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For Immediate Release: June 14, 2009
Media Inquires: Rick Rodriguez, 832.755.1212; rickrodriguez09@yahoo.com
Rick Rodriguez to launch campaign for Houston City Council At-Large, Position 1.
Richard “Rick” Rodriguez is a native Houstonian and a 23-year veteran of the Houston Police Department. He is a product of public schools, attending the Houston Independent School District's DeZavala Elementary, Edison Jr. High and Austin High School.
For 11 years, he was assigned to the Gulfton Police Storefront where he worked on the front lines in community-oriented policing. In addition to regularly riding bicycle patrol in this neighborhood, he served as the primary liaison officer to many businesses, civics, schools and church organizations. He is currently the president of the Houston Police Organization of Spanish Speaking Officers, a title held since 2007.
“I am running to be the next Council Member for At-Large Position 1 to continue my career in public service in a capacity that will allow me to directly serve all our communities. I look forward to crafting a detailed plan of action in partnership with the leaders of our city.”
He will formally launch his campaign for City Council At-Large, Position 1 on July 2, 2009 at Casa Grande Restaurant located at 3401 N. Main at 6:00 PM.
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Sunday, June 14, 2009
HPD officer wins runoff for District H council seat
As reported in the Chronicle.
By BRADLEY OLSON and MOISES MENDOZA Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle
June 13, 2009, 9:31PM
Houston police officer Ed Gonzalez won the runoff special election to fill Houston City Council District H Saturday, defeating former high school teacher and City Council staffer Maverick Welsh.
Although the campaign was hard fought, with both candidates personally knocking on thousands of doors and calling registered voters repeatedly, Gonzalez ultimately prevailed by a wide margin.
With all 13 precincts reporting, Gonzalez earned 61 percent of the vote to Welsh’s 39 percent with 4,680 ballots cast. That actually exceeded the total number of ballots cast in the initial nine candidate special election May 9, a rarity in Houston runoffs.
“I feel just tremendous,” Gonzalez said Saturday night. “I feel very humbled at the fact that the voters of District H have spoken.”
Gonzalez will immediately fill the seat vacated by Sheriff Adrian Garcia, a close friend and former police colleague with whom he has worked on several previous political campaigns.
He said he plans to establish relationships with members of City Council and ensure that all constituent services and relationships with the community remain strong.
Welsh, who drew fire in the final weeks of the campaign for mail pieces sent in the district that said his opponent “was just politics as usual” and “we can’t trust him,” did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
Gonzalez will face re-election again in November, a race politicos have said could be another hotly contested election depending on today’s results.
Voters fanned out Saturday across the district, which includes the Heights, much of the old Second Ward and a wide swath that extends midway between the inner and outer loops around Interstate 45.
“I voted because I’m a homeowner and I’m just really concerned with what goes on in our district,” said Noelle Kanady, 64, who cast a ballot for Gonzalez at Hogg Middle School.
One of her big concerns is crime. She voted for the 18-year police officer and homicide detective because “I weighed all the different campaign materials and he just sounded the best to me.”
Former school teacher Dave Roberts, 71, saw a kindred spirit in Welsh.
He voted for him with hopes of having someone to represent him, someone who will think like a teacher.
“We’re very neighborhood-minded and I think we need a strong voice in the city government,” he said.
By BRADLEY OLSON and MOISES MENDOZA Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle
June 13, 2009, 9:31PM
Houston police officer Ed Gonzalez won the runoff special election to fill Houston City Council District H Saturday, defeating former high school teacher and City Council staffer Maverick Welsh.
Although the campaign was hard fought, with both candidates personally knocking on thousands of doors and calling registered voters repeatedly, Gonzalez ultimately prevailed by a wide margin.
With all 13 precincts reporting, Gonzalez earned 61 percent of the vote to Welsh’s 39 percent with 4,680 ballots cast. That actually exceeded the total number of ballots cast in the initial nine candidate special election May 9, a rarity in Houston runoffs.
“I feel just tremendous,” Gonzalez said Saturday night. “I feel very humbled at the fact that the voters of District H have spoken.”
Gonzalez will immediately fill the seat vacated by Sheriff Adrian Garcia, a close friend and former police colleague with whom he has worked on several previous political campaigns.
He said he plans to establish relationships with members of City Council and ensure that all constituent services and relationships with the community remain strong.
Welsh, who drew fire in the final weeks of the campaign for mail pieces sent in the district that said his opponent “was just politics as usual” and “we can’t trust him,” did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
Gonzalez will face re-election again in November, a race politicos have said could be another hotly contested election depending on today’s results.
Voters fanned out Saturday across the district, which includes the Heights, much of the old Second Ward and a wide swath that extends midway between the inner and outer loops around Interstate 45.
“I voted because I’m a homeowner and I’m just really concerned with what goes on in our district,” said Noelle Kanady, 64, who cast a ballot for Gonzalez at Hogg Middle School.
One of her big concerns is crime. She voted for the 18-year police officer and homicide detective because “I weighed all the different campaign materials and he just sounded the best to me.”
Former school teacher Dave Roberts, 71, saw a kindred spirit in Welsh.
He voted for him with hopes of having someone to represent him, someone who will think like a teacher.
“We’re very neighborhood-minded and I think we need a strong voice in the city government,” he said.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Maverick’s bizarro attack on Ed
As reported in the Chronicle
By RICK CASEY Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle
June 9, 2009, 8:14PM
In a frantic run-up to Saturday’s runoff for the District H City Council seat, Maverick Welsh has flooded voters’ mailboxes with slick mailings with the usual campaign promises, but also with a series of accusations against his opponent.
One mailing shows an African-American boy with the line: “I’m tired of not having clean water to drink.”
On the other side, Welsh promises to “fight illegal dumping” that “can cause unhealthy, unsafe drinking water.”
Then this: “Ed Gonzalez says he works for us, but why aren’t our streets cleaner?”
Another shows an Hispanic girl with the line: “I’m tired of feeling scared walking home from school.”
Welsh promises to “strengthen sexual predator laws and reduce local crime.”
Then this: “Ed Gonzalez talks about stopping crime but our kids and property are still not safe.”
A third shows a middle-aged Hispanic man with the line: “I’m tired of politicians who don’t listen.”
On the other side: “Ed Gonzalez says he works for us, but are our streets safer? Has the City cleaned up the trash that endangers our kids? What has he really done?”
A fourth mailer shows a gray-haired woman with a densely lined face. Her beef? “I’m tired of the same old politics as usual.”
On the other side we’re told in big, bold all-capital letters that “When Maverick Welsh says something will get done, it gets done.” But “Ed Gonzalez just says what we want to hear” and is “too busy making backroom deals.”
Not an incumbent
Each of the four mailers (as of Monday) contains a variation on the charge that Gonzalez is “part of the same old broken system that has consistently failed us.”
So what’s the rap on Gonzalez? Is he a long-time politician who’s been feathering his nest while ignoring the problems of his constituents? Is he a City Hall bureaucrat with political connections that mask his failure to perform?
Actually, for the past 18 years he’s been a Houston cop. He’s now a homicide sergeant and a member of the hostage negotiating team.
Given the demands of that job, it’s understandable that he hasn’t stopped illegal dumping throughout the city, or cleaned up the trash or made all our children safe from pedophiles.
“It almost makes me sound like the incumbent,” said Gonzalez with a laugh.
Meanwhile, with no apparent sense of irony, Welsh on his campaign Web site touts his own City Hall experience.
“As Chief of Staff (for Councilman Peter Brown), Maverick helped form Council Member Brown’s agenda and worked tirelessly for the people of the City,” the site says. “Maverick’s work helped lead to the creation of the Mayor’s Task Force for Electric Reliability.”
An impressive accomplishment, helping to lead to the naming of a task force.
Interestingly, Welsh hasn’t attacked Gonzalez on these matters in any of the campaign’s many public forums. It appeared to be a genteel contest between two good candidates.
Welsh said he did so because while knocking on doors he’s heard a lot of complaints about these issues.
Sling mud, get dirty
That’s a good argument for campaigning on the issues, but not for attacking one’s non-incumbent opponent for not having solved them.
Welsh said, rather lamely, that Gonzalez deserves the blame because he has described himself as a “volunteer district liaison” for former councilman and now Sheriff Adrian Garcia.
So is Garcia responsible for the problems?
“I’m not going to talk about him,” Welsh said.
The political reality is that candidates go negative only when they feel they must. Studies show that a portion of any mud that is slung stays on the slinger’s hands.
As a former high school government teacher, Welsh must know that, though he denies he is losing.
He should also know the wise words of the late Adlai Stevenson, who said the “hardest thing about any political campaign is how to win without proving that you are unworthy of winning.”
By RICK CASEY Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle
June 9, 2009, 8:14PM
In a frantic run-up to Saturday’s runoff for the District H City Council seat, Maverick Welsh has flooded voters’ mailboxes with slick mailings with the usual campaign promises, but also with a series of accusations against his opponent.
One mailing shows an African-American boy with the line: “I’m tired of not having clean water to drink.”
On the other side, Welsh promises to “fight illegal dumping” that “can cause unhealthy, unsafe drinking water.”
Then this: “Ed Gonzalez says he works for us, but why aren’t our streets cleaner?”
Another shows an Hispanic girl with the line: “I’m tired of feeling scared walking home from school.”
Welsh promises to “strengthen sexual predator laws and reduce local crime.”
Then this: “Ed Gonzalez talks about stopping crime but our kids and property are still not safe.”
A third shows a middle-aged Hispanic man with the line: “I’m tired of politicians who don’t listen.”
On the other side: “Ed Gonzalez says he works for us, but are our streets safer? Has the City cleaned up the trash that endangers our kids? What has he really done?”
A fourth mailer shows a gray-haired woman with a densely lined face. Her beef? “I’m tired of the same old politics as usual.”
On the other side we’re told in big, bold all-capital letters that “When Maverick Welsh says something will get done, it gets done.” But “Ed Gonzalez just says what we want to hear” and is “too busy making backroom deals.”
Not an incumbent
Each of the four mailers (as of Monday) contains a variation on the charge that Gonzalez is “part of the same old broken system that has consistently failed us.”
So what’s the rap on Gonzalez? Is he a long-time politician who’s been feathering his nest while ignoring the problems of his constituents? Is he a City Hall bureaucrat with political connections that mask his failure to perform?
Actually, for the past 18 years he’s been a Houston cop. He’s now a homicide sergeant and a member of the hostage negotiating team.
Given the demands of that job, it’s understandable that he hasn’t stopped illegal dumping throughout the city, or cleaned up the trash or made all our children safe from pedophiles.
“It almost makes me sound like the incumbent,” said Gonzalez with a laugh.
Meanwhile, with no apparent sense of irony, Welsh on his campaign Web site touts his own City Hall experience.
“As Chief of Staff (for Councilman Peter Brown), Maverick helped form Council Member Brown’s agenda and worked tirelessly for the people of the City,” the site says. “Maverick’s work helped lead to the creation of the Mayor’s Task Force for Electric Reliability.”
An impressive accomplishment, helping to lead to the naming of a task force.
Interestingly, Welsh hasn’t attacked Gonzalez on these matters in any of the campaign’s many public forums. It appeared to be a genteel contest between two good candidates.
Welsh said he did so because while knocking on doors he’s heard a lot of complaints about these issues.
Sling mud, get dirty
That’s a good argument for campaigning on the issues, but not for attacking one’s non-incumbent opponent for not having solved them.
Welsh said, rather lamely, that Gonzalez deserves the blame because he has described himself as a “volunteer district liaison” for former councilman and now Sheriff Adrian Garcia.
So is Garcia responsible for the problems?
“I’m not going to talk about him,” Welsh said.
The political reality is that candidates go negative only when they feel they must. Studies show that a portion of any mud that is slung stays on the slinger’s hands.
As a former high school government teacher, Welsh must know that, though he denies he is losing.
He should also know the wise words of the late Adlai Stevenson, who said the “hardest thing about any political campaign is how to win without proving that you are unworthy of winning.”
A call for cuts, but additions, too
As reported in the Chronicle
By CAROLYN FEIBEL HOUSTON CHRONICLE
June 10, 2009, 9:27PM
Houston City Council pushed back in the budget process on Wednesday, offering 87 amendments to Mayor Bill White’s proposed $4 billion spending plan.
“This year was a tough year because of general economic conditions,” said Councilman M.J. Khan.
Still, council members offered even more amendments than last year, calling for additional spending for neighborhood inspections, after-school programs and demolition of abandoned buildings.
Yet some of the amendments reflected fiscal difficulties facing the city. Councilwoman Anne Clutterbuck offered a series of policy amendments that would force the city to eliminate vacant positions, freeing up cash. She also called for a review of city-owned golf courses and the closure of under-performing courses, if necessary. Council members Khan and Peter Brown also asked for the city to focus on hiring practices.
White’s budget calls for the city to increase spending by one-half of 1 percent. The property tax rate would remain the same — the first time the mayor did not cut the rate since coming into office in 2004. Some of the spending in fiscal year 2010 would be funded by drawing down cash reserves by almost 25 percent. The council is expected to vote on the budget Wednesday.
This year’s priority
Last year, public safety spending was a big priority. This year, neighborhood protection was emphasized in amendments from seven council members. Several said dilapidated, abandoned buildings were not being torn down quickly enough. Members also said the legal department needed more help in cracking down on sexually oriented businesses, deed restriction violations and other local nuisances.
Councilwoman Pam Holm did not offer any amendments. “Our job is either to adopt or not adopt the presented budget,” said Holm, who is running for city controller in November.
“This amendment process is usually a fruitless effort and comes too late in the game,” she said. She said she had already spoken with White about her wish to reduce expenses.
Councilman Mike Sullivan, who represents the suburban areas of Kingwood and Clear Lake, offered 28 budget amendments. Last year he also submitted the most amendments: 15.
Sullivan’s amendments, if implemented, could cost millions of dollars. He asked for more firefighters, generators and drainage work, among other things — specifically targeting his requests to areas within his district.
White said that his policy was not to support “district specific” amendments.
Council members also had some competition this year from municipal employees.
The municipal union surveyed its membership and asked for grass-roots suggestions for cost cuts and revenue generation. One idea was to ramp up enforcement of the trash bin ordinance. Owners of large Dumpsters must pay the city $85 per year, and the union suggested that better tracking of unregistered trash bins could bring in up to $10 million.
White said some of the workers’ ideas had already been considered by the administration, but he called the survey an “excellent exercise.”
By CAROLYN FEIBEL HOUSTON CHRONICLE
June 10, 2009, 9:27PM
Houston City Council pushed back in the budget process on Wednesday, offering 87 amendments to Mayor Bill White’s proposed $4 billion spending plan.
“This year was a tough year because of general economic conditions,” said Councilman M.J. Khan.
Still, council members offered even more amendments than last year, calling for additional spending for neighborhood inspections, after-school programs and demolition of abandoned buildings.
Yet some of the amendments reflected fiscal difficulties facing the city. Councilwoman Anne Clutterbuck offered a series of policy amendments that would force the city to eliminate vacant positions, freeing up cash. She also called for a review of city-owned golf courses and the closure of under-performing courses, if necessary. Council members Khan and Peter Brown also asked for the city to focus on hiring practices.
White’s budget calls for the city to increase spending by one-half of 1 percent. The property tax rate would remain the same — the first time the mayor did not cut the rate since coming into office in 2004. Some of the spending in fiscal year 2010 would be funded by drawing down cash reserves by almost 25 percent. The council is expected to vote on the budget Wednesday.
This year’s priority
Last year, public safety spending was a big priority. This year, neighborhood protection was emphasized in amendments from seven council members. Several said dilapidated, abandoned buildings were not being torn down quickly enough. Members also said the legal department needed more help in cracking down on sexually oriented businesses, deed restriction violations and other local nuisances.
Councilwoman Pam Holm did not offer any amendments. “Our job is either to adopt or not adopt the presented budget,” said Holm, who is running for city controller in November.
“This amendment process is usually a fruitless effort and comes too late in the game,” she said. She said she had already spoken with White about her wish to reduce expenses.
Councilman Mike Sullivan, who represents the suburban areas of Kingwood and Clear Lake, offered 28 budget amendments. Last year he also submitted the most amendments: 15.
Sullivan’s amendments, if implemented, could cost millions of dollars. He asked for more firefighters, generators and drainage work, among other things — specifically targeting his requests to areas within his district.
White said that his policy was not to support “district specific” amendments.
Council members also had some competition this year from municipal employees.
The municipal union surveyed its membership and asked for grass-roots suggestions for cost cuts and revenue generation. One idea was to ramp up enforcement of the trash bin ordinance. Owners of large Dumpsters must pay the city $85 per year, and the union suggested that better tracking of unregistered trash bins could bring in up to $10 million.
White said some of the workers’ ideas had already been considered by the administration, but he called the survey an “excellent exercise.”
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