Houston activist Cynthia Bailey eligible to run for City Council despite critics
HOUSTON - For folks in north side neighborhoods like Acres Homes and Kashmere Gardens, it has been a year-long wait to choose a new voice on Houston’s City Council - a 12-month delay triggered by protracted courthouse wrangling.
You see, neighborhood activist Cynthia Bailey was once convicted of a felony – a past which some argue, renders her ineligible to hold public office under Texas law.
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But after review by two different judges, both of whom refused to block Bailey’s bid, the District-B run-off election has been greenlighted for December 12th.
“You lead from the front and not the back,” says Bailey.
Undeterred by her detractors, Bailey has been busy, building support on the strength of her years battling illegal dumping and demonstrated a willingness to toil at the grassroots level.
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“When you are out there with them, arm in arm and we sweating together, drinking a bottle of water, figuring out how we are going to get the rest of the trash up, it’s easy, because people want to see you do, rather than say and I am a doer and not a sayer,” said Bailey at a forum hosted by Houston Black Democrats.
13 months ago community organizer Tarsha Jackson was the top vote-getter in District B – a campaign propelled by years of advocacy, first for her special needs son and later for Harvey victims and folks trapped in a discriminatory criminal justice system.
“The fight taught me when we come together with a unified voice anything is possible.
Knowledge is power if you know how to navigate these systems, you will know how to fight it. Making sure I’m inclusive, that people are part of the process and that we together collectively move district B forward,” said Jackson.
Early voting for the District B run-off begins Wednesday, pauses for the Thanksgiving Holiday through Sunday, resuming next Monday, November 30, and continuing through December 8th.