And what of Brown's support from people like Burge, as well as the many Brown contributors who toil in the real estate and construction industries? As white male businessmen who thrived during the boom years of suburban expansion, they would seem to have no particular affection for a minority candidate in the mold of a traditional urban liberal.
"Lanier is a control freak," notes a west Houston businessman who says he is undecided about Brown but would like to see an African-American elected mayor. "There's a feeling out there, and perception in politics is reality, that if Brown gets elected he's going to be more interested in going to the National Conference of Mayors conventions and stuff like that, and he has no particular interest in infrastructure and public works and that Lanier is going to continue to have his way there."
On the other hand, Greanias plans a major overhaul of the public works department, including the elimination of what he calls the city's "in-house construction company," which administers the Metro-funded infrastructure work. That prospect has prompted Lanier to point out Greanias's plans to curtail the Metro transfer to the contractors, engineers and architects that have been kept extremely busy over the last six years.
Yet it's unclear how that effort is panning out. The Houston Contractors Association PAC, which gave substantially to Lanier's three mayoral campaigns, has made the unusual decision not to endorse anyone in the upcoming general election. That may change in a runoff, says D'Ann Mattox, HCA's executive director. But right now, she says, the PAC is hopelessly split, and has contributed a token $1,000 to each major candidate.
But two prominent members of the HCA, including past president David Bearden, have joined Greanias's money-raising team and last month held a fundraiser for the candidate at a local restaurant, which drew a modest crowd but was probably as close to found money as anything Greanias will collect for his race. Those present were edgy about even discussing their support of Greanias and stressed that they did not want to be quoted by name, fearing that whatever city work is still in the Lanier administration's pipeline will mysteriously dry up for their firms.
However, Bearden thanked his colleagues who came to the fundraiser in words that captured perfectly their fears, as well as their hopes, for a Greanias administration.
"I think we all know there is a bully pulpit at City Hall right now, and we all feel a little uncomfortable going against that," he said. "But we all know George is a man of honesty and integrity. We may not always agree with him politically, but we know we'll always know where he's coming from."
Most polls, private and otherwise, suggest that Brown, by virtue of his lock on the black vote, will finish first in the November 4 election, but will fall far short of the majority needed for an out-and-out victory.
That leaves the other candidates scraping for a spot in a runoff with Brown, and that campaign within the campaign seems to have come down to Greanias versus Mosbacher. Polls show the two in a virtual dead heat, and they have slowly begun to take each other on at the candidate forums and debates.
But if Greanias edges past Mosbacher, and can then best Brown in a runoff -- which many people believe he can -- he'll first have to continue fending off Bob Lanier. So far, Greanias has not directly criticized the mayor, and says he has no plans to start. He's also making a considerable effort to portray his proposals and policy differences with Lanier in a positive light.
But there are, of course, times when what we see and hear from George Greanias is what we've come to expect of George Greanias.
At the sparsely attended meeting of the Harris County Democratic Women's Club in September, Greanias found himself in a discussion on the upcoming $545 million bond issue with Tom Kennedy, a former news- paper reporter who is now working for the Lanier administration as a planning department spokesperson.
Kennedy was there that night to gather support for the bond issue, which Lanier is counting on in order to give the next administration enough cash to continue basic infrastructure improvements. But Kennedy, who put together a light-handed pitch -- a top ten list of reasons to vote in favor of the bond referendum -- was forced to engage the only candidate to question how the bond proceeds will actually be spent.
Greanias listened patiently to Kennedy's presentation, then posed a series of hard-hitting questions that, alas, the Lanier minion could not answer.
"I feel sure there will be enough details available for people to make a good decision," Kennedy answered.
"When?! November 3?" Greanias asked, referring to the day before the election.
"I don't know," Kennedy replied.
"You know," said Greanias, "you'd be doing us all a favor by getting it done, so we candidates can talk about it with voters."
A few weeks later, after careful study, George Greanias added his endorsement of Bob Lanier's bond issue.
