Richard Fausset, Los Angeles Times
- This week’s mayoral elections in Atlanta and Houston were close enough to trigger runoffs between the top two candidates in each city, leaving voters with final choices in December that could turn on race but also on nuts-and-bolts issues of governing in a recession.
In Houston, Controller Annise Parker and former City Atty. Gene Locke were the two top vote-getters among four serious candidates. The runoff is set for Dec. 12.
If elected, Parker, who led all candidates with 30.5% of the vote Tuesday, would be the first openly gay mayor of Houston, but a number of observers have said that her sexual orientation doesn’t figure to be much of a factor.
