Council member, Carroll G. Robinson has earned a reputation as being counted upon to have an opinion on almost any matter of prominence. And he can always be counted upon to issue a press release or call the media to present his ideas.

Well now, Robinson has finally decided to push his way to Congress. After making a name for himself as a City Council member in the At-Large position 5 seat, he is again on the prowl - aiming straight at the State Congress, as he announces his candidacy for District 25.

Robinson and Chris Bell, the former city council member who lost the mayoral election are the two most prominent Democrats vying for this district. And Robinson is not taking his candidacy lightly. With the same velocity and sense of publicity that he has used to promote himself during his time as a City Council member, he has set up the killer-machinery needed to crush any prospective opponent in the March primaries.

A few weeks ago, his campaign hired a popular national political media-consulting firm of Fletcher & Rowley. Speaking of the firm, based in Nashville, Tennessee, he said, “We are building a battle-tested, diverse team of winners to help us in what we expect to be an aggressive campaign.” He continued, “Fletcher & Rowley have been successful in open-seat congressional races, in diverse districts and in the south. They are the right fit to help us with our media.”

Observers see this move as a good beginning to Robinson’s ambition to upgrading to a state level. According to records, this firm has handled advertising in campaigns for governor, Congress and local offices.

Figures also indicate they have an 86 percent victory record in congressional primaries. Their congressional clients include U.S. Reps. Bart Gordon (TN), Cynthia McKinney (GA), Bob Clement (TN), and Lacy Clay (MO).

Some say Robinson’s approach to public affairs has remained uninfluenced by emotion or personal prejudices. Others criticize him for having no loyalty to anyone or anything but himself.

Almost a year ago, it was rumored that he was a likely candidate to oppose Mayor Brown in the just concluded elections. Despite the rumors, Robinson remained aloof and played coy allowing the idea to remain in the public eye just long enough to attract the publicity.

At the time, Robinson refused to give a definite answer and put an end to the rumors. To make matters more cumbersome, he was known to have openly and blatantly disagreed with Brown on several occasions, causing observers to believe that he was making moves for a possible mayoral race. Robinson finally proved the rumors to be false. In the end, he denounced any such ambition and stood up publicly to endorse Brown as the lesser of two evils in comparison to Orlando Sanchez.

Robinson who is chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council’s Local Elected Officials Network, has used the position to his advantage. A few weeks ago while on business with the Leadership Council, he visited Washington D.C., meeting with Democratic Party leaders and other potential political supporters. He met with members of the Texas Congressional delegation including Sheila Jackson Lee, Martin Frost, Gene Green, and Eddie Bernice Johnson.

Talking about his trip he said, “We had an outstanding trip and have moved the ball way downfield toward earning the support we need to win this race.”

In another development, Dionne Roberts, a Houston African-American attorney who dragged Mark Ellis in a heated run-off in 1999 for District F city council election has joined the race for Congress.

Late registration reports indicate she completed a mid-day registration on the January 2 deadline. She will therefore run against Ben Dominge and Dan Rivas for District 137 in the March Republican party primaries.

Roberts was not available at press time on why she chose the district, but it was believed her candidacy was given a nod by top state politicians. If she makes the primaries, she would face state representative Scott Hochberg in the fall elections.

Hochberg’s position was actually jeopardized by the latest redistricting. He was thrown out of his district by the excess alteration made in the district lines and paired with a fellow democrat, Debra Danburg in District 134 presently held by Republican Kyle Janek who is running for the senate. Hochberg therefore decided to run in 137 rather than compete against Danburg.

District 137 holds a large majority of Blacks, Hispanic and Asian voters and encompasses such major areas as parts of Westheimer, Richmond, Gessner and Gulfton.