The Inaugural Speech

 

Mayor Parker’s first speech was informative, emotional, and strong. 

She began her comments with “I love this city”!  Someone from the audience responded with “and we love you”.  The audience burst into applause. 

The most striking part of the presentation was when she paused and addressed “those from my community”.  I was most impressed that she tackled the subject head-on.  Her comments were applicable to any community that has endured challenges.  Here are some of her comments, “I understand how much this day means to you.  I also feel your apprehension and your longing for acceptance.  I will carry you forward.  Your bravery sustains me.  We will support each other.  Always remember this – face the world with dignity and integrity.  The pain is worth the reward!”

This struck me as I looked at the stage and saw former Mayor Kathy Whitmire who was the first women elected Mayor of Houston.  Sitting behind her was Mayor Brown who was the first African-American elected Mayor.  They could have shared the same message.  For the Latino and Asian communities, her comments should provide inspiration. 

She also asked for 3 things. 

1.  She asked for prayers for the enormous challenges ahead.
2. She asked for patience as there are some things that cannot be rushed.
3. She asked for persistent commitment from the citizens to give your time and energy.

In terms of issues, she spoke to the city she imagines.  She spoke to neighborhood policing, a functioning mobility system, clean and safe air, drainage and flood waters, the drop-out rate and enduring partnerships.  I was particularly impressed with her comments on partnerships and specifically mentioning working with the county, Greater Houston Partnership, and other municipalities.  As was often said on the campaign trail, “flooding has no borders.”

Mayor Parker’s delivery was strong and very good.  It was one of the best speeches I have seen her deliver.  She was natural, personal and strong.

More to come later…………….

Former Mayors

There are many former Mayors in attendance:

The Honorable Fred Hofheinz

The Honorable Bob Lanier & his wife Elyse

The  Honorable Lee P. Brown and his wife Francis

The Honorable Bill White and his wife Andrea

and, all the way from Hawaii…..

The Honorable Kathy Whitmire.

The Inauguration

I am attending the Inauguration this morning. 

The orchestra has just started and the electricity in the room is enough to power the city for the whole day.  There is a loud buzz and a sense of genuine excitement among those in attendance. 

While it was a tough campaign season, today the city comes together as one – united in its goal to provide quality services to the citizens of Houston. 

I have seen many people who supported other candidates and they are smiling as much as the other guests.

Shortly, the ceremony will begin and we’ll provide coverage on the Mayor’s address.

A Wealth of Knowledge & Term Limits

Since Houston adopted Term Limits for our Mayor and City Council, we have elected Mayors without City Hall experience.  That is not to say that these leaders were not powerful and/or knowledgeable but they didn’t necessarily know their way around City Hall. 

 Let’s examine this more closely:

 Mayor Bob Lanier was the first Mayor elected under the new Term Limit ordinance.  He was a seasoned civic leader with vast experience in working with government.  He had served on the state Highway Commission and as Chair of the Metro Board.  Yet, he had never served in city government at City Hall. 

Mayor Lee Brown was a former Police Chief of the city and certainly had addressed Council many times in that capacity.  He also had attended many meetings in the Mayor’s office and knew the police department intimately.  However, he had always served as a “Chief”, in Houston and in other cities.  Coming to the Council table and working with 14 diverse and outspoken individuals was a new experience for him.

Mayor Bill White was new to City Hall.  He had deep experience in government and politics, however.  He had served as Deputy Secretary of Energy during the Clinton years and also as Chair of the Texas Democratic Party.  Through his experience as party chair, he clearly mastered the skills of collaboration.  For everyone knows that trying to manage the Democratic Party requires intense collaborative skills.  Yet, he still needed to learn how the Council agenda works and the basic processes at City Hall.

All of these leaders mastered the process.

Now, however, we have a true City Hall veteran in charge.  Mayor-elect Annise Parker spent six years at the Council table.  She spent six years immersed in city finances and conducting audits of city departments.  As the ole’ political saying goes, “she knows where the bodies are buried” or more aptly, “she can quickly find the ladies room”.   This thought settled on me the other evening during cocktail conversation at Cindy Clifford’s party.  We have someone with Institutional Knowledge in charge!  Someone who can recite twelve years of city policy making off the top of her head!  This is truly unique since we adopted term limits.

The more I have pondered it, the more I have realized that we are blessed to have a leader with this depth of experience during challenging times. 

Term limits is a subject for another day but suffice it to say that approximately 1/3 of Council turns over each year and Mayor’s every 6 years.  Parker will sit down to a table that includes 5 new Council Members that have the opportunity to serve simultaneously with her for the entire 6 years.  It is absolutely guaranteed that she will have 9 new Council Members to work with during her tenure. 

All of this has made City Hall a bit challenging since the implementation of term limits.

Now, we’ll have a Mayor that has shown that institutional knowledge may be valued by the voters!

Mayor White will announce his appointment of a commission to study Term Limits as one of his last acts today.  It may be time to evaluate the cycle of electing our leaders.

Parker Lays the Ground Work

Mayor-Elect Parker named her transition team chairs this week.  They include the campaign Chair – Gil Garcia, State Rep. Garnet Coleman, and well-known philanthropist Nancy Kinder.  Parker reiterated her desire to make public safety and improvements in the Police Department a top priority. 

Additionally, she announced that the transition team will include committees that will study these areas:

• Metro
• Housing Department funding
• Contracts and Personnel
• Relationships with other governments
• Neighborhood Protection
• Permitting efficiency
• Public Works
• Density and Development Ordinances
• Minority Contracting

It’s important to remember that Parker has conducted performance audits on city departments as Controller.  She is intimately familiar with the workings of the city and knows the strengths and weaknesses of many of them.

It is our best guess that she and her team will take a serious look at these priority issues and make solid recommendations for change, even when it may be tough to do so.

Additionally, Parker has begun to indicate who might be on her team.  Waynette Chan will be her Chief of Staff.  Chan has been at City Hall since the Whitmire days and is very knowledgeable about all things city.  She has most recently been in Public Works. 

Another City Hall veteran, Madeline Appel is expected to serve as a Deputy Chief of Staff.  Madeline has been with Parker in the Controller’s office.  She knows Houston and City Hall well. 

As we mentioned previously on the blog, we had already been directed to work with Janice Evans-Davis on communications. 

Rumor has it that campaign manager Adam Harris will join the City Hall staff as well.  While we recognize him as a great guy, we are sorry not to see him move to another campaign.  He is an extraordinarily talented campaign guru and executed a brilliant campaign strategy.  We know that he will serve the Mayor well but were hoping to see him move to another race so we could watch him in action.  We’ll look forward to watching him execute his talents on policy and politics at City Hall.  Alas, many good campaign hands often join the teams of one of their favorite clients.  But it is a loss for the 2010 candidates.   

There are also several people of note that will be empowered by the Parker team.  David Arpin was Chair of the Finance Committee and is serving as the Chair of the Inaugural Committee.  David is a veteran of Houston politics and one of the hardest working people I know.  He worked tirelessly to ensure that Parker had the funds to cross the finish line and you can bet that the Inaugural will be a classy affair. 

Grant Martin has been Parker’s general consultant since her first win and is a seasoned political veteran.  While he relocated to San Francisco a few years ago, he kept strong ties to Houston.  He put together the winning Parker team and will continue to have significant influence with the new Mayor and with her City Hall team.

Kathryn McNiel has been involved in Texas politics for many years.  Since we were young go-getters together, I won’t mention the number of years.  She is a solid political advisor and close to Parker.  She also drove the successful Costello campaign.  Call her smart and influential for 2010.

Cindy Clifford has been a Parker loyalist and close friend for many years.  Cindy is a business owner who can cheerlead for her friends better than anyone we know.  When some business folks were picking on her for backing Parker, she stood firm and let them know that “and Annise Parker will be our next Mayor!”  She was right!  You can rest assured that her loyalty is appreciated and that her vibrant personality and Houston enthusiasm will be important to a Parker administration.

There are many more to mention and we’ll keep the discussion going over the next few days.    

What’s Next?

Many of you have been asking about the future of this Blog. 

My current plan is to continue tracking the Parker team through the Inauguration.  Over the next few weeks, she will be choosing staff and making plans for the swearing-in celebration.

This week, we already received notice that all communication inquiries should be directed to Janice Evans.  Janice has handled communications for the Controller’s office and is a real pro. 

We’ll keep up with the Parker team as best we can. 

Within a few days, we’ll be launching www.texas-musings.com.  This blog will be somewhat different.  I will write about all things Texas that interest me.  It will be a combination of politics, business and just my own ponderings regarding the state I love. 

I cannot thank all of my loyal readers enough.  I never dreamt when I started this blog that we would touch so many people.  It has been great fun and it is your encouragement that has led me to continue blogging. 

So, stay tuned here for now as we track happenings with the new Parker administration.  And then tune-in to www.texas-musings.com soon.  I will let you know as soon as it goes live! 

Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you!

Hello to Mayor Parker

With more than 99% of the vote counted, Parker wins the election!

It has been a long, tough battle.  Parker has actually been running for 12 years and now faces the tough challenge of governing.  As well, she faces a City Council that has changed so much with these election results.

With 99.86% reporting, Parker wins the election with 53%+.  Houston proves to the world that we are a progressive, 21st century city. 

Along with Parker, we will have an African-American City Controller, Ronald Green.  And our first-ever Vietnamese Council Member has been elected – Al Hoang in District F. 

Hello World!  Welcome to Houston, Texas – a city that reflects your future from our City Hall.

Parker Wins Mayor’s Race

At this point, I’m willing to call her the victor.  With 88.28% of Harris County Precincts reporting, Parker wins. 

Parker:           53.55%           76,790 votes

Locke             46.45%           66,601 votes

Parker is Winning

With 67.17% of Harris County Precincts reporting, Parker widens her lead even more. 

Parker:           53.61%           71,020 votes

Locke             46.39%           61,450 votes

Over Half Way with the Returns

With 52.45% of Harris County Precincts reporting, Parker widens her lead even more. 

Parker:           53.00%           62,738 votes

Locke             47.00%           55,313 votes