Houston’s newly-elected mayor, John Whitmire is already hard at work leading a city he’s long loved. The 74-year-old, who was sworn in on Jan. 2, has pledged “total transparency” as he makes “public safety” a top priority of his administration. And while he is adamant that he’s mayor for all of Houston, Whitmire says the Black community can rest assured that he’s working with their best interest at heart.
The Defender spoke with Whitmire about his message to the Black community.
Defender: What are some of your biggest plans that will directly benefit the Black community?
John Whitmire : I’m excited to be the African American community’s mayor because that’s where I started. And it’s just really a continuation. The people of Independence Heights elected me as a 22-year-old college student 50 years ago… And as far as I’m concerned, being mayor has just given me an opportunity to represent all of Houston instead of my Senate district. I will be the same person I’ve been the last 50 years representing a majority minority district. Obviously, inclusion, constituent response, all the issues we talked about in the campaign, will certainly apply to the African American community. African Americans elected me 50 years ago and have kept me in office my entire career. So, I look for a continuation of a close bond with all the residents of Houston, and certainly that would include African Americans. I think the African American community would be very excited to see me govern.
Defender: You recently did a ride-along with Police Chief Troy Finner and have talked about a focus on public safety. How do you walk the fine line between protecting the Black community and ensuring that residents will feel their rights are being respected?
Whitmire: Our police department is very diverse. I was endorsed by the African American police officers league. And there’s just no reason to start out talking about any conflict between good public safety and the African American community. In fact, a huge number of the 911 calls are from the minority communities, so there are concerns for safety. I mean, when you can’t use the Columbia Trail in Third Ward because people are afraid they’re gonna get robbed, that’s a serious problem right there, right there at TSU. So what I want to do is network and collaborate with community law enforcement agencies.
Defender: What are your plans for tackling the financial issues of the city?
Whitmire: Our finances affect all that we do. First and foremost, I want to examine the condition of our finances. We need to get a look at the books and see how we can be more efficient, see what we can do in terms of partnering with the county, get state resources, and figure out how to fund basic services. There’s conditions that unfortunately are present in the African American community, such as illegal dumping, regular garbage pickup, broken water lines, water bills, etc. We just need to improve the city’s performance overall. And finances impact all of that. We’ve gotta cut out some waste. I’ll be working with the African American council members. I’m gonna be very accessible. And also, we’re gonna be very transparent. I want Houstonians to see what the real picture is. And I’ll look for opportunities to raise revenue without raising taxes.
Defender: What do you say to those constituents who did not vote for you?
Whitmire: The campaign is behind me and so now I’m focusing on going forward. Houston’s a great city. We have great people. We just need to fix some of the city services. And I think Houston’s greatest years are in front of us. And in terms of who didn’t support me, that’s the beauty of a secret ballot. I don’t even really know who voted for me. I treat people the way I want to be treated. And if you do that, it just works for all of us.
