E-day Results of Interest

Mayor ... 86.5% is the final line. Pretty impressive since it tops Mayor Lanier's third term. It also pegs his three-term average at just over 80%. That's - again - better than Lanier, but also better than Henry Cisneros managed in his four terms in San An.

Our local Republican blogger friends thought they might introduce a new talking point into the web-sphere-thingy. That being that the undervote for White might take away from the charm of his vote total. Umm, guess what guys ... only 7% undervote on this one. That's the lowest of all citywide elections. While I'm busy re-labelling you all as the "13.5% Club," I trust you'll all come up with a new excuse for failure. Scratch that ... continued failure.

A qualm with Stiles' report on the win, though ... and yes, this qualifies as score-keeping. So be it. But my count shows that two GOP types are quoted in the story, plus there's thia reference:

In breezing to a third term, White proved he still is widely popular despite the public's concern about crime and recent criticism over property taxes.

The "recent criticsm over property taxes" come - presumably - via folks like Bettencourt and Woodfill making their talking points at City Hall. If there's any other nonpartisan types leveling that critique, I'll deduct the point. But that's an awful lot of GOP talking points in one article (spanning five paragraphs at the end, with various other minor points woven in throughout) about a guy that just won 86% of the vote ,,, all balanced out with an absolute zero of Democratic talking points. And a bare minimum from the Mayor's own nonpartisan side if you allow some obligatory Mayoral quotes as a given. Even there, White's statements are offered in the context of the critique of the 13.5%-ers. It's not like the local Republican bloggers out there will see the comic value of their "Mrs White" critique of the Chronicle. Again, standard disclaimer here - I think Matt's about the best the Chron has. But this article has enough flaws that warrant pointing out.

At Large 1 ... whole lotta undervotes there. Curious how well it portends for someone to run for Mayor when they have the confidence of a mere 68% of the voters in a non-existant contest. Guess we'll find out soon enough.

At Large 2 ... Heh! I mean - wow. 47.1% sure does seem a bit over the baseline of standard opposition. Just sayin' is all. I mean, if I really wanted to be pointed in my remarks, I could have pointed out that our most unpopular incumbent (that title now being officially ceded by Shelley Sekula-WhatMonthIsIt?) received a paltry 40% or so of the total ballots cast. FORTY. F.O.R.T.Y. Again ... just sayin'. And if I wanted to be even more pointed, I could ask if that certain incumbent wants to dust off their tack from last year by showing how they compared against their opponent on a cost-per-vote comparison.

At Large 3 ... Melissa buried Roy more to my liking, so count me relieved on that front. Congrats to all involved on that one & here's hoping the next round is even better (that is, if anyone thinks it's worth a challenge).

At Large 5 ... our second WOW of the night. JoJo vs Joe. That's yer runoff. You've got district runoffs in the heart of GOP country and in the heart of southside. That'll pull the runoff weight equally depending on how Joe can play (or, more accurately ... IF). Trevino's a solid guy with squat for cash. It'll be VERY interesting to see if there's any interest in altering his campaign account. From JoJo's perspective, now it's time to get outside of the traditional Dem activist quarters and African American precincts and start playing ball in the rest of Houston. What happens if both campaigns fail to color outside of the lines? I'd say advantage JoJo. My vote is open on this one, though. Time to do some questioning and get serious. My vote didn't even break 5%, which is about what I expected. Unfortunately.

The guy who finished second sure didn't seem to get much run in the article covering the results. Two grafs for JoJo (quote + description), one for Joe (description, no quote). I'm just as aware as the next guy or gal with a keyboard that Trevino was a shock of sorts - including no less than to Joe Trevino himself. I don't doubt or make light of the fact that it's difficult to cover all the ground that Carolyn has to for the beat. But it might be decent blog-fodder to mention more on that, possibly shedding a little light on exactly why a quote by Trevino didn't make it in the article. Assuming it's a good story, that is ;-)

An added note to this race - the GOP implosion. Dude, what is up with that? Gary Polland must be laughing his hindquarters off over the utter ineffectiveness of the current team. This is the second cycle where we Dems have been blessed with two GOPers dividing the spoils on the westside, leaving the runoff to two Dems. And that's the same party official you expect to hang on to all those GOP judicial gigs next year? Just askin'.

District C ... not really a contest, and none was expected. Still, since I'm a fan of Anne's, I just thought I'd send a little blog-plause.

District D ... Wanda & Larry in the runoff. D is an adapted hood of mine, but I'm still torn. Larry's mom is a great woman who's good deeds in political life deserve to rub off on the family. But Wanda is Ada's pick ... and while I generally disagree sharply with Ada's politics, I've got nothing but respect for her work for her district. My pick finished third. Better make a note of what time his sermons are aired on TV, cuz that may be all I get to see of the dude.

District E ... Two Republicans going at it. I'll cede some judgment to others closer to the scene. Might have to revisit Kuff's interviews, also. From the little I've seen so far, there's at least some marginal room (or kitchen pantry) to warm up to Annette despite the tie to Addie. Kuff, Stace, Muse, Coby ... what say ye?

District I ... credit where it's due - J-Rod with the first round knockout. The Carol Alvarado for State Rep campaign got a rather nice shot in the arm with that one. It'll be curious to see what effect it has on the current divide among Hispanic pols about town.

County Bonds ... Port leads the bunch. And by a longshot. Of the other five, one lost. The rest got barely passing grades, with the exception of the forensic center bond (57%) getting what I anticipated being a more predictable result.

HISD ... I lost the interoffice pool. I bet on 54%. Someone else had it right on the money ... 51%. Can't wait to see the canvass on this one. The aftermath might even be interesting to see. Is the bond essentially a blank slate, or are some of the promises made to get it passed going to be delivered on? And will there be any Chronicle followup?

Other School Bonds ... didn't a certain county GOP chair suggest that CyFair's bond might be in trouble since those were his people? Isn't that the same county chair who couldn't figure out how to get a Republican into a runoff in two consecutive, open, At Large council seats? Same one in charge of getting all those judges re-elected next year? Heh!

State Bonds ... as usual, all passed. Precisely why our state constitution needs a series of brillo pads. I voted against them all on principle, even the ones that I agree with on the merits - like eliminating the office of Inspector of Hides and recorded votes in the lege.

HCCS stuff ... Hats off to Neeta Sane. Chick won a well-deserved gig at the local Community College board, replacing a certain good friend of yours truly. The other race looked like it might have been an upset in the making, but when it's all said and done, White Kevin Hoffman didn't pull it off. I'll hazard a guess we see the guy again since he got a lot of good reviews about town.

HISD board stuff ... The Fifth Ward showdown will have two former electeds duking it out: Galloway v Yarbrough. I'm guessing Whitmarsh is conflicted on this one? I'm gonna play the "Not My Hood" card. Paula Harris managed to pick up the seat held by Art Gaines. I hope she's good ... she's got big shoes to fill.

Foreign Territory .... Virginia seems to be looking up, Dems won the Senate & made some incremental gains in the lower house. Kentucky was a predictable stomp by the Dems - effectively being our tradeoff for Louisiana. Mississippi wasn't a shock, but it was at least worthwhile to see someone keep some heat on a crook like Barbour. Wait & see if Mike Moore comes out of retirement for a Senate run in the Magnolia state. Hope springs eternal.

Unless you've got skin on a runoff game, here's looking to 2008. What's the over-under for Ron Paul's ATM machine ever showing some results on a real poll?