Annise Danette Parker (born May 17, 1956) is an American politician and the mayor-elect of Houston, Texas, the fourth most populous city in the U.S.A. She is the current Controller of the City of Houston. Previously she served as an at-large member of the Houston City Council since 1997.

Parker placed first in the November 2009 mayoral election, but failed to capture a majority of the vote. She defeated attorney Gene Locke, the second-place candidate, in the December run-off election. Upon taking office as mayor in January 2010, Parker will be the city's second female mayor, as well as the first openly gay mayor of a major U.S. city with over 600,000 residents. Houston has 2.2 million residents within its city limits.

[Parker has an Angular Fixed Grand Cross in her chart. Half her planets are in Fixed signs and half her planets, including most of those in Fixed signs, are Angular. She is therefore a very determined person, inclined to be set in her ways and to achieve greatness by laying good foundations and sticking to her chosen path in life].

Personal life and education

Parker was born and raised in the community of Spring Branch in West Houston, where she attended public schools. Her mother was a bookkeeper [Maternal Moon in bookish and analytical Virgo], and her father worked for the Red Cross [Venus in Cancer ruling fatherly Sun which rules Jupiter-Pluto at end of the charitable 12th House]. In 1971, when Parker was 15, her family moved to a U.S. Army base in Mannheim, Germany for two years [Solar Arc progressed Venus at 20 Cancer quincunx military Natal Mars]. In Germany, she volunteered as a candy striper in the Red Cross youth service organization and worked at the base library.

Parker began attending Rice University on a National Merit scholarship in 1974, working several jobs to pay for her room and board. A member of Jones College, she graduated in 1978 with a bachelor's degree in anthropology and sociology [Then aged 22. Parker has multi-cultural and studious Jupiter at 22 Leo].

Prior to serving as an elected official, Parker worked in the oil and gas industry for over 20 years, including 18 years at Mosbacher Energy [The career planet, Saturn, semi-sextiled by oil-and-gas-industry Neptune, which squares the cusp of the 6th House, asscoiated with one's occupation]. In addition, she co-owned Inklings Bookshop with business partner Pokey Anderson from the late 1980s until 1997 and served as president of the Neartown Civic Association from 1995 to 1997 [Moon in Virgo conjunct Ascendant in 1st House: following in her mother's footsteps, or at least also pursuing a bookish field of endeavour]. In 1986 she was president of the Houston GLBT Political Caucus [This would have been at around age 29-30. Parker has Saturn at 29 degrees of Scorpio and Vesta at 29 degrees of Libra].

Parker currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Holocaust Museum Houston and Girls Inc. and the Advisory Boards of the Houston Zoo, the Montrose Counseling Center, Bering Omega Community Services, and Trees for Houston. She is also involved in historic preservation efforts in Houston and received the “Good Brick Award ” from the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance for her restoration of historic properties in the Old Sixth Ward. [Parker's most personalized planet is Saturn, which is associated with administration and board-rooms. Her Saturn is found in the last degree of Scorpio, the sign associated with death-issues like the Holocaust, and trauma therapy like that provided by counselling centres].

Parker and her partner, Kathy Hubbard [click here to see Hubbard's chart, and their synastry and composite charts], have been together since 1990. They have two daughters they adopted and a grown foster son. [Hubbard's Leo Mercury is conjunct Parker's Jupiter-Pluto-Ascendant, indicating effective communication and loving warmth between the pair. Parker's late Scorpio Saturn is conjunct Hubbard's Sagittarian Ascendant-Chiron, indicating a strong and healthy bond between them. Obviously these qualities are also ideal for parenting. Moreover, in their composite chart, unconventional Uranus, in the tenth house of renown and conjunct the MC, rules the 5th House of parenting making them one of the most well-known of unconventional family units].

City Council

Parker ran unsuccessfully for City Council District C in 1991 and again in 1995, finishing third in the special election for At-Large position 4, the seat vacated by Sheila Jackson Lee after her election to Congress.

In 1997, Parker prevailed in the runoff election for At-Large position 1 to become Houston's first openly gay elected official. [Transiting Pluto at 5 degrees Sagittarius was then conjunct her Part of Fortune and quincunx her Venus in the 11th House.]. She was re-elected twice to the same seat in 1999 and 2001 without being forced to a run-off.

City Controller

In 2003, Parker was elected City Controller. She was re-elected in 2005 and 2007 unopposed. In addition, Parker also secured a seat for a controller's appointee on the Houston Municipal Pension System Board of Trustees, marking the first time the city's chief financial officer has had any involvement in the pension system. [This occupational status and Parker's success in this position reflects the placement of her natal Saturn (the "controller" planet) in Scorpio (the "power" sign)].

Election as Mayor

In 2009, Parker announced her candidacy for the office of Mayor of Houston in a video posted online to her campaign website. She was endorsed by several organizations and campaigned on a platform of better city security and budget cuts. Other people who were in the running for mayor included Houston City Council Member Peter Brown and Harris County school board trustee Roy Morales; they were eliminated from the race on November 3, 2009.

During the run-off election, Parker was endorsed by former rival Peter Brown and the city's primary newspaper, the Houston Chronicle. On December 12, 2009, Parker made history when she was elected mayor of America's fourth largest city [On this day, transiting Mars at 19 Leo opposed her natal Mars. She won the race as the planet of competition opposed itself. And the transiting North Node at 21 Capricorn was conjunct her natal Juno, making her personal relationship into front page news]. When she assumes office in January, 2010, Houston will be the largest U.S. city to have an openly gay individual serve as mayor. After the election, Parker declared that the top priorities of her administration will be improving transportation, balancing the city's budget, and selecting a new police chief.

....[read more at Wikipedia]