Demetria Smith Has Thrown Her Hat into the Proverbial Ring to Run for Mayor of the City of Houston Against Mayor Sylvester Turner, Others on Tuesday, November 5, 2019
AUBREY R. TAYLOR REPORTS©
Yes,
Demetria Smith is back running for office again. Currently, as far as I can tell, she’s the only woman who has thrown her hat into the ring to run for mayor of Houston in the Tuesday, November 5, 2019, City of Houston Mayoral Election -- thus far. However, just being a woman doesn’t mean that female voters are going to choose her over her male counterparts. In my opinion, Smith’s biggest challenge will be to convince Houstonians that she deserves their vote. In case you don’t remember, Smith was one of the candidates who ran for mayor of Houston back in November of 2015. Back then, she faced an uphill battle in a crowded field as she, Ben Hall, Victoria A. Lane, Sylvester Turner, Bill King, Rafael Munoz Jr., Marty McVey, Steve Costello, Joe Ferreira, Hoc Thai Nguyen, Chris Bell, and Dale Steffies faced off. And since then, Smith also threw her hat into the ring as a 2018 gubernatorial candidate; but was eventually disqualified from the Democratic Primary ballot because of a disagreement regarding the filing fees.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Smith’s professional experience includes working in home mortgage lending, tax refunds, business start-up funding, auto lending and financial and credit education.
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HOUSTON, TEXAS 77058-3039
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Buzbee, King, Baker, and Smith are All Expected to Challenge Mayor Sylvester Turner in the Race for Mayor of Houston Scheduled to Take Place on Tuesday, November 5, 2019
The field of candidates expected to run for mayor of Houston in 2019 is beginning to take shape. As it stands right now, attorney
Tony Buzbee, attorney
Bill King, Dr. Kendall L. Baker, and businesswoman
Demetria Smith are expected to challenge
Mayor Sylvester Turner on Tuesday, November 5, 2019, in the race to become Houston's next mayor. Hall of Fame Wrestler
"Booker T" who was the first candidate to announce his bid to challenge
Mayor Turner way back in 2016 is not expected to be in the field of 2019 mayoral contenders.
CLICK HERE to learn more about why
"Booker T" isn't going to be able to run for mayor on Tuesday, November 5, 2019, after all.
THINKING ABOUT RUNNING?
According to the folks at the
Houston City Secretary’s Office candidates looking to run for office on Tuesday, November 5, 2019, can pay a filing fee, or they can collect signatures to have their name placed on the ballot. So, if you are a candidate wanting to run for
MAYOR OF HOUSTON you can pay a 1,250.00 dollar filing fee or collect signatures to have your name placed on the ballot. If you are a candidate who would like to run for
THE CITY OF HOUSTON CONTROLLER position you can pay a 750.00 dollar filing fee or collect signatures to have your name placed on the ballot. And if you are a candidate looking to run for one of the
HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL positions you can pay a 500.00 dollar filing fee or collect signatures to have your name placed on the ballot. However, if you plan on going the route of collecting signatures to have your name placed on the ballot, the exact number of signatures needed won’t be determined until sometime in July of this year from what I understand. But, to be sure, all candidates interested in running for office on Tuesday, November 5, 2019, in the City of Houston General Election can call (832)393-1100 to speak directly with someone in the
City Secretary’s Office. However, if you have any problem whatsoever in getting your questions answered, you can call me directly at (281)788-3033, and I will try to do what I can to help. And just in case you don’t already know, the
City Secretary’s Office can be located at
900 Bagby St, Houston, TX 77002 on the first floor.
(BALLOT BY MAIL)
The first day to apply for a ballot by mail for the Tuesday, November 5, 2019, City of Houston Mayoral Election has already passed -- it was on Tuesday, January 1, 2019. So if you are going to vote by mail, you can go ahead and request your mail-in ballot today!
(DESIGNATE YOUR TREASURER)
If you are a candidate planning to run for Mayor of Houston, City Controller, or one of the Houston City Council Positions you need to designate your treasurer before you start spending money on your campaign.
(FIRST DAY YOU CAN FILE TO RUN)
Saturday, July 20, 2019, is the first day that you can "OFFICIALLY" file for a place on the ballot for the Tuesday, November 5, 2019, City of Houston Mayoral Election.
(LAST DAY YOU CAN FILE TO RUN)
Monday, August 19, 2019, is the last day that you can file for a place on the ballot for the Tuesday, November 5, 2019, City of Houston Mayoral Election.
(LAST DAY YOU CAN REGISTER TO VOTE)
Monday, October 7, 2019, is the last day that you can register to vote to make your voice heard in the Tuesday, November 5, 2019, City of Houston Mayoral Election.
(EARLY VOTING PERIOD BEGINS)
Monday, October 25, 2019, is the first day that you will be able to vote early to make your voice heard in the Tuesday, November 5, 2019, City of Houston Mayoral Election.
(EARLY VOTING PERIOD ENDS)
Friday, November 1, 2019, is the last day that you will be able to vote early to make your voice heard in the Tuesday, November 5, 2019, City of Houston Mayoral Election.
(ELECTION DAY VOTING)
Tuesday, November 5, 2019, is "ELECTION DAY" for the City of Houston General Mayoral Election, the HISD Board of Trustees Election, and HCCS Board of Trustees Election. So mark your calendar, and do your very best to make an informed voting decision.
957 NASA PARKWAY #251
HOUSTON, TEXAS 77058-3039
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CELL: (281)788-3033
WON'T BE RUNNING FOR MAYOR
Now, that Booker T is out,
Mayor Sylvester Turner will still have a slew of formidable opponents to deal with on Tuesday, November 5, 2019. Especially with attorney
Bill King, the man who gave him all he could handle, but came up a little short in their hotly contested runoff election back on Saturday, December 12, 2015. And with high-powered attorney
Tony Buzbee already running commercials on television, the next few months could get very interesting.
AUBREY R. TAYLOR COMMUNICATIONS
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HOUSTON, TEXAS 77058-3039
PHONE: (832)212-8735
CELL: (281)788-3033
MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER
In case you don’t know,
Mayor Sylvester Turner will be running in his first bid for re-election on Tuesday, November 5, 2019. He won his bid to become Houston’s second African-American mayor back on Saturday, December 12, 2015, primarily by garnering 93.08 percent of the vote in the Fort Bend County portion of the City of Houston. To refresh your memory, in Fort Bend County, Bill King received 277 votes for 6.92 percent of the vote, and
Sylvester Turner received 3,728 votes for 93.08 percent of the vote back in the Saturday, December 12, 2015 runoff election. Comparatively speaking the gap between Turner and King was much closer in the Harris County portion of the City of Houston. In case you don't remember, Turner only beat Bill King by 586 votes here. When all the votes for the Harris County portion of the City of Houston were tallied the final numbers for businessman
Bill King stood at 104,125, with
Sylvester Turner holding onto a slim lead with 104,711 votes. So, while Turner did, in fact, beat King back in the Saturday, December 12, 2015 runoff election, the turnout was dismal as only 210,057 of the 982,420 registered voters at the time cast ballots.
AUBREY R. TAYLOR COMMUNICATIONS
957 NASA PARKWAY #251
HOUSTON, TEXAS 77058-3039
PHONE: (832)212-8735
CELL: (281)788-3033
ATTORNEY BILL KING
To his credit, attorney
Bill King ran a very strong race against
Sylvester Turner back in their Saturday, December 12, 2015 runoff election showdown. He only lost to Turner by 586 votes in the Harris County portion of the City of Houston. In case you don't remember, King, pulled ahead of Turner at one point during the night,
as the votes were continuing to come in. But the largely African American portion of the City of Houston that resides over in Fort Bend County would be his undoing as Turner gained 93.08 percent of the vote to foil King’s chances of becoming mayor of the Bayou City. So, with that said, my advice to
Bill King would be to sure-up his base of supporters, but to also mount a concerted effort toward reaching out and making African Americans aware of his lifetime of commitment to supporting our community. In my opinion, King needs to let the African American community know things like; he's traveled along beside the late
Congressman Mickey Leland to Cuba to secure the release of political prisoners. And he must surely make African Americans aware of the fact that he, (according to him) defended
State Representative Senfronia Thompson (pro bono) when the State Bar of Texas tried to disbar her. And he,
Bill King shouldn't be shy about letting the African American community know that he’s regularly given of his time and treasure to provide inner-city youth with access to meaningful activities over the years.
A COMPELLING STORY
It’s imperative in my opinion for attorney
Bill King to let the African American community know that he has been a part of our community for many years. And that his involvement in our community didn’t just start because he was eyeing a run for
mayor of Houston --
it's been a lifetime commitment. Furthermore, it would also be a good idea for
Bill King to let people know that he truly understands the plight facing our young people --
especially those living in places like Sunnyside, Third Ward, Fourth Ward, Fifth Ward, Acres Homes, Hiram Clarke, and other underserved urban communities. And with that said, for Bill King to have any shot at emerging as the winner on the night of Tuesday, November 5, 2019, he must lay it all on the line this time around. If you ask me, he's got a very strong track record of service whereas the African American community is concerned, but he needs to build the right team to assist him with effectively delivering his message to people of color who will listen. Nope, this won't be easy, but I'm sure that hosting all those sailing camps for African American kids during their summer vacations and helping young African American men to learn how to fly in the Bronze Eagles program that he sponsored for over 20 years wasn't easy either.
AUBREY R. TAYLOR COMMUNICATIONS
957 NASA PARKWAY #251
HOUSTON, TEXAS 77058-3039
PHONE: (832)212-8735
CELL: (281)788-3033
ATTORNEY TONY BUZBEE
According to his website,
Tony Buzbee has practiced law in Texas for over twenty years. As an undergraduate at Texas A&M University, Buzbee obtained a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Psychology and was a member of the university’s Navy ROTC program. Upon graduation, Mr. Buzbee entered the United States Marine Corps as a second lieutenant and served on active duty for the next four years. In the Marines, he was recognized at basic training as an Honor Graduate and received the highest leadership score of any lieutenant in his class.
While with the Marine Corps,
Tony Buzbee spent much time overseas in very dangerous places, including countries within the Persian Gulf and in African countries like Somalia. As an infantry officer, Buzbee commanded various Marine special operation capable (SOC) units. His career in the Marines continued to advance when he was selected to become a Reconnaissance officer in the First Marine Regiment. During this time, he received several awards, including honor graduate from Navy Dive School and Amphibious Reconnaissance Course, among others. Before returning to civilian life, Buzbee achieved the rank of captain and was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal.
After his stint on active duty in the Marines,
Tony Buzbee then applied to and was accepted into the University of Houston Law Center. During his time there, while also remaining on inactive status in the Marines, Buzbee became Managing Editor of the Houston Law Review. He was also elected as Class Captain by his peers and won both the State and Regional Mock Trial champion titles. Buzbee graduated from law school summa cum laude, second in his class. Thereafter, Buzbee served as a briefing attorney for a federal judge in the Southern District of Texas in the U.S. District Court. From there, he transitioned into an associate position at Susman Godfrey, LLP, a prestigious law firm known for their litigation practice.
In 1999,
Tony Buzbee started his own firm. He based his practice on the principles he learned in the Marines—be prepared, move fast, be fearless, and execute. Buzbee has since been routinely recognized as one of the most successful and one of the most talented lawyers in the United States.
Buzbee has been wildly successful as an attorney. He has been involved in some of the most high profile cases in the United States. He has a reputation for winning. Because of his financial success, Buzbee has been able to give back. Buzbee serves on a number of boards, including serving as a regent of the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents having been appointed by the governor in 2013. He was honored by Texas A&M University when the University named the Buzbee Leadership Learning Center in his honor. Buzbee also endowed the Dean’s Chair at the Texas A&M University School of Law.
TONY BUZBEE IS A LEADER
As for attorney
Tony Buzbee, he must convince Houstonians that he is the steady-hand that's needed during these turbulent and divisive political times. He must also let voters know that he is a born leader and as good as it gets when goals need to be accomplished. And to this end, he must also continue to drive home the message that he’s not looking for a job, is a self-made millionaire, and hold true to his promise to donate his entire salary of approximately 235,000 dollars to a random person each year if he's elected mayor of Houston. And most definitely, he must stick to his plan to put an end to
"PAY-TO-PLAY POLITICS" at Houston's City Hall if elected on Tuesday, November 5, 2019.
TEXAN THROUGH AND THROUGH
Tony Buzbee has been profiled in various regional and national publications. He was named one of the top lawyers in Houston by
H Texas Magazine and has been featured in
Texas Justice: Tall Tales, published by Red Bandana Publishing. Buzbee was also profiled in
Texas Monthly regarding his role in the litigation against wealthy philanthropist, Stanley Marsh, and was featured on the November 7, 2010 cover of
The New York Times Magazine.
LOOKING FOR COMMON GROUND
I recently ran across this Facebook post by
Tony Buzbee: "Can we be inclusive? Can we be part of the solution, rather than the problem?!?! I think we can. I feel like we can. We are going to do something different in Houston. I won’t take a campaign donation, ever. I will give my Mayoral salary to a random voter. If you give money to a council member—you certainly won’t give money to me!—I’ll work against you getting a contract with our city. We will choose businesses on MERIT alone, not on who you know. Would you join me?"
957 NASA PARKWAY #251
HOUSTON, TEXAS 77058-3039
PHONE: (832)212-8735
CELL: (281)788-3033
ONE OF THE BEST LAWYERS IN AMERICA
Tony Buzbee is routinely recognized as one of the best lawyers in the State of Texas, and the United States. In 2002, at only 34 years of age, Buzbee was recognized in
Texas Lawyer's "Go To Guide" as one of the top five attorneys in the State of Texas in the field of complex, commercial litigation; he was the youngest attorney on the entire list.
TONY BUZBEE IS THE REAL DEAL
Tony Buzbee has been recognized repeatedly as a "Super Lawyer" by Thompson Reuters in the areas of business litigation, personal injury litigation, and transportation. And from what I see, he appears to know how to win. So, I wouldn't sleep on his candidacy for mayor of Houston in 2019.
TONY BUZBEE KNOWS HOW TO WIN
According to their website,
The Buzbee Law Firm is routinely called upon to serve in leadership positions in high profile litigation.
"We relish these opportunities because we believe that our clients benefit from it. We are currently involved in litigation involving various drugs, the Chevron Richmond Fire Litigation, the NFL Concussion Litigation, the BP Benzene Litigation (Liaison Counsel), the Deepwater Horizon Explosion Litigation, the Port Arthur Oil Spill Litigation, the FEMA Toxic Tort Trailer Litigation (Steering Committee), the Reno Air Crash Litigation, and others. We welcome opportunities to partner with ethical lawyers with good cases who need our expertise, resources, and capital to bring high dollar litigation to fruition."
TONY BUZBEE IS A PROVEN WINNER
The Buzbee Law Firm was instrumental in putting together a $70 million claims fund as a result of the Reno Air crash and resulting litigation.
The Buzbee Law Firm was an integral part of a team of attorneys who collected a significant settlement exceeding $30 million from JP Morgan Chase in a breach of fiduciary duty case brought on behalf of lease-holders.
The firm has obtained multiple verdicts and settlements for injured dredge workers against companies such as Weeks Marine, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock, T.W. LaQuay, King Fisher Marine, Orion, and Mike Hooks.
The firm has obtained numerous verdicts and settlements for injured offshore workers against companies such as Rowan, Transocean, Hercules, Parker Drilling, Diamond Offshore, Nabors, and Hercules.
Trademark Infringement: represented famed singer, Jimmy Buffett, obtaining a judgment whereby the alleged infringer was briefly jailed by the court and can never sell a Buffett-related item again.
Obtained more than $200 million in substantial settlements in cases brought individuals and by a class of structure owners against the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (“TWIA”). Served as co-class counsel.
Negligence/Personal Injury: In addition to a very significant payment, through the firm's work, Centerpoint utility company agreed to change its safety policies, inspect and retrofit more than 280,000 poles, and the family received an apology from the company president.
Represented well-known hospitality chain in an effort to prevent foreclosure, and delay payment on more than $300 million in debt obligations that creditor claimed were immediately due and payable. Due to the Firm's work, the client was able to delay payment, and ultimately renegotiate the debt on favorable terms.
Government Regulation: Represented highly regarded developer Blackard Group pertaining to multimillion-dollar development on Galveston's West End. Having only been retained for a week, attended a hearing and convinced the court to dissolve an injunction that had held up development for more than two years.
Environmental Litigation: Represented Spain's Basque Government in a case seeking remedy for the largest oil spill in Spain's history; settlement exceeded $70 million.
Products Liability: After a worker was burned with dry cleaning chemicals, the firm filed suit against the dry cleaning machine manufacturer. Shortly after suit filed, the manufacturer agreed to settle by paying our client a significant sum and agreeing to do a nationwide retrofit of dry cleaning machines.
Offshore death case: Forced offshore company to install guards on all hose reels. Confidential settlement. Forced a major offshore drilling contractor to immediately remediate all of its oceangoing vessels to remove asbestos; class-wide settlement.
Offshore collision case: Represented two workers injured in a vessel collision in the Houston Ship Channel. Both claimed back injuries, although neither was operated. Settlement reached after the firm tried and won the Defendant's Limitation Action.
Wrongful Death: Represented stepdaughter of infamous murderer Clara Harris; obtained a significant settlement.
Antitrust/Class Actions: Represented more than 10,000 offshore drilling workers in a case alleging wage fixing, resulting in substantial class wide-settlement in which each eligible worker received money. The case settled for $75 million. Expenses were $540,000. Fees awarded by the Court were $18 million.
Plant explosions: Represented more than 160 workers injured in the largest industrial accident in U.S. history, obtaining extremely favorable settlements and serving on the Plaintiff's steering committee.
Toxic Torts: Tried first FEMA toxic trailer test case in New Orleans Federal Court. Serve on the court-appointed Plaintiffs' Steering Committee. The case has now settled.
Toxic Torts: Appointed Liaison Counsel by the court for MDL of more than 20,000 Benzene exposure cases filed against BP.
Note: These verdicts and settlements are intended to be representative of cases handled by Tony Buzbee and The Buzbee Law Firm. As the facts and law on each case differ, these listings are not a guarantee or prediction of the outcome of any other claims.
PARTISAN LABELS ARE BULLS**T
Is Tony Buzbee a Republican or Democrat? Who cares? According to him, partisan labels are BULLS**T. So, let me take this moment to be clear: THE 2019 RACE FOR MAYOR OF HOUSTON IS A NON-PARTISAN RACE!!!
What does this mean? I'm glad you asked. When an election is deemed to be non-partisan it means that it should be free from political party influence, bias, and partisan labels. But just for the record, I did see where
Tony Buzbee ran for public office as a Democrat back in November of 2002.
How did he do? Well, running for office as a Democrat in a Republican-leaning district isn’t easy to do --
even if you are Tony Buzbee. So, in his race for State Representative for House District 24, back in 2002,
Tony Buzbee came up short against
Larry Taylor, in the Republican-leaning House District 24 in Texas.
AUBREY R. TAYLOR COMMUNICATIONS
957 NASA PARKWAY #251
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PHONE: (832)212-8735
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BIGTIME POLITICAL DONOR
A SELF-MADE MILLIONAIRE
POISED AND READY TO RUN
I don't know which candidate is going to win the Tuesday, November 5, 2019, City of Houston Mayoral race, but Tony Buzbee appears to be off and running. This is only January, and I have already seen a bunch of television commercials for his campaign. I guess he was serious when he said: "I don't need to be the mayor," speaking to the Texas Tribune. "The current mayor needs that job. I don't need it. That's why I'll do it better than anyone," he proclaimed. You can
CLICK HERE to check out the full story that was published inside the
Texas Tribune.
AUBREY R. TAYLOR COMMUNICATIONS
957 NASA PARKWAY #251
HOUSTON, TEXAS 77058-3039
PHONE: (832)212-8735
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DR. KENDALL L. BAKER
As one of the African American candidates in the Tuesday, November 5, 2019 race for mayor of Houston,
Dr. Kendall L. Baker believes that now is the time for a change at Houston's City Hall. And he furthermore believes that he was born to be a public servant. That's why he's dedicated more than 29-years of his adult life to serving the public. That's right, Dr. Baker has 29-years of experience in the public service sector working for the City of Houston. In case you don’t know,
Dr. Kendall L. Baker worked as a Division Manager for the Administration and Regulatory Affairs Department, Operations Division, 311 Help, and Information Center. While working for the City of Houston,
Dr. Baker served as a versatile professional with broad experience including management and staff development, possessing an unmatched knowledge of contact center operations.
OVER 29-YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
During his tenure with the City of Houston, he worked in various management capacities in other departments including the Office of the Mayor, Public Works & Engineering Department (PWE)- PWE – Consumer Affairs Division, PWE – Utility Operations Center and the then General Services Department – 911 Emergency Network. In case you don’t know, while working for the City of Houston, Dr. Baker was considered by many as “the voice of the City” because of the many illustrious voice-over jobs he performed for the City whenever called upon by the Houston Information Technology Services or (HITS} Department.
Dr. Baker ran unsuccessfully for Houston City Council District F back in 2015, and for State Representative for House District 137 back in 2016.
AUBREY R. TAYLOR COMMUNICATIONS
957 NASA PARKWAY #251
HOUSTON, TEXAS 77058-3039
PHONE: (832)212-8735
CELL: (281)788-3033
"If you are a candidate planning to run for Mayor of Houston, City Controller, or Houston City Council on Tuesday, November 5, 2019, the information below will help you to better identify the status of each of the aforementioned positions. And as always, if you need branding assistance, strategy support, opposition research, push card design, push card distribution, yard sign design, yard sign printing, press-release support or outreach to our diverse readership call (281)788-3033 today!"
The next general election for the City of Houston will take place on Tuesday, November 5, 2019, with the inauguration for the newly elected City Officials scheduled to take place on Thursday, January 2, 2020.
Currently, the Mayor Pro-Tem for the City of Houston is
Ellen Cohen – who also serves as the Houston City Council District C Member. At this time, the Vice Mayor Pro-Tem for the City of Houston is
Jerry Davis – who serves as the Houston City Council District D Member. Both council members are term-limited and prohibited from seeking re-election on Tuesday, November 5, 2019, in the General Election.
957 NASA PARKWAY #251
HOUSTON, TEXAS 77058-3039
PHONE: (832)212-8735
957 NASA PARKWAY #251
HOUSTON, TEXAS 77058-3039
PHONE: (832)212-8735
