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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: LindyBill who wrote (16107)	11/14/2003 6:13:38 AM
From: D. Long	Respond to of 793624

The Houston mayoral race dropped off the face of the Earth for a week. Catching its stride again, I see. I don't care which one wins, I'll be glad to see Lee Brown heading for the exit. The guy has been a disaster for Houston, IMO. Racial cronyism and mismanagement. HPD is a shambles. They don't do crap. chron.com ----------------------------------------------------------- Nov. 13, 2003, 11:04PM After quiet week, Sanchez, White revive mayoral campaigns By JOHN WILLIAMS Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle Political Writer After a quiet week following the first round in Houston's mayoral race, runoff candidates Orlando Sanchez and Bill White showed signs of life Thursday with public events signaling key campaign strategies. Sanchez made a push to connect with anti-tax sentiment in Houston, accusing White of supporting various taxes and fees. Thursday, Sanchez helped a group collect signatures seeking a referendum to reverse the drainage fee that City Council imposed last month. "I'm against any streams of new revenues," Sanchez said. White, meanwhile, worked on making inroads with Houston's African-American population, which gave more than 80 percent of its support to mayoral candidate Sylvester Turner. Turner, a black state representative, placed third in the nine-candidate field Nov. 4. White, an Anglo, announced endorsements by several prominent black elected officials -- including Harris County Commissioner El Franco Lee, state Sen. Rodney Ellis and Fort Bend County Constable Ruben Jones, who plays an important role getting African-Americans to the polls in the Missouri City area. During a news conference Thursday at Mickey Leland Memorial Park, White said he and wife Andrea White were with Leland the night before the congressman left on a 1989 trip to Africa, where he died in a plane crash. "Bill White is no stranger to our community," Lee said. "Before he was old enough to register himself, Bill worked in the civil rights movement of the '60s registering minority voters. "He supports affirmative action in its truest spirit to provide opportunity for those who have been historically denied such opportunities." White led Sanchez 38 percent to 33 percent in the Nov. 4 election when they eliminated Turner and six other candidates. The two square off in a Dec. 6 runoff to replace term-limited Mayor Lee Brown. Until Thursday, both campaigns had kept low profiles since Nov. 4, except for an exchange soon after the election when Sanchez challenged White not to spend more than $1.5 million in the runoff. White, who spent more than $6 million in the first round compared to $2.3 million by Sanchez, declined the offer, saying Sanchez only proposed it because he is in a losing situation where contributors don't want to give money. For much of the time since then, the two candidates have been focusing on raising money and getting their campaigns ready for the sprint to the runoff. Thursday, Sanchez accused White of supporting sources of revenues Sanchez opposes: · Taxes. Sanchez criticized White for not pledging to reduce property taxes next year. · Fees: Sanchez said White recommended the drainage fee in 2001 when he helped advise Mayor Lee Brown on ways to find more money for parks and libraries. · Tolls: Sanchez renewed his campaign accusation that White wants to impose tolls on area thoroughfares like Westheimer. "People are paying more and more taxes and getting fewer and fewer services," Sanchez said. "This has to end." White's campaign responded that Sanchez is twisting White's positions. Campaign manager Michael Moore said White endorses an idea proposed by Harris County Judge Robert Eckels and others of increasing the number of toll roads in the area as a way to finance more highway construction. But White has not suggested putting tolls on thoroughfares like Westheimer or Kirby. "It's an out-and-out lie," Moore said. On the tax charge, White has said that he would cut back spending at City Hall and use the savings either to build up the city's emergency rainy day fund, or to provide a tax rollback. He has said that he never recommended the drainage fee to Brown and that he opposed the drainage fee approved by council last month.