The accolades keep coming for former H-Town Mayor Bob Lanier. Here is from yesterday’s Chron:
At various times, for various reasons, Lanier was likened to Franklin Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. The commonality was that Lanier, the son of a Methodist minister turned oilfield roustabout, invariably was measured against America’s greatest movers and shakers.
“I’d put him with (Chicago Mayor Richard) Daley and (New York City Mayor Fiorello) La Guardia as one of the great mayors in 20th century history,” University of Houston political science guru Richard Murray once said. “He has the ability to get things done.”
Let me add that he is probably the most respected elected official I have ever encountered. He just commanded that respect.
I have discussed before his 1991 Mayoral campaign and have mentioned that he overwhelmingly won the Latino vote. I have said before that his campaign manager Craig Varoga and his trusted advisor Dave Walden advocated a strategy of engaging the Latino vote.
Bob was a numbers guy. He knew that in order to win we had to put together a coalition and the Latino vote was a key. He and I talked about it on numerous occasions during the campaign. He was all in.
His message to our community was Latinos will be full partners at City Hall. The 1991 redistricting battles were just about over and City Hall had rejected Latino redistricting proposals. There were a number of us that were frustrated with City Hall.
Bob engaged Latino civic and business leaders. We ran ads on Spanish language TV and radio. Bob attended numerous church bazaars and community events and Latinos responded with enthusiasm. He showed us respect and in return earned Latino respect and support.
No other Mayoral candidate in H-Town history had campaigned in the Latino community like Bob did in 1991.
Here is what the Chron E-Board said today about Bob:
A man who never forgot his modest upbringing, a man who seemed more at home among common, everyday folks than the country club set, he took pride in being mayor of all the people. No wonder he left office as arguably the most popular mayor in Houston history.
You can’t argue with that!
Bob’s funeral service is tomorrow.
Dante and I spent most of Saturday taking my parents (his great grandparents) to get a Christmas tree, setting it up, and getting it decorated. Dante also assisted my Dad with the outdoor Christmas lights. We had a great time!
Again, I’ll skip the MLB question today.
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