We asked this year's candidates for Houston City Council what they
think about several transportation policy issues that affect neighborhoods.
Most questions included background information. Our questions and
the candidates' responses are presented in six sections:
The I-69 Alliance, currently chaired by Robert Eckels, is a private
organization whose sole purpose is to advance and expedite construction
of Interstate 69 along the US-59 corridor, from northeast Texas to the
Rio Grande Valley. The I-69 Alliance lobbies every level of government
and has worked to change state and federal legislation to expedite
I-69 projects. Each year, the City of Houston pays $30,000 in membership
dues to the Alliance.
If tax dollars are used to fund an organization, the public should
be entitled to a complete disclosure of the organization's activities
and a full accounting of how the money is spent.
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| Q6a: Support City funding of project-specific lobbying? |
Q6b: Support full public disclosure of expenses? |
| Mayor |
| Anthony Dutrow |
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| Jack Terence |
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| Bill White (I) |
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| At large #1 |
Peter Brown |
In some cases that may be appropriate - not in this one. |
Yes, and formal public hearings as well. Citizens should have a real voice in how our transportation dollars are spent, and how they affect our quality of life. |
Michael Griffin |
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Rogelio Morales |
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| At large #2 |
Hipolito Acosta |
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Jay Aiyer |
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John Elford |
Yes |
Yes |
Sue Lovell |
I support using city tax dollars to lobby for projects that benefit the city. |
Yes, absolutely. |
James B. Neal |
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| At large #3 |
Shelley Sekula-Gibbs (I) |
The City of Houston participates in numerous projects, including transportation projects like I-69. |
Access to records and disclosure of spending and revenues seems appropriate. |
James Partsch-Galvan |
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| At large #4 |
| Ronald Green (I) |
Yes. This type of expenditure is very similar to lobbying the State legislature to support a bill that opposes toll road construction without public input. |
Yes. I think that transparency is essential to maintain the focus of groups such as the I-69 Alliance. |
| At large #5 |
| Michael Berry (I) |
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| Michael Stoma |
Yes. |
Yes. |
| District A |
| Toni Lawrence (I) |
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| Dennis Carter |
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| District B |
| Tommie Ruth Allen |
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| Angle Bush |
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| Felicia Galloway-Hall |
I would have to conduct further research to know specifically what this $30,000 membership fee entails. |
Yes. |
| Robin German-Curtis |
I need more information concerning City support for this activity. |
Yes. |
| Anna Gray |
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| Willie J. Hunter |
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| Charles Ingram |
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| Jarvis Johnson |
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| District C |
| Anne Clutterbuck |
No. |
Yes. |
| Brian Cweren |
If it helps Houston, Houston neighborhoods and Houston residents, yes. |
Most definitely! |
| George Hittner |
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| Ray Jones |
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| Mark Lee |
Yes |
Yes |
| Herman Litt |
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| Judith Siverson |
I would not support spending $30,000 for membership dues to the I-69 Alliance. |
Absolutely Yes! I have a long track record of supporting full disclosure from all organizations. Moreover, I have not accepted endorsements or donations from individuals or companies involved in transportation projects. |
| District D |
| Ada Edwards (I) |
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| District E |
| Addie Wiseman (I) |
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| District F |
| Khalid Khan |
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| M.J. Khan (I) |
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| John Shike |
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| District G |
| Pam Holm (I) |
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| District H |
| Adrian Garcia (I) |
Yes, I-69 is important for our state and getting it done is a priority. However, as I have indicated transparency in public projects is a must for me. |
See my previous answer. |
| Larry Williams |
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| District I |
| Carol Alvarado (I) |
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| John Parras |
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Last updated Fri Nov 4, 2005.
