NEWS FLASH FROM AP: The U.S. unemployment rate fell to 7.8 percent last month, dropping below 8 percent for the first time in nearly four years. The rate declined because more people found work, a trend that could have an impact on undecided voters in the final month before the presidential election.
The President certainly needed this news!
Chris Moran of the Chron put out a piece yesterday that Graci Garces will be running for H-Town City Council, District I, next year. Graci is CM James Rodriguez’s Chief-of-Staff. I’ve known Graci for a number of years now. She’s smart, sharp, has great political instincts, knows the district, can communicate the issues, has a great heart, and will make an outstanding candidate and council member. I have always had nothing but respect for Graci. She has always provided me with a unique perspective of City Hall and the players. Our conversations on policy and politics have always been thorough and enjoyable. If I want to know what is going on at City Hall, she’s the first person I call. I am definitely looking forward to working on her campaign. Here is the Chris Moran piece:
Graciana ”Graci” Garces, chief of staff for District I Councilman James Rodriguez, is running to succeed him next year when he’s termed out.
If Garces wins, she would continue an intra-office line of succession. Rodriguez had been the chief of staff for his predecessor, Carol Alvarado, who is now a state representative.
Leticia Ablaza, who challenged Rodriguez last year, is also running, she confirmed. Ablaza served as chief of staff for District A Councilwoman Helena Brown for four months before resigning to work on the campaign of Texas Supreme Court Justice David Medina. Ablaza, 39, lives in Glenbrook Valley and has lived in District I for 37 years.
Garces doesn’t live in District I yet, but she will next week, when she moves from Humble into a loft on the edge of Glenbrook Valley. That’s just in time to give her the year’s residency requirement to run for the seat.
Garces has seven years of experience in the district as the District I chief of staff, the last five with Rodriguez. She was also chief of staff for Alvarado’s last two-year term. Garces said that through her work she knows all the heads of the civic clubs, is familiar with the capital projects in the pipeline and even knows about the most notorious illegal dumping spots.
Although she hasn’t taken any formal steps and can’t begin raising money for the race until February. She said she expects to use the same political consultant her boss uses. Marc Campos has 40 years of experience in Democratic and Latino politics. The district’s population is 77 percent Latino, the heaviest concentration of Latinos in any of the city’s 11 council districts.
Garces, 32, expects to make a formal announcement of her candidacy by early 2013.
Now that Graci’s name is out there as a candidate, folks will definately be gunning for her. She’ll handle it though and remain poised. Plus, CM Rodriguez and Commentary have her back! Stay tuned?
The ‘Stros now have four sub .500 seasons in a row – ouch! When was the last time the ‘Stros have had four or more sub .500 seasons in a row?
Lisa Falkenberg’s latest column is about “The Revisionaries” and the State Board of Education. Here is how the column starts:
It feels wrong to laugh so often during a documentary about public education.
But how else does one respond to a scene where the former head of the Texas State Board of Education explains how dinosaurs were able to fit on Noah’s Ark? Or the parts where the same guy, Bryan dentist Don McLeroy, quizzes patients about evolution and sings them Bible songs while they sit captive, mouths full of metal tools, in the dentist’s chair?
Here is Lisa’s column.
Don’t forget that the Texas Freedom Network will have a special screening of “The Revisionaries” on Friday, October 12 at the Sundance Theater in Downtown H-Town. This is the documentary about our State Board of Education.
Get your tickets here.
If you want to help Traci Jensen in her race for State Board of Education, go to
www.jensen4stateboard.com.
I don’t know what you can say about the Lite Guv putting a Tea Bagger in charge of the Senate Public Education Committee. Most state capitol observers are saying that the Lite Guv is playing up to the Tea Baggers leading up to 2014. Don’t discount the fact he’s punch drunk over the arse whipping from Ted Cruz.
The beautiful Whitney Lynn Whitmire and the handsome John Travis Jenkins will get married tomorrow evening. They are two special and wonderful people that I am glad I know. Whitney and John are two of the brightest young leaders we have in these parts. Commentary had the pleasure of having John work here for six or seven months back in 2003-2004. John is incredibly talented and knows his baseball. I wish the two nothing but the best and a life of happiness.
I’m sure The Dean is going to be mighty proud when he walks his lovely Whitney down the aisle!
The Chron E-Board today endorsed my old pal Vince Ryan for Harris County Attorney.
Check it out here.
As of yesterday in Harris County, 63,234 have requested mail ballots with 24,803 generated by the GOP and 19,893 by Dems.
Commentary said this yesterday:
Congrats to Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers for winning the Triple Crown with a.330 batting average, 44 dingers, and 139 RBIs! That’s only the fourth Triple Crown ever won during Commentary’s lifetime!
My pal Nef sent this back:
AND THE FIRST LATINO TO EARN IT.
The only other time the team has had four or more sub .500 consecutive seasons was from 1962-1968, when the Colt 45s/‘Stros had seven consecutive sub .500 seasons of course – got it!
‘Stros radio announcers Dave Raymond and Brett Dolan were fired yesterday. Oh well! I guess they’ll be firing Tal’s Hill next. Then they’ll fire the choo-choo train.
FLASH! I finally get what they are doing! The fans have been firing the ‘Stros all season by not showing up to The Yard so the team is letting the fans know that they can fire too! I wonder if they will fire the ugly signage out in left field!
Going into the AL West next year, fans from around these parts are worried about the Rangers and Angels. Well how about them A’s!
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