Email Author Tim Fleck

2002 Stories by Tim Fleck

• Trading Places

  published August 15, 2002

  With the campaign for November's general election heating up, several indicators point to a New Year's departure from City Hall by City Controller... More >>

• Judge Love Strikes Again

  published July 25, 2002

  It's not often a member of the Harris County judiciary gets to make local legal history, but Family Court Judge Doug Warne just might have... More >>

• Midsummer Night's Political Dreams

  published July 18, 2002

  Political consultant and lobbyist George Strong went fishing for laughs last week when he rose to lecture a meeting of the Harris County... More >>

• Mayoral Minority Report

  published July 11, 2002

  Some of Houston's best political precognitives are hard at work this summer trying to prevent what they foresee as an electoral disaster.... More >>

• Getting Lonely at the Top

  published July 4, 2002

  The administration of Mayor Lee P. Brown has never been renowned for its smooth operations or operators, but the ride is really getting... More >>

• From the Grass Roots Up

  published June 27, 2002

  During the hard-fought Houston mayoral contest last year, Craig Varoga, campaign manager for incumbent Lee P. Brown, took several... More >>

• Old Ways Die Hard

  published June 20, 2002

  In its first six months, there were few public complaints about the new system for selecting publicly paid attorneys to represent poor defendants... More >>

• Jumped or Was Pushed?

  published June 13, 2002

  Last week's raucous send-off for retiring Harris County elections chief Tony Sirvello featured a politically balanced guest list rarely... More >>

• Elephants Versus RINOs

  published June 6, 2002

  Texas Republicans are poised to convene in Dallas to celebrate a self-proclaimed "Year of Emergence" as the majority party in the state. But... More >>

• Image Scrimmage

  published May 30, 2002

  Former Houston first lady Elyse Lanier's abrupt resignation as chair of the Houston Image Group earlier this month was in keeping with its... More >>

• Tales of Rail

  published May 9, 2002

  Arthur Louis Schechter, known as Butch to his friends, flew to Washington in 1993 to witness a special event. His mode of transport was... More >>

• Patti Smith

  published May 9, 2002

  Now that she's been officially resurrected with a successful comeback album, a spot on Jay Leno and an adoring profile in The New... More >>

• Barry, Barry, Quite Contrary

  published May 2, 2002

  In mid-March, Houston Chief Deputy City Controller Judy Johnson and Banc One executive Barry T. Smitherman were winding down a tense... More >>

• Anatomy of an Attempted Whitewash

  published April 25, 2002

  Hamilton Middle School on East 20th Street provides a beacon to the gentrifying middle- and upper-income neighborhoods of the Heights for parents... More >>

• Over the Rainbow

  published April 18, 2002

  It wasn't easy for Texas Democratic Party leaders to design a rainbow dance card for next November's statewide elections, but the last partner... More >>

• Hot Springtime for Sheridan

  published April 11, 2002

  Late last month, more than 100 University of Houston professors gathered at Farish Hall Kiva for what could have doubled as an acerbic question... More >>

• The Immigrant's Song

  published April 4, 2002

  The showdown at City Council came in late February, during the vote on an African-American minister's controversial $90 million affordable housing... More >>

• Policing the Politicos

  published April 4, 2002

  Most everybody agrees the Texas Ethics Commission is ineffectual in enforcing state campaign laws, but some folks would like it to stay that way.... More >>

• Nice Guy, Wrong Color

  published March 21, 2002

  When Houston Congressman Ken Bentsen decided to run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Phil "Enron" Gramm last fall, he... More >>

• Some Very Reliant Directors

  published March 7, 2002

  After Enron's bloody bankruptcy, legal giant Vinson & Elkins drew fire for contributing to the downfall as the corporation's legal... More >>

• The Dome and Dylan

  published February 28, 2002

  The Insider isn't one for tripping down memory lane very often, firmly subscribing to the old saw that nostalgia is for people who don't know what... More >>

• Hounding Hardeway

  published February 21, 2002

  Winnie Gaynor, a 69-year-old widow, lives alone in Studewood Heights northwest of downtown. It's a low-income, mostly African-American... More >>

• The Kopper Caper

  published February 14, 2002

  One of the finer ironies of the unfolding Enron scandal is that one of its executives found a way to turn the inherent financial disadvantages of... More >>

• Enron's Judge Not

  published February 14, 2002

  Enron's political clout, money and family ties permeated almost every aspect of public life in Houston. That's no secret, and it was dramatically... More >>

• Up In Smoke

  published February 7, 2002

  Late in the afternoon of July 31, 2000, a who's who of Republicans -- Texans as well as national party officials -- jammed into elevators of a... More >>