Who Are The Democrats In Houston City Council Runoff Elections?—Andrew Burks Is On All Sides Of The Aisle

It is time for Houston City Council runoff elctions.

Early voting begins on November 30 and runs through December 6. General Election Day is Saturday, December 10.

There are 2 citywide races and 2 district races.

Who are the Democrats in these races?

For Houston Council At-Large #2, Kristi Thibaut is the Democrat.

For Houston Council At-Large #5, Jolanda Jones is the Democrat.

In Houston Council District A, both candidates are Republicans.

(I’ve got little interest in a race between Republicans, but endorsed Republican Helena Brown is an very extreme right-winger.)

In Houston Council District  B, both candidates are Democrats.  The two candidates are Alvin Byrd and Jerry Davis.

For At-Large #2, Andrew Burks is taking the support of the Republican Party. You see at the bottom of this post what I am saying.

The thing is if you look at the website Mr. Burks has set up for this race, he says he is a Democrat.

Here is what it says about Mr. Burks on his website—

“Burks has been a life long Democrat and has worked with the Democratic Party in voter education and outreach as well as has improved and implemented policies and procedures for the Harris County Democratic Party.”

Get it?

Mr. Burks is a Republican if you are a Republican, and he is Democrat if you are Democrat.

And if you are a Green or Libertarian, I’m sure that can be worked out as well.

I’m not telling you I have a great deal of confidence in Kristi Thibaut or Jolanda Jones. Ms. Thibaut will play it safe and likely never champion the disenfranchised in Houston. Ms. Jones will allow her conduct to get in the way of her advocacy for the people she represents.

The issue is that you should not be allowed to play all sides as Mr. Burks is seeking to do. Beliefs matter. Party matters. Houston was a 61% Obama city in 2008. We should not give away an advantage.

Kristi Thibaut and Jolanda Jones best represent the political and policy beliefs of  the people of Houston. This is the issue. Not skin color. Not how people dress for Council meetings as Jack Christie would have you believe.

Nothing matters  but the bottom line of public policy and partisan advantage as the high stakes election of 2012 draws near.

What I’ll be doing is voting for Ms. Thibaut and Ms. Jones in the runoff, and then giving them a hard time after the election.

We should expect more of candidates for office and of the people that we elect.

More importantly, we should expect more of ourselves. We don’t have to accept candidates for office who are on every side, and we don’t have to accept Democrats who take our support on Election Day but who are not on our side after Election Day.

HCRP Advisory Board Endorses in COH Races(l to r) Helena Brown, Andrew C. Burks, Jr. and Jack Christie The Harris County Republican Party Advisory Board has voted to endorse the following candidates in the upcoming City Of Houston Runoff Elections. The following are the most qualified, conservative candidates and, as early voting approaches, we will highlight each candidate. In the meantime, please visit their websites (see below). Helena Brown – District A Andrew Burks, Jr – At-Lrg Position #2 Jack Christie – At-Lrg Position #5 Early voting runs Nov. 30 – Dec. 6. Election Day is December 10th. Sincerely, Jared Woodfill Chairman, Harris County Republican Party