Hopefuls gear up in District B runoff
Almost exactly a year after Houstonians elected a mayor and 15 City Council members, voters in the north Houston neighborhoods that make up District B at last will get to choose their own representative in a Dec. 12 runoff.
The election suffered an unprecedented, yearlong delay amid court challenges. Civic leaders in the district have said the postponed runoff is emblematic of the broader neglect that faces the long-underserved District B. The two candidates finally vying for the seat at City Hall hope to change that condition.
Tarsha Jackson, a consultant and criminal justice organizer, and Cynthia Bailey, a neighborhood advocate, both aim to bring fresh, grassroots energy to the district. Jackson won 20.9 percent of the vote in the 14-candidate general election last November. Bailey came in second with 14.5 percent.
Bailey was the target of lawsuits and election contests filed by the third-place finisher, who alleged
Bailey’s 2007 felony conviction for theft made her ineligible for public office. State district and appellate judges declined to back that argument, though, allowing Bailey to remain on the ballot. Jackson often came to Bailey’s defense during the legal fights, and the women said they grew friendly on the campaign trail last year.
District B has been represented by Jerry Davis, who faced a term limit last year, for nine years. It has the second-highest concentration of Black residents in the city (47 percent), stretching from historic neighborhoods such as Kashmere Gardens and Greater Fifth Ward to Acres Homes and Greenspoint.
Early voting begins Wednesday, pauses for Thanksgiving and resumes Nov. 30 through Dec. 8.
Jackson has the institutional and financial edge. The progressive organization she used to work for, the Texas Organizing Project, is supporting her bid. Jackson has $21,000 in campaign cash to Bailey’s $3,000, according to the most recent campaign finance filings.
Bailey, though, proved a gritty campaigner last year, surprising other candidates in the field by reaching the runoff. She is known to some as the “Mayor of Settegast.”
‘Left behind’
Jackson, 49, was thrust into activism and organizing after her son was arrested for kicking a teacher in elementary school.
She helped advocate for reform legislation in 2007 that ensured young people would not be sent to state jail form is demeanors. Jackson ultimately became Harris County criminal justice director for TOP, which aims to mobilize Black and Latino communities across the state.
As an organizer, she has been involved in Harris County’s historic bail settlement, has called on the city to end what she calls a “debtors’ prison” system that can jail people for failing to pay fines, and this summer led a report of recommendations for police reform.
Jackson hopes to bring that activist spirit to City Hall on council.
She said the defining issue for District B is poverty. District B has the poorest median household income ($33,257) in the city. Nearly 40 percent of the district’s roughly 193,000 residents live in a household that brings in less than $25,000 per year.
“I’ve watched my communities be left behind in all areas. Infrastructure, jobs, the schools that I went to,” Jackson said.
“Once we start addressing income disparities, getting people to work, that’s going to start fixing some of the issues.”
For that reason, Jackson said a top priority would be job training. She plans to push for stronger community benefit agreements when the city gives tax incentives to developers. Those deals can include provisions about hiring local workers, including affordable housing and funding for community programs.
“Let’s make sure we’re benefiting from the dollars we’re putting out,” Jackson said.
Another priority would be flooding and illegal dumping. Jackson said she would push for more regular maintenance and cleanings for drainage ditches and bayous, and seek to broaden access to dump sites, which she said require a driver’s license and matching electricity bill. Many renters lack those documents, which contributes to dumping, she said.
Jackson was born in Acres Homes, though she has moved around the district. She currently lives north of Greenspoint.
Neighborhood issues
Bailey, 57, has centered on what she calls “neighborhood issues” in her candidacy.
She draws on her experience leading a “hot team” for District B, which scoured the district picking up trash and targeting illegal dumping. She would like to expand those teams, funded with limited district funds, if elected.
“We go out and pick it up, eliminating the problem of waiting for Solid Waste to come two, or even three weeks later,” Bailey said.
Like Jackson, Bailey would also like to use tax incentives, along with nonprofit partnerships, to boost job prospects in the district. From there, she said, she would empower civic leaders and organizations to drive the district agenda, acting as eyes and ears for what the different communities need.
“If I take the reins and do what you want me to do, then it might not be want youwant,” Bailey said. “But if I give you the reins, and you tell me what to do, then you’re driving. I’m just the co-pilot. It’s not a ‘me,’ it’s a ‘we.’”
Bailey’s conviction stemmed from stealing checks, along with three others, worth $200,000 from the now-defunct North Forest Independent School District. She has asked voters to judge her by her present service, not her past.
“I have served my time, I’ve paid my debt to society, and all I want to do is serve my community in District B,” she said last year, as the lawsuits gained steam.
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