Cities with significant black populations in their region

All this talk about cities with large black populations has got me thinking about the places that have such and the ones that doesn't.  Statistically, a place with a large black population is based upon the percentage being 15% or greater of its overall population being considered African American or black.  Everyone (and their mother) is familiar with some of places off the top of their head like New York, Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, Washington DC, and nowadays Atlanta.  However, there are some other cities with some impressive black populations, but overshadowed by the aforementioned places.  Here is a list of these places:

Houston
Charlotte
Memphis (which has the highest concentration of any metropolitan area with 1 million+ inhabitants at 43.5%)
Baltimore
St. Louis
Kansas City
Birmingham
Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill
Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point
Norfolk/Virginia Beach
Richmond
Dallas/Fort Worth
Cleveland
Miami/Fort Lauderdale/West Palm Beach
New Orleans

Here are some ideal places where one can find black culture in the region, but doesn't want to reside in those in the initial list of places like NYC to DC to the ATL.

The continuation of Birmingham's population decline...

Last week the U.S. Census Bureau released their last population estimates before they release the official figures (which are currently being compiled).  However, Birmingham population still look as if it is in the ranks of the Rust Belt cities rather than the ones in the Sun Belt.  Birmingham has declined by an additional 5% according to figures to 230,130 from 242,840 in 2000.  This all due to the poor leadership and political baggage that seems to impede its growth seen in other fellow cities including majority black cities like Atlanta, Memphis, New Orleans (although it suffered a huge blow with Hurricane Katrina), and Washington.  The only Southern city that has seen continual decline as Birmingham is Baltimore (and for similar reasons).

Meanwhile other fellow Sun Belt Southern major cities like Atlanta (climbed to 540,921), New Orleans (up to 354,850 after Hurricane Katrina's aftermath) Nashville (climbed to 605,473), Memphis (slipped to 676,540), Orlando (climbed to 235,860), Jacksonville (climbed to 813,518), South Florida: [Miami (climbed to 433,136), Fort Lauderdale (up to 184,892),  West Palm Beach (up to 99,504)] , Tampa Bay Area: [Tampa (up to 343,890), St. Petersburg (slipped to 244,324)], Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex: [Dallas (jumped to 1,299,543), Fort Worth (climbed to 727,575)], Houston (jumped to 2,257,926), Austin (climbed to 759,673), San Antonio (up to 1,373,668), Oklahoma City (up to 560,332), Tulsa (balancing out at 389,625), Louisville (up to 566,503), Charlotte (jumped to 709,441), The Triangle: [Raleigh (jumped to 404,718), Durham (up to 229,136), Chapel Hill (up to 51,247)], The Piedmont Triad: [Greensboro (climbed to 225,061), Winston-Salem (climbed to 229,828), High Point (up to 101,618)], The Upstate: [Greenville (up to 61,782), Spartanburg (balanced out at 40,387), Anderson (up to 27,181)], Richmond (up to 204,451), The Hampton Roads: [Norfolk (balancing out at 233,333), Virginia Beach (balancing 433,575), Portsmouth (slipped to 99,321), Hampton (slipped to 144,236), Chesapeake (up to 222,455), Suffolk (up to 83,659),] The DMV (District-Maryland-Virginia): [Washington, D.C. (climbed to 599,657), Baltimore (slipped to 637,418)]. 

It's pathetic, but another fact of the Birmingham problem.  The city is still losing more residents than gaining them to balance out or increase city population.  At the rate it going, it will be a city that will wind up seeing a political coup in the next few years lead by yuppies and wealthy whites because there won't be enough black voters to keep the city the way it is politically.  This is all meanwhile the suburban areas in the Greater Birmingham area gaining major population boosts at the expense of the city and the region as a whole.  Birmingham is well on its way to becoming a Southern-version of Detroit, where everybody lives in the metropolitan area rather than the racially stratification city proper.

Houston's mayor issues all encompassing executive orders including ethnicity, race, sexuality, and gender identity

According to the Houston Chronicle, Houston's first LGBT mayor, Annise Parker, has issueed 2 executive orders including all city employees from discrimination, slurs, or harassment including race, ethnicity, disability, sexuality, and gender identity.  This order essentially extends the order issued by former Houston mayor and Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Bill White, which included all homosexual and bisexual city employees after Dallas.  This first order now includes transgenders city employees and the second one prohibits in form of harassment or intimidation based on the aforementioned category of groups.

However, all within Houston municipal government is showing much enthusiasm associated with the orders like City Attorney Arturo Michel, who said the city orders only extend to city employees only. This leaves individual citizens vulnerable existing ordinances which pretty much excludes transgenders.  Also the socially conservative community activist, Dave Wilson, who campaigned against Parker in last year's mayor's race because of the fact that she is openly gay, said he fears the executive orders may be “only the beginning” of city efforts to strengthen gay rights under Parker's leadership. 

Oh hell, oh well!  I mean Houston is now one of the 4th largest city in the nation, so if they are going to hold the title then it's best they act as if they are a major city.  The fact those naysayers are whining shows that the South still has a long way to go before as a whole it's a more progressive region although this is the 4th largest municipality in the U.S. 

The battle over the title "Capital of the South"

Oh brother, Charlotte is trying HARD to gain the title of the "Capital of the South" over longtime titleholder Atlanta in the past decade.  It seems the battle continues through this horribly deep recession.  Charlotte popped off the shots a few years ago when the leaders in North Carolina wooed then financial corporation after the merger of Philadelphia First Union and Winston-Salem-based Wachovia to Charlotte in 2001.  The city already had Bank of America since 1998 when Charlotte-based NationsBank merged with BankAmerica.

In reality, Charlotte isn't even remotely on Atlanta's level at all since one has a little over 2 million inhabitants whereas the other has 5.4 million inhabitants in their respective metropolitan regions.  Also the amount investment in Atlanta in more diversified economy compared to generally financial and service oriented economy of Charlotte.  Most urban studies observers such as myself will give Charlotte kudos for creating the LYNX light-rail transit (LRT) system from the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) in 2008 and having an active and livelier downtown area called "Uptown Charlotte" even during the afterwork hours with substantial population.  However, the infrastructure and population of the combined areas of Downtown, Midtown, and Buckhead of Atlanta with MARTA service to all those areas as well surpasses Charlotte still.  Charlotte has the potential of leading the league of cities like Orlando, Tampa, Denver, Austin, Baltimore, etc. because of its size and immense amount investment in infrastructure and strong leadership.  However, its infrastructure still isn't a major hub in the road network, air, or water categories since there's only 2 interstates that pass through Charlotte (I-77 & I-85), Charlotte-Douglas International Airport is up there and an actual international airport but only in certain categories, but like Atlanta it lacks a major river or waterway.  The 2 cities are alike, yet not alike because Atlanta developed way sooner, has a more massive population base, larger airport, more roadway and rail infrastructure, and finally total domination as hub of the state of Georgia.  Whereas, Charlotte is competing with Raleigh and its sister city, Durham, for the dominance of North Carolina because Raleigh is still growing at a rate much faster than Charlotte and its home county, Wake, is well on its way like Charlotte's Mecklenberg to being the state's first with 1 million inhabitants.  On the other hand, North Carolina is a more urbanized and progressive state than Georgia since NC did go for the nation's first black president, Barack Obama, by a razor thin margin and has invested in rail transportation while Georgia still chooses to be typical southern state that is automobile-oriented, socially conservative, and anti-city ideology. 

In the end, sorry Charlotte, but you guys still are only a second-tier city compared to Atlanta, Miami, Dallas, Houston, and Washington in the domination of major cities.

What is wrong with Houston's METRORail?

This afternoon, the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County's METRORail experienced another crash with its fellow METRO Bus in downtown Houston.  The problem with METRORail is their long track records of collisions with either private vehicles and fellow METRO Buses in the Greater Houston area since the system's inception in 2003 prior to Houston hosting Super Bowl XXXVIII.   In the system's inaugural year of 2004, there were 61 crashes and on April 15, 2006, is where one turned fatal.  Now what I'm wondering what in the hell is wrong with this particular system?  Houston is a very automobile-oriented city and this one of the last major cities to implement rail transit into their public infrastructure.  However, those cities like Denver, Salt Lake City, and Charlotte have all introduced light rail transit (LRT) in the 00s, but in the case of Houston their LRT has mixed traffic right-of-way.  Interestingly enough, other cities with mixed traffic right-of-way, METRORail has been one crash after another hence their fucked up reputation.  Texas Department of Transportation (TDOT), like most southern state transportation departments, seems to be so gung ho to continue to build roads over public transit.   So this doesn't bode well for the system when they are in the midst of planning and implementing a massive expansion by 2030 the plans are on the table to have 5-line regional LRT system servicing most areas withing the I-610 (Houston) beltway.  I want MTA of Harris County needs to get it together on this and fix this shit because Houston is in the league of Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Washington as gridlock cities when it comes to commutes, so PLEASE GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER! 

The political "what ifs" that wind up happening

The political and societal 'what ifs' are some of the most interesting things that occur in modern times.  What I'm talking about are the things in conventional wisdom or in scholarly thought are the things assumed not likely to occur.  However, some of these things have been defeated due to circumstance or sheer luck, but it happened.  Case and point, the Commonwealth of Virginia elected it first black governor with L. Douglas Wilder back in 1989 although just 7 years prior California failed doing the same with the candidacy of Tom Bradley thus we have the political theory known as the Bradley effect.  Nevertheless, a Southern state was the first to actually elect self-identified black governor to its office. 

Another case of this is with Houston just yesterday where the city elected its first openly gay mayor, yet it recently declined to pass a referendum to allow domestic partnership benefits including same-gender-loving (SGL) employees and their partners.  Other cases including the passage of Proposition 8 in a assumed politically and socially progressive state as California at the same time as more conservative yet urbane states like Florida with its Amendment 2 and Arizona with Proposition 102, all of which were banned the recognition or allowance of same-sex unions, domestic partnerships, or civil unions with their state boundaries.  Also the election of Arnold Schwarzenegger, famous action movie actor and a moderate Republican, to the helm of governor in California in 2003 after the electoral recall of Gray Davis, a Democrat.  Finally, the election of the first self-identified black president of the US with candidacy of Barack Obama.

It shows that anything is entirely possible in these day and age politically speaking in our society, so when I hear naysayers like Joe Reed, Jesse Jackson, and others say that it's not likely for Alabama to elect a black governor with the candidacy of Artur Davis or that Birmingham can't possibly make a turnout in the midst of huge recession then I say never say never.

Houston is now the largest U.S. with an openly-gay mayor

As of late Saturday night, after the unofficial ballot tally from 99% of the precincts reporiting in for the run-off election for Houston's mayor between former city attorney Gene Locke and city controller Annise Parker with Parker as the winner.  Now the pettiful thing about this election yesterday is percentage of turnout being only 16%.  However, the campaigning leading up to this run-off was quite contentious with accusations about Parker using spot as mayor to push a "gay agenda" from individuals and groups who either were associated or endorsed Locke.  Some of those individuals on his Locke's financial committee donated $20,000 to a political action committee lead by Steven Hotze, who donated funds to anti-gay causes. On the other hand, there were some subtle racial remarks from conservative pastors and preachers at Houston area black churches, but luckily this wasn't the front-and-center issue for the mayoral run-off.  Parker did bad-mouth Locke as a 'crony' of the current regime of the city although he touted a reduction in crime as political platform; whereas, Parker touted her time as the city controller as her platform.  Oh yeah, along with the statement that she is "nobody's role model". 

Interestingly, just last year the majority of voters rejected a ballot issues that would have allowed city employees given the domestic partnership benefits extended to all couples including those of the same sex.  

Now many across the LGBT blogosphere are enthusiast about the win for Ms. Parker, but Parker specifically said that she wouldn't be using the mayoral office to advance any specific LGBT causes.  This in my opinion shows that Ms. Parker is more or less in it for the political expediency and title not representing anybody but herself.  In other words, the LBGT blogosphere's excitement is one of "collective mindset" which I'm not a part of because this gets most nowhere to be honest.  I'm glad to see that Houstonians are objective enough to elected a mayor based on their qualifications and platform, but this isn't exactly a "win" for LGBTs.  Honestly speaking, Houston is still in Texas, a very socially-conservative state in the South, and it still has a majority socially conservative mindset when it comes to LGBT-oriented issues although they lean more Democrat on the political spectrum.  I don't equate Democrat to socially progressive.  

Also Houston is a city with 25% black population, so even though Locke won the black vote easily it didn't equate to a win.  Another thing was that this election came down to the who could energize their base the most and ironically (time and time again), whites have proven to be more reliable voters than blacks along with the fact that Parker pulled others into her electoral fold

Congratulations, Houston!  You deserve it, but to my fellow LGBT/SGL bloggers, I don't get too excited over this win because it's more showing that candidate that brought out their supporters to win.

Mayor Races on Race and Sexuality

Oh yeah, it's time for another one of my rants on the mayor races and the racial issues that have come out because of them.  This post will be updated in the next day(s) about what is going on in Birmingham, Atlanta, and Houston.  Some black folks can't elect a progressive for shit to some black folks just want to stir the racial pot just to get the splaboos to vote for the "black" candidate. 

BIRMINGHAM: Suprisingly, the race has stayed quite non-contentious on the racial front, but it's likely to be a run-off considering 14 candidates are running for mayor on Dec. 8th.  However, the infamous William Bell aka Lay Low Brown hasn't spared any racial quips about Patrick Cooper when he called "a slave trader that will bring plantation politics back to the city" during a Sunday morning prayer breakfast about 2 weeks ago.  Then word is that Bell supporters and workers are going around taking up Cooper signs all around the city.  SMH

Also the bootleg YouTube video posted by "thevacantoverload" with two white guys doing a lame video acting as if Cooper is the bigger than life hero for Birmingham and making vulgar swipes at Carole Smitherman and William Bell.   Cooper's campaign quickly denied responsibility of this, but Bell wasn't having it and claimed it was Cooper and he should be more mindful of usage of such "blue language".  Now WTF is "blue language" is beyond me, but this seems like an hack job to patronize black voters.

On the other hand, I'm waiting for Carole Smitherman to make a swipe or two towards Cooper for being an "over-the-mountain" pawn like she did to Shelia Tyson during the District 6 council race.  So this is just the beginning, so more is likely to come.

ATLANTA: Since it is the run-off come next Tuesday, December 1st, the racial issues are threatening to tear the faux facade of the "city too busy to hate" which has claimed to never had any during the 1960s.  However, the battle between Kasim Reed and Mary Norwood has up the ante for sure.  Now Reed was endorsed by civil rights activists like Joseph Lowery and Andrew Young, but apparent one alternative web-rag dubbed the Atlanta Progressive News about Reed's past as an attorney.  According to the Atlanta Progressive News, Reed was working for a law firm that representated the often-racially contentious and controversial Cracker Barrel chain of restaurants over the piss-poor treatment of black customers compared to white customers.  The suit was over hourly wages for workers not their race, but this rag also endorsed Norwood over Reed hoping to garner more black supporters for Norwood. 

It gets worse, some  poster known as Diondra Rollins posted the "Norwood Rap" basically a bootleg rap video saying what Mary Norwood would do as mayor.  In othe words, it the Norwood campaign denied responsibility or connection to the video.  Finally, the alleged threats that Norwood's black supporters have faced from according to Norwood during an evening debate on WAGA-TV "FOX5 Atlanta" this past Saturday.

From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution blogs:

Fox 5’s Diedra Dukes opened up the topic by asking Reed whether the mayoral campaign had divided the city by black and white.

Reed responded optimistically:

“I think that the city has made outstanding progress. I think that we both received support both from white citizens and from black citizens. My support in the white community has actually been growing significantly.

“Elections are tough. But I think now that the campaign is down to two individuals, you will see more support that is cross-racial. And I think that is important. Both Ms. Norwood and myself are working toward the best Atlanta – the Atlanta that Dr. [Martin Luther] King talked about.

"I think that we have both conducted ourselves in a way that makes the citizens of Atlanta proud. And as long as we don’t get bogged down in trying to win an election based upon dividing the city, I think that Atlanta will come out just fine.”

Norwood contradicted Reed's statements in this follow-up exchange with Morse Diggs:

Diggs: Some of your black supporters say that they have been harassed and intimidated because they are supporting a white candidate. There’s still an edge out there. What does that say about the level of race relations where we’re at right now? Are we still a divided city?

Norwood responded:

Morse, I have been very saddened, that the people that have been supporting me, who are so courageous, have been threatened. The people who have gone up to their doors, and knocked on their doors, and have said, “What are you doing supporting this woman?”

And it is coming from other camps. It has been going on for a while. We have had our yard signs – just every day – taken away. So we have seen evidence of just not great, not appropriate behavior.


I think the citizens of the mayors of Atlanta deserve to have the mayor they want, whoever that mayor is. And so I’m very hopeful that the harassment will cease.

Diggs: What are you telling those supporters who have been harassed?

Norwood: That I will do everything in my power to protect them. That I have alerted the police department, just to make sure that they are riding through neighborhoods where Mary Norwood signs are, because there are people who have been very concerned.

Reed was given an opportunity to respond:

“If she’s talking about old campaigns, prior to the two of us, then I don’t have a problem with her comment. But if she’s talking about ‘other camps’ now, the only camp is me, and I wholeheartedly reject it. If Ms. Norwood wants to make an accusation, she should stop [indistinct]. Make the accusation.

“My campaign has 6,000 addresses with yard signs in them. Yard signs for Kasim Reed have been removed citywide as well. So we can get into this game. Both of us have supporters who have been who are supporting us very aggressively and robustly.
“But the notion that my campaign is engaged in intimidation is something that I reject. And it’s time for us to put up, or let’s stop slinging mud.”

The sign removal incidents that occurred last week with Norwood's only real endorsement from an elected official came to the light last week when Georgia State Rep. Ralph Long of SW Atlanta when he told that to WXIA-TV.  Then Long followed the theives back to a Reed campaign field where they gave the Norwood campaign signs in exchange for cash.  Then Long's vehicle was pounded and pelted by individuals at the Reed office after exposing them of the events leading up to the confrontation. 

According to 2 polls done by WXIA-TV "11 Alive"/V-103/Survey USA and another by WSB-TV and InsiderAdvantage shows that Reed is in the lead over Norwood.  The WSB-TV/Insider Advantage poll shows that both are practically in a deadheat with Reed having 46.3% whereas Norwood at 46.1%.  However, Norwood does better with men and Reed does better with women, but black women are more likely to vote than black men so it's at the advantage for Reed in the race.  The WXIA-TV/V-103/Survey USA poll has Reed in the lead at 49% whereas Norwood is at 46%, but Reed's lead doesn't exceed the margin of error. 

I knew this was going to come to this head for sure.  Atlanta's majority white business community wants to take back their city, but the black folks there want to keep a black person leading the city as well.  If polls and early votign shows what is going down Reed will win because of his black support there, but I still have my reservations since he seems like an "establishment" candidate more than an standout from the crowd.  In the end, it shows that the white-black divide that exists in Atlanta just like in Birmingham along with the majority of the South when it comes to politics and social issues. 

HOUSTON: It has also came to a sexuality turning point with the mayoral run-off between Annise Parker and Gene Locke as I also warned.  Some fools can't handle shit for nothing without bring up race and in this case as well sexuality. 

Parker was the victim of a nasty mail campaign depicting her and her partner with the title "Is this the Image Houston wants to portray?".

According to Houston CBS affiliate KHOU, was distributed by electrician turned community moral compass Dave Wilson.  He seems to feel that if Houston has a homosexual mayor it will 'the openly gay lifestyle leads to extinction. You can't reproduce.'"  Wilson has mailed out 35,000 fliers asking this question to potential voters across Houston. 

According to poll by Lake Research Partners,  Parker is leading Locke in a 47-34% with 18% undecided. 

A recent Lake Research Partners survey of likely voters in Houston's upcoming mayoral runoff shows that City Controller Annise Parker holds a strong lead over former City Attorney and lobbyist Gene Locke. In our recent survey, among likely voters with previous participation in past city runoff elections, Parker leads with 47 percent (37 percent strong) to 34 percent for Locke (27 percent strong). A fifth of voters (19 percent) remains undecided.


Parker holds this large lead even though the poll simulated high turnout among African American voters. The sample was comprised of 54 percent Anglos, 30 percent African Americans, and 12 percent Latinos. Parker remains the best-known and liked candidate in the race and she maintains her lead even under a simulated attack.


Only a substantially negative campaign from Locke can interrupt her momentum. Sixty-seven percent of voters have a favorable impression of Parker and 62 percent think she has done either an excellent (21 percent) or good job (41 percent) as City Controller. Fifty-seven percent of voters hold a favorable view of Locke.

Also the Houston Chronicle endorsed Parker over Locke. 

Well, the run-off election will be December 12th, but it's ashame that candidates can't be elected based on platform.  However, I doubt this mailing will affect Parker and Locke just seems weak as a candidate in this race.  Houston will apparently become the largest city in nation with a openly homosexual mayor surpassing Portland (Oregon) with their mayor Sam Adams.  I'm just as surprised as everyone else since Parker was the underdog in the original race, but now is the frontrunner in the run-off.

How many hate crimes associated with the South will we have?

First the incident in Baltimore where a black teenage male was murdered, now this incident in Houston.  Ironically, all of them are black males and the alleged assailants were black as well.  I know I usually stay out of this arena of things because it has more to do with your surroundings and the people you are around, but this got to cease and desist.

The teen's mother said since the district's officials didn't do a damn thing about the threats that teen himself informed them about before it occured that they are moving to another district.  It's so bizarre and ridiculous how people are so callous about threats when involves sexuality.

The real question I ask is "What in the hell is up with black folks in the South and the acceptance of black LGBTs?"  I guess too many black males are uncomfortable with their own sexuality that they got to throw a fit and attack someone else who is comfortable with themselves and in their own skin.  Just as I said last week, the South is home to the majority of the nation's black population, but it seems to be the worst place to be open and honest about yourself for black LGBTs aside from the cities.  Black folks, we got to get it together and stop impeding other black folks' happiness.  As the old omen says, "let it be, let it be".

Here's the video of the report from Houston CBS affiliate KHOU, Channel 11, on another teen was beatened with a pipe:

Well, the shuttered LGBT-oriented publications carry on

Although they went kaput on Monday, the former staffs of just about all of the Window Media, LLC publications (weekly) have continued on under new names.  The Washington Blade is now the DC Agenda and I will update as I find out the new names of the other former-Window Media properties in South Florida, Houston, and Atlanta.

Now the irony of all this all the properties are/were in the major population and cultural centers of the South, DC, ATL, Houston, and Miami.  Also this company was the largest LGBT oriented publications group in the nation, but apparently they didn't pay their bills or handle their finances well if they had to liquidate and shutter everything...

Results of the Atlanta, Houston, and Charlotte mayoral races

Well, the polls were wrong in the case of Charlotte because they elected their first Democratic mayor in 14 years and first black mayor in 21 years with Anthony Foxx.  It's also their first Democratic in over a decade, so Charlotte-Mecklenburg is forging ahead by leaning Democratic although it is still a moderate-right leaning region.   It doesn't change my opinion of Charlotte, but is nice to see Charlotte isn't one of those Southern cities that believes in electing candidates regardless of race.  Let's be honestly most of the "progressive" medium-tier Southern cities are all ran by a white mayor, so it will be good to see another city (and no Atlanta is not an adequate example) with black mayor and is truly progressing.

Now, the Houston race was a surprise to me because Pat Brown was leading everybody in the polls by at least 9 points.  However, polls sometimes aren't worth a damn, and Brown lost out in the run-off between Gene Locke and Annise Parker, so Houston has a dilemma to be solved come December 1st either a black guy or a white lesbian.  Let's hope this doesn't become politically contentious on the basis of race or sexuality...

In Atlanta, as expected Mary Norwood wasn't able to win by 50% +1 in the mayoral race, so she is forced to face Kasim Reed in a run-off on December 1st as well.  This one is going to get real ugly real fast because it was getting there just this past week before the election, so it's going be nasty 3.75 weeks in Atlanta.

This is the evening of reckoning for mayoral candidates in Atlanta and Houston

Well, from the looks of things Atlanta might have its first white mayor in nearly 4 decades and there is a possibility that Houston will elect its first gay mayor.

However, in my humble opinion I doubt Houston will elect the gay candidate, Annise Parker, not because she's a lesbian rather because the polls says that the current Houston City Council member, Peter Brown, is way ahead in the polls.  Parker is the current Houston City Comptroller.  The issue of contention isn't anybody's personal life rather the city's budget issues.  Anyways, they're 3 Democrats (Brown, Parker, and Gene Locke, a Houston's former city attorney), 1 Republican (Roy Morales), 2 Independents (Luis Ullrich and Dan Cupp), and Socialist Workers party candidate, Amanda Ulman (???? because that's exactly how I felt).  Well, I can guess Brown will be Houston's next mayor...

Now on to Hot-ass-mess-tlanta AKA Atlanta with the contentious race between Mary Norwood, Lisa Borders, and Karim Reed is going to be epic.  Sunday night at the last televised debate for the mayoral candidates everybody decided to play pop goes the Norwood.  Borders and Reed were both accusing Norwood of being a Republican in disguise.  All of them including non-so-front-runner were all attacking one another.  Borders went after Reed accusing him coming up with a unrealistic plan to hire 750 new police officers for Atlanta PD.  It was a mess to say the least.  Oh yeah, after all the muck-throwing Norwood is still leading as of this morning in recent polls.  However, a run-off is a coming...

Oh yeah, Charlotte-Mecklenburg AKA Charlotte is suppose to be electing a new mayor as well today.  Current sitting mayor and former Republican gubernatorial candidate for North Carolina, Pat McCrory, isn't running for reelection, so it's a wide open race.  It's between Republican John Lassiter and Democrat Anthony Foxx.  Charlotte is a moderate-right leaning place, and Lassiter is polling as this morning ahead of Foxx.  Honestly, I don't care much for whore-itself-out-for-a-dollar Charlotte, but since it's in the South I will discuss it.  Good luck on that Charlotte...

More as it comes.