Sep 02 2015 September 2, 2015 September 1, 2015 by kevin

Where to put the new Police Station, Courts, and City Hall

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This debate has been brewing for quite a while now  I was at the ad hoc committee meeting on Monday night and saw 4 new proposed plans for where the buildings should go, with each having different merits.  This was actually my first meeting attended in regards to locations for municipal buildings, so was very enlightening to learn just how divided everyone really is.

bellaire-muni-plan

I can tell you that one idea did interest me and that was to relocate the police and courts to the commercial district, oh wait they call that downtown.  Just a side note, but Bellaire is way to small to have a downtown.  If you caught all green lights within minutes you could actually drive the whole span of the city, so to me I find it comical that its called downtown.  The area is warehouses and commercial buildings and they want economic growth in that area so why not call it the Commercial area?  Oh, if they wanted to call it downtown, it would really be uptown.  The property is north and the main focus or center of Bellaire is Bellaire Blvd so then it would be uptown since you would travel north from the center and then Bellaire High School would be the downtown area. Just my two cents.

 

Ok, back the reason of this post.  One of the great things about Bellaire is property values.  The commercial district would be too expensive to acquire and suitable land and any seller knowing the city wanted would hold firm on the price.  As I write this I wonder if the city could use eminent domain to buy the property and that would at least keep the price near appraised value.  It solves the issue of wanting to revitalize that area, not angering the Aspen residents, and allowing more green space.  Something to think about.

 

I would love to hear your views on this matter and was great to talk to Mr. CALDWELL to hear the view of an Aspen resident first hand.


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Sep 01 2015 September 1, 2015 August 31, 2015 by kevin

“Shabby Bellaire”

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I recently came across an article in the Houston Chronicle.  A group of residents have made a list of items that are making Bellaire look shabby.  When I read this article I grinned realizing I am not the only one who has noticed what I call the “Aura” of Bellaire and how it needs to be restored.

Experience has taught me that you can get 99% of a job done correctly, but mess up that last 1% and it will look flawed.  Spend hours washing and detailing your car, but leave a spot on the driver’s door and everyone will ask you what did you do for hours.  If you missed the whole passenger side no one would have noticed and you are a detailing expert.  All it takes is that one small blemish to make the whole project look “shabby”

 

Anyone who has ever worked retail has heard how a manager will put a piece of trash on the floor, usually a cup, and place cash inside.  The cup is placed somewhere obvious and is easy to see and pick up.  The employee who picks it up to throw it away gets to keep the cash as a bonus.  The exercise illustrates if the employees are willing to go the extra mile, to see if they have pride in their job.  Even thought they are not part of the janitorial crew, they saw an easy to solve problem and they JUST solved it

Yesterday, I talked about pride.  Really it was about the lack of pride.  It seems it is citywide and the small, easy to fix details are being overlooked.  In my opinion this is the real problem.  Why doesn’t anyone care? WE have a fleet of actively moving employees who drive the city daily. Would it be so hard to see and find these issues?  I SAY NO.  There is a Police department patrolling and a fleet of public works trucks moving thru the city. We even have a Community Development person who looks for these things.  OK, it is bad to think the worst of people.  Lets say the employees are actually finding and reporting the issues. In fact, there are employees with pride in the City of Bellaire.  THEN WHY is nothing every fixed?

I do not have an official response to this question.  It is easy to arm-chair quarterback and point out everything wrong without knowing the REAL reasons why the CIty of Bellaire has lost its “Aura” or using the word, shabby.  As your Councilman on the Bellaire City Council I will look into this, find out the reason why it is allowed to happen and how to fix these issues immediately.  I will not accept as a response that we do not have the manpower to fix, that we do not have the funds, or this is not a high priority item.  We should take advantage of every employee in the City of Bellaire and use them fully to the best of their abilities.  Things that are simple, should stay simple.


Aug 31 2015 August 31, 2015 August 31, 2015 by kevin

Where has PRIDE gone?

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Something I truly despise is when people refuse to take pride in what they are doing.  We all encounter this way to often.  From retail employees to even your children as you tell them to clean their rooms. The mentality of people today is what is the minimum I can do and get away with it.  The thought of spending a few extra minutes to just do it right isn’t even an option.

When I am ELECTED to the Bellaire City Council on November 3rd I want to try putting a stop to this type of thinking in City affairs.  I want all city employees and contractors to give 110% and take some pride in the City of Bellaire.  Most days you can find me under the 610 underpass working. I stare at the Southeast corner of the intersection at Bissonnet and 610 daily.  The pictures below show what my view is.  Part of my campaign goals is to bring back the “Aura” that Bellaire once had.  This is a perfect example.

bellaire street sign coverd in treesIf you look close in picture 1 you can see a DO NOT ENTER sign.  This sign has been nearly impossible to see for almost a year.  Covered by dense, thick tree limbs.  It is a safety hazard and it truly boggles my mind how why this sign isnt clearly visible.  Last week, to my surprise I see a tree crew out there cutting the over growth.  Do you think this picture is the before or the after?  Ha, this isn’t one of those crazy hidden design pictures like they used to sell at the malls. There is a sign behind the jeep.  This is the AFTER picture. A crew was there for hours trimming the trees and if I had not seen them with my own eyes I would have never know these tree limbs were cut.  Considering the crew was paid to come, I would think that they would at least make the sign stand out and at a minimum cut back enough limbs to allow time before the trees need to be trimmed again.   To me, it is clear this crew had no pride in their work and there was no supervision and oversight on this job.

 

street light hanging in belliareThis is the same intersection.  That is a street light with the cover about to fall off.  This cover has been down for as long as I remember and only a matter of time before it falls off or the bulb breaks.  I do know that months ago the Bellaire Police drove around and made a report of street lights.  This cover could have popped open after that report, but I would think that being a major intersection some, any city employee would report this and fix it.  This is something I would want fixed ASAP.  I would want to know why it hasnt been fixed and if this is just one light, how many more are there in the city needing attention.

 

My goal as BELLAIRE CITY COUNCILMAN is giving that push that Council has been missing.  The small things are the easiest to fix and usually have the largest impact.  I would love to hear about the places and things you find in Bellaire that can be fixed easily.  I want to know the things that boggle your minds.  Email me at Kevin@politician.com


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Aug 29 2015 August 29, 2015 August 29, 2015 by kevin

Have you ever wondered how many people VOTE in Bellaire Elections?

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As we grow up in school, we are told how voting is very important and in the last few years there has been a major push to register voters.  There is RocktheVote reaching out to the younger crowd and ProjectVote.org that works to mobilize marginalized and under-represented voters.

If anything comes from my running for City Council I hope it is this: People learn that every vote actually matters.

In 2013, Bellaire, Texas population was 17,849  There are currently 12,186 registered voters, as of August 28th 2015.

 

I pulled some unofficial date from the 2013 Bellaire General Election.

 

Nauert won re-election over Councilman Corbett Parker 1,764 to 1,353   = 3117 Votes  26% of registered voters

Gus Pappas beat Doug Christians 1,721 to 1,035  = 2756 Votes  23% of registered voters

Council Member Roman Reed = 2,263 Votes  19% of registered voters

Council Member Andrew Friedberg  = 2,266 votes  19% of registered voters

$5 million to purchase land and relocate city facilities failed 1,474 to 1,678 =  3152 Votes  26% of registered voters

 

If you are not yet registered  click here

 

 


Aug 28 2015 August 28, 2015 August 28, 2015 by kevin

August 31, 2015 Special Session and Joint Meeting at City Hall

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On Monday, August 31, 2015 starting at 5:30 there will be two Special Sessions held in the Council Conference Room, First Floor of City Hall, 7008 South Rice Avenue, Bellaire, Texas 77401.  The first will discuss applicants interested in serving on one of the many City boards and then the second will discuss appointments to the City Boards.

At 7 PM in the Council Chamber there will be a Joint Workshop Session of the Bellaire City Council and the Bellaire Ad Hoc Municipal Facilities Advisory Committee.  I will be attending and hope to meet everyone interested in this matter.

 

 


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