Annise Parker
Annise Parker | |
|---|---|
 Annise Parker, 2008 | |
| Mayor-elect of Houston | |
| Assuming office January 2, 2010 | |
| Succeeding | Bill White |
| 14th City Controller of Houston | |
| Assumed office January 2, 2004 | |
| Preceded by | Judy Gray Johnson |
| Succeeded by | Ronald Green |
| Member of the Houston City Council from 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 |
| Domestic partner | Kathy Hubbard |
| Parent |
|
| Residence | Houston, Texas |
| Alma mater | Rice University |
| Profession | Business executive, entrepreneur, civil servant |
Annise Danette Parker (born May 17, 1956) is an American politician and the mayor-elect of Houston, Texas, the fourth most populous city in the U.S.[1] She is the current Controller of the City of Houston. Previously she served as an at-large member of the Houston City Council since 1997.
Parker placed first in the November 2009 mayoral election, but failed to capture a majority of the vote. She defeated attorney Gene Locke, the second-place candidate, in the December run-off election. Upon taking office as mayor in January, Parker will be the city's second female mayor, as well as the first openly gay mayor of a major U.S. city with over 600,000 residents.[2][3][4] Houston has 2.2 million residents within its city limits.[1]
Personal life and education
Parker was born and raised in the community of Spring Branch in West 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.[5]
Parker began attending Rice University on a National Merit scholarship in 1974, working several jobs to pay for her room and board.[5] A member of Jones College, she graduated in 1978 with a bachelor's degree in anthropology and sociology.[6]
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.[5] In 1986 she was president of the Houston GLBT Political Caucus.
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.[5]
Parker and her partner, Kathy Hubbard, have been together since 1990.[5] They have two daughters they adopted and a grown foster son.[7] [5]
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.[8] She was re-elected twice to the same seat in 1999 and 2001 without being forced to a run-off.[9]
City Controller
In 2003, Parker was elected City Controller. She was re-elected in 2005 and 2007 unopposed. In addition, Parker 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."[7]
Election as Mayor
In 2009, Parker announced her candidacy for the office of Mayor of Houston in a video posted online to her campaign website.[10] She was endorsed by several organizations and campaigned on a platform of better city security and budget cuts.[11] 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.
During the run-off election, Parker was endorsed by former rival Peter Brown and the city's primary newspaper, the Houston Chronicle. On December 12, 2009, Parker made history when she was elected mayor of America's fourth largest city.[12] When she assumes office in January, 2010, Houston will be the largest U.S. city to have an openly gay individual serve as mayor.[13] After the election, Parker declared that the top priorities of her administration will be improving transportation, balancing the city's budget, and selecting a new police chief.[14]
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% | ||
| Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✓ | Annise Parker | 81,971 | 52.8% | |
| Gene Locke | 73,331 | 47.2% | ||
References
- ^ a b "Table 1: Annual Estimates of the Population for Incorporated Places Over 100,000, Ranked by July 1, 2008 Population: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2008" (CSV). 2008 Population Estimates. United States Census Bureau, Population Division. 2009-07-01. Retrieved 2009-07-01.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126057851102188215.html
- ^ Olson, Bradley (December 13, 2009). "Annise Parker elected Houston's next mayor". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved December 13, 2009.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ James C. McKinley Jr (2009-12-12). "Houston Is Largest City to Elect Openly Gay Mayor". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-12-13.
- ^ a b c d e f "About Annise". Annise Parker for Houston. The Annise Parker Campaign. Retrieved 2009-03-09.
- ^ Brotzen, Franz (2009-12-13). "Rice alumna Annise Parker elected Houston mayor". Rice University.
- ^ 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
- ^ [1]
- ^ 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) - ^ Martin, Jonathan (December 16, 2009). "Houston election signals key trend". Politico. politico.com. Retrieved December 16, 2009.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ "Locke Concedes In Mayor's Race - Politics News Story - KPRC Houston". Retrieved 2009-12-13.
- ^ http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hotstories/6768758.html
- ^ Localvoter Houston election results
- ^ Harris county election results
- ^ Houston Harris County Election Results (Harris including Fort Bend and Montgomery counties)
External links
