The Mayor’s race has heated up. For all of those folks that thought the first round was boring, the spice has been added now.
As I have repeatedly stated, voters tell us they don’t like negative campaigning. Then we had a campaign where the candidates really focused on the issues and no one came. So much for that.
Now, we are rapidly deteriorating to name-calling, fly-swatting and he said/she said games. We have third party players engaged that are much more aggressive than the candidates themselves.
Dave Wilson. Many of you may not know him. He has run as an ultra-conservative candidate off and on for years in Houston – primarily focusing on social issues that City Council rarely addresses. He has sent out 35,000 pieces of mail that tell everyone that Annise Parker is a lesbian and you should not vote for her because of it.
By the way, had you missed the point that Annise Parker is a lesbian somewhere along the way? Ms. Parker has always been open about her sexuality. Houston voters have not seemed to care previously.
Wilson is also joined by Dr. Steven Hotze. He has focused on social issues for many years. He consistently pushes an anti-gay, anti-abortion agenda and has boosted many Republican leaders in Harris County to their positions. However, in city elections, Hotze does not have a solid track record.
The Houston Police Officers Union has joined the chorus of attacking Parker. They have outright declared that she does not want to protect Houstonians from crime! I’m aghast I tell you.
That Parker – she’s a lesbian and doesn’t want to fight crime.
Seriously folks – Annise Parker has a significant public safety plan on her website. Historically, she has garnered support from the very organization attacking her. And, by the way, Annise Parker is in a committed relationship with her long-time female partner. She has never hidden from this nor does she wear it on her sleeve.
Meanwhile, did you know that Gene Locke is single-handedly responsible for the debt at the Harris County – Houston Sports Authority? And did you know that he was paid $650+ per hour to provide legal counsel to the Port of Houston and Metro? Oh my goodness! Imagine getting paid that much money! Seriously folks, Mr. Locke probably was not paid $650 an hour. That is his law firm’s billing rate for him. Don’t get me wrong – I suspect he earns a very generous salary with bonuses for the business he brings in to the firm. But he doesn’t earn $650 an hour.
Texas Watchdog is calling out Locke for not releasing his income tax returns. Parker has released hers. Locke might as well. This issue has always confused me. We require candidates to file detailed financial statements and you can view those on the City Secretary’s website. Yet, it has become common practice in campaigns to pressure candidates to release their income tax returns as well. Many candidates hesitate to do so.
Locke is also accused of lining up with the anti-gay coalition. And, it has been reported that his campaign staff has definitely met with leaders of these groups. However, Gene Locke did seek the endorsement of the Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Political Caucus and appeared to have a friendly record, though they endorsed Parker.
Bottom line is that both of these candidates are ethical people with little dirt in their backgrounds. Thus, the politicos have decided to engage in personal attacks.
Are you voters getting what you wanted now? Bringing out the ole’ dogs like Dave Wilson, Hotze and tax returns? Let’s see if it brings you to the polls in greater numbers than the first round.
*Personal Note: I had refrained from writing about the hourly press releases coming my way that are full of attacks. At this point, there just isn’t much more to write about though. We promised to bring you coverage and we’ll try to keep touching on the issues.
