Houston Area Leadership Vacuum: Did Garcia Just Admit he was a bad choice for Sheriff?

Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia announced his candidacy for Houston Mayor today. Seemingly thinking that a job history more focused on taking selfies is more important than minding his department's purse strings or managing the Harris County Jail is good enough to get him elected into office.  Optics and all of that.

What struck me most however was not, as mentioned in the story I link to below (which you should read), that Mr. Garcia's announcement speech was short on accomplishments and policy and long on 'personal story', it was expected that he would try to gloss over the fact that, while in office, he's been closer to the artist that provides the court rendering for newscasts rather than an active participant. No, what surprised us the most is that in his resignation letter he appears to be implying that he was the wrong guy for the job.

Garcia makes it official, joining crowded field for Mayor. Rebecca Elliott & Gabrielle Banks, HoustonChronicle.com ($$$)

(As is usual, the Chron does not want you to read their actual journalism (preferring instead you watch slideshows) so we quote very selectively and urge you to go read the entire story.)

In a letter Wednesday informing the court of his decision, Garcia, a Democrat, offered the court his "counsel and input." He urged the commissioners and judge to appoint an independent or another Democrat and to avoid choosing any law enforcement official who has aspirations of further elected office.

Emphasis mine.

On the first point one would expect Mr. Garcia to wave the partisan flag (a little). Of course, when he ran for the office originally he downplayed (or didn't mention much) the fact that he was a Democrat, preferring instead to focus on the many allegations that plagued his Republican predecessor.  In fact he did a good job distracting from the fact that he wasn't all that qualified to be a Sheriff in the first place.

On the second point. Isn't Garcia describing himself here?  Isn't Garcia a 'law enforcement official who has aspirations of further elected office"? Never mind that he's resigning from a position with huge public safety implications to further those aspirations?

According to reports morale within the Harris County Sheriff's Department is at an all time low. The Harris County Jail is a shambles and the crime clearance rates are near the bottom of the State rankings. So, from that perspective, clearing the way for another individual to come in and try and get a handle on this mess is probably overdue.

I'm just amazed that, either through bad advice or bad judgment, Mr. Garcia was able to write without irony that the Harris County Commissioner's Court should select someone as his replacement that is decidedly only like him in party affiliation.  For all of the important bits that do matter, Garcia is suggesting that he was the wrong man at the wrong time in the wrong job.

Call it me but that's not an ideal way to kick-off a campaign. Whoever he hired to handle campaign strategy has to be in a bar somewhere right now ordering it.

Houston Area Leadership Vacuum: Many Acts, One Long Play.

For all of the self-congratulatory stuff the City of Houston is batting around these days you'd think our fair City is operating free of any issues whatsoever.

1. Where is the rest of this money going? I get that the value of the cut-down trees was placed at $400K and that the Wendy's franchisee settled for $300K, but did the cost of those three replacement trees really come to that?  If so, where did the rest of the money go, what was it used for etc?

2. The BARC turn-around is a success story, no matter how you look at it. The Politicians will try and take credit, but much of the praise lies with the staff of the Center and the dedicated volunteers of the assorted rescue groups who are doing much of the heavy lifting on this.

3. Remember: TALK about pot-holes is not FIXING pot-holes. All we're being given now is a bunch of talk. While that's probably enough to satisfy Houston bloggers of a certain political persuasion, it shouldn't be enough to satisfy the general Houston public.

4. The next time you hear that the 'rain tax' is working....

5. I totally missed this. In seriousness, here's hoping that Ms. Pennington has a full and speedy recovery.

6. Ed Emmett's Grand Adventure - Remember that vote on the Astrodome?  Yeah well guess what? It didn't turn out the way they wanted so they're going to keep plowing forward until you forget about that.  Side Note: Wouldn't you think that an indoor theme park of this nature would be vetoed by either the Texans or the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo?

Is it election season yet?

Houston Area Leadership Vacuum: Wi-Fi at NRG Stadium

For all of the wailing and gnashing of teeth over proposed Wi-Fi upgrades at NRG Stadium, I'm surprised our "conservative county leaders" haven't embraced the one, most simple, solution...

NRG Stadium Ponders Joining Wi-Fi World. Gabrielle Banks, HoustonChronicle.com ($$$)

The Chron doesn't want you to read their journalism, so I'll oblige and just quote a very small piece for discussion's sake.

Harris County Precinct 3 Commissioner Steve Radack said he believes the county does "not need to go in there and spend money" on the Wi-Fi.

Precinct 4 Commissioner R. Jack Cagle reviewed background materials for the bid and "noted he needs to know the source or sources of funding," said his spokesman, Mark Seegers.

How about trying this on for size?

If the tenants at NRG, and the NFL, feel that Wi-Fi service in and around the complex is a priority then let them pay for it and recoup the cost as part of a "connectivity fee" included in the price of event tickets?

This allows the market to work, only those who feel the service is of value will ultimately be paying for the service, and it removes the thorny political issue of having citizens who can not, or will not, attend functions at NRG paying for the service.

Of course, I get that the Houston Texans and the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo aren't too keen on this idea. The feeling of entitlement by venue tenants (note to Chris Tomlinson, THIS is what entitlement looks like) is something that was quick to take hold and has been hard to shake. The Texans especially are sensitive to perceived high-ticket prices for a middling product. When you think about the sheer volume of patrons that attend activities at NRG however you're really only looking at a $1-$2 charge per ticket. For the Houston Texans this would equate to $10-$20 per season for the average fan (not counting playoffs *snort*).

Before you get all hot and bothered by that remember that the Houston Chronicle's New Mrs. White and a host of other local politicians often snipe at homeowners in Harris County for being upset about new taxes that will "only" increase the tax burden on the average citizen by $300-$400 per year. In the grand scheme of things this is a fairly small price to pay for having the ability to take a selfie with a Texans Cheerleader and transmit it out over Twitter and Facebook to remind the world that, when normal folks take pictures with cheer leaders, it really just makes them look a little creepy.

Would such a thing like this have a chance at passing?  Probably not. For one thing the Texans have to answer to the NFL, which is never in favor of teams picking up the cost of anything they can pressure local governments to pass on to taxpayers. The HLS&R has never been keen on spending money that can otherwise be directed toward improving their fancy offices in Downtown Houston. Finally, people only REALLY like Wi-Fi service when they think it's free. Having a ticket surcharge for this would probably generate more complaints than would a tax.

And, sadly, they're complaints that the Chronicle, and other news outlets, would take seriously. There would be a ton of stories penned about "World Class(y) Houston" and the things we need to do to keep up with cities in the Northeast (which are looking down the bankruptcy barrel) while encouraging us to go ahead and pay for this through an expansion of the hotel occupancy tax. They would then mean that this means "Houstonians never pay for it" unless you use a local hotel or have relatives in town for the Holidays, then you would.

The solution above is the fairest and most transparent of all proposed solutions, which is why, given Houston's current leadership vacuum, it has a 100% chance of never even being seriously considered.

Houston Area Leadership Vacuum: The Sorry State of Roads and Infrastructure.

I will be the first to admit to you that, from time to time, I feel a strong urge to just totally dump politics and never blog about them again.  As a matter of fact, I think I've penned a post or two suggesting that this is what I would do.

Inevitably however, the silly season (elections) start ramping up and I find myself interested again so I pen a political blog post. I feel that I can do this because a.) I offer no claims of credibility and b.) I'm sure many of the people who would like to call me on this have either stopped reading this blog long ago because of some imagined slight or they just don't remember.

With that said, what follows is a political post.

Not national politics, of course, because I find it too easy to just pen a post saying "Democrats are Stupid!" (many are) or that "Republicans have turned their backs on the voters!" (many have) and then make some snide remark about either Obama golfing while the world burns, or Obamacare being a tax disaster, or Hillary and Chelsea Clinton not grasping the fact that THEY are the .001% of the 1% and their entire campaign being built on a false premise, or Boehner crying or John McCain being an idiot again.  While the above is a sure-fire way to get page hits and praise/condemnation from those who believe in the black/white hat theory of partisan politics I find it much more interesting to blog about local politics.

One reason for this is because the hats politicians wear are often different shades of gray. For another, the decisions, obsessions and indifferences of the local pols are more likely to have a direct effect on my daily life.  Another reason is simple: In Houston, the coverage of local politics is (mostly) awful. You are either stuck with whatever institutional source material the Chron has decided to regurgitate unquestioningly, hi-ho party bloggers or (worst of all) smartest-guy-in-the-room contrarians who shit allegiances with the tide or, more realistically, toward whatever politician decides to pay attention to them at the moment.

All of this leads us, conveniently, to Harris County traffic.

It's awful, we all know this.  I could end this post here but that wouldn't be right considering that there's a LOT of blame to go around.

First: Harris County drivers.

It's easy to look at Houston's dilapidated streets and say that our ruling class is 100% to blame. This is easy but not entirely fair.  So before we go any further I think it's right that you, Harris County car driver, are reminded of a few simple rules of the road:

1. Stop cutting in line.  If you know your exit is coming then pull into the lane early. Don't wait until the last minute to try and wedge in between an 18-wheeler hauling gasoline and a family of six trying to get the kids to school. Even worse is when you (usually driving a pick-up) forget the fact that your truck-bed is actually attached to your car and it's still sticking out into the lane you are trying to leave blocking those people as well.  Have a little foresight and get over earlier.  Finally, if you leave the line and then try to get back in line later I believe that the police should have the legal option of shooting out your tires, and immediately towing your vehicle.  Especially if you commit the two previous sins listed above.

2. Stop cutting in line. I just felt I needed to say this twice.

3. In addition to speed limit maximums, there are speed limit minimums as well. Not that I'm intentionally picking on pickup trucks here, but they seem to be serial offenders. For some reason your standard pickup driver in Houston is only capable of two speeds: Either a warp level that would make Mr. Scott nervous or glacially slow. There is no in between.  How you drive on the open highway is none of my concern.  But if you can't stay within the flow of traffic during rush hour then please, take the bus.

4. Please stop talking/texting and trying to make 7-lane changes. At some point, we're going to have driverless cars and you'll be able to sext to your side-piece while in your car, until then, just stop.  People who do this like to point out that there's no law banning texting or talking on one's phone while driving in Texas but, in fact, they are wrong.  It is illegal to drive while distracted in Texas and it's a law I wish officers would enforce more strongly.

5. If you are going to make a right turn, please stop rushing past someone only to pull into the lane, slam on the breaks and turn right in front of them. Were I King of Texas the penalty for this would be caning. Not only is this dangerous, but it says to everyone around that you either have no depth perception or that you're such a gormless prat that you don't care what happens to anyone around you.

6. Finally, and most importantly, there are others around you. Please be cognizant of that fact. I've often said that Houston drivers are not especially bad, they just lack spatial awareness. Understand that when you attempt to make a 5 lane change to get to the exit you forgot you needed to take there are, in fact, other motorists behind you who don't expect someone to drive like a directionless twit. I understand that checking mirrors and signaling before lane changes is quaint, but it sure would cut down on the accident rate.

Second: Harris County Elected Officials

Thought you were getting off easy didn't you?  Well, the truth is you're a big part of the problem as well.

1. Potholes. I realize that the Houston Chronicle has now decided that all is hunky-dory since Mayor Parker issued a call-to-arms (before throwing a tiny amount of money at the problem then immediately leaving for another party-with-others-in-the-ruling-class junket) but the fact is that there are still an awful lot of potholes out there and, in most cases, the 'fix' that Public Works claims to have done does nothing more than turn a tire killing pothole into a suspension killing speed bump.  I'm entirely serious here.  I've seen fixed potholes that look like scale models of the Matterhorn. Even someone who hasn't completed Jr. High can work a trowel after all. Here's another quaint idea: Do the job correctly and completely the first time.

2. Capacity. I'm not entirely sure what the engineered vehicle count limits are for Houston's infrastructure, but I'm almost positive that we've exceeded them. While the easy solution is to "pour more asphalt" I understand that, in the current political environment, this is both cost-prohibitive as well as sure to bring a round-of cries from Houston's unproductive class (more on them in a minute.)  I saw a local Houstonian (and for the life of me I can't find the link, so if it was you, please link your story to the comments and I'll edit) recommend remaking Houston's Interstates into double decker expressways. I like this idea for two reasons:  1. It wouldn't involve troublesome issues of imminent domain and 2. If designed properly (big if) it could allow 18-wheelers easy access in and out of the city while the local commuter was able to actually get to an exit without having to bob and weave like Barry Sanders running behind the Lion's colander of an offensive line.

3. Light sequencing. Note here that I don't say synchronization. The latter would be a horrible idea.  The fact is however that in most of Harris County much of the congestion is caused by shoddily sequenced traffic lights. Want to test your patience? Try to drive down West Little York between Hwy 290 and Hwy 6 almost any time of day.  As a matter of fact, try to drive down almost any street in Houston at the posted speed without being stopped at almost every light. In many cases, it cannot be done even if you drive above the speed limit (illegal) or creep along slowly (unsafe). There was a story printed at one time (which, again, I can't find online) that Harris County actually had a chance to purchase light-sequencing software for $500K but "it had other priorities".  One assumes that power-washing the Astrodome was more important than people being productive and getting to work safely and on-time.

4. Public Transportation. This hurts to say because I love me some public transportation when done right. Unfortunately, Houston Metro is not doing it right so it's time to starve the beast and redeploy the monies to road maintenance and construction.  Maybe, once the current regime is gone we can get some people in who understand what the real role of public transportation is (to move people from point to point efficiently) versus what they want it to be (wedding venues for the unproductive class and baubles designed to bring events to town).

Last: The Unproductive Class

For you, I have only two things.

1. Just. Stop. We realize that you have just as much a right to make an argument as the next person. We also acknowledge that, as residents of Houston, you probably paid sales tax on a mixed drink from time to time and have put money in the city and county coffers.  However, just because you went to Europe once or twice and rode on a really neat train or streetcar there doesn't mean that the same set-up is going to work well in Houston.  Also, your insistence that everyone move inside Loop 610 is impractical.  A better use of your time would be to try and figure out how to get people from outside the central core, into job centers.

2. You cannot have your cake and eat it to. This goes out mainly to Critical Mass, the cycling group that violated traffic lights, berated motorists and generally created civic danger situations during their monthly protest rides. I get that you are angry that motorists are parking on the dedicated bicycle lane downtown. For the most part, I'm sure most of this is due to ignorance.  But, if the motorists would be doing this as some kind of protest how is this any different than the idiocy that you used to partake in when you blocked intersections illegally, banged on the hoods of cars who tried to pass on a green light, and (according to reports) delayed the access of first responders to get to victims?  One of the biggest problems with activism is that the activists typically choose to pick and choose when rules get followed. Were I you I'd focus on lobbying Houston to continue to develop a real, workable bike path system that let's you get where you need to go, and also to ensure that the last 1000 yards that require you to ride on surface streets is safe and efficient. Of course, that's just me, I'm not an activist.

Transportation infrastructure is bad across the State, either through negligence or buffoonery our local and State elected officials have been desperately attempting to provide content for election hand-outs, trying to swap trinkets for votes, or supplying red meat to the laundry-list of political activists who issue voter guides. They also suffer from "Something! Must be done." syndrome which supposes that for every imagined problem, there is either a law, ordinance or regulation that can fix it. Better governance would be to fully handle requirements first, the important things next, and only after everything is fully funded and everything is running at peak efficiency do you start asking questions.  Even at that point (and Houston and Texas are nowhere NEAR that point) the default answer should be to leave well enough alone.

First though, let's get things moving.  Of course, this might mean that $243 Million for the Astrodome be directed toward better uses, as might the proposed $50 Million for Reliant Park upgrades.

Houston Area Leadership Vacuum: Maybe leadership isn't what we need?

As the debate over the fate of the former 8th Wonder of the World devolves into comedy it pays to have the secretarial journalists at ChronBlog around to continue providing us with fresh new material.


Plan to convert Dome to indoor park will depend on details. Kiah Collier, Chron.com

Baumgardner said he was excited and inspired by the concept Emmett proposed, but that "whatever this thing is," or turns out to be, should complement, rather than duplicate, amenities the city offers, such as pavilions, amphitheaters, exercise facilities and hike and bike trails.

Inspired? By a rough-draft plan with no details, no cost projections and no real idea what, if anything, it's going to be?  Perhaps Baumgardner is "inspired" by the amount of money his firm hopes to bring in from the government trough if this plan goes forward?  Perhaps his family is "inspired" by the vacation plans they're making?

One thing's for sure, he can't be 'inspired' by the actual plan because there isn't one.

"We live in Katy, but we could come if there was one … and even be willing to pay for use of facilities," Jessie Cheek, a mother of five, wrote in an email to the Houston Chronicle. "More greenery is very needed."

Why is it always Katy?

First off, this plan isn't going to be "green space" in the traditional sense of the words. If anything, the plan by the Texans/HLS&R was "green space" like the Katy resident is championing.  What this plan is going to be is a refurbished Dome sitting in a parking lot with some stuff inside of it. I'm guessing, although I'm not certain, that whatever "green" there is will be of the man-made type.  Possibly Astroturf. 

Emmett will meet next week with the Urban Land Institute, a nonprofit cities and counties hire to help determine how to approach urban land reuse projects.

"If you just have the local people fighting it out, you may never get an answer to a question like this," said Tom Eitler, the institute's vice president of advisory services.

Eitler said the institute has had panels on what to do with old stadiums, but he could not think of any that have been converted to another use.

"Ideally, we'd like to be a source of additional insight and practical approaches that could move all the Astrodome stakeholders closer to resolution by addressing each group's concerns, needs and aspirations," said Ann Taylor, executive director of the institute's local chapter. 

The take-away here is that what's been presented as a "plan" isn't really a "plan" at all.  What Emmett has proposed is merely a place-holder to try and stop the Texans/HLS&R plan from gaining traction.

As we move forward there's going to be more and more said about this issue and I'm afraid that little of it is going to make much sense at all. The issue of what to do with the Dome is more emotion than logic. Unfortunately, we need leaders who are able to deal in the latter while being stuck with those who are mired in the former.

As previously stated, this is not going to help things moving forward.

The worst-case scenario is that, in 2016 & 2017 when the NBA All-Star game and the NFL's big corporate, pimp-n-ho ball parties come to town that the rotting hulk of a building is still deteriorating in a sea of indecision.  For all the talk of trinkets and world-classiness, nothing says "we can't lead" like a deteriorating structure for homeless cats and rats blocking out the view of NRG stadium on national TV.

 

Houston Area Leadership Vacuum: The New Astrodome Experience On to Plan B....

Oh boy....

Emmett proposes Dome become world's largest indoor park. Kiah Collier, Chron.com

Among potential attractions Emmett said he could envision at the domed stadium were a large open green for festivals and other community gatherings, general exercise facilities, an amphitheater, a pavilion for music and other events, and special educational facilities for children, even museums. The Dome also could house permanent or temporary sports facilities, such as an archery range or horseshoe pits, he said.

This on the heels of Emmett's strong criticism of the Texans/HLS&R proposal to turn the Dome-space into a large outdoor park as "a silly plan" . Apparently "silly" is defined by whether or not the walls and roof are still in place to provide 24/7 air-conditioning? Or maybe "silly" is more identified with who signs the ultimate demolition order?

This entire process has now devolved into full-on tragi-comedy as it is becoming increasingly evident that the vision of the Texans/HLS&R are at odds with the visions of the current batch of elected County officials.

It's also very clear that Emmett doesn't reserve the same standards for his plans as he does others. It has been Emmett acting as the loudest critic of plans that were presented without funding proposals along side them. It's been stated that the County doesn't have the funds to repurpose the Dome currently, so I'm guessing this is going to mean that Emmett is going to propose a tax increase on the citizens of Harris County (eventually) to fund the thing.  One supposes it will be a sufficient distance away from the rumored tax increase to fund pre-K eduction. And that both tax-increase proposals will be situated far enough from his re-election campaign as to allow him to run (again) as a "fiscal conservative who gets things done."

In some ways, it's even sadder that the proposal for "saving the Dome" involves plans for horseshoe pits (hey, why not a corn-hole range?) and archery ranges. From the (temporarily) 8th Wonder of the World to a very big room where Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo attendees can drink beer and toss horseshoes until they puke the decline of the rotting hulk has been a sad one.

If that's the best we can come up with I would suggest that it's possibly time for the good people of Harris County to consider electing some Commissioners who can do better.  Alas, this won't happen. There are no safer seats in politics than on the Harris County Commissioner's Court.

My question is this:  If plan "A" was the horrendous "New Astrodome Experience" and plan "B" is this piece of light comedy, how bad are things going to look when we get to plans "W", "X", "Y" or "Z"? All of which we would seemingly reach before any current members of the Commissioner's Court might want to think about, possibly, conducting a feasibility study surrounding tearing the damn thing down?  We could get to the point where we're seriously considering an indoor movie studio again.

Or maybe we just let the thing fall away like the Roman Coliseum?

Hell, we're already trying to copy San Francisco and Montreal with this mess of a plan so why not?  At least Rome is a proper World Class City right?

Houston Leadership Vacuum: Stalling Dome Progress in an effort to burnish one man's perceived legacy.

There has been a whole lot in the debate over the future of the Astrodome that has been silly.  From ideas ranging from movie studios to butterfly houses, to arguments that a building less than a decade old is as historically important as the pyramid's of Giza the only thing sure about this discussion is that it's very clear that what's lacking is not only vision, but leadership.  As an example:

Emmett calls Dome demo plan "silly". Kiah Collier, Chron.com

Harris County Judge Ed Emmett on Thursday called a proposal by the Houston Texans and the Rodeo to demolish the Astrodome and replace it with a park-like green space "a silly plan" and pleaded with members of the Hotel & Lodging Association of Greater Houston to give a repurposing of the iconic structure a second chance.

Emmett told the group that he did a "poor job" last fall of selling a $217 million plan by the Harris County Sports & Convention Corp. to turn the Dome into an events center. Voters rejected the plan last November.

Also....

Emmett calls Dome proposal a silly idea. Kiah Collier, HoustonChronicle.com ($)
(Again, since the Chronicle doesn't want you to see their journalism I'll just quote a quote and encourage you to go read the rest, if you can. If not, this story is just an expanded version of the story on the pay-site anyway so you're not missing much.)

"The Astrodome is the only building in the world that's 350,000 square feet of column-free space," he told a luncheon crowd at the Four Seasons Hotel downtown. "There are a lot of creative people in the world who would love to figure out ways to use the space if we just keep it and make it an option for them."

Ms. Collier goes on to say that Judge Emmett is "not advocating for any specific plan" which means that he's advocating doing nothing until someone, anyone I'm guessing, with vision and leadership actually emerges with a working plan. In the interim, Houston is just supposed to wait it out as the cat-piss filled hulking mess continues to deteriorate.

Both articles continue to insinuate that the County's options for the Astrodome are subject to the whims of one man who's not primarily concerned with finding the correct outcome, but with ensuring that his legacy doesn't read that he was in charge when the Dome came down.  In terms of leadership, that's certainly not up there with the risks taken by great leaders of the past is it?

All of this continues to highlight the current leadership vacuum that is pervasive throughout the entire Houston region.  Houston has a Mayor and City Council who won't (or can't) lead, a city Controller who's been mysteriously silent since the run-up to the election, and just lost another public works director as a result of the horribly designed and implemented Rain Tax.  Harris County has a County Commissioner and Court who seem hell-bent on just sitting back and making pretty speeches about "getting things done" while the population booms and they sit by idly.  Ooooh...look, they had a ribbon cutting at a dog park, or a parklet.

With Emmett however the problem is worse.  Mayor Parker, for all of her faults, didn't really stress her leadership abilities when running.  She rode the local economy (for which she can really take no credit) and stressed her "competence" which is nothing more than suggesting that we be grateful she hasn't messed everything up at Mayor Brown levels. (Of course, after entering her lame duck term she then has proceeded to mess everything up at the level of Mayor Brown so....)  Judge Emmett ran specifically on his perceived leadership ability.  He positioned himself as a "conservative" man who gets things done, a man who can look down the barrel of a crisis, laugh in the face of danger and come out as cool as the Most Interesting Man in Harris County.  Reality has shown this to not be true.

In fact, Emmett has emerged as something of a hollow shell. He calls for the end of redundancies in local government under the flag of conservatism while chastising those who would like to place "artificial limits" on the size and scope of government. He opposes the plan for the Astrodome that's been forwarded by the two entities with first refusal rights despite presenting no viable option himself. In short, he's becoming exactly what conservative activists said he was when he was appointed to the position initially, a member of the local establishment who's primary constituency is not the citizens of Harris County but the businesses that petition to the Commissioner's Court.

Term limits will ensure that Mayor Parker is shown the door, it's time to ask ourselves if the ballot box shouldn't ensure that Emmett is as well the next time around.  At some point the leadership vacuum in the Houston region needs to be filled.

The Astrodome Follies: This would qualify as the climax.

Regardless of your hopes and dreams for the Astrodome, turning it into a movie studio, a cool shopping mall, the worlds biggest shopping mall/parking garage/casino, or even something as insipid as The "New" Dome Experience, nothing was ever realistically going to happen until the Rodeo and Texans weighed in.

Well....now they have.

Rodeo, Texans have $66 Million plan to demolish Dome. Kiah Collier, Chron.com

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and the NFL's Houston Texans have devised a $66 million plan to demolish the vacant Astrodome and turn the site into an outdoor green space that is reminiscent of downtown's Discovery Green and also pays tribute to the historic stadium.
The project, titled the "Astrodome Hall of Fame," would be completed in time for the 2017 Super Bowl at NRG Stadium, according to a 37-page proposal obtained by the Houston Chronicle.

As you can imagine, the chron.commenters are having a field day with this. One commenter even compared the centuries-old Pyramids of Giza to the not-yet-century-old Dome. That's just wrong in many ways. For one, the Pyramids have held up better.  Another commenter spoke about the "Annual Animal Abuse" event which I presume means the Houston World Series of Dog Shows.  What this means is that this particular chron.commenter is probably a member of PeTA.  No one should ever listen to a member of PeTA, they should be patted on the head, be given an ear of corn and be reminded to stay at least 100 yards away from any Llamas.

Given those comments it's probably a good thing those of a more progressive persuasion are kept far away from the planning for the Dome, leaving it to people who actually have a financial stake in the mess anyway.

What we do know right now, is that former fiscal conservative Ed Emmett is is making noise that he he is quite content to continue wasting taxpayer money on this issue and that he'll stand against this plan.  Curious fiscal stances of this type have become commonplace with Emmett, especially in respect to the Dome, as has allowing his personal quest to not be in charge when the Dome is demolished.

Given that Emmett has abdicated his leadership role in this matter and Houston Mayor Annise Parker is too focused on the restroom habits of her constituency it's going to ultimately fall to the Texans and Rodeo to do the heavy lifting.  I believe this plan is the start of this movement, as both groups are growing tired of watching the Houston Region's leadership vacuum suck up yet another public issue.

At some point the voters are going to get tired of this one would think but local politics are infamous for letting bad leaders remain in their positions despite dropping the ball on many issues.  Right now Houston's leadership is failing at almost all levels. The Astrodome kerfuffle is just another log on the fire.