Council today approved yet another of Mayor White’s priorities, the generation of new revenues for the city via an automated red light/traffic camera system.
The measure passed with only two no votes. According to Chronicle reporter Ron Nissimov, Addie Wiseman voted no because she believes the ordinance violates the spirit of legislation passed by the Texas legislature (she’s correct). Ada Edwards voted no because she believes the citations will have no teeth (contending that people cannot be arrested for refusing to pay any citatons they receive).
Interestingly, the KHOU-11 coverage indicates that road sensors will be deployed, meaning road construction and delays. That’s a curious way to “get Houston moving,” to borrow from the seemingly forgotten priorities enunciated in the Mayor’s last election campaign.
So far, Mayor White has had few problems getting council to sign off on an agenda that has included Tasers, enriching downtown developers to create a new Central Park, enhancing municipal revenues with new downtown parking meters and expanded hours, reconfiguring the city’s pension plan with some unusual arrangements regarding the city’s convention center hotel, and enhancing municipal revenues via cameras at traffic lights. The only major initiative that Council has forced the Mayor to back down on was his proposed African American museum, which will almost certainly make another appearance down the road. Neither the Mayor nor his Council have, thus far, seemed interested in addressing HPD’s ongoing manpower concerns.
COVERAGE: Ron Nissimov/Chronicle, KTRK-13, KHOU-11.
RELATED: Red-light running, from a Houston officer’s view (Hans Marticiuc, Chronicle)
