Delay: More Endorsements

Hall of Fame greats Yogi Berra and Willie Mays will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom honor today. Of course, Yogi is no longer with us. How many times did Willie and Yogi face each other in a World Serious?

These are good endorsements for Bill King. I am sure we will see a spirited reaction from the usual suspects. I don’t think they will be able to delete them though. Check this:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 24, 2015 

TOP ANNISE PARKER ’09 CAMPAIGN LEADERS

JOIN BILL KING FOR MAYOR CAMPAIGN 

Businessman Bill King continued extending his campaign’s growing base of support with two of Mayor Annise Parker’s top campaign leaders — Metro chair Gilbert Garcia, and former Parker campaign finance chair David Arpin — announcing their public support of King’s campaign.

“Houston has a choice between two qualified candidates, and for me the choice is clear,” Garcia said. “Bill King is the best choice to steer us through what could be tougher times. For years, he has studied local issues which makes him uniquely prepared to solve future challenges. At Metro, we took a tip from Bill and focused on rebuilding the backbone of the system — the local bus network. It will yield excellent returns for our riders and for taxpayers.”

“Bill is right when he says Houstonians now have a clear choice for mayor,” Arpin added. “Bill’s thoughtful approach to the issues challenging our city will best serve all Houstonians and move us forward as a diverse, welcoming and affordable city that works.”

Parker appointed Garcia, who was chairman of her 2009 mayoral campaign and co-chair of her transition team, Metro chairman in 2010. Prior to that, he earned a B.A. in Economics from Yale University and joined Salomon Brothers in New York City where he became a Vice-President. In 1990, he joined former Mayor Henry Cisneros to build Cisneros Asset Management Company, ultimately becoming its president. In 2002, he joined Garcia Hamilton & Associates, a $6.5 billion money management firm in Houston, and is the firm’s managing partner.

Arpin served as 2009 campaign finance chair and treasurer of the Annise Parker for Houston campaign. He is a lifetime Democrat, and has served in the LGBT political leadership as a longtime National Board Member of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund and former board member and treasurer of the Houston GLBT PAC. He is a retired healthcare executive and currently a real estate investor.

“I am proud to have these two accomplished Houston leaders join our team to get City Hall back to basics,” King said. “It sends a very clear and strong message that Houstonians that love this city are prepared to unite to address the serious challenges we face — and that my approach will be to include all perspectives in crafting the solutions to meet those challenges.”

King added: “While over the years I have been a frequent critic of Metro, I have been greatly encouraged by the current leadership’s refocusing on our bus service, which is the backbone of our transit system and on which so many working families rely.  Expanded transportation options for our region have never been more important, but any transit solution must be examined against a vigorous cost-benefit analysis to insure that our tax dollars are spent in the most efficient and effective manner possible.”

Yogi Berra and Willie Mays faced each other in the 1951 and 1962 World Serious of course and the Yankees won both.

HCC Trustee Dave Wilson wants HCC to pay his legal fees for faking his way on to the ballot and his HCC fellow trustees are saying no way. Wilson should have figured that this might happen so I guess that is the cost of doing business the Wilson way. Here is from behind the Chron’s paywall:

“Based on the attorney general opinion we’ve received regarding this request, I don’t feel we have the authority to reimburse trustee Wilson from tax dollars,” board chairman Zeph Capo said in a text message. “Wilson’s legal dispute with the county began prior to beginning his term as a trustee. Given the AG ruling, I’m taking the advice he often gives us in similar circumstances … Let ’em sue.”

The team will now start focusing on dealing with arbitration-eligible players which means they will increase the payroll which means the price of a Saint Arnold at The Yard will probably go up – yikes!