- A Closer Look at the Kirby Collection’s 199-Unit Apartment Portion [Houstonia; previously on Swamplot]
- New Cafe and Bar Coterie Opens on Market Square Tower’s Ground Floor [Houston Food Finder]
- California Sandwich Restaurant Mendocino Farms Slated to Open in Uptown Park Shopping Center Next Year [HBJ; previously on Swamplot]
- Voters Oust County Judge Ed Emmett in Favor of Newcomer Lina Hidalgo [Houston Chronicle]
- Houston Votes in Favor of Prop A [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
Photo of downtown Houston skyline: Marc Longoria via Swamplot Flickr Pool
Headlines
Disappointed Emmet got voted out. He was one of the few republicans I thought did a good job in his position. I’m guessing he’s a victim of straight ticket voting.
So, I didn’t vote for Linda Hidalgo so much as I voted against Ed ‘Sexy’ Emmet. Putting that $2.5 billion dollar bond election on the anniversary of Harvey’s landfall because it was, again, in his own words, ‘sexy’, was a travesty. Too bad he won’t get to spend all of that money. I’m sure it’ll find it’s way into the ‘right’ hands regardless.
Voters did not forget the Astrodome fiasco.
In 2016, I vowed here on Swamplot to get Ed out of office this election. He stood to financially gain from it, while Harris County taxpayers have been stuck paying millions to maintain a decaying, empty structure. Now because of him, the Astrodome will never be demolished due to the historical protections it has gained.
I voted straight-ticket Democratic and then zigzagged to cast a few votes for a few rational Republicans. The county judge didn’t get one of my votes since I didn’t like how he remained tone deaf to calls to tear down the Astrodome and the $2.5 billion bond issue.
Will I cry that he got swept out in the county-wide tidal wave of blue? No.
Linda is a 27 year old with her only real work experience being a translator at Ben Taub. This $5 Billion budget will go over well. Silver lining…. maybe we can finally do something with the Astrodome.
Hildalgo has never attended a meeting of the office she will take. Her job “experience” is as an interpreter in the medical center. The only thing living in Houston had going for it was that at least the county government was not a complete disaster. Emmett’s deal with the astrodome was stupid, but holding pet issues like the Astrodome over the basic competence of someone for a job is nothing to be proud of.
So a 27 year old with no relevant experience is better? She may turn out fine, but handing over a $4B budget and responsibility for 4 million people to a SJW type is a gigantic risk.
The beauty of bureaucracy is that it still largely functions when a change at the top happens. (Think about how many corporate CEOs come and go and their institutions keep plodding along.) I have faith that the other county commissioners and county budget officer will keep the ship of state that is the USS Harris County on an even keel. We’ll be fine.
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Plus, we can always throw her out at the next election if she flounders too much. Such is the majesty of American democracy.
Ed Emmett was in his 20s with no government experience when he was elected to the state legislature. Hidalgo is a Stanford grad and is in a joint law and public policy degree program at Harvard and NYU. She has been an advocate for immigrant and criminal justice reform. It will be nice to have a county judge who is not in the pocket of developers. Emmett sat on his hands for over a decade on doing anything big on flood control issues. And having him in charge of protecting residents from the excesses of developers was very much a fox guarding the hen house.
Ed dug his own hole, down with the Astrodome.
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11yrs is too long to hold a position anyways, good riddance and here’s hoping for term limits in the future.
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As Stan Stanart is also mentioned in the headline, I’ll spout off about him as well. I don’t have well developed opinion of his overall performance but I did get the chance to watch him in action on the first day of early voting. His bearing was not that of someone who should be in a leadership position.
Glad the judge and Culberson got the boot, now maybe light rail can get back on track. Some real sore losers with the Republican judges, one in particular needs to be disbarred permanently for his charades yesterday, there is no excuse for not doing your job as a previously elected official.