Tuesday's referendum on affirmative action asked voters to eliminate preference in the awarding of city contracts. It was the first election on the issue since California adopted Proposition 209 last year. The measure was placed before voters by activist Ed Blum, who claimed the city's contract program was an illegal quota system.
Some contractors insist there's nothing voluntary about affirmative action in Houston.
Blum, a white bond broker, is no stranger to ethnic politics. He successfully forced the state to reconfigure nearly half its congressional seats because they unfairly favored minority voters. But Blum was no match for the savvy Lanier, whose three-term tenure as mayor is ending this year because of term limits. Lanier tapped business leaders for support. When your ballot language is so grossly twisted from its original language then it's very difficult.