Posted on 11/02/2003 5:02:32 PM PST by GOPcapitalist
FROM HOUSTON CHRONICLE ARTICLE:
Light rail leading in survey
By John Williams
Metro's transit referendum holds a solid lead heading into Tuesday's election, and Houston mayoral candidate Bill White appears likely to make a runoff with Sylvester Turner or Orlando Sanchez, according to a Houston Chronicle/KHOU-TV poll.
Despite a heavy advertising campaign that has been building opposition in recent weeks, the survey shows that 44 percent of respondents in the Metro service area support rail while 30 percent oppose it.
In the race to replace term-limited Mayor Lee Brown, White has 35 percent support while Sanchez has 25 percent and Turner has 19 percent.
Pollsters Richard Murray of the University of Houston and Bob Stein of Rice University predict the Metro referendum will pass, though it's likely to be close once undecided voters settle on a position.
Metro seeks approval for 73 miles of rail, 44 new bus routes, expanded HOV lanes and five more years of local street funding. Voters in the Metro transit area, which includes much of Harris County, will be eligible to vote on the plan.
FROM TEXAS ETHICS COMMISSION WEBSITE:
TEXAS ETHICS COMMISSION
PAYEE SEARCH
Please Click On the Report Number to View Reports
| Payee Name | Filer Name |
|
Expenditure Date | Amount | Purpose | Report # | |
| Murray, Richard |
|
Citizens For Public Transportation, | 10-JAN-03 | $ 24,075.00 | Consulting services for transportation issues survey | 216570 | |
|
|
Murray, Richard | Citizens For Public Transportation, | 06-MAY-03 | $ 24,000.00 | Consulting fee for transportation polling survey conducted. | 224302 |
|
| Murray, Richard | Citizens For Public Transportation, | 18-AUG-03 | $ 21,000.00 | Survey on public transportation issues. |
|
230485 | |
| Murray, Richard | Houston Apartment Assn. Better Government Fund, | 05-SEP-00 | $ 250.00 |
|
payment | 157857 | |
| Murray, Richard | Houston Apartment Assn. Better Government Fund, | 21-MAR-02 |
|
$ 250.00 | speaker fee | 194473 |
Yes. I just noticed it while reading the paper and remembered seeing Murray's name on their reports
*PING!*
As always, a FReep mail will get you on or off this Houston topics ping list.
I poll races where Democrats and Republicans run against each other. I happen to be a registered Republican. I still do an unbiased job.
That is still legal and ethical. Many pollsters are paid by politicians and also do media polls which are not paid for by one party or the other. If the pollster follows the professional standards of AAPOR (American Association of Public Opinion Researchers) there is no problem. On the other hand, if he slants a poll because of who paid him, or worse, because of who paid him for EARLIER work, he will get kicked out of AAPOR to begin with. (Certain professional pollsters who shall remain nameless are not AAPOR members; I am a member.)
Partisan polling has a poor track record compared with media polling, but that doesn't justify innuendo against a particular individual. If you can find something Murray actually did wrong in his poll, you might have a point, otherwise you are just demanding an unnecessary "wall of separation" so you can discount the results of his poll.
By the way, my own company polls for media clients only, but we don't think it's unethical for a media pollster to conduct a poll for a politician, even though we don't do it.
I make no complaint against him being a leftist Democrat. He is entitled to vote however he wants. But in this case is he has taken over $60,000 as a survey consultant to the pro-rail campaign. That creates a clear conflict of interest in this particular poll and also provides significant reason to question its objectivity. If Murray was more professional about the way he conducted his polling business he would have refused either the Chronicle's business or the PAC's business. Instead he took both.
It is perfectly legal. It is anything but ethical, especially considering the fact that he did not disclose his work for the PAC in the Chronicle poll. That presents a clear conflict of interest he should have avoided.
Conflict of interest. He has a dog in this race. The outcome of the election is influenced somewhat by polling numbers. He stands to benefit from a certain outcome of the election.
I don't know the specifics of Houston, but I would bet that the Houston Chronicle would love to have a new office in that area. Hmmmnnnn...
Let The Comical buy its own damn train, then.
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