Gene Locke's English-Spanish Doorhanger

This Gene Locke doorhanger was delivered to a home in Houston's East End. It's in English and Spanish and emphasizes Locke's Latino endorsements.

Someone help me out here. Why would his name barely be mentioned at all, not to mention you have to really search to find the word "Mayor"? It's very text heavy, but that's probably because most of the English text is translated to Spanish.

But, seriously, why so little emphasis on his name and the office he's running for?

I've got most of the text below the doorhanger in case you can't read it.

Those of us who found opportunity in Houston know how important it is to ensure Houston remains a city of opportunity for all.

"Gene Locke's story is the story of what is possible. He has the vision to make that story possible for all of us." --- State Senator Mario Gallegos

"Gene Locke understands 'nuestra communidad.' He grew up with the same values as our community - family, faith and a strong work ethic." --- State Representative Carol Alvarado

"To ensure Houston's prosperity we have to continue the progress we've made. That means bringing Houstonians together to improve he safety and services in our city. Houston will take the next step if we all take it together." --- Gene Locke

Gene Locke will be a Mayor for all Houstonians by helping our city:

Have stronger businesses and more jobs.

(a lot of small text that is hard to read)

Be safer.

(a lot of small text that is hard to read)

Reduce traffic congestion.

(a lot of small text that is hard to read)

Realize a better quality of life.

(a lot of small text that is hard to read)

The election date is on there in large font, with early voting dates in smaller font and a lighter color.

Another Excellent TV Ad From Peter Brown

This time he speaks. Peter (and a narrator) talks directly about his public safety priorities - be tough on crime, be smart about it, more neighborhood policing, and a real time crime center for faster response times. Terrific visuals.

Another great effort by the Peter Brown Campaign. Are y'all seeing Parker's and Brown's commercials on TV?

Here's Greg's opinion. I can tell he's trying not to gush so I won't make fun of him. :)

Texas Democratic Party Houston Campaign Camp!

This Houston camp is geared towards candidates and campaign staff. If that applies to you, know that this is very valuable training! Contact Terrysa Guerra at tguerra@txdemocrats.org or call 512-478-9800 for more information.

Here are the details:

Registration for the Houston Campaign Camp on October 10-11 is now open. To register for this event, please fill out the signup form at http://www.txdemocrats.org/resources/training/mini-camp/.

The Texas Democratic Party is hosting these campaign camps all over the the state. The Camps are designed to train candidates and campaign staff in the fundamentals of campaigns, such as message development, communications methods, fundraising, campaign planning, targeting and how to utilize the latest technology to make your campaign more effective. Each camp is two days long and is scheduled on a weekend.

Courses will be taught by experienced political professionals, providing participants not only the opportunity to learn, but also to network. There will be interactive segments where participants can practice the techniques they have learned and receive feedback.

Registration is required. Registrants who are accepted for participation in each camp will be notified at least 1 week prior to the event for which they have registered. Admission is free for those who are accepted. Reserve your spot today by registering at http://www.txdemocrats.org/resources/training/mini-camp/. The last camp is scheduled for October 17th and 18th in Fort Worth.

Feel free to forward this email to any candidates or campaign staffers you believe would be interested in these trainings. If you have any questions about these events, please contact Terrysa Guerra at tguerra@txdemocrats.org or call 512-478-9800.

Thank you for all you do for our Party.

Sincerely, Boyd Richie Chairman Texas Democratic Party

Annise Parker's Second Ad: Only One

I speculated earlier today that Parker might only have the one ad through Election Day. She proved me wrong. This is a positive ad, showcasing her experience, strengths and plans, and how they make her the best choice for mayor of Houston.

I can't quibble with this ad. It shows the Annise Parker I know - someone who is experienced, prepared, thorough and positive.

While her first ad focused on public safety and general priorities in tough economic times, this one touches on the issues of job creation, energy and crime. What are your thoughts?

This makes three ads for Peter Brown (although I can't find the third one online that was supposed to be released today), two for Parker and zero for Locke.

UPDATE: The Chronicle's Bradley Olson had this to say about the ad:

City Controller Annise Parker released her second ad, "Only One," which she begins with what certainly seems like a subtle swipe at Peter Brown, who observers know is no stranger to the word "plan."

"Leadership means more than plans," she said. "You have to deliver, too.

I don't disagree that she's taking a swipe at Brown, but I am obviously clued into the Mayor's race and after watching the ad 4-5 times, I did not catch that swipe. I have to wonder if the average voter would catch it.

Dos Centavos: Stace likes the ad and comments that "Annise delivered."

Greg notes this second ad looks a lot like the first. I agree and assume they were shot at the same time. Will there be a third in the series?

Blogging the Houston Mayoral Race Part 2: Coby and Kuff

Part One featured Greg, David and Stace. For Part Two, let's look at two of my favorite bloggers who are blogging the Houston mayoral race:

Bay Area Houston - You've heard the phrase "takes the gloves off" when someone quits being nice and gets very pointed and aggressive. I don't think John Cobarruvias, author of BAH, ever puts the gloves on. He goes straight at the fight as is evidenced by his commentary on Gene Locke's Beverly Kaufman robo dial, brown/black coalition, Hispanic Museum promise, and mudflap girl fundraiser invite. John makes his disdain of Roy Morales clear with his post on why Morales bothers to even show up at any forums, with his poor performance at the Latino Mayoral Forum as an example. Cobarruvias is a Parker fan, saying this about her in a Clear Lake Mayoral Forum recap,

Annise just seems to be the complete package. Her experience as Controller brings an enormous advantage considering the realities of the economy, the city budget, and the projects that need to be addressed.

Off the Kuff - My buddy and fellow TexBlog PAC board member, Charles Kuffner, the Godfather of Soul . . . err, the Texas Progressive Blogosphere, writes Off the Kuff as well as a Houston Chronicle blog called Kuff's World. His interviews with the mayoral candidates will be published in October and the good news is that October is almost here! He recently commented on Parker's TV ad (graded is a "B" - note: we all called it Parkers "first" ad, but now I'm wondering if it's her "only" ad through Nov. 3rd). Read all of his mayoral postings at this link, including commentary on polling, endorsements and Brown's ads. Oh, wait. I forgot Roy Morales (as I am wont to do). Kuff blogs him, as well.

Follow these bloggers on Twitter: @bayareahouston and @offthekuff. Follow my Houston mayoral tweets as well - @museblogger.

Beverly Kaufman Robo Dial for Gene Locke

Gene Locke, candidate for mayor of Houston, has Republican Beverly Kaufman, Harris County Clerk, doing a robo dial for him (hear it below).

This is the same Beverly Kaufman who is on record as being against the pre-clearance portion of the Voting Rights Act. Pre-clearance is in place for nine Southern states that have a history of discrimination or suppressing minority voting, including Texas. Here's what she had to say:

One of Blakemore’s clients is Republican Beverly Kaufman. She’s the clerk in Harris County—the largest county in Texas. “This particular aspect [of the Voting Rights Act] isn’t necessary any longer,” she says. “It’s just a self-defeating bureaucratic exercise.”

Huh. I wonder how minority organizations in Texas would respond to that. Actually, I have a pretty good idea how LULAC would respond to that.

Geez, I'm just throwing up my hands. I almost don't even know what to say. Yes, it's a non-partisan race. But, Beverly Kaufman? Democrats, help me out here.

And, yes, she's Blakemore's client. Blakemore is the one responsible for the Redmond attack mailer. His clients include Ken Legler (HD144), Jim Murphy (HD133) and John Davis (HD129). In the John Davis-Sherrie Matula race last year, Blakemore was responsible for the attack piece sent out by Davis' wife.

Hat tip to Charles Kuffner for linking to all of Locke's robo dials.

What am I missing? How does having Beverly Kaufman on your team not drive away Democrats, especially minorities?

Another New TV Ad for Peter Brown

I just got this press release from the Peter Brown campaign about his new ad being unveiled tomorrow. Are you seeing Brown's ads on TV? I don't watch a lot of live TV, but I have seen his "Blueprint" ad several times out here in Sugar Land. The media market is such that folks outside the Houston city limits will see the political ads for Houston municipal candidates.

I blogged Brown's first two ads - "Next Steps" and "Blueprint" - here, as well as his radio ads.

BROWN UNVEILS NEW TELEVISION AD AND EXPANDED PUBLIC SAFETY BLUEPRINT

Houston City Council Member and Candidate for Mayor Peter Brown will hold a press conference Tuesday unveiling his newest television ad “Community.” He’ll also be re-releasing his “Get Tough, Get Smart” Public Safety Blueprint, expanding on the decentralized, results-oriented policing strategy he laid out earlier this summer.

WHO: At-Large City Council Member and Candidate for Mayor Peter Brown

Pastor James Nash, Member of Ministers Against Crime

Pastor Robert Gilmore, Member of Ministers Against Crime

Pastor Carl Matthews, Member of Ministers Against Crime

Brian Burks, Director of Services & Public Safety for the International District; Retired Harris County Sheriff’s Supervisor

Luis Figueroa, Law Enforcement Officer

Philip Nelson, Serves on the Board of Trustees of the Houston Police Patrolmen’s Union; More than thirty years of experience in law enforcement

WHAT: Peter Brown hosts public safety press conference, unveiling his new television ad, "Community," and releasing his expanded "Get Tough, Get Smart" Public Safety Blueprint.

WHEN: Tuesday, September 29th - 11:30 A.M.

WHERE: Higher Dimension Church, 9800 Club Creek Dr., Houston, TX 77036

Houston Controller Race: Pam Holm's First Mailer

@xtinagorczynski posted these photos of Pam Holm's first mailer on Twitter this morning. Pam's got a lot of money to spend on her race - more than Democratic candidate, and term limited At-Large Council member, Ron Green. Pam is a Republican and a term-limited District G City Council member. The third candidate in the Controller's race is Republican MJ Khan, a term limited District F Council member. I think the watchdog on the front is clever. One would almost think it has something to do with BARC, which is in the news in Houston. It also ties into voters' public safety concerns. Use of the word "taxpayer" alerts Republicans that they need to wake up and pay attention to Pam.

Since it's hard to read, here is a recap of the information on the back of the mailer (granted, you can certainly see the word "Conservative" in large font - and you can click on the second photo below to make it larger):

• People are worried about their home values in these tough economic times
• Local government should tighten its belt
• Pam is tough: on Council, she challenged budgets, opposed wasteful spending and fought for transparency
• Qualifications: former school teacher, compliance officer for multi-million dollar investment firm
• Native Houstonian, married her high school sweetheart, married 39 years, has children and grandchildren

I edited out the address on the front of the mailer, which is why that part of it looks strange in this version. Note that it went to a household with strong Democratic voting history.

I'm seeing lots of things in this that will appeal to Republicans and independents. What are your thoughts?

Annise Parker's First Ad - Focus on Priorities

Mayor White practically introduces Annise Parker's first TV ad with this quote from him that was reported in the Houston Chronicle:

“Be sure not to vote for our next mayor based on commitments of more spending in the next two years.”

Parker concludes her ad with this same message, by taking a jab at Gene Locke who has promised a Hispanic Museum along with a Dynamo Stadium.

I agree with Mayor White and Controller Parker. Houston needs to focus on priorities, and safety is clearly always going to be the number one priority.

My quickie analysis: Effective - focuses voters on their number one priority and Parker's ability to deliver on it, as well as tells the truth about the need to focus City spending on priorities.

Peter Brown's Big Blueprint Mailer

Again, if you don't know that Peter Brown has a plan for "an even better Houston", where have you been? Not watching TV, listening to the radio, or reading your mail apparently.

I was at a Houston voter's house on Tuesday evening and what do I see on the kitchen counter but Peter's blueprint - mailed to her - all eight pages, each page 8 1/2 x 11.

First impressions were that, wow, OK, he really does have a plan and here it is. I wonder how such a big piece with so much information got treated by other folks that received it. Did they throw it away after a glance (which is what happens to so much political mail) or did it look significant enough that folks at least set it aside for reading later?

I'm not patient enough to read so much text on a candidate mailer. I flipped through it, caught a few messages here and there, and set it aside. I got the overall impression that there's a plan with real details and that Brown is not just about soundbites.

I also thought, "Holy moly, how much did this cost per mailer, how much was the postage per piece and how many people did they send it to?$?$"

Believe it or not, there's a section on his website with even more detail about the blueprint.

Did you receive this mailer? What are your thoughts after getting it at home or seeing it here online?

I've said this before and it's worth repeating:

Peter Brown's goal is to beat expectations and find everyone but him surprised when he is in the December runoff.

Considering he's the only one with mail (two pieces), TV (are we up to three ads now?) and radio, I would imagine that at this point, fewer and fewer people would be surprised by that.

UPDATE: Just read Greg's eval of the mailer, and to borrow a phrase from him, he gushes.

Houston Campaign Videos - Stephen Costello for At-Large 1

Candidates for Municipal Office in the City of Houston - If you have created a campaign video - whether it's going on TV or not - send me a link and I'll post it here on my blog (email me at museblogger@gmail.com). I got info this morning about Stephen Costello's video -he's running for At-Large, Position 1 - and I think it is terrific. It's personal, so you get to know the candidate a little bit, and it's positive. The "running" connection between his marathon activities and his running for office works for me. He's very clear at the end why he's running and what he wants to do for Houston as a City Council member. Watch it here, and then tell me what you think in the comments!

Who Is Blogging The Houston Mayoral Race? Part 1

As I'm sure you can tell, I'm having a ball following the Houston mayoral candidates. The three frontrunners all have qualities I admire, so that makes it a little difficult to tear into them when I see missteps, but it's hard to resist when this race is so important to the future of our region. And, I'll say this again - I've been terribly impressed to see from the get go how much each one of them wants it and how hard they are working to earn votes.

When I talk about the frontrunners, I'm talking about Annise Parker, Peter Brown and Gene Locke. Yes, I will avoid mentioning Roy Morales, for the most part. I've been there and done that with him. Making fun of him at this point is like kicking around a kitten, and who wants to do that. Yuk. Helpless.

There are some other terrific bloggers reporting on the mayor's race - too many for one post, so here is Part One:

Greg's Opinion: Greg Wythe asked that all the mayoral campaigns put their mail pieces up on the internet and one campaign responded - Peter Brown. Of course, that may be because Peter's the only one with mail. We'd all love to comment on the many TV ads from the campaigns, but (again) since Brown is the only one on TV, Greg is doing a great job covering whatever free media exposure they are all getting. Greg is also going to be a good one to watch anytime you are wondering what the number crunching looks like. When the rest of us (OK, just me) get too lazy to do the math, we ask Greg, and turns out he's already done the work.

David Ortez: There's a new, talented, articulate blogger in Houston - yay! David claims he's getting too busy studying for the LSAT to blog much (sad!) but when he does post on the mayor's race, it's always a must read. He's been keeping track of who is running a mobile campaign, and even took this photo of what happens when you sign up for Brown's mobile campaign. I like his analysis of Brown's ads, maybe because we are in agreement! He was the only one evaluating the campaigns' social media strategies early on, where he gave the advantage to Parker. I first took notice of David when he participated in Gene Locke's social media summit. Here's a YouTube of his reaction to that event. Please put down those law books and post more often, David!

DosCentavos: Oh, my. It was this post that caused the Houston Chronicle to take notice of Stace Medellin. Stace, John and I were at the Latino Mayoral Debate where Gene Locke stated that when he was mayor there would be a Hispanic museum. Three paragraphs of that blog post made it into Bradley Olson's Chron blog. I was a little surprised that Locke's senior consultant from OUT OF TOWN, Kim Devlin, took this shot at Stace over those three paragraphs:

Medellin is only trying to deflect attention from the candidate he's endorsed trying to buy a grassroots endorsement for herself.

I'm just now connecting the dots here and am thinking why is it OK for an out of town person to go negative on one of our local bloggers and practically accuse him of being bought and had by Parker, but it's not OK for out of town Annie's List to go negative on Locke? Hmm. Anyway, Stace has blogged prolifically about the mayor's race including posting the great photos he took at Parker's filing rally, keeping the candidates accountable for their promises, and analyzing the poll numbers.

Follow these bloggers on Twitter: @gregwythe, @davidortez and @2centavos. I'll be back with more in Part Two soon.

Negative Attack Goes Circular in Houston

For those of you who don't live in the Houston metro area, I almost feel sorry for you. You're missing one great political show - The Amazing Race: Mayor of Houston. We've got NPR visiting us this week, telling us we have 5.7 million people spread over 10,000 square miles. Really? That's all? Oh, and they noticed we have "sprawl." Anyway. Just saying we are big, Bill White is term limited and we've got us a race for mayor going on.

The race has been simmering all summer. We started out on a very high road, with three strong candidates - Peter Brown, Gene Locke and Annise Parker. They all seemed so talented - in different ways. Annise with her experience and knowledge. Peter with his talk about bringing all stakeholders to the table. Gene, the civil rights fighter with tons of smarts. All very similar on the issues - and it was so comforting to know that Houston would be in good hands no matter how this played out.

Things heated up as the summer progressed. I heard Gene Locke say, "when I'm Mayor, we'll have a Hispanic Museum" at the Hispanic Summit. I thought, "how do you pay for a promise like that?" The folks I was sitting with heard "pandering." Peter vacationed in France, while the other two trudged around to forum after forum. Annise Parker, who has won city-wide six times, and Roy Morales, who has been beaten badly city-wide three times, ended up in a statistical dead heat in a poll. Things got ramped up when news of Locke's promise of a black-brown coalition in an endorsement screening hit the blogosphere.

But, now we have everyone scurrying around looking in their underwear drawer for their big boy and big girl panties. Apparently, it's a surprise to some that Labor Day has passed and the no holds barred campaigning season has begun. Annie's List - a progressive, state-wide organization with the mission of electing more Democratic women to office - fired a heat seeking missile right at Gene Locke, accusing him of not respecting women.

Locke, apparently not enjoying that someone rehashed his firing of his finance director the week she was undergoing breast cancer treatment - and that the tacky stripper club fundraiser flyer got wide exposure - fired back with this:

I don't think there is any place in this campaign for third-party groups from out of town to come in and lob personal attacks at any of the candidates. I call on the other candidates to join me in disavowing all such attacks and calling for an end to smear campaigns.

While technically, Annie's List is located out of town - their offices are in Austin - they are a statewide organization and they are supporting Annise Parker.

Then, Peter Brown, not wanting to be left out, put his hand up and waved it frantically and said, "look at me! look at me!" or rather:

I look forward to Mr. Locke's condemnation of the so-called Houstonians for Responsible Growth's negative and misleading attacks on my record. Furthermore, I look forward to Mr. Locke calling on this group, which is backing him, not to make any more negative comments intended to mislead voters on my positions.

Then, Sue Davis with the Parker campaign chimed in with:

Annie's List, however, raised legitimate questions based on Mr. Locke's own words, actions and record.

And, so we circle back around to where we began - the Annie's List attack on Locke based on oppo research.

I have a questions for campaigns crying foul over negative attacks: Which campaign paid for the negative push polling on Annise Parker a few weeks ago that had ugly questions about sexual identity? Someone want to own up to taking negative attacks straight to the voters by phone?

The reality is that the race for Mayor of Houston is serious. We are talking about electing someone who will likely be in office for six years, wielding tremendous power. But, I gotta say, lately it's been highly entertaining.

And if you run into Peter, Gene or Annise at Super Target, be helpful and point to the underwear aisle. Chances are they are stocking up on big boy and big girl panties, on their way to yet another forum (or not).

Early voting begins on Oct. 19th and Election Day is Nov. 3rd. Runoff? Sometime in December.

Peter Brown's Supporter List Problem

Brad Olson's reporting of Gene Locke accusing Peter Brown of putting thirty of Locke's supporters on his endorsement list took me back in time to 2007. Matt Stiles reported that Brown's name was on both Jolanda Jones' and Joe Trevino's supporter lists for the 2007 At-Large 5 runoff. Brown's response to Stiles:

I (Stiles) just called Brown to ask, and he said he's endorsing BOTH candidates. No kidding: "We've got two good candidates there," he said. "I realize that's a little unconventional."

Yeah, no kidding. Most elected officials just stay out of the endorsement game when they are supportive of more than one candidate. And, I'm pretty sure that's not what the Locke campaign assumes happened with the thirty folks they think are theirs. From Olson's report:

Are you a Peter Brown supporter? Wait, don't answer too fast. You may be and just not really know it, especially if you appear on this list on his Web site.

Take Greg Compean, for instance, owner of the Compean Funeral Home, who has never supported Brown in any race, or given him money, and happens to be an active Gene Lockesupporter. Or Tyra Burks, who works for Locke. Or Tony Chase, Locke's co-finance chair. Or Wea Lee, who is hosting a fundraiser for Locke. Or Edgardo Colon, an attorney and immediate past chairman of the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, who hasn't officially endorsed anyone in the race.

Let's take another trip down memory lane . . . It's a little hard for me to forget when Brown agreed to be on Sherrie Matula's public supporter list, and then very publicly showed up at her opponent's fundraiser which featured special guest Karl Rove.

So, maybe Brown thinks it's the norm to be publicly supportive of opposing candidates - when - no big revelation here - it is not the norm.

I do know for a fact that some early supporters of one mayoral candidate have switched their allegiance to another - across all three Democratic candidates. I doubt that is the reason Locke has found so many of his supposed supporters on Brown's list. But, it may be one reason why Locke does not have a supporter list on his website, other than endorsing organizations.

I'm not finding Lucinda Guinn's (Brown's campaign manager) response to Olson very convincing:

Peter Brown has a diverse group of supporters including three of the most prominent African American ministers who are currently running a radio ad on behalf of our campaign. This has obviously caused some panic within Mr. Locke's campaign. It is very telling as far as which candidate is better qualified to be mayor, that on a day Peter Brown released his detailed plan for bringing more good-paying jobs to Houston, Mr. Locke has chosen to engage in a petty argument over online supporter lists. So let's be clear: Peter Brown is focusing on boosting our economy while Gene Locke is focusing on whether or not online supporter lists have been updated. We're not going to engage in this petty, negative and unproductive back and forth with Mr. Locke. We're going to continue to talk about our plans to strengthen Houston's economy.

Come on. Why not tell Olson you are going to look into this, and if you find you've made mistakes, you'll take the names down.

My question for you: are you on Peter Brown's endorsement list and don't know it? Check the list here and let me know. For what's it worth, I found my name on Brown's list early on - and had not given them permission to do so. No one from the Brown campaign had ever asked me about it one way or the other. I have no idea what caused them to put my name on their list. It took two calls, but they did take it off.

Here's Peter Brown's First Mail Piece

I mentioned in my Air/Mail: Advantage Peter Brown post that I had seen Brown's first mail piece. Thanks to the Brown campaign for posting that piece online in response to my blog post and in response to Greg's request that all the mayoral campaigns put their mail online so that the pieces get wider exposure.

As I said, this is a large piece - 17x11 folded - and has the look, feel and messaging of his website and multimedia. I like the repeating of Brown's logo, clear messaging about an even better Houston, three main understandable points, info about Election Day, and invitation to join on Brown's Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. There's also info on how to text to join their mobile campaign.

I have no idea who the Brown campaign targeted to receive this first mailer, other than I know a friend with mixed R and D primary history got the piece, as well as a friend who is as liberal as they come.

What do you think about this first mail piece to go out from any of the Houston mayoral candidates?

Air/Mail: Advantage Peter Brown?

While the two frontrunners in the Houston mayoral race appear to many to be Parker and Locke, I wouldn't discount Peter Brown. As far as I know, he's the first one to send out mail. I saw a mailer from him - large, 17x11, folded - that was quite good. It had the same look and feel as his website and commercials - very positive and focused on his experience and building a better Houston. He's got money, he's clearly got a good campaign team, but does he have dedicated supporters in enough mass to gain a place in the runoff?

His air game is on TV and radio where he does a great job emphasizing his strengths - he's experienced, trusted by community leaders, committed to diversity and bringing people together, and he has a plan for an even better Houston.

His first TV ad is one I call "On Point", but he calls "Next Steps":

His second ad he calls "Blueprint" and I call it "Blueprint", as well! If it's not clear by now that Peter Brown has a blueprint for an even better Houston, it's not for lack of trying to make it clear here: He's got two great radio ads, one with the Reverend Bill Lawson: And one with Bishop James Dixon, Pastor DZ Cofield and Reverend Bill Lawson:

The ministers, emphasis on diversity and trust - you can't beat that.

KTRK, Ch. 13, is running video from the campaigns on various issues. The first round was on the economy. Peter's video was panned by my friend Greg, but I liked it, probably because it focused on Kingwood. The oft-ignored Kingwood votes are worth fighting for and it's good to see a campaign acknowledge a far flung part of Houston. With Brown having good, professional ads on TV already, it strikes me as OK to have a homemade feel to his video on the economy.

I have no doubt we'll soon see mail and TV from the Locke and Parker campaigns, but if their polling looks good right now, the bulk of that might wait until a runoff, where it will game on for every vote. Peter Brown's goal is to beat expectations and find everyone but him surprised when he is in the December runoff.

Online Mayoral Poll Closes At Midnight Tonight!

Vote for your choice for mayor in the poll to the right! Voting closes at midnight tonight. It's not scientific, but it's fun - gives the fervent supporters a place to cast their vote early! A reminder about the actual voting dates:

Early voting begins Monday, October 19th and continues through Friday, Oct. 30th. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3rd. Need a mail ballot? Apply for one by Tuesday, October 27th. Go to harrisvotes.com for information about registering to vote, mail ballots and voting locations and times!