Responses to the 21 Questions

21 Questions for the Houston Mayoral Candidates was a set a questions that I composed with the help of some close friends to get to know the next Mayor of the City of Houston.

The questions were short yet insightful as they had the potential to give someone unfamiliar with the candidates an interesting introduction to the next mayor. There is no right or wrong answer to the questions. I was only expecting truthful answers that were prepared by the candidates and not some staff members.

Out of the four candidates that I mailed via first class mail and email … only one did not respond nor acknowledge the questionnaire. I was greatly disappointed by Roy Morales for not taking advantage of this situation. I can confidently disclose now that I do not intended to vote nor endorse Morales.

Roy Morales’ lack of initiative has perplexed me. His tardiness to the debate at Texas Southern University hosted by the Texas Business Alliance did not leave a good first impression. I have attempted to contact his campaign numerous times but have failed to reach a human being. If Morales’s does not win, it is not because he may not be qualified but because he does not seem to care to win.

Now, that I have shared that perspective on one of the four candidates … the other three continue to impress me. These candidates are highly qualified and exhibit the initiative to become the next mayor of Houston. In my opinion … Houston will be lucky no matter who wins.

Now to the questions …

I was surprised that two out of the three candidates chose John F. Kennedy for question 17. My favorite contemporary president is John F. Kennedy. Although, Annise Parker made it clear that she does not have a favorite “in a sense of wanting to emulate,” she did admire his “call to service” which coincidentally is the reason behind Peter Brown’s justification for choosing Kennedy. President Kennedy “inspired a generation of bright, talented young people to get involved in service to our country” and I concur with Brown.

The motivational phrases from the candidates were inspiring. I did enjoy the tidbit of additional info that Parker disclosed as she claimed that her “quote is taped to [her] computer at work.” Locke was also descriptive and informed us that his quote originated “from a rural preacher in East Texas.”

All the candidates have an interesting fact that most people would never know about them if it were not for question 10. Locke loves to cook, Parker can milk a cow and is a “capable marksman” and Brown owns a Smart car.

The pet question was quite fun. Locke was the only candidate that did not own a pet but that is okay … remember there is no right or wrong. I was captivated by the background information that Brown and Parker disclosed on how they obtained their pets. Did you know Brown owns bunnies and Parker has 5 cats and is only one that answered the latter part of the question.

Question 18 was an interesting question in retrospect. As I read all three candidates responses, I realized that they answered the question in a polished manner … yet they made it clear that they would manage any obstacles that shall arise. Brown was clear that he intends to “build on Bill White’s successes” and did a great job at explaining his reasoning for that approach.

Of course there are many more questions and answers but I will not spoil it for you. I have converted the answers into a PDF for your viewing pleasure. I did not edit nor alter any answers. What you see is what I got … the campaigns have every right to change their answers if they see fit.

I would liked to thank the Gene Locke, Annise Parker and Peter Brown campaigns for responding to the 21 questions and providing us with the unique opportunity to learn a little more about the next mayor of Houston.

What was your favorite response? Were you surprised by any answer? Did you learn something new from any of the candidates?