[PAA-Discuss] Houston city election news

[Juli3 at aol.com]

Burnt Orange Report endorses Annise Parker for Mayor of Houston  because 
she is an experienced candidate and committed grassroots activist we  can 
trust to put the people of Houston first. 
 
 
 
When we at Burnt Orange Report write about local city races, we  normally 
focus on Austin -- simply because that's where most of us live.  However, the 
City of Houston -- which is both the fourth largest city in the  country, 
and the _third fastest-growing city_ 
(http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2009/06/29/daily33.html)  in the country -- will, in one  week, 
select a new mayor to replace the long and respected tenure of Bill  White. 
We believe the most qualified candidate to be Houston's next mayor is  
Annise Parker.  

_If you want to support Annise Parker for Mayor, you can send  money to her 
campaign by donating  here._ 
(https://services.myngp.com/NGPOnlineServices/contribution.aspx?X=pJ5FolkTk8v5qgMfqERpHLtQXs+1AU2J&m=anniseparker) 

Annise Parker is a strong Democrat who has separated herself from the  rest 
of the field with her positive campaign for progress in Houston. Her  
twelve years of experience in Houston city politics -- she was on the  Houston 
City Council for six years, and is now at the end of her sixth year  as City 
Controller -- stand out as examples of her delivering results, and  not just 
talking about, the issues that matter to the city of  Houston. 
Parker came into politics through neighborhood activism,  a path of 
determination and sacrifice that resonates both with our own  personal experiences 
as well as with the values we champion throughout the  BOR community. _Her 
recent profile in the Houston Chronicle _ 
(http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6668219.html) discussed some  of her most impressive 
grassroots work: 
Parker hasn't budged from Houston since returning here in 1974 to attend  
Rice University. Her involvement in gay politics began in 1979, the year  
after she graduated, when she helped organize a gay student group at  Rice. 
After college, Parker went to work using new computer software to do  
economic modeling in the oil and gas industry. In her free time, she plunged  
into community involvement, joining the boards of gay and lesbian  
organizations and riding in Houston's first Pride Parade in  1979. 
[...] 
Many of her nonworking hours are devoted to community activities. It was  a 
desire for something new, Parker said, that prompted her to move from gay  
activism to the next chapter in her life. 
“I was bored with gay stuff,” she said. “I threw myself just as hard into  
10 years of neighborhood activism.” 
A rash of arson fires near her home prompted Parker and a neighbor to  
create the East Montrose Civic Association in 1990. Five years later, she  
became president of the Neartown Association, a coa­lition of  Montrose-area 
civic clubs, making connections that would help her in her  campaigns for 
public office. 
When we take away all the campaign attacks, and television ads, and look  
at this Houston mayoral race closely, we find that Annise Parker is one of  
us, and she is someone we can trust. In times like these, trust  counts. 
Despite what our current Governor would have everyone believe, Texas --  
and especially the city of Houston -- is facing challenging economic times.  
At a time when the specific policies of the mayoral candidates are, by most  
accounts, broad and indiscriminate, we find ourselves searching for the  
candidate we can identify with and trust the most. 
Our fellow Houston blogger, Martha Griffin, makes her case that _Parker is 
the person to trust_ 
(http://muse-musings.blogspot.com/2009/10/muse-does-not-co-endorse-anyone.html) : 
Parker is the most experienced candidate for mayor, and as she  said in one 
debate, "I'll always tell you the truth, even if you don't  want to hear 
it." I personally know her to be smart, loyal, and an  extremely hard worker. 
>From day one, the City will be run effectively and  efficiently.
In a community, you trust your neighbors that work hard and share your  
values. Burnt Orange Report endorses Annise Parker for Mayor of  Houston 
because she is an experienced candidate and committed grassroots  activist we can 
trust to put the people of Houston  first.





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