2015 ELECTION WATCH: Ivy R. Taylor Beats Leticia Van de Putte in A tight Runoff Election Race for Mayor of San Antonio, Texas on Saturday, June 13, 2015
HBC REPORTS
In the Saturday, June 13, 2015 Runoff Election in San Antonio, Texas, Ivy R. Taylor defeated Leticia Van de Putte by gaining 51.70% of the vote to Van de Putte’s 48.30% of the vote according to unofficial results posted by the Bexar County Elections Division.
In actual overall voting numbers this equates to 50,659 votes for Ivy R. Taylor; and 47,328 votes for Van de Putte in what turned out to be a very close Runoff Election. You can CLICK HERE for the complete returns.
RUNOFF ELECTION DAY DIFFERENTIAL
GET THIS, the Saturday, June 13, 2015 (RUNOFF ELECTION DAY), voter turnout was almost identical as Ivy R. Taylor had 16,589 voters to show up to the polls for her; and Leticia Van de Putte had 16,515 voters to show up to the polls for her – that’s a differential of only 74 votes. “I really hope that the 2015 candidates for mayor of Houston are paying close attention to this,” says Aubrey R. Taylor, publisher of Houston Business Connections Newspaper. “You guys are going to have to go after every vote – in every community across the Bayou City if you hope to win.”
WE MUST ENGAGE VOTERS
“VOTER APATHY WAS A REAL PROBLEM IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS. And the same is going to be so in HOUSTON, TEXAS if something doesn’t change fast,” says Taylor.
“Candidates can’t sit back and hope to get lucky on Election Day. The onus is on the candidate to CONNECT WITH and excite voters. We must get people energized, engaged, excited, and motivated – or they’re not going to turnout. This shouldn’t be so; but this is the reality that we’re dealing with. I sincerely hope and pray that Ben Hall, Bill King, Sylvester Turner, Marty McVey, Victoria Lane, Nguyen Thai Hoc, Adrian Garcia, Demetria Smith, and Stephen C. Costello (all 2015 Candidates for mayor of Houston) are going to try to do their very best to energize, motivate, and engage voters all across the Bayou City before Election Day arrives,” Taylor went on to say.
2015 HOUSTON MAYORAL CANDIDATES
WHO DO YOU LIKE?
You can email your personal endorsement in the 2015 Race for Mayor of Houston to us at: yourthoughtmatters@gmail.com
BACK TO SAN ANTONIO
“Many so-called mainstream media outlets, bloggers, and pundits are turning the triumph of Ivy R. Taylor, San Antoinio’s newly elected mayor into a story about race. But that’s a very short-sighted and narrow-minded view of what we just witnessed,” explains Aubrey R. Taylor. “Ivy R. Taylor is a woman of FAITH. So I believe the story of Ivy R. Taylor is more about faith, determination, timing, favor, and not being afraid to seize the moment – than anything else.”
COMMENTS FROM THE NEW MAYOR
MAYOR IVY TAYLOR: “I am so thankful that God guided me to this city where I began my career in community development, started my family and have had the honor to serve as a member of the City Council and now as Mayor. We continue to enjoy low taxes, a strong economy, healthy housing market and opportunity for economic mobility; benefits that encourage native San Antonians to remain and attract individuals and families from across the country to move to our city.”
RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME
In July of 2014 Ivy R. Taylor found herself sitting on the San Antonio City Council, when the current mayor (at the time), Julian Castro got appointed as the secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Then her fellow council members saw fit to appoint her interim mayor. “The city of San Antonio is a city with 1.3 million residents, with 63 percent of them identifying as Latino. So that was nothing but the favor of God shown to Ivy R. Taylor by her fellow council members if you ask me,” says Aubrey R. Taylor.
A COME FROM BEHIND VICTORY
Leticia Van de Putte led all vote-getters on the Saturday, May 9, 2015 General Election Mayoral ballot with 30.4% or 25,986 votes on Election Night. Ivy R. Taylor finished second by garnering 28.4% or 24,247 votes to force the runoff. OTHER CANDIDATES who ran for mayor of San Antonio on Saturday, May 9, 2015: Mike Villarreal garnered 26.1% or 22,247 votes; Tommy Adkisson garnered 9.8% or 8,344 votes; Paul A. Martinez garnered 2.2% or 1,877 votes; Cynthia Brehm garnered 1.8% or 1,498 votes; Douglas S. Emmett garnered 0.3% or 221 votes; Michael Idrogo garnered 0.3% or 221 votes; Cynthia T. Cavazos 0.2% or 201 votes; Raymond Zavala garnered 0.2% or 196; Rhett Rosenquest Smith garnered 0.1% or 111 votes; Julie Iris Oldham garnered 0.1% or 103 votes; Gerard Ponce garnered 0.1% or 97 votes; and Pogo Mochello Reese garnered 0% or 29 votes.
VOTER TURNOUT MUST GET BETTER IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS GOING FORWARD
In case you’re wondering, only 85,378 registered voters took part in the Saturday, May 9, 2015 General Mayoral Election in San Antonio, Texas according to published information on BALLOTPEDIA.ORG – an interactive almanac of U.S. politics. You can CLICK HERE to confirm this. But the sad part about this is that according to Bexar County there are more than 821,615 registered voters there. You can CLICK HERE to confirm this. "We must do better by way of increasing voter turnout in local elections. It doesn't matter whether we're talking about San Antonio, Houston, or Dallas. We must do better," says Aubrey R. Taylor.
KEY 2015 DEADLINES
The candidate filing deadline is on Monday, August 24, 2015 if you plan to run for an HISD Board Trustee seat in the Tuesday, November 3, 2015 General Election.
Thursday, June 25, 2015 is the deadline to post notice of candidate filing deadline.
Saturday, July 25, 2015 is the first day to file for place on general election ballot.
Monday, August 24, 2015 is the last day to file for place on general election ballot.
Friday, September 4, 2015 is the first day for registered voters to apply for ballot by mail.
Monday, October 5, 2015 is the last day for voter registration with the Harris County Clerk.
Monday, October 19, 2015 is the first day of early voting for the 2015 General Election.
Friday, October 23, 2015 is the last day to apply for ballot by mail for the 2015 General Election.
Friday, October 30, 2015 is the last day of early voting for the 2015 General Election.
Tuesday, November 3, 2015 is Election Day for all registered voters in the City of Houston.
AUBREY R. TAYLOR: “Please make an informed and empowered decision when you go into the voting booth to cast your vote on Tuesday, November 3, 2015.”
Election Day is Tues., Nov. 3, 2015
CAMPAIGN NEWS: Mary Benton is the Moderator for the "Houston Mayoral Candidate Forum 2015" to be hosted by Council Member Dwight Boykins and the Presidents of District D Super Neighborhood Councils on Monday, June 29th, 2015
UPCOMING FORUM
On Monday, June 29, 2015 the “Houston Mayoral Candidate Forum 2015” hosted by Dwight A. Boykins, District D City Council Member and current presidents of various District D Super Neighborhood Councils will be going down. This forum will be moderated by Mary Benton at Greater Grace Outreach Church located at 10800 Scott Street in Houston, Texas 77047. Bishop E.L. Usher, D.D. is the pastor of Greater Grace Outreach Church.
The 2015 City of Houston Mayoral Candidates invited to participate in this forum are: Ben Hall, Adrian Garcia, Chris Bell, Sylvester Turner, Bill King, and Stephen Costello.
*Victoria Lane, a businesswoman (has not been invited yet) with over 40 years of experience is also a candidate running for mayor of Houston in the Tuesday, November 3, 2015 City of Houston Mayoral Election. Early voting will begin on Monday, October 19, 2015 and end on Friday, October 30, 2015.
TOPICS OF DISCUSSION
A few of the topics to be discussed are: Streets and the ReBuild Houston Program; Future Development in District D (Commercial/Residential); Crime Reduction Plan; 2nd Chance Jobs Initiative Program; Funding for Senior Citizens Programs; City of Houston Pensions; and After School Programs.
DISTRICT D SUPER NEIGHBORHOODS
A few of the District D Super Neighborhoods are: Greater OST/South Union, Mac Gregor, Greater Third Ward, Greater Hobby, Astrodome Area, Medical Center Area, Midtown, Minnetex, Museum Park, South Acres/Crestmont, South Belt/Ellington, South Park and Sunnyside.
BEN HALL IS A CANDIDATE ASKING FOR OUR VOTE, PRAYERS, AND SUPPORT
Dear Neighbor,
I am Ben Hall and I want to be Mayor of this great city! Many of you probably know me, but for those of you who don’t, I am a husband, father, businessman and attorney. I left the private sector during Mayor Bob Lanier’s term, to lead the City Attorney’s office. During that time, I gained the skills and knowledge to move our city forward, by using private sector experience to solve problems. I learned from Mayor Bob that in order to lead this City it requires a focused and committed leader.
Saundra and I love Houston and the opportunity it has given us to be a positive force in the lives of others. We want to continue that by giving back to a city that has given so much to us.
Our streets need to be repaired; our neighborhoods need to be protected; Houstonians need jobs; and our city debt must be addressed. We can’t do this if we don’t work together. As your next Mayor, my focus will be on our City’s basic needs, and to make sure that businesses can flourish without the harsh penalty of more taxes and fees.
I am asking you to join Saundra and me in moving our city forward.
Join us in focusing on the things that matter to ALL Houstonians. I am asking for your prayers, your votes and your thoughts on how we can move Houston forward.
Sincerely,
Benjamin L. “Ben” Hall, III
VOTE EARLY: MONDAY, OCT. 19TH - 30TH
ELECTION DAY: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2015
CRIME
Ben is a husband and father so he knows the importance of protecting Houstonians. Ben will work with our law enforcement agencies and first responders to keep our families and city safe. As former City Attorney, he understands safety of our citizens is priority.
FIXING OUR STREETS
Houston is a first class city and we deserve first class streets. As Mayor, Ben will make fixing our streets in a timely manner a priority; synchronizing our traffic lights; and working with regional partners to improve traffic conditions. Sitting in traffic means spending less time with your family. Houstonians deserve much more than we have received from city government.
FISCAL RESTRAINT
In tough economic times, we must do more with less. Ben will work to rein in wasteful spending that has occurred at City Hall and work to fix our city’s pension problem. Ben is a business owner and understands the city must be run like a business. He will protect your hard earned tax dollars.
BIOGRAPHY
Ben Hall is a husband, father, and business owner who understand the challenges Houstonians face each day. Ben has been married to Saundra Turner Hall for 33 years. They have two sons, Ben IV and Zachary Hall.
BEN’S EDUCATION
University of South Carolina (B.A.) Duke Divinity School (M. Div.)Duke University Graduate School (Ph.D.)Harvard (J.D.)
BUSINESS EXPERIENCE
Ben is the founder and owner of The Hall Law Firm where he fights for average citizens every day. Ben and Saundra are also the owners of KOCH Radio, the oldest black owned radio station in the Greater Houston Region. They are also owners of KOCH TV and several other businesses.
BEN'S COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AND EXPERIENCE
Life Member, NAACPSustaining Member Harris County Democratic PartyCity Attorney, City of Houston (1992-94)Former Board Member, Red Cross, Houston ChapterBoard Member, Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
BEN'S RESOLUTION: "My commitment to you as mayor will be to improve our streets, improve public safety, and protect our neighborhoods...That is the way that our city can move forward. I am Ben Hall and I'm asking for your vote."
