Described by one publication as a Champion of the Houston initiative dubbed “ReBuild Houston” Houston City Councilman Stephen Costello is said to have pushed hard for a pay-as-you-go program to improve the city’s street and drainage infrastructure without incurring debt. That idea should thrill members of Montgomery County Tea Party and Patriots PAC and fiscal conservatives in general. It turns out Stephen Costello is also among the growing field of candidates to replace Annise Parker for Mayor of Houston.
But wait there’s more, Stephen Costello is also the man behind Costello Inc, recently identified by Courier political reporter Catherine Dominguez as a top out of county donor to the recently defeated Keep Montgomery County Moving Political Action Committee. Keep Montgomery County Moving failed dramatically in their bid to persuade overtaxed Montgomery County voters to approve a $350 Million Bond measure describe by former Texas House Member Steve Toth as a Patchwork of Pork.
Costello’s campaign site praises his principled fiscal attitude as follows – “He (Costello) took the lead in advancing an important first step – helping design and later pass a citywide initiative, which created a more responsible way to fund road reconstruction and drainage improvements across the entire city – moving away from the failed patch and repair mindset that has plagued Houston for too long.” and goes on.. “Just as importantly, these improvements were paid for, not by putting the city deeper in debt as has been tradition, but with a new “pay as you go” system that has already lowered the city’s street and drainage debt by close to $100 million. And the savings don’t end there – over the next 15 years, the city will lower overall debt by $1.5 billion and increase the annual funding to $600 million.”
Many would agree that such an approach is a boon to the future financial security of Houston and it taxpayers.
It seems like a strange dichotomy for a candidate to promote such prudent pay as you go principles in his own community while backing wasteful and old pass on the debt to the next generation habits here in Montgomery County.
