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Houston Business Connections Newspaper is published by Aubrey R. Taylor Communications. To discuss your inclusion call (832)212-8735 and ask for Aubrey R. Taylor, the president and CEO of Aubrey R. Taylor Communications.
By Aubrey R. Taylor
Publisher of Houston Business Connections Magazine
Is it just me, or does it seems like political pundits have already anointed Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia one of the front-runners in the 2015 race for mayor of Houston? Not so fast. I know that served as the highest ranking Democrat in Harris County; but whether he has what it takes to build the kind of diverse coalition he would need to win the mayor’s race remains to be seen. So I think we should take the wait-and-see approach; and allow things to unfold.
LETTING GO
There’s an old adage that says, “A bird in the hand, beats two in the bush.” Have you ever heard that before? Well, letting go of his position as Harris County Sheriff, for a long-shot run to become mayor of Houston could come back to bite him -- if it doesn’t turnout favorable for him.
MAYORAL FIELD ALREADY CROWDED
A very crowded and presumed-to-be well-financed field of candidates, like the one we’re seeing take shape in the race for mayor of Houston could put Garcia into some uncharted waters; unlike any he’s ever treaded before. If you take a quick glance at his past runs for office it should become unmistakingly obvious that He’s almost always been the class of every political race he’s been a part of so far in his political career. I mean, He’s been the only candidate with good name identification, and the financial means to get the job done. But the 2015 race for Mayor of Houston is going to be much different.
MUST RESIGN TO RUN
With that said, had to resign Sheriff Adrian Garcia to seek the mayor’s office. Why? Well, based on Article 16, Section 65 of the Texas Constitution, officeholders are required to resign from their current office if they choose to run for another.
As it stands today, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, and Texas are the only states in the nation with a resign-to-run-law on the books.
Article 16, Section 65 of the Texas Constitution states:
(a) This section applies to the following offices: District Clerks; County Clerks; County Judges; Judges of the County Courts at Law, County Criminal Courts, County Probate Courts and County Domestic Relations Courts; County Treasurers; Criminal District Attorneys; County Surveyors; County Commissioners; Justices of the Peace; Sheriffs; Assessors and Collectors of Taxes; District Attorneys; County Attorneys; Public Weighers; and Constables.
(b) If any of the officers named herein shall announce their candidacy, or shall in fact become a candidate, in any General, Special or Primary Election, for any office of profit or trust under the laws of this State or the United States other than the office then held, at any time when the unexpired term of the office then held shall exceed one year and 30 days, such announcement or such candidacy shall constitute an automatic resignation of the office then held, and the vacancy thereby created shall be filled pursuant to law in the same manner as other vacancies for such office are filled.
BAD NEWS FOR DEMOCRATS
The current Harris County Commissioner’s Court is mostly Republican, by a (4-to-1) margin. So appointing a Republican to serve as the new Harris County Sheriff should not have come as a surprise to anyone. Heck, if the commissioner’s court was governed by Democrats we may have very well seen a Democrat appointed as the new sheriff. But the good news is that Harris County Constable Ron Hickman is qualified, experienced and capable to serve as the highest ranking law enforcement officer for Harris County. But if you don’t like the choice, well, you can do something about that by voting him out of office in the Tuesday, November 8, 2016 Presidential Election. But for now, he’s the new Harris County Sheriff.
THE DECISION MAKERS
The County Judge for Harris County is Judge Ed Emmett a Republican. The Harris County Commissioner for Precinct 1 is Commissioner El Franco Lee a Democrat. The Harris County Commissioner for Precinct 2 is Jack Morman a Republican. The Harris County Commissioner for Precinct 3 is Steve Radack a Republican. And the Harris County Commissioner for Precinct 4 is R. Jack Cagle a Republican. Again, if Sheriff Garcia runs for mayor of Houston, these individuals will be charged with selecting his replacement.
MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION
As informed Houstonians, we must start doing our own research. We must…and I stress: “MUST DO OUR OWN RESEARCH” if we truly desire to make informed and empowered decisions at the ballot box. And we must never ever, ever, ever, rely on sound-bites, jingles, endorsements, catchy-names, negative campaign ads, or the number of facebook-likes a candidate generates as the key deciding factors we use to determine the best candidate in a political race. Research, research, and more research is the key.
CHECK OUT THE CHARTS BELOW
My team and I have put together a few charts to assist you in your research process. If you have any questions about these charts, you should call Aubrey R. Taylor Communications, the publisher of Houston Business Connections at: (832)212-8735 today.
FRIENDLY REMINDER
Please pay close attention to the fact that Sheriff Adrian Garcia has never really been involved in the type of political contest, he’s going to encounter in the race for mayor of Houston. Now, that’s not to say he can’t win. I’m simply saying that he’s not seen a battle like the one he’s about to face by going up against the likes of: Attorney Ben Hall, former Congressman Chris Bell, State Rep. Sylvester Turner, Councilman Stephen Costello, former mayor of Kemah Bill King, and God knows who else…again, I say we should take the wait-and-see-approach before jumping onto every band-wagon that comes along.
Here are the charts we’ve prepared:
In the Tuesday, November 4, 2003 City of Houston Mayoral Election, Adrian Garcia finished first in a field of six candidates vying for the Houston City Council District H seat; but had to go to a runoff to win the seat. Garcia finished first with 8,698 votes. Diana Davila Martinez finished second with 7,633 votes. Hector Longoria finished third with 3,148 votes. Joe Carlson finished fourth with 1,177 votes. Richard Cantu finished fifth with 1,014 votes. And Gonzalo Camacho finished with 812 votes to close out the night. This chart was created by Aubrey R. Taylor Communications, publisher of Houston Business Connections Magazine using data found on the website belonging to the City of Houston Secretary.
In the Saturday, December 6, 2003 City of Houston Runoff Election for Council District H, Adrian Garcia finished just ahead of Diana Davila Martinez. Garcia finished with 9,096 votes; and Diana Davila Martinez closed out the night with 8,255. This chart was created by Aubrey R. Taylor Communications, publisher of Houston Business Connections Magazine using data found on the website belonging to the City of Houston Secretary.
In the Tuesday, November 8, 2005 City of Houston Mayoral Election, Adrian Garcia was the incumbent councilman for Council District H seeking reelection. In this race he drew a challenge from one opponent by the name of Larry Williams. Garcia was able defeat Williams by receiving 10,625 votes. Larry Williams could only muster 3,009 votes in his losing bid for the Houston City Council District H seat. This chart was created by Aubrey R. Taylor Communications, publisher of Houston Business Connections Magazine using data found on the website belonging to the City of Houston Secretary.
In the Tuesday, November 6, 2007 City of Houston Mayoral Election, Adrian Garcia was running to earn the right to serve his third and final term as the Houston City Council Member representing District H. He didn’t draw an opponent in this election; but had 7,853 votes cast for him. This chart was created by Aubrey R. Taylor Communications, publisher of Houston Business Connections Magazine using data found on the website belonging to the City of Houston Secretary.
In the Tuesday, March 4, 2008 Democratic Primary, Adrian Garcia, Charles Massey El, and Guy Robert Clark faced off in a quest to represent the Harris County Democratic Party as the nominee for Harris County Sheriff. Adrian Garcia finished first against his rivals. Adrian Garcia finished the night with 153,097 votes to finish first in the field of three. Guy Robert Clark finished second with 62,381 votes. And Charles Massey El finished the night off with 46,378 votes. This chart was created by Aubrey R. Taylor Communications, publisher of Houston Business Connections Magazine using data found on the Harris County Clerks website.
In the Tuesday, November 4, 2008 Presidential Election, Adrian Garcia rode the “OBAMA-WAVE” to the Harris County Sheriff’s office by receiving 637,588 votes against his Republican opponent Tommy Thomas, who finished the night off with 495,246 votes in this historic election. Keep in mind, this is the election where Americans went to the polls and elected Barack Obama as the first black president of the United States. Many Democratic candidates in Harris County, and all over the nation benefited from the record voter turnouts of African Americans and other ethnic minorities. This chart was created by Aubrey R. Taylor Communications, publisher of Houston Business Connections Magazine using data found on the Harris County Clerks website.
In the Tuesday, May 29, 2012 Democratic Primary, Adrian Garcia was the incumbent Sheriff running for reelection. He drew two challengers in his party’s primary. However, Sheriff Garcia received 47,744 votes to finish first. While Delores Jones, an African American female Sergeant with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office finished second with 16,742 votes; and Charles Massey El finished third with 3,591 votes. This chart was created by Aubrey R. Taylor Communications, publisher of Houston Business Connections Magazine using data found on the Harris County Clerk's website.
In the Tuesday, November 6, 2012 Presidential Election, Adrian Garcia was the incumbent seeking to hold onto his position as Harris County Sheriff. He was able to finish first with 613,103 votes in this election. Louis Guthrie, the Republican candidate in the race finished with 523,309 votes; and Remington Alessi, the Green Party candidate finished third with 21,406 votes. Keep in mind, this was an election where the first African American, to ever be elected president of the United States was at the top of the Democratic ticket seeking reelection. Many Democratic candidates in Harris County; and all over the nation benefited from the large turnouts of African Americans and other ethnic minorities seeking to keep America’s first African American to be elected president from become a one-term president. This chart was created by Aubrey R. Taylor Communications, publisher of Houston Business Connections Magazine using data found on the Harris County Clerks website.
THE 2015 RACE FOR MAYOR
Every candidate in the race for mayor in the Tuesday, November 3, 2015 City of Houston Mayoral Election should run their race like they’re down by twenty points in the polls. That’s my bit of advice to: Sheriff Adrian Garcia, Attorney Ben Hall, former Congressman Chris Bell, State Rep. Sylvester Turner, Attorney Eric Dick, Council Member Oliver Pennington, Councilman Stephen Costello, Attorney Sean Roberts, former mayor of Kemah Bill King, and anyone else hoping to be Houston’s next mayor.
MEET SHERIFF ADRIAN GARCIA
ABOUT SHERIFF ADRIAN GARCIA
Prior to being elected Harris County Sheriff in 2008, Adrian Garcia spent 23 years with the Houston Police Department gaining valuable law enforcement experience. His dedication was recognized by former Houston Mayor Bob Lanier who appointed Adrian to the position of HPD’s liaison to the Mayor’s Anti-Gang Office. In 1999, Adrian was named Director of this anti-gang effort.
After leaving HPD, Adrian served six years as a Houston City Councilman eventually becoming Mayor Pro-Tempore under Mayor Bill White. On City Council, Adrian gained valuable experience in how government works—experience that will help him maintain a transparent Sheriff’s Department that is, above all, accountable to the taxpayers of Harris County.
Aside from the vital work Adrian did as a Houston police officer and city councilman, he was retained as a consultant for the U.S. State Department to evaluate law enforcement and policing programs in Central America. He has also repeatedly served as a panelist on Harvard University’s Criminal Justice Project.
In 2008, Sheriff Garcia inherited a Sheriff’s Department that was in dire need of reform and he wasted no time producing new, innovative ideas to clean up the mess that existed at that department. Adrian brought more diversity to the department’s command staff. He brought in outside experts to re-evaluate the way our Harris County jail system works. And he has worked to be a visible, community-oriented law enforcement officer.
Looking forward, Adrian’s priorities for the Harris County Sheriff’s Department include cutting crime in all parts of the county, improving security at our port, tackling jail overcrowding issues, and bringing even more transparency to how the Sheriff’s Department does business. Sheriff Garcia also maintains a mental health task force to develop new ideas for dealing with mentally ill persons who are routinely cycled through our criminal justice system.
DO YOUR RESEARCH
The charts below can assist you in your effort to become a more informed and empowered voter. Call (832)212-8735 and ask for me, Aubrey R. Taylor if you have any questions regarding these charts, or would like to discuss your inclusion on the blog or inside Houston Business Connections Magazine. I can be reached directly at (832)894-1352 if you would like to make us your media partner.
ANNISE PARKER WON IN 2013
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In the Tuesday, November 5, 2013 City of Houston Mayoral Election, Mayor Annise Parker won the right to serve her third and final term in office by receiving 98,124 votes to avoid a runoff. Mayor Parker was challenged by Charly L. Drab, who received (788) votes, Eric B. Dick (18,368), Don Cook (1,740), Keryl Burgess Douglas (1,227), Ben Hall (48,604), Michael Fitsimmons (1,195), Victoria Lane (1,814), and Derek A. Jenkins, who finished with 834 votes at the end of the night.
ANNISE PARKER WON IN 2011
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In the Tuesday, November 8, 2011 City of Houston Mayoral Election, Mayor Annise Parker won the right to serve her second term in office by receiving 60,135 votes to avoid a runoff. Mayor Parker was challenged by Kevin Simms who received (8,261) votes, Amanda C. Ulman (1,896), Dave Wilson (13,911), Fernando Herrera (16,863), and Jack O’Connor, who finished with 17,348 votes as the end of the night.
ANNISE PARKER WON IN 2009
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In the Tuesday, November 3, 2009 City of Houston Mayoral Election, seven candidates faced off in the race for the open mayoral seat. Annise Parker and Gene Locke made the runoff by finishing with (54,254 votes for Parker) and (45,988 votes for Locke) respectively. Peter Brown received (39,930) votes, Amanda C. Ulman (994), Luis Ralph Ullrich, Jr. (487), and Roy Morales finished with 35,964 votes to finish off the night.
Annise Parker went on to defeat Gene Locke in a Saturday, December 12, 2009 runoff election by a vote count of (82,175 votes for Parker) to (73,495 votes for Locke) respectively. By defeating Locke, Annise Parker became the first female mayor for Houston, and earned the right to serve her first term.
BILL WHITE WON IN 2007
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In the Tuesday, November 6, 2007 City of Houston Mayoral Election, Mayor Bill White won the right to serve his third and final term in office by receiving 101,557 votes to avoid a runoff. He was being challenged by Amanda C. Ulman, who received (8,832), and Outlaw Josey Wales, IV who finished the night with 7,042 votes.
BILL WHITE WON IN 2005
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In the Tuesday, November 8, 2005 City of Houston Mayoral Election, Mayor Bill White won the right to serve his second term in office by receiving 165,524 votes to avoid a runoff. Mayor White was being challenged in this election by Gladys House, who finished with (7,711) votes, Luis Ralph Ullrich, Jr. (2,550), Jack Terence (4,285), and Anthony M. Dutrow, who finished the night with 1,771 votes.
BILL WHITE WON IN 2003
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In the Tuesday, November 4, 2003 City of Houston Mayoral Election, nine candidates faced off in the race for the open mayoral seat. Orlando Sanchez and Bill White made the runoff by finishing with (98,600 votes for Sanchez) and (112,916 votes for White) respectively. Anthony M. Dutrow received(405) votes, Jack Josey Terence (323), John Worldpeace (368), Douglas Robb (193), Sylvester Turner (87,267), Luis Ralph Ullrich Jr. (311), and Veronica Michelle Gregory finished with 385 votes at the end of the night.
Bill White went on to defeat Orlando Sanchez in the Saturday, December 6, 2003 runoff election by a vote count of (136,618 votes for Bill White) to (81,830 votes for Orlando Sanchez) respectively. By defeating Sanchez, Bill White earned the right to serve his first term as Houston’s mayor.
LEE P. BROWN WON IN 2001
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In the Tuesday, November 6, 2001 City of Houston Mayoral Election, five candidates lined up to prevent Mayor Lee P. Brown from serving his third and final term as Houston’s mayor. Orlando Sanchez was successful in forcing a runoff with the incumbent mayor by receiving (115,967) votes to Mayor Brown’s (125,282) votes at the end of the night. Luis Ralph Ullrich, Jr. received (572) votes, Anthony M. Dutrow (235), Larry J. Devoy (488), and Chris Bell received 45,739 votes to finish the night of voting.
Mayor Lee P. Brown went on to defeat Orlando Sanchez in the Saturday, December 1, 2001 runoff election by a final vote tally of (165,866 votes for Mayor Lee P. Brown) to (155,162 votes for Orlando Sanchez) respectively.
LEE P. BROWN WON IN 1999
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In the Tuesday, November 2, 1999 City of Houston Mayoral Election, two candidates challenged Mayor Lee P. Brown in an effort to prevent him from serving his second term as Houston’s mayor. However, Brown beat back his opponents by receiving (139,150) votes. Jack Terence received (47,887) votes, and Outlaw Josey Wales, IV finished off the night with (19,741) votes.
LEE P. BROWN WON IN 1997
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In the Tuesday, November 4, 1997 City of Houston Mayoral Election, eight candidates faced off for the open mayoral seat. Lee P. Brown and Rob Mosbacher made the runoff by receiving (132,324 votes for Brown) and (90,320 votes for Mosbacher) respectively. Richard E. Barry, Helen Huey, Gracie Saenz (21,950), George Greanias (53,115), Bernard E. Calkins, and Jean-Claude Lanau were also in the race.
Lee P. Brown went on to defeat Rob Mosbacher in the Saturday, December 6, 1997 runoff election. Lee P. Brown received (156,307 votes) to Mosbacher’s (140,449 votes) to earn the right to serve his first term as Houston’s first and only African American mayor.
BOB LANIER WON IN 1995
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In the Tuesday, November 7, 1995 City of Houston Mayoral Election, two candidates challenged Mayor Bob Lanier in an effort to prevent him from serving his third and final term as Houston’s mayor. However, Mayor Bob Lanier received (104,222) votes to beat back his opponents without a runoff. Elizabeth Spates finished with (10,456) votes, and Dave Wilson finished the night off with 11,403 votes.
BOB LANIER WON IN 1993
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In the Tuesday, November 2, 1993 City of Houston Mayoral Election, four candidates challenged Mayor Bob Lanier in an effort to prevent him from serving his second term as Houston’s mayor. However, Bob Lanier defeated his opponents by receiving (169,752) votes to avoid a runoff. Brian A. Bowen received (9,705) votes, Luis Ralph Ullrich, Jr. (4,613), Jerry Freiwirth (2,713), and James Partsch-Galvan received 161 votes to finish off the night.
KATHY WHITMIRE WON IN 1991
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In the Tuesday, November 5, 1991 City of Houston Mayoral Election, Mayor Kathryn J. “Kathy” Whitmire lost her seat by finishing third, behind Bob Lanier, and Sylvester Turner in her bid to serve a sixth term as Houston’s mayor. Bob Lanier made the runoff election by receiving (138,096) votes, to Sylvester Turner’s (113,782) votes. Mayor Whitmire could only muster (63,631) votes as election night voting closed. Willie M. Reid received (787) votes to round out the field that night.
Bob Lanier went on to defeat Sylvester Turner in the Saturday, December 7, 1991 runoff election. Lanier received (152,792) votes, to Sylvester Turner’s (135,173) votes to earn the right to serve his first term as Houston’s mayor.
KATHY WHITMIRE WON IN 1989
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In the Tuesday, November 7, 1989 City of Houston Mayoral Election, Mayor Kathryn J. “Kathy” Whitmire received (176,342) votes to avoid a runoff by beating back five candidates seeking to prevent her from serving her fifth term as Houston’s mayor. “Shelby” B. Oringderff received (2,018) votes, Fred Hofheinz (89,971), Rosie Walker (4,667), Greg Rosenberg (856), and Ted G. Walker finished the night with 5,615 votes.
KATHY WHITMIRE WON IN 1987
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In the Tuesday, November 3, 1987 City of Houston Mayoral Election, Mayor Kathryn J. “Kathy” Whitmire received (168,656) votes to fend off six challengers seeking to prevent her from serving her fourth term as Houston’s mayor. Richard “Dick” Diamond received (13,628) votes, “Shelby” B. Oringderff (4,853), Bill Anderson (27,254), Mary J. Pritchard (5,296), Glenn Edward Arnett, Jr. (6,977), and Don W. Gell finished the night with 2,807 votes.
KATHY WHITMIRE WON IN 1985
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In the Tuesday, November 5, 1985 City of Houston Mayoral Election, Mayor Kathryn J. “Kathy” Whitmire held off a stiff challenge from Louie Welch and four other candidates seeking to prevent her from serving her third term as Houston’s mayor. Mayor Whitmire finished the night with (200,868) votes to avoid a runoff. Louie Welch finished a distant second with (138,588) votes. John McCabe received (565) votes, Willie Mae Reid (398), L.B. “Lock” Chambers (266), and Susan Director finished the night off by receiving 430 votes.
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By Aubrey R. Taylor
Publisher of Houston Business Connections Magazine
Here are a few of the candidates whom I believe are eyeing the chance to succeed Mayor Annise Parker in the Tuesday, November 3, 2015 City of Houston Mayoral Election: Attorney Ben Hall, Attorney Chris Bell, State Rep. Sylvester Turner, Attorney Eric Dick, City Council Member Oliver Pennington, City Council Member Stephen Costello, Former Kemah Mayor Bill King, and Attorney Sean Roberts.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2015 for the 2015 City of Houston Mayoral Election. And I am looking forward to a record turnout, clean competitive races, and hopeful that we get a mayor who is committed to representing our entire city – not special interest groups.
FRIENDLY REMINDER
Don't forget to do all the research you can on the 2015 candidates running for City of Houston Mayor, City of Houston Controller, and Houston City Council in the Tuesday, November 3, 2015 City of Houston Mayoral Election.
Best regards,
Aubrey R. Taylor
Publisher of Houston Business Connections Magazine
957 NASA PARKWAY #251
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"According to an ABCNews/Beliefnet Poll 83 percent of Americans identify themselves as Christians. So to this end, it makes perfect sense for us to get Christians engaged, empowered, informed, and excited about the process of choosing those who govern on the local, state, and federal levels in America. So don't forget about what Proverbs 29:2 teaches us: "When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn." -- AUBREY
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"The candidates below are asking for our prayers, vote, and support in the Tuesday, November 3, 2015 City of Houston Mayoral Election. The individuals featured below are not connected to one another unless otherwise noted. To discuss your inclusion on this page, call (832)212-8735 and ask for Aubrey R. Taylor, president and CEO of Aubrey R. Taylor Communications, the publisher of Houston Business Connections Magazine."
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"Ben Hall is a 2015 Candidate for City of Houston Mayor. Hall is asking for our prayers, vote, and support in his bid to become only the second African American to serve as Houston's mayor."
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"Carroll G. Robinson is a 2015 Candidate for City of Houston Controller. Robinson is asking for our prayers, vote, and support in his bid to become only the second African American to serve as City of Houston Controller."
