Bill King's Shady Mayoral Campaign Mailers

Back in 2015 Bill King narrowly lost in a December runoff to current mayor Sylvester Turner in large part because ethnically diverse Houston, and especially the Black and Latinx parts of it ain't feeling Republicans right now. 

Our city hasn't elected a Republican to sit in our mayor's chair in over 40 years, so in this run, looks like King is deploying deception and racism in his attempt to knock Turner out the mayors chair at The Horseshoe.

He has already been called out for his dog whistle racist signs that are still up in many parts of town that say 'Clean Up City Hall', as if to imply there is rampant corruption going on with the Black mayor in charge.

Since our Houston municipal elections are theoretically nonpartisan, to imply that his Republican behind has bipartisan support, a mailer has appeared targeting the predominately suburban white Kingwood area in Northeast Houston  that lists some Democratic precinct chairs and makes the claim they support him.

Only problem is that many of those Democratic precinct chairs listed in the mailers DON'T support King, and were majorly pissed to find out their names appeared in his campaign literature without their knowledge.   Those Democratic precinct chairs want their names removed from King's campaign literature ASAP.

King apologized on August 7,  then three days later sent out another mailer targeting the predominately white Clear Lake area in suburban southeast Houston replicating the same tactic.

This statement appeared on the Harris County Democratic Party's website expressing support for their party precinct chairs outraged at the unauthorized use of their names or that they implicitly supported the King campaign.   

The Harris County Democratic Party has been made aware that Bill King, Candidate for Houston Mayor, recently mailed a political advertisement that identified as supporters, among others, Democratic Precinct Chairs. 

Our Precinct Chairs have unequivocally stated that at no time did they express support for Mr. King’s campaign or otherwise give their consent to be listed as supporters of his campaign. 

“We take the concerns of our Precinct Chairs very seriously, we always have their backs,” said Lillie Schechter, HCDP Party Chair 

We stand behind these chairs in asking that all candidates conduct their campaigns with the utmost integrity and obtain consent before listing any HCDP Precinct Chair as a supporter. 

Why am I not surprised that King would do what Republicans always do when they run for office?   Lie and do whatever shady crap they have to do to win.

Last Chance To Vote For Houston Mayor Saturday

Been hearing some disturbing chatter that there are elements of the Houston LGBT community who are voting against their own political interests for the mayoral candidate who is NOT concerned with their human rights.

And that candidate NOT concerned about your human rights is the one who looks like you and who is endorsed by Steven Hotze and Ted Cruz.

If you wish to see HERO 2.0 happen, it would be in your best interests to head down to your local polling place Saturday and cast your vote for Sylvester Turner, not the carpetbagger who couldn't even run Kemah correctly.

There are also pro-HERO city council candidates who will need your support Saturday.

And just to make it clear where Turner stands on revisiting HERO, here's the open letter he wrote that explains his position.

Early voting ended yesterday, and this election us tight.  I don't want my hometown going 'back to basics', I want it moving forward as a city, especially on the human rights front.

My vote is already in the can since I went for early voting and has been counted.

I and your fellow progressive Houstonians need those of you who haven't done so yet to handle your electoral business on Saturday.

Every vote matters.  And I don't want to see the wrong persons getting inaugurated at the Wortham Theater on New Year's Day.

San Antonio Mayoral Runoff In Early Voting Stage

Just west of me in San Antonio is a mayoral runoff election taking place that not only has the eyes of Texas on it, but the national TBLG community as well. 

The mayoral election was back on May 9, and pitted embattled interim mayor Ivy Taylor against 13 candidates including former Texas state senator Leticia Van de Putte and former state rep Mike Villarreal.

'Poison Ivy' as she is sarcastically called by the San Antonio LGBT community has been under fire for saying that the San Antonio NDO's TBLG  protections are 'a waste of time.    She repeatedly snubbed the local BTLG community that had serious reservations in the first place when she was appointed by council to fill HUD Secretary Julian Castro's unexpired term to become San Antonio's first African-American mayor..  She was one of the NO votes when the San Antonio NDO passed back in 2013.

Sen Van de Putte on the other hand is the political polar opposite.  In addition to recently running for lieutenant governor, she has been a longtime supporter of our community.  She supported the San Antonio NDO, and filed legislation to add sexual orientation and gender identity to Texas non discrimination statues in the areas of employment and housing.

Senator Van de Putte led all candidates on election night by garnering 25,952 votes or 30.3% of the 85,370 votes cast in the May 9 election, with interim Mayor Taylor close behind with 24,235 votes, or 28.40% of the total votes cast.   Rep Mike Villarreal just missed the runoff with 22,246 votes, 26.06% of the votes cast.

But since no one got 50% of the vote to win the seat outright, the runoff is being contested between Van de Putte, who has served the city as a state rep from 1991-1999 and a state senator from 1999-2015 and the interim mayor fighting for her first full term she promised not to run for when she was elevated to the interim mayor spot..

The runoff election to decide San Antonio's next mayor will take place on June 13, but the early voting phase of it started yesterday and will run until June 9.   Polling stations will be closed on Sunday June 7, but reopen on June 8-9.

It'll be interesting to see which one of these women emerges victorious on June 13, and the TBLG community hopes it will be Sen Van de Putte.

Ben Hall Doesn't Deserve The Houston TBLGQ Community Vote

2015 is a civic election year in Houston, and while the real political campaign action won't get started in earnest until after Labor Day, there is already jockeying going on to see who will replace the term limited Mayor Annise Parker.

One of the people running for mayor is the guy she beat in 2013 to get that final term in former city attorney Ben Hall.   He's running again, and trying to position himself as someone that appeals to moderate voters, but don't let that act fool you.

Ben Hall has transphobic and homophobic tendencies, and I'm about to break it down why Houston trans/ SGL and LGBTQ peeps not only shouldn't give their precious cash, support or money to a Hall campaign, but make certain he NEVER takes the oath of office in the Wortham Center in 2016.

Ben Hall said in a Harris County Democratic candidate questionnaires during the 2013 election cycle that he would support what later became the HERO, then reneged on that.  

He refused to interview with the Houston Stonewall Democrats and the Houston LGBT Caucus for their mayoral candidate forums, then reached for the homophobia and transphobia in the late stages of the 2013 campaign when he couldn't make a dent in Mayor Parker's double digit lead.

He not only said he would if elected repeal Executive Order 150 that protects trans people in Houston city employment, but reached for the transphobia and homophobia when he appeared on the KUHF-FM show Houston Matters, was interviewed by a moderator before taking questions from callers.

When a homophobic man called in to announce indignation towards the Mayor for offering protections to Houston transgender people, Hall joined in on the transphobic party by announcing that in his opinion, it was unacceptable for transgendered people who are “anatomically another gender” to be treated as anything but the anatomical gender.  

He doubled down on the anti-TBLGQ prejudice by fully opposing a non-discrimination ordinance, calling homosexuality a “lifestyle choice.”

Well Ben, I not only haven't forgotten what you said to me at that 2013 northside mayoral campaign event when you straight up told me to my face you opposed me and other Houston bi, SGL and trans folks having the same human rights coverage as other Houstonians, I haven't forgotten you opposed the HERO.

Neither have I forgotten the transphobic comment you aimed at me and other trans Houstonians on that KUHF-FM radio broadcast.

Transgender and SGL Houstonians also live, work, play inside the Houston city limits and deserve to have their human rights respected and protected.

I have a long memory when it comes to people who oppress me, and I vote.   Even better, I have a blog that will remind BTLGQ Houstonians and our allies from now until Election Day on November 3 why you don't deserve to be the next mayor of Houston and encourage them to vote for candidates that will defend and implement the HERO.

You ain't that candidate, Piney Point Ben.

2015 Houston Mayoral Race - The Early Declarees

When 2015 gets here in four weeks, it not only will usher on what promises to be a challenging Texas legislative session, bit it also signals the beginning of the campaign to replace Mayor Annise Parker.

We're expecting a crowded field because Mayor Parker will be term limited, but we have already had two people declare they are running for the mayor's office.

One is longtime Texas state Rep. Sylvester Turner, who lost a bid om a runoff to Bob Lanier to become Houston's first ever African-American mayor back in 1991 and a subsequent 2003 bid to Bill White.

He declared back in February that he was running, and has since made the moves to back up that declaration.  He also gets bonus points from me as a HERO supporter.

Will the third time be the charm for Rep. Turner on November 3, 2015?   We'll see.

One of his challengers will be Ben Hall, who just lost a mayoral bid to Annise Parker in 2013 and is taking another crack at it. 

I'm not a fan of Piney Point Ben Hall because he told me to my face at a October mayoral debate during the latter stages of that 2013 race he not only wasn't in favor of what later became the HERO, but would repeal Executive Order 150 that protects trans people in Houston city employment..

So Hall will probably be the preferred candidate of the HERO Haters, and his first radio ad is already pandering to the Max Miller crowd.

As to the other rumored candidates are Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia,  Councilmembers Stephen Costello, Oliver Pennington and Michael (God Put Me On City Council To Oppose The HERO) Kubosh,  and Jack Christie.    Former congressman Chris Bell is also rumored to be exploring a run for mayor..

Stay tuned to this TransGriot channel to see who becomes the next mayor for my hometown

It's A Threepeat For Mayor Parker!

For you folks who are coming down to Houston for Creating Change and wondering if Annise will still be in the mayor's chair when you arrive for the start of it January 29-February 2, the answer is yes.

Mayor Annise Parker was challenged by seven opponents, with the lead one being transphobic former city attorney Ben Hall.

She still romped to a convincing 57%-27% reelection win over her closest opponent to remain in our mayor's chair for her third and final two year term.

She continues the distinctions of being our second female mayor and Houston being the largest city in the United States led by an openly gay person. .  

“To the voters of Houston, thank you for renewing your trust in me, in the city, in our ability to come together to work together to continue to make Houston the best city it can possibly be. It is already a great, great international city, but the best can always be better,” said Mayor Parker in her victory speech. 

Unfortunately the news wasn't so good in the City Council at Large Position 3 race for the Houston trans community.

Jenifer Rene Pool missed getting into the runoff against front runner Michael Kubosh by 1125 votes to end her second attempt to become the first open trans person elected to City Council.

No word yet on whether Jenifer is going to attempt another run in the 2015 election cycle. 

The iconic Astrodome is likely headed for demolition as the referendum proposing to spend $217 million to repurpose and refurbish the Dome failed.   Either way it's going to cost Harris County money because demolition of the Eighth Wonder of the World has been estimated to cost $30 million.
 

Ben Hall Comes Out Of The Closet Against Houston LGBT Rights

For those of you who have perused my posts about the Houston city elections that are now in the early voting phase, you know I have not been a fan of former Houston city attorney Ben Hall, who is the leading challenger in current Mayor Annise Parker's quest for getting her third and final term as Houston's mayor.

He was trailing her in the last poll done on the race by double digits, but unless she polls more than 50% of the ballots cast in the early voting and November 5 ballot casting, it will go to a December runoff and he would probably be the person she faces in it.

Now I have another reason to not want this man sitting in the chair as my hometown's mayor.  If he were elected, he would become only the second African-American ever in Houston history to do so.

And he's not the person I want making that history.  Ben Hall's campaign literature claims he's for all of us living in the Houston city limits, unless you're a TBLG Houstonian.

Hall just confirmed in an interview on the KUHF-FM radio show Houston Matters what I point blank asked him at a mayoral candidate forum on October 14.  He is not only NOT in favor of adding sexual orientation and gender identity language to the city's non-discrimination policy,  Hall took it a step further and said he would repeal Executive Order 150, the one issued by Mayor Lee Brown that protects SGL city employees from discrimination.

Mayor Parker added trans city workers to Executive Order 150 coverage in 2010.

I'm not surprised he's coming out of the closet as a LGBT rights oppressor. He told me to my face at that candidate forum that he opposed it (and gave me a BS reason why) when I asked him at that mayoral forum I wrote. 

He flip-flopped from the municipal candidate questionnaire answers that he gave to the Harris County Democratic Party when he was seeking their endorsement in which he answered he would support a non-discrimination ordinance for all Houstonians, including those in the LGBT community.

Hall also failed to sit down with both the Houston Stonewall Young Democrats and the Houston
GLBT Political Caucus when those organizations were screening municipal candidates.

So how surprising is it to me or the Parker campaign that Piney Point Ben is caught in another situation in which his deeds don't match his lofty rhetoric?  

And FYI, in the KUHF-FM radio interview,  when a homophobic man called in to announce indignation towards Mayor Parker for offering protections to transgender Houstonians, Hall joined in on the hate by announcing that, in his opinion, it was unacceptable for transgendered people who are “anatomically another gender” to be treated as anything but the anatomical gender. Further, he doubled down on the prejudice by fully opposing a non-discrimination ordinance, calling homosexuality a “lifestyle choice.”

And you of all people who prosecuted discrimination cases for the city should know better. 

Okay Piney Point Ben, it's on like Donkey Kong now.  I'm not only not going to accept trans human rights crumbs in my hometown, I will fight tooth and nail against any rollback of the meager rights trans Houstonians employed by the city have courtesy of Executive Order 150 now.

So yeah, H-town trans and SGL community, y'all know what to do.  Handle your electoral business in the remaining early voting period and on November 5 to ensure Ben Hall  is not the person taking the oath of office for mayor in the Wortham Theater this January.