The Final 2019 US Trans Names List

 As the ball is about to drop in New York's Times Square to signal the end of the 2010's and the beginning of  a new year and new decade, still had this bit of old business to deal with. 

I don't have to tell you TransGriot readers that 2019 was another deadly year, specifically for Black trans women.  Texas was the epicenter of it, with us losing four trans women.   It could have easily been six had Pinky in Houston and Daniela in Dallas not survived being shot by assailants who are at this writing, still at large.

These are the names of the trans folks in the US who have been killed in this 2019 calendar year

Dana Martin, 31, Montgomery, AL
Ashanti Carmon, 27, Fairmount Heights, MD
Jazzaline Ware, 34, Memphis, TN
Muhlaysia Booker, 22, Dallas, TX
Michelle Washington, 40, Philadelphia, PA
Claire Legato, 21, Cleveland, OH
Paris Cameron, 20, Detroit, MI
Chynal Lindsey, 26, Dallas, TX
Chanel Scurlock, 23, Lumberton, NC
Zoe Spears, 23, Fairmount Heights, MD
Brooklyn Lindsey, 32, Kansas City, MO
Denali Berries Stuckey, 29, North Charleston, SC
Marquis Kiki Fantroy, 21, Miami, FL
Pebbles LaDime Doe, 24, Allendale, SC
Jordan Cofer, 22, Dayton, OH
Tracy Single Williams, 22, Houston TX
Bailey Reeves, 17, Baltimore, MD
Bee Love Slater, 23, Clewiston, FL
Ja'Leyah Jamar Berryman, 30, Kansas City, MO
Elisha Stanley, 46, Pittsburgh, PA
Itali Marlowe, 29, Houston, TX
Brianna BB Hill, 30, Kansas City, MO
Nikki Kuhnhausen, 18, Vancouver, WA
Yahira Nesby, 33, Brooklyn, NY

Stats Breakdown
Female- 23
Male-  1
Age
0-19 -  2
20-29 - 14
30-39 - 6
40-49 - 2
50-59- 0
Race-Ethnicity
White- 2
Black- 22
Latinx-0
Asian-Pacific Islander-0 

The three things that jump out at me besides the fact that 22 of the 24 people that we lost were Black and 14 of them we between the ages of 20-29, is that we lost ZERO Latinx people to anti-trans murders. 

Not that there weren't any attempts on the lives of our Latina trans siblings.  It's just they were blessed those attempts didn't turn into fatalities.

For those of you claiming Layleen Polanco, who died while incarcerated at Rikers Island was murdered, not according to the NYC coroner.   That is why she is not on this list, which follows the protocols of the Remembering Our Dead project founded by Gwen Smith 20 years ago.

One thing we can all agreed on is 24 murdered trans people is far too many, and these are just the ones we're aware of.  It may be far more .  There is a Black trans woman in Oakland who has been missing since December 1

May they rest in power with the ancestors.   May the peeps who murdered them also be found guilty of their crimes and be punished to the full extent of the law for their crimes

The Shut Up Fool Of The Decade Is....

On January 30, 2009 I started one of the more popular features on my blog in the weekly Shut Up Fool Awards.    My inaugural fool for that week was FOX Noise Contributor Juan Williams.

The Shut Up Fool weekly awards begat a Shut Up Fool of the Year, that I announced on New Year's Eve also starting in 2009, with the inaugural winner being then RNC chair Michael Steele.

The blog had only been in operation then for three years, so at that time I wasn't thinking about doing a Shut up Fool of the Decade award.

With TransGriot about to turn 14 years old on New Year's Day, and the blog having been operational for the entire decade of the 2010's, I think it's definitely appropriate to follow up on Brandon Mack's suggestion and name a Shut Up Fool of the Decade.

While I considered group awards for Fox Noise, The Republican Party, the evilgelicals, the TERFs,  Alex Jones, Rush Limbaugh and Mitch McConnell just to name a few, there's really only one person who so richly deserves this inaugural Shut Up Fool of the Decade Award.

That person would be the only repeat winner of a TransGriot Shut Up Fool of the Year  award, and he actually could have won it for several more years because he'd done and said enough WTF level stuff to justify it. 

So enough jibber jabber, let's get to it. 

The winner of the inaugural TransGriot Shut Up Fool of the Decade Award is Donald Trump
   

Rev Lawrence T. Richardson Set To Make History As Next Linden Hills UCC Senior Pastor

"My message to every trans and gender non-conforming person is this: God is love and you were made in the image of perfect Love.  There is space for you in this world.  There is space at your church, in your desired career, in your family, on sports teams...and it is time to take your space.  Show up!  In large number or in small...your presence is valued and necessary.  So what, they stare or ask questions, answer them.   Look them in the eyes proudly with your beautiful, handsome, artsy, brilliant, capable, transgender self.  Claim your space. Rearrange the seating to make room at the table.  Correct people when they use the wrong pronouns.  Hang up your own sign on the bathroom door.  Tell them who you are and who you are not. Be bold.  No one is going to understand what they cannot see, cannot hear or cannot know. "  -Rev Lawrence T, Richardson, 2013 

One of the best things about being a advocate over 20 years is that you get to meet some amazing people along the way.

I met Rev. Lawrence T. Richardson during a BTAC conference back in 2013, and saw him again during my recent April trip to Minneapolis and on the University of Minnesota campus.

For the last five years he has been the associate pastor at Linden Hills United Church of Christ in Minneapolis under the Rev Eliot Howard, who has been the senior pastor at Linden Hills UCC for the last 26 years. 

Rev Howard, along with everyone else Rev. Lawrence has encountered, has recognized that he is an amazing leader who is well respected not only in the local and national faith communities, but in the trans one as well.

Rev. Howard has decided to retire, and in an overwhelming affirmative vote by the membership of Linden Hills on October 27, chose Rev Richardson to be their next leader.  It makes him the first out Black trans cleric in his home state of Minnesota

Rev Richardson is excited about the new opportunity, and one of his his missions will be to have Linden Hills UCC continue to be a welcoming church community, just as it was when he encountered it.

Congratulations Rev. Richardson!  I'm extremely proud of you and the history you're making!   I hope that I'll get a chance to visit Linden Hills the next time my travels bring me to the Twin Cities.     

2019 TransGriot NFL Picks- Week 17

This it it.   The last week of the regular NFL season.   Playoff seedings and the NFC East and West  division titles are on the line.  For many of the teams that qualified and either locked in their byes into the Divisional round or are headed to Wild Card Weekend, it's deciding whether they want to rest starters or play them.   

Then there's the other side of this last week of the NFL season for the teams that didn't qualify for the playoffs.  It's assessing what went wrong with this 2019 season, making corrections, and gearing up for the 2020 NFL Draft in a few months.

And tomorrow, a few NFL coaches who have been on the hot seat for months will be getting fired.  Over/under on that is FIVE coaches get the pink slips on Monday and TWO GM's .

Ron Rivera has already been fired by the Carolina Panthers, and Jacksonville Jaguars GM Tom Coughlin has already been given the boot 

The first pick for the draft has been locked up by the Cincinnati Bengals, we'll see how the rest of the picks all after today's games are played

. 

This is the last week of the regular season and after 16 weeks of prognostication, we are tied going into the last 16 games of the regular season.   Who will take the title this year?:   We're about to find out. 

My picks in bold red print.    Mike Week 17 picks are here. 

Week 16 Results                            2019 NFL Season Record
TransGriot  10-6                             TransGriot  148-91-1
 Mike          10-6                             Mike           148-91-1

Sunday Early Games
Browns over BENGALS
PATRIOTS over Dolphins 
VIKINGS over Bears
CHIEFS over Chargers 
BILLS over Jets
Packers over LIONS
Saints over PANTHERS
Falcons over BUCCANEERS

Sunday Afternoon Games
TEXANS over Titans
Eagles over GIANTS
COWBOYS over Washington
RAVENS over Steelers
Colts over JAGUARS
BRONCOS over Raiders 
RAMS over Cardinals

Sunday Night Game
SEAHAWKS over 49ers 

Merry Christmas 2019

Merry Christmas TransGriot readers!   This is the last Christmas Day we will celebrate in the 2010's as a new decade starts a week from now

Hope this day is turning out to be a pleasant one for many of you and the food at your holiday tables is tasty and plentiful.   i also hope that Santa brought you everything on your Christmas wish list as well.

Happy Birthday to all of you who were born on this day as well. 


What I wished for as a Christmas gift won't happen until November 3,2020.    But I did to see his azz impeached as an early Christmas 2019 gift.

If you have extra Christmas cash lying around and want to reward someone who was up to angelic trouble for our community this year, you can always hit me up on my Pay Pal at paypal.me/TransGriot or my Cash App at $TransGriot

I also have a link to my PayPal  in my TransGriot Tip Jar in the upper left hand portion of the blog

The other early Christmas gift was my transphobic Harris County Commissioner Steve Radack deciding not to run for another term.

Speaking of Christmas gifts, here's hoping that all the tarns younglings celebrating their first ones as their true selves are getting the stuff they always wanted under the tree today. 

For those of you who are not with your blood family, much love to you today and hope you are hanging out with your chosen fam. 

Here's also hoping we lose no more trans people between now and New Year's Day. 

Taj Jackson Attempting To Make More Black Pageant History

Earlier this year Jazell Harvey became the first Black person ever to win the Miss International Queen trans pageant in its 15 year history.

While we have had since the Miss Universe system opened their doors to trans women in 2013, several trans women from around the globe have attempted to make it to the Miss Universe pageant stage,. starting with Canada's Jenna Talackova.

The only one so far that has successfully done so, although she didn't make it to the 15 semifinalist round, has been Miss Spain Universe 2018 Angela Ponce. 

We have had trans women from Canada, Mongolia, Chile and Norway make it to their national pageant stages.   Trans women in China, Belgium, Brazil and Puerto Rico fell short of making it to their national pageant stage.

None of those trans contestants attempting to make it to a Miss Universe stage or compete in a US state pageant has been Black until now.

Taj Jackson is the person who attempt to do so, and she couldn't have picked a tougher pageant challenge.  The Miss Inglewood delegate is competing in the Miss California Universe 2020 pageant, which sends its winner to the Miss USA one and is part of the Miss universe pageant system. 

Miss California Universe along with Miss Texas Universe are considered two of the toughest state pageants to win and qualify for Miss USA in because both have more than 200 contestants competing in them.  That is triple the number of contestants Miss Universe has had in recent years. 

Miss Universe 2019 only had 90 contestants in this year's pageant won by South Africa's Zozibini Tunzi. 

These pageants also have a proud history of sending their winners on to Miss USA and Miss Universe glory.   Miss Texas USA and Miss California USA also rank numbers one and two in terms of the number of winners of their respective pageant who have gone on to win Miss USA

A Miss Texas USA has won nine times, with a streak of five consecutive winners in the 1980's.  Miss California Universe has had six women win Miss USA.

Jackson won't be the first out trans woman to ever compete in Miss California Universe.  That distinction already belongs to Kylan Wenzel, who competed back in 2013.

But Taj is undaunted by the odds, and proud of the history she is making as the first out Black trans contestant at any Miss Universe system pageant in the US and across the Diaspora..

As Miss Inglewood, Taj is looking for fiscal sponsors as the January 26 date of this Miss California 2020 pageant rapidly approaches.

Good luck to you Taj and here's hoping you make history. 

   

What A Year For Moi!

As someone who has gotten to do a lot of interesting things in my life, 2019 definitely was one that was chock full of milestones and amazing events.

Going into 2019, it was a personal double anniversary year.  April 4 not only marked my 25th transiversary, it was also marked the 20th anniversary of activism on behalf of this community. 

Because 2019 is an odd numbered year, it also meant I knew as soon as the ball dropped in Times Square I would be making a lot of trips to Austin for the Texas legislative session. 

Seven of them in fact.   I also made a few trips to the ATX after The Lege mercifully hit sine die on May 27.

This was also a year in which I made more trips inside of the state of Texas than I did outside of it.

I made several trips to Dallas besides the usual birthday week one for the Black Trans Advocacy Conference  (BTAC) and three to San Antonio.

One of the Dallas trips was for Muhlaysia Booker's funeral.   Another was Dallas Pride which was held on the Texas State fair complex for the first time.   Less than three weeks later was back for the BTAC Leadership Institute in Dallas, and another was for the March For Black Trans Lives. 

The trips I made to San Antonio were a May 4 birthday trip to witness the end of Frankie Gonzales-Wolfe's historic campaign for a San Antonio City Council seat that unfortunately fell short, and one in September to the Excellence in Journalism Conference.

That's a nice segue into me talking about how much I was on TV this year.

Much of it has been local.  I went on The Isiah Factor Uncensored multiple times on FOX 26, and had two interviews with Natasha Geiger.  Multiple interviews on ABC13 with Chauncey Glover, Miya Shay, and Mycah Hatfield.  Various newspaper and media interviews in which I got quoted in everything from CNN to OUT Magazine.

The icing on the cake was taping an eight hour conversation about trans issues for ABC News Nightline with Dee Dee and Diamond.

I even got to go to NYC World Pride, even if it was for 36 hours, thanks to Sara Ramirez.   I was one of the movement leaders across the country along with my other H-Town peeps Ashton Woods and Ana Andrea Molina honored onstage as she sang 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow' during the opening concert for it at Brooklyn's Barclay's Center

Speaking of Pride, which was marking its 50th anniversary this year,  I got to serve as an honorary Grand Marshal during Houston's Pride Parade this year.

Lot more fun riding in a jeep for the entire length of our nighttime parade and sitting in the VIP section afterwards instead of marching in it. Also got to attend a few events during the week in my role as a honorary grand marshal.

And this year, probably in large part to the heightened media visibility and the recognition that I have been doing this for 20 years, received some major awards.

The Harris County Democratic Party gave me the Barbara Jordan Breaking Barriers one at the JRR Luncheon in May in which I spoke just before Secretary (and should have been president) Hillary Clinton

I also received the Transgender Activist Award from Equality Texas at their Austin gala in November, and the Minnie Fisher Award from the Texas Democratic Women of Galveston County.

I was also named this year for the first time ever to Out Magazine's OUT100.

It wouldn't be a Moni year without me going to a few conferences.  In addition to the BTAC and Excellence in Journalism ones I mentioned earlier in this post, I also attended the Netroots Nation one in Philadelphia for the fourth consecutive year, Gender Infinity and the Texas Transgender Nondiscrimination Summit which were both held at UH Clear Lake this year and the NLGJA Conference in New Orleans.

It's also cool anytime I go to these events to reconnect with old friends, meet new ones and also talk to the next generation of leaders in our movement. 

It was also nice to make progress toward living  up to one of my 2019 New Year's resolutions of getting better connected with the Houston cis Black women community and our local activist community

I got to attend a few events throughout the year that helped facilitate that goal, and looking froward to doing the same in the near future.   And yes, got to spend some quality time with my high school classmates.   Our 40th reunion is coming up in 10 months.

And always cool to spend some time with my trans fam, where it be in Dallas at BTAC, here in Houston, or wherever I'm doing an event around the country.

Some of those events happen on college campuses and corporate settings, where I'm doing my part to educate people about our Black trans lives and the challenges we face inside and outside the Black TBLGQ community.

So yes, 2019 was definitely an amazing year for me to close out a decade   Hope that 2020 is even better 

2019 TransGriot NFL Picks -Week 16

Merry Christmas people!

This 2019 NFL prognostication contest between myself and Mr. Watts is as usual shaping up to be a battle that will probably come down to the final weekend.

In Week 15 we both tied  with identical 10-6 records, and we're tied in the overall standings.   I'm kicking myself because I originally had the Bills beating the Steelers, then changed the pick before I locked it in.

The Texans redeemed themselves by winning a hard fought 24-21 game against the Tennessee Traitors in Nashville to take control of the AFC South race.   Hopefully the Texans will give the city of Houston an early Christmas present by clinching the division and a playoff berth with a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Meanwhile the bandwagon riding Harris County Arlington Cowchip fans took their jerseys out of the  closet after they blew out the Rams 44-21 at Jerryworld to end a three game losing streak and beat a team with a winning record for the first time in the 2019 season. 

That sets up a winner take all NFC East showdown game with the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday in which the loser will probably be out of the playoffs.     

Let's get to this week's picks.  had two extra days to ponder them since we have three Saturday games on the schedule.   My picks will be in bold red print with Mike's Week 16 picks here at this link. 

Week 16 Results                          2019 NFL Season Record 
TransGriot   10-6                          TransGriot   138-85-1
Mike            10-6                          Mike            138-85-1

Saturday Games
Texans over BUCCANEERS
PATRIOTS over Bills
49ERS over Rams

Sunday Early Games
DOLPHINS over Bengals
Ravens at BROWNS
Steelers over JETS
Giants over WASHINGTON
COLTS over Panthers
FALCONS over Jaguars 
Saints over TITANS

Sunday Afternoon Games
CHARGERS over Raiders
BRONCOS over Lions
SEAHAWKS over Cardinals 

Sunday Night Game 
Cowboys over EAGLES

Monday Night Game
VIKINGS over Packers

Number 24- Rest in Power Yahira Nesby

I was hoping we'd get through these last weeks of 2019 without any more murders.  Unfortunately that will not be the case.   We now go to Brooklyn, NY, where I was alerted to our latest trans murder by Nala Simone.

Her name is Yahira Nesby.

The 33 year old Nesby was shot yesterday (December 19) at approximately 4:20 PM EST in her Brooklyn apartment in the chest and leg.    A 39 year old male was found at the rear of her building on Rockaway Parkway with a leg injury indicative from falling from a heightened position. 

Nesby was declared dead at the scene.

That person was taken in for questioning, but at this time Nesby's murder is still being investigated by NYPD.   The male as of yet has not been considered as a person of interest in this ongoing investigation,.but was called her boyfriend in a NY Daily News story.

Nesby was a member of the House of Chanel, and was originally from North Carolina

She is now the 24th trans woman we have lost to violence this year, and the 22nd Black trans woman in 2019.

As of yet haven't heard about any vigils since this is still a developing story, but as soon as I hear of one or am alerted, I'll pass that info along. 

Rest in power and peace Yahira,

Trump Impeached!

Y'all knew I was doing the happy dance when after eight hours of debate, the US House made history by impeaching Donald Trump. 

Trump becomes only the third POTUS in our nation's 241 year history to be impeached, and the first to have it happen in his first term.   He also got impeached by the most votes ever.

Richard Nixon resigned the presidency on August 9, 1974 before the House got to impeach and remove him from office.

Both articles of impeachment passed primarily on party lines.

Article I, the abuse of power one, passed the House by a 230- 197 vote.    Article II, the Obstruction of Congress one, passed the House on a 229-198 vote.

There were two Democrats who voted NO on Article I and three who voted NO on Article II.  One of those Democrats who voted no is leaving for the Republican Party

Rep Tulsi Gabbard (Russian asset, HI) , confirming what Hillary Clinton said about her, voted 'PRESENT' on both articles of impeachment.  It's a .decision that is not sitting well not only with the voters of Hawaii's 2nd District, but with many people in the Democratic party questioning why she's even still in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primary race

While Trump will forever carry the stain of being on the short list of White House occupants who have been impeached, it does not mean he has been removed from office,

The impeachment is on a simple majority vote, and is basically an indictment.   The process now moves to the US Senate where the trial, presided over by Chef Justice John Roberts, will take place

It will take 67 senators voting YES to remove trump from office, and bear in mind that as of yet in US history no impeached president has been removed from office.

But we do have an election in November that will allow us to do just that. .

Number 23- Rest In Power Nikki Kuhnhausen

It turns out that the trans teen who went missing back in June is sadly now one of 23 trans people who we have lost in the US due to anti-trans violence.

17 year old Nikki Kuhnhausen went missing back on June 6 after setting up a meeting with 25 year old David Bogdanov.    She had conversing with him on Snapchat, and after setting up a June 5  meeting with him disappeared. 

Bogdanov was named as a person of interest in her disappearance, and admitted during an October interview with detectives that he and Nikki met, and during their conversation he discovered she was trans.   He said that was offensive to his culture and he asked her to get out of his van. 

Bogdanov claimed that Nikki walked away from his van and he never saw her again.

Nikki's remains were found on Larch Mountain in the remote northeastern part of Clark County, Washington on December 7. 

Bogdanov was arrested today by Vancouver police and charged with Kuhnhausen's murder, and his cell phone records according to detectives,  put him in the same remote area of northeastern Clark County on June 6 where Nikki's remains were found.

Bogdanov has been charged with second degree murder, and is being held without bail.   He will face his first appearance in Clark County Courthouse.

That makes Nikki the 23rd trans person we have lost to anti-trans violence, and the second trans teenager we've lost in 2019.  She is also the second White trans person who has been killed this year. .

Rest in power Nikki.  Your life was taken way too soon, and here's hoping that justice will be served in your case.

Moni's Post Houston Municipal Runoff Election Thoughts

It's been 72 hours since it because clear Houstonians took out the political trash by massively rejecting Tony Trump Buzbee and giving Sylvester Turner a second four year term as our mayor. 

Mayor Turner garnered 56% of the vote in sending Buzbee to the loss he so richly deserved after trying to inject transphobia in this race at the last minute.  A last minute robocall from Trump didn't help and had the opposite effect of boosting turnout

Buzbee spent $12 million to get that butt kicked, and has refused at this writing to concede. 

Typical.   But hey Tony, I did tell you back in August when you disrespectfully stepped to me you would never be elected to the mayor's chair in my hometown.

Don't forget it was you who said on FOX26 that you didn't need to be mayor.   Well, the wise citizens of Houston made your wish to NOT be the mayor of Houston come true for the holidays.

We also sent transphobe Dave Wilson packing from the Houston Community College (HCC) Board of Trustees by electing Monica Flores Richart.   Wilson abruptly resigned from his Position 2 seat he deceptively won six years ago by 24 votes when Rhonda Skillern-Jones filed to run against him and jumped into the Position 1 race.

Flores Richart did the Lordt's work and trounced that homohating behind twice.  She got 48% of the vote back on November 5, just missing the 51% threshold she needed to beat him outright. 

She handled her business in the runoff and spanked that transphobic behind.  Congrats Madame Trustee-elect.   Rhonda Skillern-Jones also won handily in the HCC Position 2 race.

Now that the transphobic Wilson has been bounced from the HCC board and has more free time on his hands, we Houston liberal-progressive peeps need to make sure he doesn't spend it trying to mess with Houston area trans people.

The embattled HISD board also added two more Black women on its board of trustees in Kathy Bluefield Daniels in District 2 and Patricia Allen in District 4. 

As for the Houston City Council elections, we had some problematic people running for city council in this cycle as well.   The 180 people that filed to run meant that while we stopped some of the bad ones, others got through like conservative incumbents Mike Knox and Michael Kubosh.

One that didn't get through was White supremacist Anthony Dolcefino.  He made it to a runoff for the At Large 4 seat in large part because the Houston media tried to softpedal his white supremacist activities at UT 

Thank goodness Dr. Letitia Plummer won that seat and blocked him from getting a nice leather chair in The Horseshoe.    But we will have to worry about Dolcefino running for a future office.

This transphobe, Edward Pollard, also slipped through and got elected to City Council in District J, beating Sandra Rodriguez.    Pollard, a so called 'conservative Democrat', AKA a Republican ashamed to claim the label, opposed the HERO ordinance back in 2014, and is an on the record transphobe.   Unfortunately I have to look at his azz in The Horseshoe for the next four years.

I also wasn't happy to hear about some of Rodriguez's signs mysteriously disappearing in this southwest side district during this race.

Many Houston Black women are not happy Abbie Kamin won her District C race against Shelley Kennedy, especially after a photo surfaced of her wearing an antebellum dress at a Kappa Alpha collegiate frat function.

Kamin never really came clean about it or offered a substantive explanation as to why she's in Confederate garb, but she's going to have to do it sooner or later.   Progressive sisters have long memories, and until she clears this up with them, if Kamin  has aspirations for higher office, she may have problems getting support from the Harris County Democratic Party base (Black women) if she doesn't deal with it ASAP.

And in this election cycle's concrete example of why every vote matters, in District H challenger Isabel Longoria is trailing incumbent CM Karla Cisneros by a razor thin 12 votes.

Looks like this District H race will be going to a recount, and they will be counting every ballot cast in this one, including provisional and overseas mail in ballots before we have a declared winner in this race. 

Then there's the mess in District B, which has gone to court.

There were 13 candidates running in the race to replace term limited CM Jerry Davis, and the top two vote getters were Tarsha Jackson (right) and former North Forest ISD board member Cynthia Bailey,

Renee Jefferson Smith, the candidate who finished third in the District B race, filed suit, alleging that since Bailey was an ex-offender, she wasn't eligible to run for city council.   Jackson, the frontrunner on November 5 and who is favored to win the seat, believes Bailey is eligible to run.

It didn't help that when Bailey filed, on the affidavit you must sign in order to run to declare whether or not you have a felony conviction, she said no. 

A judge will need to sort the murky legal question out before they can hold a special election for the seat, which was tentatively scheduled for January 28. 

I also lost a lot of respect for the firefighters in this election cycle.   Their union leadership backed Dolcefino, Dick and Pollard and two failed candidates for mayor in Sue Lovell and Dwight Boykins.  May be time for y'all to stop rejecting the 7% raise Mayor Turner offered y'all and take it. 

I also see the possibility of a garbage fee being passed to fund the Solid Waste Department for much needed new garbage trucks and salary bumps.

So to wrap this up, while there are some developments I'm happy about in terms of the new council will be a female majority body with five Black women sitting on it, there are others that I'm not thrilled about.

Just means that I'll be making a lot of trips to Houston City Hall to ensure I'm doing my part to hold our local elected officials accountable.