Annise Parker
Annise Parker | |
|---|---|
 Annise Parker, 2008 | |
| 14th Controller of Houston | |
| Assumed office January 2, 2004 | |
| Preceded by | Judy Gray Johnson |
| Member of the Houston City Council from the At-large #1 District | |
| In office January 2, 1998 – January 2, 2004 | |
| Preceded by | Gracie Saenz |
| Succeeded by | Mark Ellis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Annise Parker |
| Died | Annise Parker |
| Resting place | Annise Parker |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Parent |
|
| Residence | Houston, Texas |
| Alma mater | Rice University |
| Profession | Business executive, entrepreneur, civil servant |
Annise Parker (born May 17, 1956, Houston, Texas) is a Houston-area politician, the mayor-elect of Houston, and the current Controller of the City of Houston, which is a position second only to that of Mayor. Previously, she served as an at-large member of the Houston City Council since 1997. Parker was victorious in her run for controller in 2003. She ran unopposed in 2005 and 2007; as of September 2008, she is into her final term. Upon taking office as mayor in January, Parker will be the highest-ranking municipal official in the LGBT community of the United States.[1]
Personal life and education
Parker was born and raised in the community of Spring Branch, Houston, where she attended public schools. Her mother was a bookkeeper, and her father worked for the Red Cross. In 1971, when Parker was 15, her family moved to a U.S. Army base in Mannheim, Germany for two years. In Germany, she volunteered as a candy striper in the Red Cross youth service organization and worked at the base library.[2]
Parker began attending Rice University on a National Merit scholarship in 1974 and worked several jobs to pay for her room and board. She graduated in 1978.[3]
Prior to serving as an elected official, Parker worked in the oil and gas industry for over 20 years, including 18 years at Mosbacher Energy. In addition, she co-owned Inklings Bookshop with business partner Pokey Anderson from the late 1980s until 1997 and served as president of the Neartown Civic Association from 1995 to 1997.[2]
Parker currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Holocaust Museum Houston and Girls Inc. and the Advisory Boards of the Houston Zoo, the Montrose Counseling Center, Bering Omega Community Services, and Trees for Houston. She is also involved in historic preservation efforts in Houston and received the “Good Brick Award ” from the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance for her restoration of historic properties in the Old Sixth Ward.[2]
Parker and her life partner, Kathy Hubbard, have been together since 1990. They have two adopted children.[4]
City Council
Parker ran unsuccessfully for City Council District C in 1991 and again in 1995, finishing third in the special election for At-Large position 4, the seat vacated by Sheila Jackson Lee after her election to Congress.
In 1997, Parker prevailed in the runoff election for At-Large position 1 to become Houston's first openly gay elected official.[5] She was re-elected twice to the same seat in 1999 and 2001 without being forced to a run-off.[1]
City Controller
In 2003, Parker was elected City Controller. She was re-elected in 2005 and 2007. According to the City of Houston website: "During her first two terms as Controller, Ms. Parker helped win voter approval (85%) of Proposition 3, which gives the Controller's Office the independent authority to conduct performance reviews of all City departments, agencies and programs.[citation needed] She also secured a seat for a controller's appointee on the Houston Municipal Pension System Board of Trustees, marking the first time the city's chief financial officer has had any involvement in the pension system."[4]
Candidacy for Mayor
In 2009, Parker announced her candidacy for the office of Mayor of Houston in a video posted online to her campaign website.[6] She has been endorsed by several organizations.[7] Other people who were in the running for mayor included Houston City Council Member Peter Brown and Harris County school board trustee Roy Morales; they were eliminated from the race on November 3, 2009. Parker faced former Houston City Attorney Gene Locke in a run-off election on December 12, 2009. Parker prevailed, and when she assumes office in January, Houston will be the first top 10 U.S. city to ever have an openly gay individual serve as mayor.[8]
Electoral history
2003
| Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✓ | Annise Parker | 109,393 | 42% | |
| ✓ | Bruce Tatro | 52,366 | 20% | |
| Mark Lee | 40,103 | 15% | ||
| Gabriel Vasquez | 30,784 | 12% | ||
| Steve Jones | 26,303 | 10% | ||
| Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✓ | Annise Parker | 127,280 | 62.05% | |
| Bruce Tatro | 77,849 | 37.95% | ||
2005
| Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✓ | Annise Parker | |||
2007
| Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✓ | Annise Parker | |||
2009
| Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✓ | Annise Parker | 53,919 | 30.82% | |
| ✓ | Gene Locke | 43,974 | 25.14% | |
| Peter Brown | 39,456 | 22.56% | ||
| Roy Morales | 35,802 | 20.47% | ||
References
- ^ "Police State", OutSmart Magazine, August, 2008, retrieved 2008-09-07
{{citation}}:|first=missing|last=(help); Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b c "About Annise". Retrieved 2009-03-09.
{{cite web}}: Text "Annise Parker for Houston" ignored (help) - ^ http://www.anniseparker.com/about/
- ^ a b "Office of the City Controller Houston, Texas". Retrieved 2009-03-09.
- ^ Verhovek, Sam Howe (December 8, 1997), "Houston Elects Lee Brown As Its First Black Mayor", The New York Times, retrieved 2007-11-25
- ^ http://www.anniseparker.com/
- ^ "Annie's List Makes Early Endorsement of Annise Parker for Houston Mayor in 2009", OutSmart Magazine, August 14, 2008, retrieved 2008-09-01
{{citation}}:|first=missing|last=(help) - ^ http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2009/11/houston-could-elect-openly-gay-mayor-on-tuesday/
- ^ Localvoter Houston election results
- ^ Harris county election results
External links
