Seeking Hope in 2023

Well, after a personally challenging 2022, I decided to take a break in January to clear my head and think about what I want to do with this blog. And I still don’t know. Given the lack of federal leadership in taking on the pandemic and society basically giving up on itself by going unmasked and getting infected more than once (Society, not me), getting involved in stuff isn’t something on my mind. But at least I have this blog, right?

I do know that 2022 left me with a sense of wanting more out of so-called progressives, knowing that the right-wing continues its attack on good things and that we need to be better at fighting back. There needs to be more from those we choose to lead us than daily selfies and minimal returns on our political investments (our vote) when we actually have a majority. That said, a couple of things have happened that give me a little bit of hope. So, I’ll start 2023 (Happy New Year, by the way) with a short listing of things that give me hope.

SILVIA MINTZ ANNOUNCES FOR HCDP CHAIR

My good friend, local attorney and immigration advocate, Silvia Mintz, announced her intention to run for Harris County Democratic Party Chairwoman on FB after the resignation of Odus Evbagharu.

First of all, thank you to Chairman Evbagharu for his service. The position of Party Chair is the most thankless position that entails the equivalent of herding cats, among more important work. It takes a special kind of person to do this part of the job with the ultimate goal of winning elections through coordinated campaigns and effective fundraising. So, that Abogada Mintz is running is not surprising. As she stated:

The Party needs a leader that can keep the county moving forward and not only preserve the accomplishments from the last three election cycles but someone that can build on that progress.

I have run political campaigns, block walked, texted, phone banked, hosted fundraisers, raised money and ran for political office.

I believe that I can be very effective as the Harris County Democratic Party Chairwoman where I can use my experience and knowledge to ensure that Harris County continues to be Democrat and to help turn Texas Blue.

So, one of these days, the County’s Executive Committee (Precinct Chairs) will be getting together to elect the new Party Chair. I wholeheartedly support Silvia Mintz because she does have those leadership qualities needed to keep Democrats together while aiming to win elections. Bottom line: Harris County is still the place in Texas that will finally put a Democrat into statewide office, and this will happen with a chair that will not only win elections, but utilize innovative ways to energize the electorate.

Anyway, this is one moment that has given me some hope.

HOLLY FLYNN VILASECA ANNOUNCES FOR COH AT-LARGE #2

Another good friend, former HISD Trustee, Holly Flynn Vilaseca, announced her candidacy for Houston City Council At-Large Position 2 n FB. I’ve known Holly for years from our participation in local leadership groups and I was very supportive of her work on the school board. As she stated:

I’m running to put families first and ensure we have safe, healthy communities for all Houstonians. We deserve a city government that’s transparent and spends our tax dollars wisely. We deserve reliable city services and better infrastructure.

Together, we can take our city to the next level in economic development, innovation, and quality of life. I can help our communities accomplish these goals with my proven experience in responsible budgeting and operational efficiency. But I can’t do it without your support. Donate to our grassroots campaign at: Actblue.com/donate/HollyforHouston

No doubt, this was another recent happening that gave me some hope.

The City of Houston is currently being sued by LULAC for its lack of Latin@ representation on the City Council. One look at candidates raising money in at-large races and one sees the lack of representation in the people the check-writers support. This needs to change, and it needs to go beyond single-member fiefdoms (what the lawsuit is seeking and probably won’t achieve). So, I’m glad to see Holly jumping in to represent in an at-large race. As I’ve always said, we live everywhere and are qualified to run everywhere.

Reality is hitting us in the face right now, which is one of the reasons I was so out of it on blogging. The implications of a right-wing-led US House and an emboldened and bigoted Texas government are already affecting us, whether through awful public policies or a lack of political will to fight back on the left. Democrats won locally in 2022, but Republicans will continue on their favorite line of whining–creating doubt about election outcomes. We need energy, and these two announcements provided me a bit of a spark.