So what kind of mayor will Parker be?

[GovernorAggie]

So I'm calling the race for Parker. The stars are aligned for her to win pretty handily (even though I didn't vote for her).

So I think the discussion should now go to what kind of mayor she actually will be. After the fanfare, after the BBC, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, and whoever else interviews her for her moment, this lady has to govern. I keep hearing her talk about her experience on one hand, but to me it sounds like experience that had no skin off her back since she had really nothing to enforce or be accountable for. Her job was to "advise" to "warn" to "sound the alarm". Never to govern and face the electorate with the consequences.

So, what do you think? Will she really radically clean house at METRO? (hope so). Will she work to spread the 'Houston' brand around the world to try to get more companies here? (doubt it but I hope so b/c I think the time may soon be ripe to score a few relos) Will she be pro-development?

We shall see. By the way, I say Parker 61%, Locke 39%--but then again, maybe I read too many Chron.com comments.

[musicman]

So I'm calling the race for Parker. The stars are aligned for her to win pretty handily (even though I didn't vote for her).

So I think the discussion should now go to what kind of mayor she actually will be. After the fanfare, after the BBC, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, and whoever else interviews her for her moment, this lady has to govern. I keep hearing her talk about her experience on one hand, but to me it sounds like experience that had no skin off her back since she had really nothing to enforce or be accountable for. Her job was to "advise" to "warn" to "sound the alarm". Never to govern and face the electorate with the consequences.

So, what do you think? Will she really radically clean house at METRO? (hope so). Will she work to spread the 'Houston' brand around the world to try to get more companies here? (doubt it but I hope so b/c I think the time may soon be ripe to score a few relos) Will she be pro-development?

We shall see. By the way, I say Parker 61%, Locke 39%--but then again, maybe I read too many Chron.com comments.

like ralph the plumber says....flush city hall

[LTAWACS]

What kind of mayor will Parker be? Hopefully, not the kind that likes to impede developement. Hopefully, not the Not-Good Kind.

[wernicke]

Hopefully she will be a competent manager like Bill White, who was a dramatic improvement over Lee Brown.

[AtticaFlinch]

According to some attack ads, the entire demographic of Houston will change dramatically to resemble Montrose circa 1979.

[plumber2]

Hopefully she will be a competent manager like Bill White, who was a dramatic improvement over Lee Brown.

We can thank Cathy Whitmire for Lee Brown. She made it a point to recruit from outside of Houston. Her philosiphy was that Houston did not have a good enough talent pool to promote from. It pissed a bunch of people off.

BTW: Cathy Whitmire was a former city controller, elected to mayor. I hope that is where the similarities with Anise Parker ends.

[rsb320]

We can thank Cathy Whitmire for Lee Brown. She made it a point to recruit from outside of Houston. Her philosiphy was that Houston did not have a good enough talent pool to promote from. It pissed a bunch of people off.

BTW: Cathy Whitmire was a former city controller, elected to mayor. I hope that is where the similarities with Anise Parker ends.

IMO, Kathy Whitmire was one of our best mayors ever. She brought the good-ole-boy network and mentality to an end. She governed without major scandals and such. To my recollection, Brown was a good police chief - not so much as mayor. HPD was dumping bodies into Buffalo Bayou and things like that, prior to his arrival. She also appointed the Metro guy from Atlanta. At the time, he really turned Metro in the right direction. Hell, in the summer of 1979 or 1980 (heat wave), prior to his arrival, they were cutting out the windows of buses because the A/C units could keep up. Stupid!!

So, what I'm saying is that we did NOT have the talent locally at the time of her appointments. We were more of a S-kicking, boot-scootin' cow town. She was mayor for 10 years! That's gotta say something.

[musicman]

She was mayor for 10 years! That's gotta say something.

term limits

[rsb320]

term limits

No, Lanier beat her. She had lost her ooomph after a decade.

[musicman]

No, Lanier beat her. She had lost her ooomph after a decade.

and sylvester turner beat her. she came in 3rd.

i think you misunderstood my term limits comment.

[lockmat]

Some guy on Channel 11 said she is inheriting the worst financial mess any mayor of Houston has ever inherited.

So what does that say about White? What did he do to get Houston into the mess he's talking about? Things like Discovery Green, Dynamo Stadium etc? I thought people like him a lot, I guess it was somewhat of a smoke screen?

[Porchman]

Some guy on Channel 11 said she is inheriting the worst financial mess any mayor of Houston has ever inherited.

A little over-spoken. There are many moving parts.

As I stated in the mayoral race thread ( http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/index.php?showtopic=22243&st=200 ), the debt was not created by many of the people who now have to manage it. The issue is also not imminently desperate. The City has 1.5B of well-rated debt and a 2B investment pool to back it. However, a committed plan will be necessary to ensure the long-term debt is appropriately handled.

[mkultra25]

According to some attack ads, the entire demographic of Houston will change dramatically to resemble Montrose circa 1979.

If only that were true.

[musicman]

A little over-spoken. There are many moving parts.

As I stated in the mayoral race thread ( http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/index.php?showtopic=22243&st=200 ), the debt was not created by many of the people who now have to manage it.

[totheskies]

Some guy on Channel 11 said she is inheriting the worst financial mess any mayor of Houston has ever inherited.

So what does that say about White? What did he do to get Houston into the mess he's talking about? Things like Discovery Green, Dynamo Stadium etc? I thought people like him a lot, I guess it was somewhat of a smoke screen?

So you're saying Discovery Green was a BAD investment???

The Mobility Response Team was a bad investment for sure, and we probably should have focused on fixing existing sidewalks before agressive expansion of the bike trails, but please please PLEASE don't say anything negative about Discovery Green. It's one of the coolest city parks in the United States!!

Oh, and btw... Discovery Green was a public/private partnership. The city didn't pay very much for it.

[totheskies]

Back to Parker...

Her experience as a Controller is really going to help us IMO. I just hope she can eeek out enough money to keep our transit initiatives going.

As for the soccer stadium, is there some kind of law against the Dynamo just raising funds for it?? Why do they keep begging the city to foot the bill? I'm more than willing to contribute some money to it. Start a pledge drive or something!!! If the city's budget woes are as bad as some think, then a soccer stadium shouldn't be a priority over things like hospitals and very basic infrastructure. But that's an opportunity for the Dynamo organization to raise funds, and then hand the city a check when they're ready to break ground.

[TheNiche]

Her experience as a Controller is really going to help us IMO. I just hope she can eeek out enough money to keep our transit initiatives going.

The City of Houston doesn't fund mass transit. That's METRO's responsibility, and they aren't subject to our pension mess...only their own. Annise Parker does get to select the majority of METRO board members, however, and that could be a very interesting day. In the early part of her campaign, she was a strong supporter of better transparency and stakeholder relations on the part of METRO. I sincerely hope that her appointees come through on that.

As for the soccer stadium, is there some kind of law against the Dynamo just raising funds for it?? Why do they keep begging the city to foot the bill?

Because they can. Its how the sports industry works. If the local government in one place won't pony up, a local government elsewhere will.

But its sort of a moot point, anyway. The City has already ponied up their share. It's up to Harris County now.

[sarahiki]

Apologies if this is considered thread-jacking, but something I haven't understood in all this soccer stadium talk is why the money isn't being devoted to improving the existing UH stadium. They play there now, right? It brings tons of people to that part of town, increases UH's visibility... but apparently the stadium is too yucky for the professional team. Why should UH have to live with a yucky stadium while money is being spent on a new professional one? Improve the UH stadium instead and everyone wins.

I should point out that I know almost nothing about sports, or the business of sports, and have been in very few stadiums, so my question is a sincere one, coming from ignorance. I'd just honestly like to know why what I proposed wouldn't be a better solution.

[AtticaFlinch]

Apologies if this is considered thread-jacking, but something I haven't understood in all this soccer stadium talk is why the money isn't being devoted to improving the existing UH stadium. They play there now, right? It brings tons of people to that part of town, increases UH's visibility... but apparently the stadium is too yucky for the professional team. Why should UH have to live with a yucky stadium while money is being spent on a new professional one? Improve the UH stadium instead and everyone wins.

I should point out that I know almost nothing about sports, or the business of sports, and have been in very few stadiums, so my question is a sincere one, coming from ignorance. I'd just honestly like to know why what I proposed wouldn't be a better solution.

If you skip to the last three or four pages of this thread, your questions will be answered.

[Fringe]

According to some attack ads, the entire demographic of Houston will change dramatically to resemble Montrose circa 1979.

If it was Montrose circa 1969 than I would be all for it.  It started going downhill by 79. I blame it on disco. 

[sarahiki]

If you skip to the last three or four pages of this thread, your questions will be answered.

Merci. Question answered. I can now contentedly lost interest in the topic again.

[IronTiger]

I always try to keep an open mind but Parker celebrating the victory as a historical event for the LGBT community rubs off on me as kind of elitist, as in the "elitist minority" type groups. You know the type...Obama himself never rode on the fact that he was the first African-American president and how he's making history (others said so, though).

Of course, I could be imagining it. Maybe it's just me.

(I really don't want to start a flame war on this idea, but that's just what I think)

[RedScare]

historic.

[west20th]

I always try to keep an open mind but Parker celebrating the victory as a historical event for the LGBT community rubs off on me as kind of elitist, as in the "elitist minority" type groups. You know the type...Obama himself never rode on the fact that he was the first African-American president and how he's making history (others said so, though).

Of course, I could be imagining it. Maybe it's just me.

(I really don't want to start a flame war on this idea, but that's just what I think)

You are and it is.

[rsb320]

Is it true that the inauguration will be at Discovery Green? If so, she'll be the first gay/controller/council member, lawyer, police chief, big money dude, good-ole-boy, etc. mayor to be sworn in there. Now, that's historic.

[barracuda]

I always try to keep an open mind but Parker celebrating the victory as a historical event for the LGBT community rubs off on me as kind of elitist, as in the "elitist minority" type groups. You know the type...Obama himself never rode on the fact that he was the first African-American president and how he's making history (others said so, though).

Of course, I could be imagining it. Maybe it's just me.

(I really don't want to start a flame war on this idea, but that's just what I think)

She did not "ride" on her sexual orientation during the campaign. It was her opponents that brought it up as an issue.

[mkultra25]

Is it true that the inauguration will be at Discovery Green? If so, she'll be the first gay/controller/council member, lawyer, police chief, big money dude, good-ole-boy, etc. mayor to be sworn in there. Now, that's historic.

Hey! You forgot "Rice University graduate"!

For those of us who are alumni, the "gay" angle is secondary.

[Porchman]

Is it true that the inauguration will be at Discovery Green?

The inauguration will be in the Brown Theatre at the Wortham on the morning of the 4th. I'm sure they've had openly gay people and Rice grads on the stage there.

[bachanon]

I always try to keep an open mind but Parker celebrating the victory as a historical event for the LGBT community rubs off on me as kind of elitist, as in the "elitist minority" type groups. You know the type...Obama himself never rode on the fact that he was the first African-American president and how he's making history (others said so, though).

Of course, I could be imagining it. Maybe it's just me.

(I really don't want to start a flame war on this idea, but that's just what I think)

i thought kathy whitmire was the first gay mayor of houston? ok, so she showed up at certain parties around town. but, their were rumors!

i'm excited about mayor elect parker. i too was a little concerned about the big deal made about her sexuality. it has nothing to do with her career or how she will do her job. her personal life is now bigger news than before she was elected and these things have a way of "getting in the way" or framing the public conversation. i have friends that act as if having a gay mayor is the greatest thing in the world. it is a shame that this one issue is the depth of their political reality. fortunately for houstonians, i believe parker's world view and work ethic is greater than one issue. i have high hopes for our newly elected mayor.