社評1101 休斯敦市長選戰正在加溫中

休斯敦市長選戰正在加溫中

下屆休斯敦市長市議員及赫里斯郡之各項選舉初選即將結束，預計十一月七日舉行大選後將會決定候選人之勝負。

民主選舉是政治運作之常態，每四年都有各種不同之選舉來決定何人是領導者，但是依照以往投票紀录，地方市政選举很少超過百分之十五的選民去投票。换言之，休斯敦市長得票率也不過百分之十五左右。

此次市長選舉兩位候選人都是在政壇上打滾數十年之老將，一位是在州議會超過四十多年的參議員惠特邁，一位是國會資深議員積克遜李。如果她當選將是另一位撐市府大位的非裔女性，而惠特邁將是白人重返市長寶座。

我們今天面臨的重大挑戰是社會治安及基礎建設兩大議題，今後四年之父母官必須面對解決，對於加強經濟發展，我們已向新任市長建議早日設置輕工業區，向世界招商才是上策。

Houston Mayoral Election Is Heating Up

The early voting for Houston's next mayor and the Harris County bond issue is coming to an end. It is expected that the candidates' victory or defeat will be decided after the general election on November 7.

Elections are the norm for our political system. Every four years there are various elections that will decide who will be our leaders, but according past records, only 15% of the people actually go out and vote.

Both of Houston's mayoral candidates have been veterans of politics for decades. Senator Whitmire served in the Texas legislature for more than 40 years, while Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee is a senior member of the United States Congress.

The major challenges we are facing in the city today are public safety and the city's infrastructure. Other than that, we suggest that the new mayor must create a new light industrial zone to attract more new businesses to come to the city to promote new business and create more jobs.