HOUSTON: Incumbents go down in council races

By Andrew Wellner
Frontiersman
Published on Tuesday, October 7, 2008 10:45 PM AKDT

HOUSTON — Not one Houston city council incumbent survived against challengers Tuesday, and most who won seats did so handily.

Unofficial results posted on the city’s Web site Tuesday night showed four new faces will come to the seven-member council, in which candidates all run for at-large seats.

In the race for Seat B, Paul Stout, a software engineer appointed to take over the seat vacated when mayor Steve Frost resigned earlier this year, lost to challenger Ruth Blanchard 107-73. Blanchard is a previous councilmember and an employee of Houston Lodge.

The incumbent in the race for Seat C, retiree and former Petersburg city councilman Ralph Buzard, lost 91-61 to challenger Natasha Rife. Rife is an employee at Spenard Builders Supply in Houston. A third candidate, Joseph Stanistreet, took 26 votes.

In the race for Seat A, held by departing councilwoman and mayor Sandy McDonald, fireworks impresario Griz Smith lost to special education assistant and Mat-Su Borough School District employee Virgie Thompson 127-51.

Seat D, which is to be vacated by councilman Glen Tilghman, went to retired Army officer Lance Wilson, who ran unopposed. That race also saw the highest number of write-in votes, with 12, as opposed to two in the other three races.

Once the results are certified, Thompson and Blanchard will serve until 2011. Rife and Wilson will see their terms expire in 2009.

Comments

13 comment(s)

    CITY LIMITS wrote on Nov 17, 2008 8:37 PM:

    " ALWAYS
    THE PEOPLE GET THE GOVERNANCE THEY DESERVE

    IN THIS CASE INACTION FROM THE PUBLIC BEGETS A CORRUPT STYLE OF GOVERNANCE

    WE CAN ONLY BLAME OURSLEVES
    NEXT TIME GET INVOLVED- GET LOUD! "

    mom in houston wrote on Oct 10, 2008 8:32 PM:

    " We have a chance to make improvements to our community. You folks that don't want parks, don't think that our kids matter, don't want local jobs, you lost! We won......our kids count, our grandkids count and if there is a way to make a better community for them, this is the council that will do it. If you dont want to help then maybe you can find a nice community in arizona or florida that doesn't allow kids. Maybe we should start collecting taxes from the drug dealers that think they run this town. Their reign is over. "

    shaking my head in Houston wrote on Oct 10, 2008 12:59 PM:

    " Dear Mom in Houston-

    You obviously aren't privy to the facts. "

    mom in houston wrote on Oct 9, 2008 7:28 PM:

    " Nice parks, a community building, an expanded fire department, and accountable police and animal control. What other wonderfully sinister things do we want in Houston? Some possiblity of jobs for our kids so they dont have to drive 100's of miles to work everyday. Good things are coming to Houston. We are going to be able to solve the problems now. If you are against a successful productive community then why dont you look for a new community to exist in. We arent going anywhere and we won! "

    shaking my head in Houston wrote on Oct 9, 2008 4:53 PM:

    " Reply to 'Kellar Ran Houston Too':
    Think for themselves? WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? Every person now on the council except for Rife sits in Purcell's pocket. Himes and Burnett even ask Purcell in public how they should vote! Think for themselves! BAH! They are Purcell clones. Mindless clones. "

    Houston Geezer wrote on Oct 9, 2008 4:09 PM:

    " Well well well. The BAR CROWD is back. No more having to follow municipal code. No more having to follow the law. No more having to adhere to Robert's Rules. No more worries about violating the Open Meetings Act. No more having to stick to the budget. No more worries about having a budget at all! Now you have Roger's Rules of Order. Welcome to Houston, the home of the 'Houston City Clowncil'. Only it isn't funny. It's frightening. "

    Dark Days Ahead wrote on Oct 9, 2008 4:00 PM:

    " The only hope for Houston now is to be assimilated into the borough. Purcell is destroying the city. I give it 2 months. He is loathesome. Everyone now on the council is his puppet, except poor little Natasha and he will stomp her flat. The only 2 with brains and ethics weren't valued. The Mayor and Deputy mayor did more to salvage this city than has ever been done before, inspite of the constant sabotage. The rest of the council (except Tilghman)was too stupid and self-serving and greedy to see that. "

    Kellar Ran Houston Too wrote on Oct 9, 2008 7:08 AM:

    " Good pick this time voters this time you will have people in there that can think for themselves. "

    If not Purcell then who else wrote on Oct 9, 2008 6:42 AM:

    " Houston elect the Mayor by popular vote "

    Make Some Noise wrote on Oct 8, 2008 7:37 PM:

    " It is very frightening to think, but true. Purcell will most likely be the next Mayor. The citizens are the only ones who can do any thing to help protect its self against his control and wild ideas. The citizens have to stand up and be heard! "

    ccapolini wrote on Oct 8, 2008 8:59 AM:

    " What tangled web we weave when first we practice to decieve.

    What a wicked web we weave when first we learn to decieve. "

    Long road to haul.... wrote on Oct 8, 2008 8:51 AM:

    " Houston you have a long road ahead of you. So far your last 2 mayors have not been man enough for the job. This is what happens when you place little people in charge... talk about tunnel vision! Now your SOL, purcell has his old team of burnett and blanchard back only now and added bonus of Lance. Count the days till you lose your 2nd class status and hold on tight. Council picks your next mayor and that I guarantee will be roger purcell...lol "

    Be Afraid wrote on Oct 8, 2008 7:52 AM:

    " Houston, you have a problem. You have now guaranteed that Roger Purcell will be your Mayor and Chief of Police. You should check out www.houstonrecall.com! Lance is a puppet as is Ruth. Your only hope is Julia will keep up with the newsletter but she will get more upfront anger now. Be afraid. Be very afraid. "

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