A budget is a moral document, as Democratic gubernatorial nominee Chris Bell liked to say. It is a clear indication of an institution’s priorities. The budget passed by Houston City Council on Wednesday also tells us a lot about Mayor Bill White.

Turner threatens split from Craddick’s side
State Rep. Sylvester Turner of Houston, the top-ranked Democrat among Republican House Speaker Tom Craddick’s lieutenants, has threatened to bail out from the leadership team.

Look beyond politician when marking ballot
When you head to the polls this November, you’ll be thinking about who you want in government. But you also should think about what you want out of government.

Montana governor speaks to graduating class of 1
Jeff Greenwood is the only student to graduate from Opheim High School, which, like many schools in rural areas, has seen enrollment plummet.

Sharpshooting girl, 12, banned from boys hoops team
Jaime Nared is nearly 6-foot-1 and blessed with Michael Jordan-style skills. In games, the 12-year-old can more than hold her own against the boys dropping three-pointers and sometimes scoring 30 points or more. And there, according to her coach, lies the problem.

Houston term limits as seen from Austin
State Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, plans to file a bill that would change Houston’s term limits. It would double the maximum tenure to six two-year terms or three four-year terms for the mayor, controller and council..

Houstonians can do without self-promotion
Houston’s experiencing its biennial identity crisis. We’re going through that period when we try to define the city or worse, allow outsiders to do it for us.

White’s family appeal proving to be lucrative
Contributing to Mayor Bill White is a family affair. Nearly a third $622,500 of the $1.95 million he raised this year came from 59 couples or families whose combined donations effectively raise the ceiling on the city’s campaign finance limits.

In trying to win, has Dewhurst lost a friend?
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst may have bought some future political advantage this week at the cost of a friendship.

Councilman Brown a visionary with some blind spots
First-term City Councilman Peter Brown came into office with big ideas for transforming the city. As an architect and urban planner, Brown had a vision for Houston that centered on creating mixed-income neighborhoods. He understood planning before coming on council, but not politics and how to get things done.

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 22nd, 2008 at 8:48 pm and is filed under Houston News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.