Page 8
THE BATTALION
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1979
Houston mayoral election low-key
United Press International
HOUSTON — Boastful Houston,
enduring stagnated traffic, a soaring
homicide rate, potholes, police
problems and pollution, is moving
toward a mayoral election that will
either fix blame or prove that the
inconveniences of urban sprawl can
be tolerated in exchange for eco
nomic prosperity.
Good wages may make for short
memories. If there isn’t another
multimillion-dollar flood before
Tuesday, there is strong indication
that debt-bound, builder-
developer-Mayor Jim McConn will
emerge from a field of nine candi
dates into a runoff for another two-
year term.
Less than a week before the elec
tion, even his best-financed oppo
nents admit McConn is well ahead
in votes and contributions.
“I’m pretty consistently in second
place,” said Leonell Castillo, the
former commissioner of the U.S.
Immigration and Naturalization
Service, who didn’t quit his Wash
ington position until late summer
and then surprised his friends by
announcing for McConn’s job rather
than city council.
McConn said his polls agree that
Castillo is running second, but
raised twice as much money as Cas
tillo but only half as much as
McConn, said his polls show he is
No. 2.
Despite Houston’s inability to
provide basic services in areas of
mass transportation, street mainte
nance and police protection, and
despite a federal investigation —
temporarily suspended — of the
money coming into and going out of
City Hall, the campaign has been
calm, low-key and generally clean.
Few of the estimated 1.7 million
residents will vote. Absentee ballot
ing was off by one-third from 1977,
frustrating McConn’s challengers
who could not understand why vot
ers did not share their indignation at
the status quo. But residents of the
nation’s fifth largest city simply
never took up a “throw the rascals
out” chorus at a time when jobs
were plentiful, wages high and
gasoline sold for less than 90 cents a
gallon, if only to be burned up while
stuck in freeway traffic.
“If a candidate’s only issue is
potholes, that’s an indication the in
cumbent mayor is doing a damned
good job,” said McConn, who says
the city repaired 2.4 million
potholes in 22 months.
McConn, 52, was a two-term city
mayor’s race in 1977. He owns con
struction and land development
companies but was $400,000 in debt
two years ago. Now, his office says,
his debt has been reduced to less
than $200,000. He rated transporta
tion and crime as the top issues in
the campaign and said his biggest
accomplishments were inner city
revitalization and improved minor
ity representation at City Hall.
Macey, 43, is a two-term council
member who sold his custom drap
ery business in 1977 and now has
investments in ladies sportwear
companies and boasts he “didn’t
make my money at City Hall.”
Castillo, 40, was a cum laude
graduate at St. Mary’s in San An
tonio, served in the Peace Corps,
was city controller from 1972-77 and
INS commissioner from 1977 until
this summer.
Also challenging McConn are
Larry Robinson, 33, an auto salvage
firm owner; Bette Graham White,
40, a communications department
instructor at Houston Baptist Uni
versity; Jewell Davis Lemons, 70,
an attorney; the Rev. C. Leon Pic
kett, 50; Debby Leonard, 37, a re
finery worker and Socialist Workers
Party candidate, and Lawrence A.
Sims, 33, a builder-developer and
the only black in the race.
8 percent loans offered
Home sale cuts interest
Councilman Louis Macey, who , councilman when he won the
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MSC MBA/LAW DAY I
Saturday Nov. 10, 1979
2nd Floor MSC
Session 1:
Session 2:
Law (8 a.m.-noon)
Business (1 p.m.-4:30 p.m.)
Registration Fee: single session $1.00
both sessions $1.50
Register in advance (221 MSC)
or at (228 MSC Nov. 10)
Luncheon: $3.00 (extra)
United Press International
HOUSTON — A builder flush
with unsold homes in a sluggish
housing market has found what
seems like sure-fire sales bait —
mortgage money at 8 percent inter
est, 3.125 percent below the going
rate.
On a first-come, first-serve basis,
Playa Homes Inc. plans to sell 51
homes Saturday with special
mortgages from University Savings
Association, which financed de
velopment of the subdivision.
The actual mortgage rate will be
11.125 percent, but it will look and
feel to the 51 homebuyers like 8
percent for the first 60 months be
cause Playa Homes Inc. will pay the
difference.
Since advertising began last
Saturday, Playa salesman John Dar-
bonne said, “Response has been
tremendous. We’ve had 200 or 300
people come by.
The company promises police se
curity and refreshments (hot dogs
and soft drinks) for those who get in
line Friday night with the idea of
’f camping out to wait for Saturday’s
sale.
The houses, many of which are
not finished, are three-and four-
bedroom, two-bathroom brick
homes averaging about $65,000
each, Darbonne said.
Using the $65,000 average cost
figure and assuming a 5 percent
down payment, Darbonne said the
monthly payment on an 11/ percent
30-year mortgage would be $594.65.
An 8 percent 30-year mortgage
would cost $453.25 a month.
Register for luncheon by Noon Nov. 8 221 MSC
COURTS UNIVERSITY
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Playa Homes will sign a contract
to pay the difference, $141.40, for
60 months. Darbonne said, “The
most important thing is that this lets
a buyer qualify at the 8 percent rate.
He can get more loan for his
money.”
After five years, the buyers will
pay the full 11.125 and the
mortgages are not transferrable.
The monthly payment cost to
Playa could exceed $432,000, but
Playa vice president Don Barras
said the cost of unsold homes could
be much greater.
Barras said the carrying costs on
one of the homes unsold would be
about $900 a month, including
maintenance, the 16 percent inter
est on short-term construction loans
and other costs.
“Basically, with the high interest
that we have now and the high carry
that’s on the house, our costs would
be more to let them sit for six
months than by selling them all in
one day,” Barras said.
“By doing this, we create
momentum, we have our inventory
moved out, and we turn our efforts
to making a profit,” he said.
Debbie Aughinbaugh of Univer
sity Savings, which loaned the 16
percent construction money to
Playa, said, “We re helping out one
of our builders. ”
“He’s paying 16 percent on the
construction loan, so it certainly
would behoove him to only pay
3.125 percent,” she said.
The company’s interest costs are
tax deductible.
Aughinbaugh said the association
had “never done anything like this
before,” including allowing buyers
to obtain what will become 11.125
percent loans by meeting the lesser
qualifications required at 8 percent.
“What we hope, of course, is that
the people will be doing better fi
nancially after five years,” she said.
Groucho and pal
I CHEYE
the man’s
Sheridan i
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I Ronald
liesday wii
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Brother,
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Sheridan
David Godfrey reacts to applause that put him in first plats
in the pumpkin carving contest sponsored by the MSC Art
and Crafts Committee. The contest was held at Ruddf
Fountain at noon Wednesday. Godfrey received a $25$ ij s t e d in
certificate to TJs. Second place winner was Kristi Kranw Saturday
John Rock won third place. Battalion photo by D*m*e Crewdf 'cliff near
I A searc
Same method used in Fort Worth last year
Texas extortion cases have similariti
|tesidence
agent of tl
Ijigation.
He dec
to Sel:
United Press International
ARLINGTON — FBI agents on
the trail of a gun-wielding extor
tionist say they see similarities be
tween the ransom of a bank presi
dent’s family and a year-old case in
nearby Fort Worth.
Police in Arlington said Thursday
there were no suspects in the extor
tion of Arlington Bank of Commerce
board chairman H.R. Poynter, bank
president Danny Smith and Smith’s
family. The gunman left the hos
tages unharmed as he fled the
Smith’s Arlington home Wednesday
with an undisclosed amount of
money.
The FBI, called in to help state
and local authorities in the case be
cause of an apparent violation of the
Hobbs Act governing interference
in interstate commerce, said the
abduction-extortion resembled an
unsolved Fort Worth case.
“There was a similar case about a
year ago v in Fort Worth,” said FBI
agent U.H. Specht. “An employee
of the First National Bank of Fort
Worth on Nov. 22, 1978, was taken
hostage by an individual with a very
similar description, held all night
and when the bank opened in the
morning, the robber made the per
son get the money. It’s the same
M.O. (method of operation)”
The ordeal began Tuesday when
“an unidentified black male” barged
into the Smith home through a back
door, brandishing a gun.
Smith, 31, his wife Linda and
their children — ages 10 and 5 —
were held through the night, offi
cials said.
The extortionist ordered Smith to
telephone Poynter Wednesday
morning to ask that Poynter come to
the Smith home. When Poynter ar
rived, he also was held hostage
while Smith went to the bank and
drew an undisclosed sum for ran
som.
Smith and the gunman then
drove in Smith’s car to Fort Worth.
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SIKIS
CHICKEN
SALOON
307 University Drive
College Station
Beer on Crushed Ice
Progressive Country Music
Hangdown Sausage
Cheddar Cheese on the Wheel
Authentic Turn of the Century
Texana
Local woman named
to state advisory
United Press International
AUSTIN — House Speaker Bill
Clayton announced Wednesday the
appointment of 11 Texans to serve
as an advisory panel to the House
Select Committee on State Em
ployee Productivity.
The committee, chaired by Rep.
Mary Jane Bode, D-Austin, has
been directed to study the laws and
policies of the state and its agencies
that affect the training, education,
hiring, classification, performance
and promotion of state employees to
determine where changes are war
ranted.
Smith was ordered into theta
the vehicle, which was abanij
by the masked man a short I
later.
Smith escaped from the ori
notified authorities, officials sa:
“Everything’s fine,’
after his escape, although he
still felt “shaky. The banb ‘ United Pr
ducted business as usual ttii^AKE C
the remainder of the day. eshman Cc
Poynter said he had feared I uddy” Lead
life during the ordeal anil d'any know
masked man had said he “destl 440 votes
the money” but did not elaborit sent him t
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Kay Sanders of Bryan wasnimey as usinj
to the advisory panel. Sandersii half-pints c
administrator of GreenleafPsywM about tl
ric Center. r? ac ^ was *
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The other members of the p-racy and v
are Curtis W. Dickson of Aofl
Ruben Bonilla Jr. of Corpus Cln
James A. Caley of Austin, John
ley of Austin, Lee Cooke of Au&-
Luther T. McDonald of San Sr
tonio, Mark L. Rigg of Ausl|j
Richard S. Robertson of AuSp # «
Dan M. VVliite of Dallas and Bl 1^1
Zuniga of Austin.
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Barcelona
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Individual Heating and Air, Cable T.V.,
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Close to Campus. 693-0261
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ONE
O'CLOCK
LAB BAND
Nov. 7 8 p.m.
Rudder Auditorium
Tickets at the Box Office
Student $2.50 Non Student $3.00
A presentation of fv\SC Arts
•VVjsii
•••i