City Hall Shakeup

What's going on down there at City Hall?

Mayor Annise Parker has parted ways with two major conservatives on the Houston City Council, removing Councilman Mike Sullivan from his role overseeing redistricting and accepting the resignation of Councilwoman Anne Clutterbuck as mayor pro tem.

The development, which stems, in part, from a recent spat over who would be appointed to serve as a Port of Houston Authority commission member, comes at a critical time for Parker, who is about to confront three issues that are expected to greatly test her ability to rally the council's support.

Passing an extremely tight 2012 budget, a drainage fee mandated by popular vote and redrawing the lines of City Council boundaries could become far more difficult as her allies dwindle at City Hall.

Lot's of tough choices coming down the pipe for the Mayor and Council one of which is highly partisan (redistricting). I don't blame the Mayor for removing Sullivan from overseeing redistricting and I agree that if she can't trust him to keep his word on the Port Commission vote then how can she expect him to be a trusted voice when redistricting comes to the forefront next year.

Anybody want to take a guess who the next Pro-Tem will be? My guess is Costello.