At-large Position 2 councilmember (CM) Willie Davis is trying to change how Houstonians can bring issues to city leaders.
His plan does not require them to drive to Downtown Houston on Tuesdays when public hearings are held, go through parking and security clearance and sit in the Council chambers for hours at a stretch just to speak for a minute or two. Instead, he plans to bring leaders to the people by organizing town hall meetings every three months. So far, Davis has held two meetings in January and April.
While district CMs focus on their respective areas, at-large council members serve the entire city and must look out for residents in all areas of Houston. Davis’ method comprises dividing the city into four areas and bringing leaders from various city departments, along with their respective councilmembers, to the meetings to speak with residents directly about the issues they are facing.
“City constituents lack information,” Davis said. “Rather than them doing that (going to the council meeting), let me go to the community, take the resources to the community from all the departments of the city. Some of the constituents and the citizens in Houston don’t even know who these people are.”
He says he intends to have more community meetings to familiarize communities with how the City Council operates.
Town hall meetings are not new. Councilmembers often hold interactive meetings with constituents to discuss pertinent issues. District A councilmember Amy Peck holds Coffee with Council Member & Cops gatherings for residents to meet the Houston Police Department and discuss public safety concerns. District B councilmember Tarsha Jackson also held a town hall meeting in January to lay out a strategy for the year in collaboration with community leaders and city agencies.
Additionally, councilmembers and Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee leaders Sallie Alcorn (at-large position 5) and Mario Castillo (District H) plan to hold town hall meetings to discuss the city’s budget and financial policies.
New plans
Davis aims to address crime, especially among teenagers, who, according to him, are “walking around, mugging, assaulting, carjacking.” To this end, he will launch the “PPP” plan this year, which stands for “police, pastors, and people.”
“That’s where the crime is. It’s in the communities, but we need to have more of the community, respect the police, understand what police do,” he said. “We intend to do it in every area of the city…They [teenagers] ought to be in school or in some program.”
He also appreciated first responders from HPD and HFD who “put their lives on the line every night.”
Davis added that being born and educated in a predominantly Black community, the program will “target” those neighborhoods by making more jobs available to “reduce criminal activity.”
Challenges of being an at-large position leader
Davis said several districts face challenges with trash pickup, high water bills, and poor infrastructure. However, he faces challenges owing to a “mindset” that perceives him as more of a city official rather than an at-large position leader.
“I don’t like to throw any shadow over district council people…but because I do the town hall meetings, I get a chance to hear all of the issues that the districts have,” Davis told the Defender during his first town hall. “I want to help the district council members to address it. I think over the years here at the city government level, that’s been a wall of some secret…attitude that ‘I’m the district council member. You, the at-large, you don’t need to come into my district ’cause I’m handling it.’ No, that’s not the case. I’m at-large. So that means it’s the whole city constituency accountable to.”
However, Davis said that these challenges persist despite trying to work alongside district officials and four other at-large leaders. He has also tried to “bridge a relationship” with other council members to assure them he intends to work in collaboration with them and that he represents constituents from those districts.
“I think if all of us had a better attitude about working with the districts, we could reduce some of the problems that citizens are having,” he added. “When people can’t reach a council member, guess what they do? They call the at-large.”
How the collaboration works
Councilmember Davis’s town hall meetings facilitate direct engagement between city department leaders and residents across Houston.
During these meetings, constituents had a chance to raise concerns and ask questions about public infrastructure and community services. In turn, department heads addressed issues ranging from understaffing in the police and fire departments to water main breaks and crime prevention in schools.
Representatives from the Housing and Community Development Department (HCD), METRO, Houston Police Department, Houston Fire Department, Public Safety and Homeland Security, Public Works and Office of Business Opportunity, Department of Neighborhoods, Solid Waste Management and Office of Emergency Management, among several others.
City department responses
Clara Guidry, education specialist from Crime Stoppers
Focusing on criminal justice through education, she said the Safe School Institute provides free preventative education within schools in mental health, home security, substance abuse prevention and bullying prevention.
“We see it happening a lot now,” Guidry said. “With our mission of solving and preventing serious crime within our communities and schools, we are trying to bridge the gap and build cohesiveness between the criminal justice system, the government, and nonprofits to keep the community safe.”
Rodney West, Executive Assistant of HFD
“It’s a calling [for firefighters] to run into a building that’s burning when everybody’s running out. It’s a calling to go towards gunfire. We’re seeking to hire people. So if you know someone looking for a job, and who wants to serve, and who has a calling to serve, then we definitely want to welcome those people to come aboard.”
Randy Macchi, Public Works Director
Houston’s recent water leaks, resulting from water main breaks, led to the city losing 32 billion gallons of water. Macchi added that the city was still grappling with more than 1,300 active water main breaks.
“Regardless of whether we inherited these problems or not, there are problems,” Macchi said. “We’re gonna do everything that we need to to make sure that you don’t have to worry about when you turn the tap on, that the water’s gonna come out, and that when you drive down the road that your car’s not gonna end up with a flat tire because the conditions are so bad.”
