HOUSTON- With less than a week until the run-off election, it is time for us to have a serious conversation about the future of Black people in Houston.  In the back of many minds is the question, “Do I vote my conscious or my color?” 
I’m long past voting for color.  All we have to do is look at Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to teach you, in the strongest terms, that everybody who looks like us may not be always for us. In a tough economy, when we need new streets, better education, safer neighborhoods and a mayor that will open the doors of opportunities to all business owners and communities. 

My newspaper business has personally suffered at the hands of the city which Black council members who voted for an ordinance that effectively pushed AAN&I out of downtown.  We are not at liberty to vote our color—we must vote for a leader with a proven track record of helping make Houston better for all people. 
There is simply too much at stake. For more years than I care to count, Black people have asked to be judged based on our individual and unique talents, on the content of our character, yet when it matters most, are we electing the future of Houston based on color? 
So, I’m going to keep it real.  The facts relating to Annise Parker, I believe, will help you understand why I ask that you join me in supporting her for mayor of Houston. 

She has been accessible and has worked for under-served communities for more than a decade and I’m convinced she will continue to champion quality of life initiatives while leading our city through this recession in a manner which challenges the status quo and invites all people to sit at the City Hall table. Now, I must admit I like Gene Locke.

On the surface he is a good guy, a high-paid, high-powered downtown lawyer-lobbyist with roots in the civil rights movement.  Former Mayor Bob Lanier, Commissioner El Franco Lee and a host of other political insiders support Locke. 
However, these are the same people who have allowed Acres Homes and other areas to be left behind the prosperity of this city.  He’s got huge campaign contributions from developers, the very police who profile our people and its current police chief, who by the way, doesn’t live in Houston, METRO, the stadium builder faction who built stadiums and arenas, whose events we can’t afford to attend, the River Oaks, Memorial and other wealthy Houstonian sets, which doesn’t live among us or travel in our neighborhoods. 

Clearly, Locke will owe a lot to many special interest groups if elected mayor but what will he do for us, especially since we don’t have the money to contribute to his campaign like they do?  Locke, has apparent conflicts in his actions.
For instance he touts his work on the creation of affirmative action programs with many governmental agencies, yet he sought and has received the endorsement of Dr. Steve Hotze. He is a divisive hate-monger who is anti-affirmative action, anti-women, anti-Obama and has spent the majority of his political career dividing Houston and suppressing the African-American voters and the candidates we support. 

So why has he aligned himself with a man that rejects the very premise by which he has have built his career? 
How does Hotze’s politics create “opportunity for all of Houston,” a stated goal of Locke’s campaign?  These are questions that remain unanswered. 
There appears to be two faces to the Locke campaign.  Who will run the city? 
The house Locke, the one endorsed, bought and paid for by the rich and powerful or the field Locke, the long ago civil rights activist?  I don’t believe he can serve two masters. 

Which one will he choose?  I’d hate to be in his shoes.
So, why Parker? Because the issues we face transcend color. 
I believe she is the only candidate prepared to run our city from the first day in office.  She has a long record as a no-nonsense, ethical leader with a heart for people and a head for business.

I support Parker because she has consistently supported the development of all communities, giving those individual neighborhoods a voice around the City Council table. Parker is the only one with a plan to create good paying jobs and fix the problems that continually exist in many of our neighborhoods. 
Her Hire Houston First program will give preferences to local workers and businesses on taxpayer-funded projects.  Her infrastructure plan calls for neighborhoods in most need to get served first. 

No more standing in line behind the River Oaks and Memorials of Houston to get the resources we need, the resources we deserve, the resources we have been denied.Making a way for the under-served is not new for Annise. 
As City Controller, she personally fought to certify Unity Bank with the City of Houston in order to create opportunity and ultimately financial gain for the organization.  Unity Bank is the only African-American bank in Houston.

As Controller, she implemented the Bank on Houston (at no cost to taxpayers) to ensure all Houstonians have a path to financial independence.  In many Black communities, up to 50 percent of the residents do not have a banking relationship, which means they will live poor forever. 
Her Bank on Houston program helps residents open starter bank accounts and gives those with poor banking history a second chance.  It offers a viable alternative to “pay day lenders” that charge too much for their loans.

The race is not about color.  It’s about empowering and serving all communities. 
It’s about adding to our power structure by placing a person who is willing to stand up for neighborhood issues while leading our city through tough economic times.  Parker has always supported the African-American community and with her in leadership we can anticipate many years of prosperity. 
That is why the African-American News&Issues proudly endorses City Controller Annise Parker for Mayor of Houston. She may not be my color, but she is certainly my kind of people.


“Annise Parker may not be my color, but she is certainly the kind of person I want to represent my people in the City of Houston,” said Roy Douglas Malonson, publisher of African-American News&Issues.