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<DIV><B>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.</B> <o:p></o:p></DIV>
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<BLOCKQUOTE
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<DIV>
<P>When we at <I>Burnt Orange Report</I> 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 <A
title=http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2009/06/29/daily33.html
href="http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2009/06/29/daily33.html"
target=_blank>third fastest-growing city</A> in the country -- will, in one
week, select a new mayor to replace the long and respected tenure of Bill
White.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P>We believe the most qualified candidate to be Houston's next mayor is
Annise Parker. <o:p></o:p></P>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="MARGIN-TOP: 5pt; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 5pt">
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" class=MsoNormal align=center><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><A
title=https://services.myngp.com/NGPOnlineServices/contribution.aspx?X=pJ5FolkTk8v5qgMfqERpHLtQXs+1AU2J&m=anniseparker
href="https://services.myngp.com/NGPOnlineServices/contribution.aspx?X=pJ5FolkTk8v5qgMfqERpHLtQXs%2b1AU2J&m=anniseparker"
target=_blank>If you want to support Annise Parker for Mayor, you can send
money to her campaign by donating
here.</A></SPAN><o:p></o:p></P></BLOCKQUOTE>
<P>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.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal>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. <A
title=http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6668219.html
href="http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6668219.html"
target=_blank>Her recent profile in the Houston Chronicle </A>discussed some
of her most impressive grassroots work:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P>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.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P>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.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P>[...]<o:p></o:p></P>
<P>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.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P>“I was bored with gay stuff,” she said. “I threw myself just as hard into
10 years of neighborhood activism.”<o:p></o:p></P>
<P>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.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P>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.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P>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.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P>Our fellow Houston blogger, Martha Griffin, makes her case that <A
title=http://muse-musings.blogspot.com/2009/10/muse-does-not-co-endorse-anyone.html
href="http://muse-musings.blogspot.com/2009/10/muse-does-not-co-endorse-anyone.html"
target=_blank>Parker is the person to trust</A>:<o:p></o:p></P>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="MARGIN-TOP: 5pt; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 5pt">
<P><B>Parker</B> 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.<o:p></o:p></P></BLOCKQUOTE>
<P>In a community, you trust your neighbors that work hard and share your
values. <I>Burnt Orange Report</I> 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.</P></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV></DIV></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>