Below are profiles for three of the four candidates vying to be Bellaire’s next Place 5 council member. This begins InstantnewsBellaire.com’s Q&A Series, which runs until the November election. Candidate Johnnie Frazier did not respond to multiple invitations to participate. Do you have a question for city council candidates? Please email any questions to agrant [at] instantnewsbellaire [dot] com.
Tina Blum Cohen
Although Tina Blum Cohen has never worked in community politics, she said she wants to be on the city council because she has always loved living in Bellaire.
“It’s a privilege to live here,” Cohen said. “I just wanted to take a more active role in the community.”
Cohen and her husband have owned and operated Gemstyle Buildings Jemstyle Builders, Inc. for 15 years. The company primarily constructs new homes, but also buys old homes, renovates them and then rents them to tenants. Cohen has volunteered extensively at senior centers, and at various arts and theater organizations that help young people advance in the industry.
Cohen said if she is elected she wants to work on renovating the city’s senior center, and creating more community service opportunities for teenagers. She said she is concerned that some components of the comprehensive plan will cost too much, and may drive small businesses out of the downtown area.
“Our town just needs to ride out this economic … I don’t even know what to call it,” Cohen said. “It’s getting kind of crazy.”
According to a finance report that Cohen filed on Oct. 5, she has not raised any money from contributions, but she has spent nearly $2,200. She failed to note the reason for the expense. UPDATE Oct. 14, 10:59 a.m.: Cohen said via email that she spent her own money to print yard signs and mailers.
Andrew Friedberg
Andrew Friedberg said he wants to run for city council because he enjoyed serving on another city commission, and other leadership roles he’s held in his past.
“I really enjoyed being directly involved in city government as a way to make a contribution to the city,” Friedberg said. “I enjoy being involved in this process and expect I will on council as well.”
Friedberg is an attorney who works with corporate banking and business transactions such as financing, mergers and acquisitions. He currently serves on the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission. Friedberg was involved in student government in high school, college and law school. He also serves in the reserves of the Army National Guard.
As one of the commission members who helped create the city’s new comprehensive plan, Friedberg said he wants to ensure its approval by the city council. He said the number one priority within the comprehensive plan is commercial redevelopment of Bellaire, and trying to attract more businesses along with their tax revenue.
“We’ll have more places in Bellaire for us to spend our money in town, instead of having to go out to Houston to spend our money,” he said.
According to Friedberg’s Oct. 5 campaign finance report, he has raised about $2,200 from residents’ contributions, ranging from $100 to $300 each. He has spent about $1,900 on his Website, printing and copying services, and food and drinks for campaign parties.
For more information visit http://andrewfriedberg.com/.
James Jameson
James Jameson sees a good opportunity to bring a new perspective to the Bellaire City Council: With three open seats, there will be many new faces.
“It’s a good opportunity to lend a positive voice to the council and to address some of the problems we may be facing down the road,” Jameson said.
Jameson is an attorney who for 15 years has owned a law firm that focuses on business transactions: He helps small-to-medium size businesses in court, mediates disagreements and negotiates contracts. He also owns a separate company that sells new and refurbished telephone equipment to businesses. Jameson has four sons, and over the years he has volunteered for community service organizations such as the Horn Academy Elementary PTA, Little League and Boy Scouts. He founded the Dad’s Club at Horn.
The issues on Jameson’s radar if he is elected include keeping the tax rate reasonable for residents, especially seniors who are “being priced out of Bellaire.” He wants to ensure public safety in the city by adequately funding the police department, and also ensure the future development matches Bellaire’s correct look and feel.
“I think we have some opportunities to carefully plan in terms of what we want Bellaire to look like,” Jameson said.
According to Jameson’s Oct. 5 campaign finance report, he has raised $2,800 from political contributions by residents. One person donated $1,000, and another $1,500 was the value of donated computer services. He has spent nearly $1,900 on his Website, printing yard signs, postage and a newspaper advertisement.
For more information, visit http://jameson4bellaire.com/.
