DID YOUR CANDIDATE COME OUT ON TOP?
The Insite did an informal poll on two social media websites to gage the pulse of the community when it comes to the Congressional race in district 18. The main candidates in the primary are incumbent Sheila Jackson Lee, Jarvis Johnson and Sean Roberts. I asked those who visited Facebook and Twitter to cast their vote for the candidate they thought should represent the people in the congressional district. Well, they have spoken. After tabulating the numbers it appears City Councilman Jarvis Johnson comes out on top followed by Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Undecided was third in the poll while Houston Attorney Sean Roberts rounded out the list. Here are the official results from the one day poll:
Jarvis Johnson: 58%
Sheila Jackson Lee: 27%
Sean Roberts: 2%
Undecided: 11%
I like jarvis and hope he win but the vast majority of voters that will return sjl to her perch in dc are the very people who don't work: ie older retired folk. Then you got those who don't even have access to a computer who may not haven even known about your a poll let alone what a "social networking" site is lol. Jarvis you may need to continue drive deep into these folks and convince them why after all these Years of voting for sheila why should they vote for you when she provided the crumbs they needed. You may want to take a page from Ronald Reagan and ask are they better off now then they were 12 years ago.
ReplyDeleteStart packing your stuff, SJL!
ReplyDeleteJarvis Johnson is not what the 18th needs. He's had only one "job." That was Executive Director of Phoenix Outreach Center, an organization he inherited and left in shambles. In fact it no longer exists. Look it up. Then he became a full-time councilperson, which is supposed to be a part time job. The majority of the money he claims he brought to District B is Airport bonds which is money that is automatically allocated. SJL brought $351 million to the 18th District via the Federal Stimulus according to the Dallas News. Fifth highest amount in Texas out of 32 representatives. A junior representative Al Green got $93 million.If you want the 18th District to lose its seniority and start from scratch and get 25% of the funding then vote for Jarvis. But if you want principled leadership that delivers vote for SJL. On the stimulus dollars, don't take my word...check the link.http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/10/texas-republicans-getting-thei.html
ReplyDeleteJarvis Johnson is not what the 18th needs. He's had only one "job." That was Executive Director of Phoenix Outreach Center, an organization he inherited and left in shambles. In fact it no longer exists. Look it up. Then he became a full-time councilperson, which is supposed to be a part time job. The majority of the money he claims he brought to District B is Airport bonds which is money that is automatically allocated. SJL brought $351 million to the 18th District via the Federal Stimulus according to the Dallas News. Fifth highest amount in Texas out of 32 representatives. A junior representative Al Green got $42million.If you want the 18th District to lose its seniority and start from scratch and get 25% of the funding then vote for Jarvis. But if you want principled leadership that delivers vote for SJL. On the stimulus dollars, don't take my word...check the link.http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/10/texas-republicans-getting-thei.html
ReplyDeleteSheila's the incumbent. Because of his prior office, Jarvis has name recognition. People, I implore you to take a serious look at Sean Roberts. He is the one individual in this race that is truly in it for the people of the 18th. He doesn't stand to gain anything financially by taking this office; he has already built a thriving and respected law practice. Taking this job, to be quite honest, is a financial setback for him. Seldom do you find a person that is willing to undergo a setback for the needs of his community. I have already cast my ballot for Sean Roberts, and you should do the same.
ReplyDeleteSEAN ROBERTS --- BARACK OBAMA --- SEAN ROBERTS
ReplyDeleteLet's see...
ReplyDeletePresident Barack Obama...Harvard Law School, President of Law Review
Sean Roberts...South Texas???
Barack Obama...served the community as an organizer, fought with unions registered thousands
Sean Roberts...went straight to corporate law firm to make money
Barack Obama...learned the ends and outs of Chicago politics
Sean Roberts...been in Houston twenty years and admits he doesn't know the District and no one knows him
Barack Obama...ran on his many credentials and accomplishments
Sean Roberts...running on well...Barack Obama
Oh yeah and as far as financial paycut. Sheila Jackson Lee graduated from Yale University and UVA Law School, much better schools than Jarvis or Sean. She's the one who has given up all the corporate law money to serve over these years.Jarvis can't make money and Sean is trying to sacrifice for the first time in 20 years.
Oh yeah one more thing, Sean Roberts never fulfilled his obligation to the Obama Campaign on fundraising. He came up way short, and he was banned from their VIP reception. He was on very bad terms with the campaign when it ended and hasn't spoken to Obama since 2007. If elected, obama will give Roberts the cold shoulder for being a grandstander who couldn't keep his word. That's why he has no money in this campaign. This is all fact! So when you look at that picture on his literature know it was taken 3 years ago. I know plenty people with Obama pictures. Doesn't mean anything.
SJL brought $351 million to the 18th district? Really? Where did it all go? Can you give us a rundown on how the alleged $351 million was spent in the 18th district, 18th Citizen?
ReplyDeleteWhat improvements were made? How did the alleged $351 million help the citizens of the district. Inquiring minds want to know! Thanks.
18th Citizen,
ReplyDeleteYou sound a great deal like a paid consultant rather than a voice of the people. Please don't insult our intelligence with slanderous (and incorrect) claims of the opponents.
Rather, implore your candidate to be honest about what her contributions have been to the 18th Congressional District. That the money would have come to Houston through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act regardless of the person sitting in the chair.
It is hard to argue seniority when we have only the mere basics to show for her 16 years in Congress.
The 18th Congressional District has continued to suffer under her "oversight."
Her response to the incredibly low dropout rate in the 18th was that everyone in the Nation is experiencing high dropout rates. (Pleasantville Candidate Forum)
A person of seniority has no place going with the tide. When she doesn't take advantage of her opportunities, communities and children suffer.
The 18th is in deplorable condition. It should not be tolerated. She called out for action in 1994, and we do so now.
Do not dismiss the voice of the people.
I agree w/ Baxterrobert10. 18th citizen sounds like a paid endorser.
ReplyDeleteI'm am a citizen of the 18th district, 3rd Ward to be exact, and I am not impressed with any of the progress since I have been here. It's time for a changing of the guard. I'll take Johnson or Roberts b/c neither can do worst.
Mrs Jackson-Lee won't even change her hairstyle, so you know will get nothing, but the same from her.
Mr. Roberts may not have gone to an Ivy league school but he did go to 18th district schools, U of H and South Texas. So he has to know something about the 18th, and has the 18th's interest, at heart.
Shelia Jackson did everything in her power to stop the historical election of our President, forget fundraising. She ran actual radio ads against then candidate Obama, 18th Citizen you might want to keep Pres. Obama election to office off subject.
I voted for Sean Roberts today.
The drop-out issue is bogus. Anybody serious knows that Federal dollars make up a tiny percentage of education spending. Obama's groundbreaking Race to the Top $4 billion program, some of which would go to after-school programs and drop-out prevention would only be enough money to fund the Texas School System for one day even if Texas got all the money it was eligible for. In other words it's a drop in the bucket. That said, the state still needs the money for these programs and SJL has been a strong advocate for it. The Republican Governor Rick Perry has blocked school districts from even applying for that money. In this country, most innercity communities have high drop-out rates. It is a broad and systemic problem related to social, economic, and cultural issues. The innovative programs and funding comes primarily from the state and local school districts. Texas has the strongest State Board of Education in the country. If you really care about local education, don't run for Congress, run for school Board or State school board or state representative. That's where the primary levers in education are pulled. If Roberts wasn't such a grandstander, he's no Obama, but he's a smart enough guy to make a difference at that level. I encourage Roberts to use his talents to focus on the drop-out rate where you can actually do something: the local level. Not only could he make a difference, but then he would actually have some credentials to run for higher office down the line.
ReplyDeletePS: Why have both candidates mentioned the drop-out rate and not mentioned one innovative solution? C’mon guys, have some ideas at least that we can debate or discuss. And if you think a freshmen representative is going to be able to bring home more appropriations than SJL...consider two things: 1) AL Green was dead last in the state of Texas in Appropriations from the stimulus (source: Dallas News), and also happens to be the second most junior Congressman in Texas (SENIORITY PAYS in WASHINGTON!!!)
2) Obama is proposing a freeze on all discretionary spending in 2011 and has promised to personally cut earmarks out of the spending bill in the future. Saying you're going to Washington to bring home a bunch of earmarks is directly opposed to Obama's agenda. If you run on that plan, it means you obviously don't have a strong grasp of the current politics. You can't say you are going to support Obama's agenda and then say you are going to bring more money to the District via earmarks. Those statements don't reconcile.
OK, as an outsider looking in, it's very obvious that whoever is "18th Citizen" is working for the Sheila Jackson-Lee campaign, because only negative things about the two opponents were spoken. Truth is, an incumbent should never need to attack opponents because their record should always do the talking.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, I would not confuse the number of years one spends in office for seniority. Seniority means utilizing your leadership assignments, personal connections, expertise on a given issue to the benefit of the people you serve. While I respect Congresswoman Lee for her tireless activism, I fail to see where her endless press conferences have translated into quantitative benefits for our district.
Second point, everyone has failures so I don't necessarily think Jarvis Johnson's failures running his non-profit disqualifies him from service. I would say that I didn't look too kindly on a man running for City Council on a promise to work on behalf of his community and then, once elected, abandoning his promise to run for "something better." There is no integrity in that.
As for Sean Roberts, 18th Citizen said he didn't fulfill his obligation on fundraising. I don't believe ever reading that he was a paid consultant for Obama, so when does a citizen raising money to support someone they believe in become an unfulfilled obligation. I'm certain Obama, who raised most of his money from small donors, wouldn't call any money raised insignificant. However, in order to have even been on the Obama finance committe one had to have raised at least $100,000. So, I'm not sure what world 18th Citizen is living on but where I come from, raising such a significant amount for someone, on a volunteer basis, is nothing to hang your head about. If he was supposed to raise more, and couldn't, it's still more than his opponents did for now President Obama - correct?
Leaving all those issues aside. I think the overall opinion of people who live in the district, like myself, is that our Congresswoman is a genuine person who has tried to advocate for the people. However, there is a season for everything, and that style of confrontational politics, press conferences on divisive issues, etc., has had its day for now. We do need a different style of leadership if we are going to move forward.
For me, I am stuck between Jarvis and Sean Roberts, and leaning toward Mr. Roberts just because of the integrity factor. I think it's very important to keep your word to the voters, even if you see another political opportunity for yourself. I support Jarvis as Council Member and I want him to finish what he promised.
I thank Congresswoman lee for all her contributions, and tireless efforts. I just think it's time to find leadership that can effectively communicate the true needs of the 18th in a way that resignates and shows real benefits for the 18th.
Thanks
I worked on the Obama campaign in Houston, and sadly what 18th Citizen says about Roberts is true. He did overpromise and underdeliver. I was as mad as anyone when Congresswoman Lee supported Hillary, but since I stayed involved at the national level, I do know that she campaigned very hard for Obama in the general election. I ran into her in Ohio and Virginia. SO...that's that. Do with it what you will.
ReplyDeleteWhen I got Robert's mailer, it looked exactly like Obamas. It seems to me that Roberts is just trying to ride into office on Obama's coattails, and frankly it's insulting. Especially for me, who worked on the campaign and saw went on between Roberts and Obama campaign. SJL isn't running on her support of Obama, Roberts is. Therefore I think it's fair game to bring up the issues he had.
Ultimately, we need to learn the right lessons from Obama's victory. He acheived excellence, had amazing credentials, ran an incredible campaign, and offered real sustantive change. It's a disgrace to his legacy to just run on the fact that you threw a fundraiser for him several years ago.
I live in the 18th District, and although SJL's attention-mongering can be annoying, in my work in the community I am constantly running into people who tell me how she helped them. I've also seen it first hand in some of my community organizations. She's the one Congressperson who can consistently get people at all levels of Government to respond with just a phone call.
So despite our previous disagreement in 2008, I proudly voted for Sheila today.
18th...you have some good points...but tone it down a little. :)
>"18th Citizen... Whe cares about Obama??? Obama doesnt care about Houston or the 18th District; Sean Roberts is on the fast track to flying by the mediocre Obama... SJL is just plane outdated, she has lost focus and a connection with the people she doesnt represent...FACT is when you listen to the deabates and the issues SR is heads above Jarvis and SLJ on all of the issues. SEAN ROBERTS is the person for this job...
ReplyDeleteObamaphyte:
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your tone and thoughtfulness on this issue. We need more rational dialog around here.
However, I do have to say that a Democrat campaigning for the Democratic Presidential Nominee should not receive a standing ovation. Personally, I would rather support someone who tried to deliver on change and failed to get everything he wanted, than to continue supporting someone who has no concept of the type of progress we need.
Obama is really not the issue here. It's the mindset of these candidates, their view of our changing world, ability to work with different people effectively, ability to establish credibility on particular issues, that we should care about.
The District is changing and we need someone who can meet the needs of everyone in this district.
Thanks!
18th Citizen – please tone it down, your payment from the SJL campaign is starting to show. Everyone is talking about what they have done – past tense… but what about they will do? Everyone is speaking on “records” but I have not really heard anything about what we are going to do to solve the problems of the 18th D. Speaking, talking – all of this jaw jacking but WHERE IS THE ACTION??!!?! I received the Congresswoman’s “manifesto” in the mail … not impressed because despite all the “help” she has claimed to “have brought” to the community, it’s in worse shape than when she started. No offense Obamaphyte08 but I have run into MORE people in our district, of all races, that have asked for her help and have yet to receive a response. It’s “nice” that she believes in helping out her key supporter, the elderly African American when it appears on camera to pull at the heart strings of anyone watching ( a picture, a hug and a smile) but what about the business woman or man that travels to her office in DC, after being told of her availability and has been “invited”, uses their OWN hard earned money and yet she doesn’t even respect their time and effort and refuses to speak with them?
ReplyDeleteAs far as Jarvis and what he has brought to the community – let’s see – the $35M in capital improvement (mentioned on KTSU radio)… well that turned out to be a sidewalk around a park off of Homestead and the people that live in that community keep that park in great shape (because they can’t manage to get Jarvis on the phone or get him to come out and visit his own district) and the beautiful multipurpose center – which is very nice but does not have any real programs for the children in the neighborhood so it’s underutilized. What about the roof of the elementary school that caved in and only AFTER it fell in and there was an opportunity to look like a hero did anything get done about it.
I worked on the Obama Campaign as well and I must disagree with you on Roberts part – it’s my understanding that he DID raise his portion but that’s a matter of financial committee records. He also assisted with getting the office set up across from the yummy Breakfast Klub – and that was a pretty significant for them. Not to mention some of the other things he provided to the campaign.
I’m looking for a representative that will not only spring into action before they need to look like a super hero, I would like a representative who will listen to the people and really take back their ideas to DC and get some clean up done in the 18th. We have many challenges ahead of us but who in this race is up for the real work, the true work – it’s not about what you have done, right now, it should be about WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?
Citizen18, are you attempting to shame Mr. Roberts for doing studying, working hard and attaining the American Dream? Have we become hypocrites for the sake of proving a point?
ReplyDeleteI attended an event recently and had the opportunity to meet a wonderful couple from District B. They are pleased that Mr. Johnson has chosen federal office and don't feel slighted because 90% of District B in the 18th. They went on to give more reasons why he had they're support.
I had the opportunity to listen to the opponents (Roberts & Johnson) and I can appreciate their positions.
I understand as a person, not just a voter, that not everyone will be happy with you all the time and I am not willing to make my decision based on rumors and others' attitudes. Though one must take into consideration when incumbent is met with such overwhelming disdain.
Through RESEARCH, I have decided to vote for Jarvis Johnson.
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Sam, here are figures from Mr. Johnson's page (www.jarvisforcongress.com) which I believe can be confirmed by the City of Houston finance department.
While on City Council, I brought back a total of $1.9 Billion Dollars to my District for Infrastructure Projects.
Libraries & Parks
Over $17 Million allocated for Library/Parks projects and renovations
Dixon Neighborhood Library-Replacement $6.3 M
Fifth Ward Deluxe Theater-Renovation $6.8 M
Over $8 Million allocated for Parks Projects in District B
Hobart Taylor Park $1.2 M
Highland Park $120,000
Keith Weiss Park $2.8 M
Stuebner Airline Park $1.6 M
Squatty Lyons Park $1.5 M
Busby Park-Redevelopment $700,000
Multi-Service Center Renovations
Over $8 Million
Fifth Ward Multi -Service Center $1 M
Acres Homes Multi-Service Center $2.8 M
Kashmere Multi-Service Center $4.3 M
Storm Drainage
Over $24 Million allocated for Storm Drainage projects in District B
Drainage repair-Laura Koppe to Crestview $5 M
Homestead Road Drainage Improvements $11.2 M
Pleasantville drainage improvements $6.6 M
Drainage repair-Trinity Gardens
Lockwood to Homestead $1.2 M
Water/Waste Water
Over $30 Million for Water/Waste Water Projects in District B
Northside Sewer Relief Tunnel $30M
Houston Hope Area Projects $750,000
District B Abatement Activity
Buildings Demolished 412
Weeded Lots Cut 2,024
JMV Towed 156