Communication:

For each TREPAC contribution presentation, a personalized newsletter was created and emailed to HAR members in their respective legislative districts. In addition, HAR’s Governmental Affairs staff attended each TREPAC contribution presentation.

Newsworthy notes: HAR was mentioned in two articles regarding HAR’s recommended candidate, Nick Lampson, in the Congressional District 22 election. These articles can be found at: http://www.herald-coaster.com/articles/2006/10/03/news/news01.txt and http://www.herald-coaster.com/articles/2006/10/11/news/news04.txt.

Attended Dear Park, Great Northwest, Ft. Bend, and Near Northwest Area Networking Meetings; WCR-Houston and Houston Real Estate Association meetings and distributed HAR Recommended Candidates List. Each Chair of the Area Networking Meetings was emailed the HAR Recommended Candidates List to put on their agenda to Get Out the REALTOR® Vote and distribute the list.

A Get Out the REALTOR® Early Vote newsletter was emailed out. In addition, the 5 Minute Realtor included a special election edition on Election Day.

Governmental Affairs Advisory Group:

On October 16, Michael Levitin and I met with City of Houston housing staffer, Allen Parker, and about a dozen other city personnel to discuss the marketing of Mayor White’s Houston Hope initiative. Another meeting was called on October 23 which Michael, Shad Bogany, and I attended. The tentative “rollout” date of December 3 has been postponed. You will be informed of the new “rollout” date.

November 7
Ed Wolff, 2007 Governmental Affairs Advisory Group Chair, and HAR Governmental Affairs Department sponsored lunch for the GRI class. Ed Wolff spoke as a TREPAC Trustee, GAAG, and PAAG member to the class about available leadership opportunities, the importance of being an involved and politically active REALTOR®, and about investing into TREPAC. The Governmental Affairs Department staff was on hand for questions.

November 28
Houston City Councilman Adrian Garcia will conduct a meeting Tuesday, Nov. 28, at 9:00 a.m. in the Mayor's Conference Room, 900 Bagby, Basement Floor, to discuss implementation of the recently passed Graffiti Ordinance. At this meeting, HPD Neighborhood Protection Chief Brian Lumpkin will be available. Please let me know if you would like to attend (dana.kaufman@har.com).

Political Affairs Advisory Group:

October 19
Ray Holtzapple, 2007 Political Affairs Advisory Group Chair, and Ed Wolff, 2007 Governmental Affairs Advisory Group Chair, and HAR Governmental Affairs Department sponsored lunch for the GRI class. They spoke to the class about available leadership opportunities, the importance of being an involved and politically active REALTOR®, and about investing in TREPAC. The Governmental Affairs Department staff was on hand for questions. Approximately fifteen members expressed interest in serving on the 2007 PAAG and GAAG.

November 7, 2006, Election Results
Election Day was a great day for HAR's recommended candidates who enjoyed a 97% success rate. In the open seats for the State Legislature, all of HAR's recommended candidates, Patricia Harless, Jim Murphy, Borris Miles, John Zerwas, Glenn Hegar, and Brandon Creighton, won. HAR member Hubert Vo won re-election to House District 149 over former State Representative Talmadge Heflin. Former Congressman Nick Lampson won the Congressional District 22 general election over Houston City Council Member Shelley Sekula-Gibbs

Out of the 68 candidates recommended by HAR, there were two losses, Republican State Representative Martha Wong lost to Democratic challenger Ellen Cohen and Democrat Richard Garcia lost his bid for the Harris County Treasurer's post to former Houston City Councilman and mayoral candidate Orlando Sanchez, a Republican. Garcia ran to abolish the Treasurer’s office. Harris County Commissioners Court has voted 4 to 1 in favor of abolishing the office as other Texas counties and the State of Texas have done.

A detailed election analysis will be available in the December issue of the Houston REALTOR® Magazine.

Events:

October 10-11
I attended TAR’s Governmental Affairs/ TREPAC Orientation in Austin as did TREPAC Coordinator Karen Driscoll.

October 13
Represented HAR at the Houston Intown Chamber of Commerce’s “Women in the Fast Lane of Real Estate Luncheon”, co-sponsored by HAR. HAR’s table guests included current HAR Chair Lorraine Abercrombie and former HAR Chairs Delora Wilkerson, Beth Wolff, Robin Mueck, Frankie Jefferson, Dovie Morgan, and Toni Nelson, as well as Houston City Council Member Pam Holm and Texas State Representative-elect Jim Murphy. HAR received recognition for its sponsorship of the scholarship program benefiting women who pursue real estate careers at Houston Community College. HAR also received recognition on page 17 of the November Intown magazine, which also included a group photo of HAR’s current and former women Chairs. Dana served as HAR’s “Image of Success” runway model in Lorraine’s absence at the October 4 “Women in the Driver’s Seat of Real Estate” style show at Advantage BMW. The fashion show will run on HCCTV, Channel 19 on Time Warner Cable, Sundays at 7:00 p.m., Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m., Thursdays at 12:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 9:30 p.m. through November 18.

October 19
Your HAR Governmental Affairs Department organized a TREPAC Contribution Presentation Reception at Century 21- Southwest, Kenneth Li’s office, for State Representative Scott Hochberg. Thirty HAR members were in attendance to meet and greet Representative Hochberg.

October 24
HAR Governmental Affairs Department and American Home Shield sponsored the Red, White, and Blue Reception in the Kingwood-Humble area with special guest, U.S. Representative Ted Poe, at Walden on Lake Houston Golf & Country Club in Humble. Over 40 HAR members attended. We thank Vicki Fullerton, Michael Clapp, Doug Presser, and Delora Wilkinson for their tremendous help to produce this event. Several members stayed afterwards to discuss creating an area networking meeting.

October 30
HAR’s Governmental Affairs Department organized the staff’s early voting day. Twelve members of HAR’s staff early voted at the West Gray Multi-Service Center, and, in the essence of time, were treated to a Chic Fil-A lunch afterwards.

November 2
HAR Governmental Affairs had a booth at REALTOR® Expo. The theme was “You Ought to Be in Pictures”. A PowerPoint presentation of HAR’s political activity was projected in the booth. REALTORS® participated in the Elected Officials Match-Up game. Winner, Allen Anderson of Home Team Inspections, won a free one year subscription to the Texas Monthly Magazine. Staff encouraged attendees to vote, passed out TAR’s Legislative Task Force Reports, HAR’s Recommended Candidates List, Houston Housing & Finance Corporation’s Homebuyer Assistance Program pamphlets, TREPAC pledge cards, TAR’s “How the Historic Property-Tax Cuts Benefit Texans” brochure, and NAR’s 2006 Legislative Accomplishments.

November 7
HAR Governmental Affairs Department visited polling locations, put up signs, and phone banked for Nick Lampson. Anna Kong, Governmental Affairs Coordinator, attended election night watch parties for five HAR recommended candidates.

November 10-13
I attended the legislative and regulatory meetings as well as the Home from Work Program meeting and the Region 10 caucus at the National Association of REALTORS® Convention in New Orleans.

November 15
The Governor’s Texas Task Force on Appraisal Reform held its Houston hearing at 2:00 p.m. in Jones Hall at the University of St. Thomas. HAR members spotted in the audience were Becky Hill, Jim Culpepper, Jan Kish, and Ed Wolff. TAR’s staffers Daniel Gonzalez and Dahlia Denton were also in attendance. Elected officials weighing in on the issue were Senators Kyle Janek and Tommy Williams, Senator-Elect Dan Patrick, State Representatives Dwayne Bohac and Martha Wong, Houston City Council Members Pam Holm and Anne Clutterbuck, and Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector Paul Bettencourt. Of note to HAR Directors, during testimony, Senator-Elect Dan Patrick stated that the Texas Association of Realtors and the Houston Association of Realtors’ position on property tax appraisal caps did not reflect the position of its members. He asked Ronnie Matthews, named by the Houston Business Journal as the top-producing Realtor in Houston, to speak on the issue. Ronnie agreed with Senator-Elect Patrick’s position that property tax appraisal caps would be beneficial to homeownership. TAR President Dennis Patillo will give TAR’s position at the Task Force hearing in Austin on November 21. You may check TAR’s Web site at www.texasrealtors.com for their Appraisal District Procedures Task Force report. Realtors Avis Wukash and Bob Garrett were appointed to serve on Governor Perry’s sixteen member task force.

December 11
HAR’s Governmental Affairs Department will be hosting our almost annual Santa Party in appreciation of our most generous TREPAC investors and elected officials. This end-of-the-year celebration will take place at our penthouse located at 21 Briar Hollow Lane from 6:00-8:30 p.m. Invitations have been mailed to elected officials, HAR Board of Directors, Sterling R and up TREPAC investors, the Governmental Affairs and Political Affairs Advisory Groups, HAR Staff Directors, and distinguished volunteers and members of the REALTOR® community. We look forward to seeing you there!