote.

 

I worry if either of them won, a lot of public services would get cut back(like parks, sanitation, all the misc stuff like animal control) and quality of life would suffer. But hey regarding Prop B, we should just follow the example of such prosperous and amazing cities like Stockton, California, right?

 

Fast forward 2 years. If Buzbee is Mayor halts the progressive momentum that has been building over the last few years, I will move. I work in IT, a field where everyone is a job hopper and if you are not growing professionally you will struggle so its easy to justify quitting every couple of years. Let us not forget that one of the best job markets in both the nation and the world for the past decade is only a 2 hour drive west on 290.

 

Quote

(there was a park in College Station that was actually renamed after a sitting city councilman, for instance!). The alternative is of course, the "develop everything" team, but that has made things worse, too. If only life was more like SimCity, where you could keep everything funded with every ordinance and still turn a healthy profit.

 

Are you talking about Crompton Park across the railroad tracks? I think it serves a purpose. Apartment complexes in the area are full of international and married student families. Those complexes are not friendly to children, so a public playground was necessary.

 

I was more disappointed in the council caving to NIMBY interests on "stealth dorms"(apparently tumbledown 2 bedroom wood siding rent houses are precious historic relics), killing dockless bike share(where were those people complaining about yellow bikes when there are Target and Kroger shopping buggies strewn all over Southwest Parkway), etc. Sometimes I still check out CS news. They never built a railroad crossing at Deacon, they are going to close and fill in the pool in Thomas Park despite all the neighborhood people who use it, and they keep approving trash development like townhomes behind Sam's in a floodplain.

 

I guess all cities, big and small, from Houston to College Station, give their citizens some reason to complain ;)

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...
On 12/16/2018 at 3:58 PM, zaphod said:

Hopefully Buzbee and King will split the malcontented conservative vote.

 

I worry if either of them won, a lot of public services would get cut back(like parks, sanitation, all the misc stuff like animal control) and quality of life would suffer. But hey regarding Prop B, we should just follow the example of such prosperous and amazing cities like Stockton, California, right?

 

Fast forward 2 years. If Buzbee is Mayor halts the progressive momentum that has been building over the last few years, I will move. I work in IT, a field where everyone is a job hopper and if you are not growing professionally you will struggle so its easy to justify quitting every couple of years. Let us not forget that one of the best job markets in both the nation and the world for the past decade is only a 2 hour drive west on 290.

 

 

I wouldn't worry too much...the City of Houston is trending bluer, not redder.  At the end of the day, though, you're gonna get the short end of the stick if you trade the awesome food here for progressive politics in Austin.  Elections only happen every two years, but you gotta eat every day.😀

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Well, Kane got elected in Tennessee, and the Undertaker did at least one campaign appearance on his behalf there. 

 

WWE star Glenn Jacobs, aka Kane, elected mayor in Tennessee

 

WWE legends The Undertaker and Kane reunite on the mayoral campaign trail

 

Could be the beginning of a nationwide trend. Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho for President in 2020!

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Despite the ads touting Buzbee's prosaic beginnings, I have my doubts as to how attuned he would be to the concerns of Houston's diverse population. 
My admittedly limited knowledge of the man and his behavior is not encouraging. Another blustering, egocentric, attention-seeking politician who thrives on drama portends no good.
https://www.khou.com/article/news/crime/woman-accused-of-300k-in-damage-to-art-at-attorney-anthony-buzbees-river-oaks-home/285-502165735
https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-daily-post/complete-story-river-oaks-tank/

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1 hour ago, dbigtex56 said:

Despite the ads touting Buzbee's prosaic beginnings, I have my doubts as to how attuned he would be to the concerns of Houston's diverse population. 
My admittedly limited knowledge of the man and his behavior is not encouraging. Another blustering, egocentric, attention-seeking politician who thrives on drama portends no good.
https://www.khou.com/article/news/crime/woman-accused-of-300k-in-damage-to-art-at-attorney-anthony-buzbees-river-oaks-home/285-502165735
https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-daily-post/complete-story-river-oaks-tank/

 

Those articles are making me start to like him.  Thanks for posting them.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 3 months later...

Any more news on the home robbery? I find it odd that gang banging guys with only drug convictions in their past were able to pull off a major art heist and not trip an alarm or be spotted on any camera... on River Oaks Blvd at Del Monte where everything is on camera.

 

Something smells off...

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  • 3 weeks later...

I'll add my two cents only because I worked for the guy for several years and still consider him a friend.

 

Biggest misconception is that he is a Republican. I'm not sure what he is to be honest. He is truly independent. He previously ran as a Democrat for State Representative, he was the former Democratic Party Chairman for Galveston County. He hosted a fundraiser for then candidate Turner. He is a plaintiff's lawyer who made a career suing large corporations. He sued environmental polluters (I worked those cases) He is pro union, his associate attorneys are the biggest Democrats I have ever met. Yes, he also hosted a fundraiser for Trump (I attended that one, lots of fun) but no one would call Trump a traditional Republican. His biggest ties to traditional Texas Republicanism is his support of Gov. Perry, but I think that is more due to TAMU ties than anything else. 

 

He does the like the attention and limelight. That is very true.

 

He hates wasting time. I promise you he would not be running for Mayor unless he thought he could win and he thought it would be good use of his time. 

 

He is one of the smartest humans I have ever met. Very book smart. Graduated no 1 or 2 in his law school class, I don't remember. Very street smart too. Has attention to detail like I haver never seen. You do not want to be cross examined by him.

 

He gives away a lot of money to charity. I remember we did a lot of events with the Star of Hope. Lots of six figure checks to them. Gives away toys to children at Christmas time. Etc.

 

Overall great guy. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

BREAKING NEWS: In case people have been living under a rock over the weekend, Houston City Councilman District D Dwight Boykins (D) is considering running for Houston, TX Mayor & his campaign website is up, not sure until he makes an official announcement on his political future considering he's eligible to seeking a 3rd term in the Houston City Council (having been elected in 2013 & reelected in 2015).

 

https://abc13.com/politics/site-leaked-for-houston-councilman-considering-mayoral-run/5326954/

 

https://www.click2houston.com/news/dwight-boykins-considering-run-for-mayor-after-campaign-website-activated-he-says

 

https://www.fox26houston.com/news/410461975-video

 

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