Recent news has been just full of good cheer about the local scene, with no less than four stories over at BlogHouston today (and a couple of recent ones from here) that serve to illustrate exactly what’s wrong with how the city’s being run these days.

Sports Authority Gets New Exec — What the Sports Authority needs to get is eliminated. Both mayors Brown and White have displayed a willingness to expand government by setting up unaccountable “Authorities” which then develop a life of their own.

A woman who serves as acting head of the San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau is expected to be named chief executive of the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority today.

Janis Schmees will be given the mandate to attract new events, including track and field competitions, to the city, said Billy Burge, chairman of the sports authority.

Setting up the SA was a shuffle to keep the increase in taxes from being either “city” or “county”; there is no need to have an expensive agency and executive salaries for the sole purpose of paying off the bonds used to build a new set of stadiums. Of course, that’s why the SA is looking for more work, just like any government.

Odd, isn’t it, how sports franchises are the only entertainment “industry” that gets government taxpayers to fund their “manufacturing facility.” When was the last time a major city built Sony a new recording studio?

The New Super Fire Station construction contract is coming up for a vote. Of course, we wouldn’t have to construct a new fire station if Outta Town Brown hadn’t sold both of our downtown stations to developers. One was torn down to build the Downtown Aquarium and helipad (a mere 40 feet from the elevated I-45). Oh wait, thanks to a city employee with the guts to do his job, that genius idea got shut down. Of course, if the council hadn’t given the developer carte blanche to change the plans without submitting them for review, that might not have happened.

As for the other, well, the Rockets allegedly play basketball there now, but you couldn’t prove it by me.

But never fear, citizens of Houston! While the mayor’s shell game continues apace, council member and NJR (Non-Jacksonian Republican and supporter of illegal alien daycare job centers) M. J. Khan is organizing the business people of southwest Houston, where many of the Katrina refugees settled. Strangely, this area has seen a spike in the crime rate, leading said businesspeople to take matters into their own hands. Or forgo business. A resturant that closes before supper? I expect to hear things like that in the fifth ward, or up on Lyons Ave. where the crack-whores walk. Not in Chinatown. On the other hand, the closet commies haven’t managed to abrogate the Second Amendment yet.

Meanwhile, the original unelected Authority, Metro, isn’t exactly trusted by HPD to deliever an unbiased report about an accident involving one of their own.

“Also, I do not believe the information provided by Metro conclusively ruled out the possibility that the lights may have malfunctioned with regard to what the officer saw,” Ready said.

Although Metro police normally investigate MetroRail collisions, Ready said HPD, which has a division specifically for accident investigations, handles those involving the city’s fleet.

Since this is essentially an overlapping jurisdiction, it will be interesting to see if Metro tries to maintain their usual position of “it’s the driver’s fault” so they can keep working on their bag limit. Pedestrians, bicyclists, SUV drivers, it’s open season on everyone except HPD. Although Metro doesn’t appreciate the distinction. As Anne points out over at BlogHouston:

Amusingly, the original Chronicle story on the accident includes this quote from Metro’s George Smalley:

Smalley said the preliminary report also indicated that the officer may have run a red light at the intersection.

That would undoubtedly be Metro’s preliminary report.

Heh. Indeed. At least it didn’t vanish, like one of Metro’s earlier studies. We wouldn’t even know about that one if it weren’t for perennial thorn-in-Metro’s-side, Tom Bazan.

I wonder if raising the speed limit at the Deathramp is just TxDOT being jealous of Metro’s accident total?

And now for the ” if anyone wonders why I don’t like the Chronicle, Marvin Zindler, or Wayne Dolcefino, then ask yourself why an informal alliance of bloggers have to spend their own time, money, and effort dragging together all these facts and checking up on our local government — for free — while the folks that get paid for shutting down whorehouses and crawling in dumpsters get all the kudos.

As he makes his rounds through the city — his city — chances are the people who rubberneck to catch a glimpse have on their minds neither the Chicken Ranch nor the story Zindler considers his most important — his 1985 reports on financial mismanagement by the Hermann Hospital board of trustees. And it’s a sure bet they aren’t thinking about the Agris-Zindler Children’s Foundation, which has helped children all over the world.

No, they’re thinking of his weekly reports on restaurant health inspections, with their frequent finding of “SLIIIIME in the ice machine.” He shouts it like a battle cry. Or they’re thinking of his latest piece — he’s done thousands — about ordinary people who got a bum deal.

They’re the press. They’re the ones who are supposed to be the “watchdogs of government.” What are they doing? Puff pieces on Marvin Zindler. Herman’s financial mideeds? Hey, that was twenty years ago, Marvin. What have you done for us lately? Busted dirty restuarants and sleazy car dealers. Oh, and in the interests of full disclosure, pestered Public Works over the usual stupidity. We’re an easy target, because we can’t say “Hey, Marvin, the citizen complaining to you is ‘telling the truth with a notable lack of enthusiasm!'” Instead of questioning Metro’s train fares, our local media spent “sweeps month” going on and on about Enron. Well some of them are paying attention to the issues:

The people who answer Houston’s 911 calls said their office is in a state of emergency, and something needs to be done.

Union leaders said poor management at the center has lead to poor working conditions, low morale and a high turnover rate that’s lead[sic] to understaffing — and that puts the public at risk.

They also said despite past complaints, the problems have not been solved. Union leaders met with emergency center officials to once again try to find a solution.

I guess it led to understaffing too. Not that the union seems to be all that worried about it:

Union officials said they will not endorse the hiring of any new employees until existing problems at the call center are fixed.

Talk about counterproductive. “Hey, we’re going to hold our breath and demand you make the understaffing problem worse!”

(Update: Both Houstonist and BlogHouston now have pieces on it.)

Well, it’s a bare-bones article (KTRK has little more), but at least it’s some coverage on an important subject, even if it lacks context. But Tom Kirkendall’s excellent opinions aside, the effect of Enron, or the wall-to-wall Enron coverage to which we were subjected (endlessly), on the average Houston citizen will be zilch.

(Deeeeeeeeeeep breath…../puts down the blunt object/) Well, in any case, if you think Marvin and/or the Chronicle already make enough money, you can always reward some of the area bloggers by hitting their tip jars or shopping at their stores:

BlogHouston
Houston’s Clear Thinkers

Or their favorite charities:
Off The Kuff

And of course mine are over there on the right.

Note: any other local bloggers that I missed can put theirs in the comments below and I’ll add it to the list for a couple of days. (Though I do reserve the right to reject causes I disagree with, like CAIR, PETA, Hamas, etc. )