Mayor Pothole

Yes, Mayor Pothole really IS this big an idiot
Mayor Pothole, Looking Good

My goodness, Chron columnist Rachel Graves is critical of Mayor Pothole:

Four months into Mayor Lee Brown's final term, optimism among his supporters that his bruising near-defeat last year would spur him into being a better mayor has wilted.

Instead, disappointed supporters and jaded critics say Brown, already known for lackluster political and communication skills, has even less sway now than in his first four years as mayor.

The term-limited mayor has largely turned his attention to a heavy schedule of official travel and, some critics say, exacting revenge on those who have crossed him.

"He's out the door," said Bob Stein, a political science professor at Rice University and husband of Marty Stein, Brown's agenda director. After the hard work of the campaign, Stein added, "he's now looking to rest."

When Brown squeaked back into office in December after a nasty runoff against former City Councilman Orlando Sanchez, political observers said the mayor could hardly miss the message from voters. It was clear to many that Houstonians were fed up with streets-turned-construction zones, budget snafus and a mayor who ceded too much authority to his department heads.

"It was a very direct personal statement on his tenure in office," City Councilwoman Annise Parker, an ally of the mayor's, said recently of the election results.

To save his legacy, supporters said, Brown would have to roll up his sleeves and tackle city problems, especially in the beleaguered Public Works and Engineering Department.

Brown, who beat Sanchez with 52 percent of the vote, saw the election as something else entirely -- an attempt by the Republican Party to install a Hispanic conservative as mayor of Houston. He said in an interview last week that there was no backlash against the way he had governed the city for four years.

"My style has been my style forever, and I've had a pretty decent career," Brown said. "My style got me elected three times. I'll keep my style."

The election behind him, Brown is visibly more relaxed as mayor, smiling and cracking frequent jokes.

But more than half a dozen council members, political consultants and other City Hall observers said Brown is increasingly isolated, turning his attention to the parts of being mayor he enjoys, such as international trade missions and speaking to children, instead of taking on tough issues.

"The mayor believes he's done a great job and that 57 percent of the people voted wrong" during the Nov. 6 general election that forced him into a runoff, said one political adviser to the mayor, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "A lot of the mayor's strong supporters hoped that he would loosen up and reach out more after the election. But that doesn't appear to be the case."

No, it does not appear to be the case. It hasn't been the case for four-and-a-half years (Mayor Pothole's tenure).

Chron columnist Thom Marshall is not impressed with the sorry state of public works described in a Tuesday Chron column that we noted here:

Last week some of us got together here and complained about a number of school-zone lights that needed repair. Some had been on the fritz for quite some time, and we wondered why city workers hadn't noticed.

Public Works spokesman Wes Johnson said 47 reports from volunteer school-zone light inspectors were investigated. Of those, 24 needed repairs, a couple were not within the city limits and the remainder were not broken.

"I think it interesting that almost half of those reported were working per the school officials' instructions but not to the general public's expectations," said Johnson.

That is interesting. It also is completely understandable since, as many volunteers pointed out, there are no signs noting the times the 20 mph zone speed limit is in effect.

"When in doubt, please call 311," Johnson said.

Signs would be better.

I think the most interesting thing about the situation is that two dozen school-zone lights would be out of order just a few months after one of Mayor Brown's opponents in the last campaign made an issue of this very problem.

Of course, the mayor is term-limited, so what's he care about busted school-zone lights? He's away on trips much of the time anyway. Out-of-Town Brown.

That 311 number for people to call with complaints could be a good thing to fall back on when a problem gets overlooked, but it should not be the only force driving our municipal maintenance machine. What a plan: Fix problems after citizens call and raise Cain about them.

Such negative commentary from the Chron about the mayor they helped elect!

After all, the Chron endorsed the idiot in the last election.

So maybe the Chron should criticize themselves a bit?

Yeah, right.

[Posted at 21:01 CST on 05/01/02] [Link]