Who is running for Houston City Controller?

September 20, 2023

When you need someone to address a legal issue, hire an attorney. When you need someone to run a $6 Billion city budget, hire an accountant. –Book of Common Sense Vol II.

The Houston City Controller: “serves as the City’s chief financial officer, certifies the availability of funds prior to City Council approval of City commitments, processes and monitors disbursements exceeding one billion dollars annually, invests the City’s funds, conducts internal audits of the City’s departments and federal grant programs, operates and maintains its financial management system, conducts the sale of public improvement and revenue bonds and produces an Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR).”

Unlike the Harris County District Attorney’s Office the Controller’s office is not in the news. The staff isn’t revolting. No one is calling for a make over. No one is calling for a change in leadership or direction. City Council Members and candidates say the budget is in good shape, but there are challenges coming in 2026 when the last of the COVID money runs out. Overall the office is in great shape.

There are 4 candidates running to replace Controller Chris Brown who is term limited. Three of them are accountants. One is an attorney.

Let’s weed out a couple.
Chris Hollins. Chris is a personal injury attorney. He has little experience for the job of Controller especially when compared to the other candidates. He initially decided to run for Mayor, another office he had little experience for, especially compared to his major challenger, Senator John Whitmire. He eventually quit once Sheila Jackson Lee entered the race. Chris is counting on his status as an up and coming, young, progressive to get elected as Controller, yet the bottom line is that there are much better candidates with applicable educational and job experience. Of the four candidates he is the least qualified for the job. Chris should be using his talents for an office with “attorney” behind the office title, such as City Attorney, District Attorney, or maybe County Attorney when Christian Menefee runs for Attorney General.

Orlando Sanchez. Orlando has served for 6 years as a City Council Member and assigned to the Budget Committee. He was elected to the office of County Treasurer and served for 3 terms. He has the experience but is lacking in fundraising and interest. Orlando seems to be interested in pushing extreme right wing agendas in an office that is non-partisan. I personally discount his run because of that. We do not need this type of leadership especially when we have two excellent candidates, Nobles and Martin running.

The Contenders:
Shannon Nobles. Shannon is my favorite. She graduated from the University of Houston with advance degrees in accounting and finance. She has worked for the Controller’s office for 20 years. She started by being assigned to work with specific Council Members concerning the budget. Under Ron Green she was appointed to Deputy Director for 8 years and under Chris Brown she was appointed to Deputy Controller for 8 years. Shannon can easily do the job because she has been doing the job. No one in the race has direct applicable experience in the job as Shannon has. This is what she does. This is what she studied for in college. This is what she has excelled at for her entire career. She is the most qualified candidate running for the office.

City Council Member Dave Martin. CM Martin is tough competition for Shannon. Martin also has an educational background in accounting and finance. He has worked for major accounting firms such as PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP, and Ernst & Young, LLP prior to joining City Council. He has been elected to the Humble ISD assigned to lead their finance committee. He worked with the Harris County Houston Sports Authority (HCHSA) where he was also Chairman of the Board Finance Committee. When elected to City Council he was appointed by Mayor Turner to lead the Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee. As with Shannon, Martin lives and breaths accounting and could easily lead this office.

For Houston City Controller, vote for an accountant.


Move Review: A Million Miles Away

September 20, 2023

It’s a great one!

A Million Miles Away tells the story of Jose Hernandez, a migrant turned Astronaut. Hernandez is played by Michael Pena. It’s an amazing story of Hernandez coming to America as a child with his family to work the fields in California and eventually being picked by NASA to fly as a mission specialist on the Shuttle.

At times it’s a bit corny and there are scenes at Johnson Space Center that are not at Johnson Space Center but most people will never know that. Hernandez has a cameo appearance in the movie. It’s a great movie to kick off Hispanic Month.

BTW. Hernandez wife, Adela, opened a restaurant across the street from JSC Credit Union outside the north gate of JSC. My club would have weekly lunches there. We loved Adela!

If you have Amazon Prime, take some time to watch it.


Senate Republicans. No Morals. No Marbles. No Manhood.

September 18, 2023

As I have said. The new GOP. The Gang Of Pussies.

They aren’t laughing with you. They are laughing at you. This is who they are. The Republican Senators couldn’t find an ounce of intelligence, or morals, or a pair of balls to do the right thing, the obvious thing. Instead they let the biggest crook in the history of the Texas Attorney Generals office off the hook. They couldn’t hold him to the highest standard the office demands. They couldn’t hold him to the highest standard the Bible demands. They couldn’t hold him accountable because they were afraid of being kicked in the balls by those who control them, their donors.

They have been officially neutered. Paxton will return to office to fire some more people and continue screwing his mistress. Tony Buzbee will run for Houston City Council. Lt Governor Dan Patrick will take the $3 Million he received from a Paxton PAC, Defend Texas Liberty, and start an investigation of those in the house who brought the charges to the Senate.

As I said in the past, they were never going to have the balls, the moral fortitude to do the right thing. Today the Republican Party leaders are just a bunch of low life, lying, cheating, stealing, adulterer sympathizer, excuse making, rotten bunch of fucking bastards. They will let Paxton off.

What an incredibly fucked up, spineless, immoral, stupid, ignorant, lawless, party of pussies.


Bay Area’s Senator, Money Mayes Middleton a Khristian, Konservative, Koward

September 17, 2023
Paxton’s Mistress, Laura Olson

What a fucking coward.

Spare me the “praise Jesus” crap Senator. You not only turned your back to corruption, you turned your back on christian values. You are nothing but a coward. Just a big fucking coward.

Middleton voted against every single article of impeachment even though the evidence was clear, crystal fucking clear on many of them, not all, but many especially illegally hiring a “special prosecutor”. I watched the entire trial and out of all the articles this one was clear. It was no contest and every Senator should have voted to remove him from office but only 2 did.

Money Mayes Middleton doesn’t have a single christian bone in his fucked up body. He is a CHINO, Christian in Name Only. A hypocrite. A republican. This is who they are. Maybe Middleton is also having an affair. I wouldn’t be surprised.

I hope one day I can tell him to his face.


Welcome Back Party to be held for Paxton at OAG office

September 17, 2023

This should be fun!

The staff at the Texas Attorney’s Office are planning a welcome back party for Attorney General Ken Paxton after he was acquitted of 16 impeachment charges. According to his personal scheduler, who asked not to be identified, “I am so thrilled he is coming back. We will have a big cake for every staff member to enjoy.”

“I urge everyone in the office to sign the card with your name and phone number to show General Paxton that you actually showed up. Otherwise he might retaliate and fire your ass.”


LEAKED! Talking points released for Ken Paxton’s acquittal

September 15, 2023

Seriously, what kind of idiot would do this?

After watching the majority of the Paxton impeachment I believe the defense is going to focus on the lack of evidence concerning the bribery charge. If the Senators acquit Paxton they will walk out and tell the media that they couldn’t prove their case concerning bribery and they will focus on that and that only. But just in case here are some other talking points for the Senate GOP (Group Of Pussies):


Recap: Day seven of the Paxton Impeachment trial

September 15, 2023

I have to agree. They have nothing. Almost. The Texas Tribune had a very short recap here. (even they were bored)

The most drama moment in the trial was Tony Buzbee saying the defense rests. The rest was boring and I’m not even sure what the defense was trying to do beside bore the shit out of the jurors.

The prosecution needs to prove only 1 of 20 articles of impeachment for Paxton to be removed from office. From what I watched, and I watched much of the trial, the issue of hiring of Brandon Cammack to conduct that bogus investigation is the one that is easy to understand and was pretty clear. He should go down for that alone. Luckily he has a bunch of Senators who are afraid of their shadow and will let him off.

The defense rested their defense of Paxton with time to spare to call more witnesses. I was wondering who they were going to find to actually come to the defense of Paxton. They found a couple that did their best to bore the crap out of the jury. They did their job.

Closing arguments begin today.


Shut up Mealer.

September 14, 2023

You lost. Quit whining.


Recap: Day seven of the Paxton Impeachment trial

September 14, 2023

It wasn’t the best day for the prosecution. The Texas Tribune has a great recap.

We were introduced to House lawyer Erin Epley yesterday. She was awesome. Fast, flowing and she took no shit from Oompa Loompa Tony Buzbee. The House should just let her close out the prosecution’s case because Rusty Hardin continues to be just plain awful.

The day focused on Paxton’s personal assistant, Drew Wicker, who was “like a son” to Paxton’s wife. He threw his dad under the bus but didn’t seem to enjoy it. He struggled to provide evidence that Nate Paul paid for Paxton’s home remodeling. Personally I thought this article of impeachment was going to be hard to prove, giving the Senators an out for voting to let him off by focusing on just one of the 20 articles of impeachment. That’s how they will justify their vote to the media and constituents. Focus only on one article of impeachment.

We also heard from his scheduler. He was clearly pissed. He filed suit against Paxton after being fired and refused to participate in a settlement. He didn’t want money. He wanted a public apology from Paxton and an acknowledgment that those who went to the FBI were not “rogue” attorneys. This was yet another strong, right wing, republican witness against Paxton.

Paxton’s mistress was waiting in the capitol to testify but was released after she said she would be taking the fifth. Rusty Hardin announced that the House had rest its case. He later realized he made a mistake.

Senators will probably start deliberations late Friday. They only need to rule in favor of 1 out of 20 articles to remove Paxton from office.


Recap: Day six of the Paxton Impeachment trial

September 13, 2023

Used and abused. The Texas Tribune has an excellent recap here.

Paxton should be removed from office just for what he did to this young attorney who testified yesterday. One of the impeachment charges is that Paxton used his office to help a private citizen, Nate Paul. Brandon Cammack, an attorney from Houston, was hired by Paxton, even after his entire staff refused to do so, to investigate an issue on behalf of Paul. Cammack did the best he could with the incredible opportunity provided by Paxton. In the end Paxton and his new second in command, Brent Webster, took Cammack away from the Attorney Generals office, to a Starbucks, and fired him. They also told him he would have to “eat it” when he asked about being paid $14,000 for his time he spent on the investigation. Then they left him there to find his own way back to his car at the AGs office.

What an incredible dick. I actually felt sorry for the guy. Seriously who the fuck does that? Paxton had interviewed another attorney, former U.S. Attorney Joe Brown who had incredible credentials and experience. Instead Paxton personally hired Cammack, 5 years out of law school, who had never prosecuted a criminal case. Why? Because Paxton could control Cammack. Brown would have probably stopped any investigation Paxton sent him on and contacted the FBI. Cammack’s inexperience pushed him to issue 29 subpoenas even though he had no “badge” or paperwork giving him the authority and title of “Special Prosecutor”.

One of the attorneys who received a subpoena called the staff of Paxton and asked about Cammack. The staff had no idea that Cammack had been hired. They immediately had all the subpoenas squashed and sent a cease and desist order to Cammack. Cammack refused to move forward as he should have.

Paxton then invited him to have a cup of coffee.