Our recommendations for Nov. 5 elections
The Chronicle recommends the following candidates in the Nov. 5 election. Polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. To find your voting location, go to HarrisVotes.com or 713-755-6965. Recommendations are based on screenings, interviews, reporting and a review of records. Our aim is to provide clear, informed opinions to help voters determine who is best qualified.
Mayor, controller, Metro, House representative
Turner for Houston mayor. Sylvester Turner has earned the right to serve another term as mayor of Houston. Despite all the smear attempts, here’s what continues to shine about Turner: This Acres Homes native who rose from humble roots to attend Harvard Law and become an influential member of the Texas House of Representatives is a walking testament to our city of opportunity.
He wasted no time during his first term accomplishing his No. 1 priority, and the thing his past and present opponent Bill King claimed he couldn’t do: broker a historic pension deal and get it passed by the Texas Legislature. The accomplishment, while far from perfect, saved Houston from possible bankruptcy tied to the city’s longfestering $5.6 billion pension crisis. Turner has had stumbles — some perhaps exacerbated by his well-known thin skin, stubborn grudges and tendency to micromanage. Turner needs to remain laserfocused on Harvey victims, slashing any red tape and performance issues that are delaying home repairs. He needs to prioritize resiliency and flood prevention over the demands of influential builders.
Brown for city controller.
We recommend voters keep City Controller Chris Brown in office. But we do so with a caveat, and urge him to ensure his office is answering the most pressing questions voters have about how City Hall operates. That requires a broader and more independent mindset than simply looking for ways to cut inefficiency.
Yes on Metro’s bond proposal.
Houston Metro is asking voters’ permission to borrow a busload of bucks to add a robust bus rapid transit network, new rail service to Hobby airport and badly needed bus improvements.
We strongly urge Houston voters to support this first step, by voting yes on the ballot proposition to give Metro permission to issue the bonds it needs.
Eastman for House District 148.
We recommend voters choose Anna Eastman, who was a respected member of the HISD board for eight years before she stepped down this year. Her HISD district included 75 percent of District 148. Eastman stood out as a smart, dedicated member of the board who generally favored enlightened policies.
HISD Board of Trustees Moses for HISD Board of Trustees, District II.
Cris Moses, a math and technology teacher at HISD’s Fleming Middle School, stands out from a crowded field as the right person for uncertain times in the district. Moses is the only teacher among the candidates, but our recommendation doesn’t hinge on the board’s need for more professional educators. The board functions best with the benefit of different skill sets and professional points of view. Moses’ leadership style singled him out. During our screening, Moses, who is a clear communicator, displayed an even temperament and an evident passion for kids that will be invaluable whether or not there is a takeover.
Hernandez for HISD Board of Trustees, District III.
Newcomer Daniela “Dani” Hernandez is our choice over incumbent Sergio Lira. We agree with Hernandez that new leadership is needed in the district. She has the potential to provide it, quickly getting up to speed to better serve her constituents. Hernandez became a teacher in the district through Teach for America after she graduated with a degree in sociology from Boston University. The daughter of immigrants and the product of HISD schools, she was the first in her family to go to college. After six years in the district she decided to join her family’s real estate business but never forgot her students.
Barnes for HISD Board of Trustees, District IV.
Matt Barnes is well-suited in experience, temperament and commitment to be an outstanding trustee. His professional background includes more than 20 years of involvement in education from pre-K to university, including his recent position as CEO of Educational Makeover, an organization dedicated to providing free coaching to parents.
Cruz for HISD Board of Trustees, District VIII.
Judith Cruz is our choice for the school board because she brings a commitment to trust and transparency, as well as experience as a classroom teacher and in an educational nonprofit, DiscoverU. She began her career with Teach for America, and went on to teach ESL at Lee High
School (now Wisdom) in HISD, and at Liberty High School, where she was a founding teacher. She stands out because her classroom experience provides insight into challenges facing struggling schools, and because she represents a change from the dysfunction that has marked the current board.
Houston Community College Board of Trustees
Richart for HCC District 1. Fortunately, the majority Hispanic District 1 on the northeast side has a really good candidate running against Dave Wilson, who resigned from District 2 to run for District 1, and we heartily endorse her for the job. She is attorney Monica Flores Richart, who has an undergraduate degree in public policy from Princeton University, a law degree from Columbia University. She worked for U.S. Rep. Nick Lampson, the Democrat who in 2006 won the heavily Republican district vacated by Tom DeLay. She’s smart and qualified, and a much better choice than Wilson.
Skillern-Jones for HCC District 2.
Rhonda Skillern-Jones is the heavyweight in the field in this race, having served eight mostly laudable years on the Houston Independent School District board of trustees, including two as president. She brings a laser focus on the needs of students, and her experience at HISD will help make badly needed connections between our high schools and community colleges.
Houston City Council At Large Knox for City Council At Large Position 1.
Mike Knox is our choice for City Council At Large Position 1 because he approaches decision-making with a dispassionate and logical mindset. He stands out for his willingness to challenge the mayor on issues and his focus on fiscal responsibility.
Robinson for City Council At Large Position 2.
During his time on the council, David Robinson has provided for his more than 2 million constituents a thoughtful and balanced voice. Robinson told the editorial board there is still a lot more work to be done at City Hall. Voters should allow him to continue that work. Part of that effort is to improve the city’s resilience in the face of changing climate.
Kubosh for City Council At Large Position 3.
Michael Kubosh is our choice for City Council At Large Position 3 because of his skill navigating the politics of City Hall. He stands out for his knack for constituent services and his success in the project to fish abandoned cars from the bayous. We remain troubled, however, by his views on gay and transgender issues. Despite those misgivings, he is the strongest candidate in the field.
Hellyar for City Council At Large Position 4.
Nick Hellyar is our choice for City Council At Large Position 4 because of his experience in municipal government. He stands out for his knowledge of the inner workings of city hall and his understanding of the impact basic city services have on the lives of Houstonians. Hellyar previously served as district director in then-state Rep. Carol Alvarado’s District 145 office, when he learned how important city services are in the everyday lives of Houstonians. “If their trash can doesn’t get picked up, and they call their council office and it gets picked up, that makes a huge difference in somebody’s life,” he said.
Alcorn for City Council At Large Position 5.
Sallie Alcorn is our choice for City Council At Large Position X because of her record at City Hall. She stands out for her expertise in the nuts and bolts of city government and her accomplishments, which include getting the city’s Adopt-A-Drain program launched and developing a public-private partnership that brought a Pyburn’s grocery store into the Sunnyside neighborhood.
Houston City Council district races Peck for Houston City Council District A.
Amy Peck, the chief of staff for Councilwoman Brenda Stardig, isn’t a clone of the incumbent, but she has learned by working for Stardig what does and doesn’t work in each neighborhood. That’s an asset District A needs. “You want someone who understands the job, so I don’t know why in this situation experience has somehow become something negative,” she told us. We agree.
Jackson for Houston City Council District B.
Tarsha Jackson is not a City Hall insider, but as the Harris County director for the Texas Organizing Project, she knows how the legislative process works and can use skills she learned as a lobbyist on behalf of District B residents. Jackson, who grew up in Acres Homes, told the editorial board that economic development would be a priority if she is elected.
Kamin for Houston City Council District C.
Voters should choose Abbie Kamin, a bright, thoughtful civil rights attorney. Three other candidates also stood out as strong contenders, each impressing the editorial board during screening meetings. Kaminbrought the best mix of policy smarts and a can-do spirit of compromise and team work. Those skills, as much as determination to fight for her constituents, are absolutely essential to success as a member of the Houston City Council.
Cave for Houston City Council District D.
Rashad Cave is our choice to succeed Councilman Dwight Boykins. For the past four years, Cave has served as liaison to City Council for the Department of Neighborhoods, which not only deals with neighborhood blight but also includes both the Mayor’s Anti-Gang Task Force and the city’s Office of New Americans and Immigrant Communities.
“I work with council members day in and day out, so I know what’s working and what’s not,” Cave told the editorial board. “I can truly be effective on Day One.”
Martin for Houston City Council District E.
We recommend Dave Martin for another term representing flood-damanged District E. He’s proven he has the courage to keep pushing for relief, no matter the political cost.
Thomas for Houston City Council District F.
We recommend Tiffany Thomas in this race to represent a district many claim the city — and certainly City Hall — has forgotten. “The current system does not work for District F,” Thomas told the editorial board. “We are forgotten when we look at investment, when we look at leadership, and when we look at our values at City Hall.” Thomas grew up in the area, attending Alief schools. In 2013 she won a seat on the Alief ISD Board of Trustees, where she helped shepherd the 2015 bond referendum to create a Career Technology Center. We urge voters to put her on the City Council.
Travis for Houston City Council District G.
“I have the unenviable position of advocating for people who others think are affluent,” Councilman Greg Travis told the editorial board, explaining that his district has both pockets of extreme wealth and of poverty. That means advocating for resources, just like the other council members, while representing a population that often doesn’t get much sympathy. When elected in 2015, Travis promised to be a conservative voice focused on fiscal issues, road conditions, flood mitigation efforts and public safety. On all those issues he has represented his constituents well and deserves another term on the council.
Cisneros for Houston City Council District H.
Karla Cisneros wins our support for another term on the council. She has used her first term to advocate for education, call attention to poverty and address the problem of stray animals and pet overpopulation, all issues that many of her constituents grapple with every day. She has earned the right to continue to fight on their behalf. If she is re-elected, she hopes to be a strong voice against the Interstate 45 project as it’s currently proposed. No other district is as affected by the highway expansion, so its representative must be an active force in working to minimize any adverse effects as the project moves forward.
Gallegos for Houston City Council District I.
Early in Houston’s fight against SB 4 two years ago, City Councilman Robert Gallegos was one of the leaders in the charge to stop the bill targeting so-called sanctuary cities. Weeks before Mayor Sylvester Turner said he planned to join a lawsuit challenging SB 4, Gallegos denounced the bill as “an open door for racial profiling.” During contentious debate in Houston City Council, Gallegos spoke out forcefully in favor of joining other cities in legal action against the controversial bill.
“You ask why the city should join?” Gallegos said. “Because the city of Houston is the largest city in the state of Texas and the most diverse in the nation.”
Taking a stand on a state law may seem outside the purview of a city council member, but Gallegos’ advocacy on the issue shows that he is in tune with the needs of his constituents in District I, which is 77 percent Latino. Gallegos has earned the right to ask voters to give him another term on council.
Sandra Rodriguez for Houston City Council District J.
Sandra Rodriguez works in the city Health Department’s Bureau of Youth and Adolescent Health and has lived in Gulfton since she was 6 and currently is president of the Gulfton Super Neighborhood Council. Rodriguez, who says she once witnessed a drive-by shooting, also worked in the Mayor’s Anti-Gang Office. She told the editorial board she wants to improve the relationship between District J residents and law enforcement because too many crimes go unreported. That’s often a reflection of the language barriers faced by the district’s large immigrant population, Rodriguez said. “Since I’m the oldest in my family, I have always been there to translate, to complete forms, and I think that’s what makes me so passionate now,” she said. “I have experienced the discrimination from different providers as we would seek services.”
Her experience and her perspective would serve Houston and District J well.
Castex-Tatum for City Council District K.
We recommend voters choose Martha Castex-Tatum in this race. The incumbent councilwoman has a hard time leaving her work at the office. “Trash keeps me up at night,” she told the editorial board, referring to the illegal dumping that has plagued parts of her district. “It is one of those things that if we don’t clean up our district, or maintain a clean district, it’s hard to attract economic development.”
That kind of 24/7 responsibility to her constituents is born from the deep personal relationship she has with the district she grew up in and which she has represented for the last 17 months. She was elected in May 2018 to succeed the late councilman Larry Green, for whom she served as director of constituent services.
Proposed constitutional amendments
Vote no on Proposition 1. Vote yes on Proposition 2. Vote yes on Proposition 3. Vote no on Proposition 4. Vote yes on Proposition 5. Vote yes on Proposition 6: Vote yes on Proposition 7. Vote yes on Proposition 8. Vote yes on Proposition 9. Vote yes on Proposition 10.