Harris County Judge Ed Emmett and his opponent David Mincberg squared off in a debate yesterday that appeared to showcase Mincberg’s unfamiliarity with Harris County operations. The Chron’s Liz Peterson has details:
In his first debate against Republican County Judge Ed Emmett, developer David Mincberg said Wednesday his experience in the boardroom and in the community has given him the business acumen and managerial skills needed to lead the nation’s third-largest county.
But he stumbled somewhat over questions about the county’s day-to-day operations as he sought to paint Emmett as an unethical politician who lacks big business experience.
Asked how he would speed construction of the Grand Parkway so it can be completed as quickly as the Katy Freeway was rebuilt, Mincberg accused the county of awarding contracts for road-building projects to favored campaign contributors without accepting bids.
Mincberg said the county should follow the state’s lead when it comes to competitive bidding.
“Unlike the way the I-10 piece was put together, the county’s process is not only likely to not go faster, it’s likely to go slower,” he said.
However, state law bars counties and other governmental entities from accepting bids for professional services contracts with architects, engineers and land surveyors, a fact Emmett quickly pointed out.
[snip]
Mincberg said he would have to review the contracting law, but he believed there was room for more transparency.
The Democrat also decried soaring property assessments and said he would look into the Harris County Appraisal District’s appraisal rates while also searching for efficiencies in county government.
But the county has no authority over the appraisal district, other than appointing a member of its six-person board of directors. Also, HCAD is facing pressure from the state to increase commercial property values even further.
After the debate, held by the Houston Realty Breakfast Club political action committee, Emmett said Mincberg’s unfamiliarity with county operations makes him an unsuitable candidate to become its chief executive.
We already know Mincberg won’t tolerate any questions about his business dealings — gutter politics!! — and we know Mincberg wasn’t focused on his job as the city’s multi-family housing czar because of an old memo Mayor White wrote which the Chron’s Matt Stiles obtained:
In this letter, the mayor writes to Houston attorney Tim Horan, asking him to replace David Mincberg, who stopped working on apartments policy last July “because of other time commitments and pursuits.” Mincberg is now running for Harris County judge as a Democrat.
If past experience is the best indicator of future results, we already have a hint of how Mincberg will be as county judge.
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