Councilmember Sue Lovell HOUSTON- Black folks, beware.  An election is coming up.  Early voting started on Oct. 19. 

Who you vote for does matter.  There’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing and she sits on City Council. No matter what she says, she has no love for Black folks. 

She tries to fool us by giving out proclamations to Blacks, but when you look at her votes, it’s almost always hurtful to minorities and the poor and helpful to rich folks. We started seeing her true ways when she fought hard to keep Barack Obama from being president.  She was a Hillary Clinton super-delegate, however, since she realized that Obama would probably win the Democratic nomination, she stated that she would work hard, as a member of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to make sure he was a one-term president. 

She believed that was the only way Clinton had a real chance to become president as a viable alternative to Barack in 2012 but not in 2016 for the same reason people said Sen. John McCain shouldn’t be president—too old.  That’s one reason people in her Senatorial District 13, voted for Roslyn “Rozzy” Shorter, a novice who was the yell leader for the Obama Campaign at many campaign events, to replace her on the DNC.  Although Lovell won re-election, she lost her own senatorial district.

As if that wasn’t enough, she purchased several properties (at least six) in Third Ward, along or near, the proposed METRO University rail line on her approximate $54,000 salary. Long time realtor, Louis Ray, came to City Council and told City Council members about it.  Lovell allegedly threatened Ray and another Third Ward resident, at a METRO meeting, proclaiming that White folks were tired of driving into town and they were, for all intents and purposes, re-claiming Third Ward and there was nothing residents of the area could do about it. 

She also intended to have rail go down Wheeler Ave. and even through Texas Southern University.  That was until Council Member Jolanda Jones raised enough sand to move the rail line off the historic part of Wheeler Ave. Lest you think these were isolated incidents, all you have to do is look at City Council, on the municipal channel, to see and hear the disdain she feels for poor people. 

She talks down to them. When Hispanics came to City Council during the re-districting fight, she couldn’t help herself. She insisted the advocates for re-districting weren’t smart enough to understand why the City couldn’t get an accurate count.  When the Heights recycling issue came up, she made it her job to let the residents of Heights know that they weren’t smart enough to understand why the City needed to sell that property and move a community-loved recycling center somewhere else. 

Don’t let someone come to City Council alleging that they were mistreated by law enforcement—she’s almost always the first one to come up with an excuse for why any bad act—including killing, was justified.  In regards to Jones, it appears that Lovell holds a personal vendetta against her.  For example, although other council members can ask to speak multiple times on an issue, Lovell makes sure she counts the number of times Jones seeks to speak. Lovell is always mumbling about points of order although she doesn’t make the same outcries towards other council members do like behavior.

The word was out that she tried to get the Gay Lesbian Bi-sexual Transgender (GLBT) Political Caucus not to endorse Jones nor Ronald Green.  Both won that endorsement, anyway. Most recently, she doesn’t want the GLBT Caucus to send out its usual endorsement card which helps get out the vote for GLBT endorsed candidates, such as Green and Jones. 

She even carried around Republican City Council Member and Controller Candidate Pam Holm to the GLBT community in an effort to get Black votes for her in her race against Green, a Democrat who is a Controller candidate also.  Now, I hear she has her eyes on the Harris County Clerk’s Office.  Which is why at the last GLBT Political Caucus meeting, she orchestrated a Lifetime Achievement Award—for herself. 

She also got the GLBT Caucus to vote to allow President Kris Banks, to send a letter criticizing Harris County Clerk Beverly Kaufman’s endorsement of Gene Locke. I guess she can’t stand successful Black folks, regardless.  According to  reliable sources, Lovell tried but failed to get one of Jones’ relatives fired from an elective charitable office. 

She is getting official organizational criticism of the office that she plans to run for after she’s term-limited out—Harris County Clerk. That position is responsible for civil issues like marriage licenses, real estate records, assumed names for businesses, vital statistics and running elections.  She would decide everything related to elections, including what votes are valid, where polling places are and what the official vote counts are. 

I can see a re-play of Katherine Harris, the lady down in Florida, who determined what “chads” were counted.  You remember that farce and how that election was stole from Al Gore.  You know the story after that.  We had eight years of hell.

Lovell’s campaign is heavily backed by the rich downtown crowd.  You know the ones who don’t like poor folks.  She almost always vote with Mayor Bill White, and she is the attack person for anyone who dares ask questions about agenda items pushed by the White Administration. 

By the way, we have received numerous “Letters to the Editor” suggesting that Mayor White may not be the friend of Blacks he projects to be. I do know this, it was under his administration that all African-American News&Issues’ racks were removed from downtown Houston streets.

Lovell also led the charge to have the Safe Clear contract extension pass a council vote without putting it out to re-bid.  The contract is for over $8.5 million dollars.  Blacks and Hispanics have been and will continue to be left out, thanks to her and other council members’ effort to keep the details secret and the refusal to have an open, honest and transparent bidding process. 

She argued long and hard that it was about safety.  Yes, Safe Clear does keep freeways safe and moves traffic but the hidden issue was justice, fairness and money.  Just follow the money. 

It’s going to certain individuals who don’t look like us.  I wonder how much those special contractors contributed to Lovell’s campaign coffers.  Too bad for minorities—they have to wait for five years from now and hope we get invited to the table when it’s time for another extension. 

She also has been mostly absent from campaigning in Black neighborhoods.  I wonder why?  Could it be because she feels she can win without us?

Probably.  Black folks take heed.  We must pay attention.

Come to think of it, Hispanics need to watch out too. Ask newly elected Councilmember Ed Gonzales, who Lovell worked hard against by supporting Maverick Welsh in the heavily Hispanic Heights district.
Black folks really need to consider Council Member Sue Lovell’s true feelings about us, other minorities and poor folks of every color.  She doesn’t have love for any of us.