The challenges facing Houston’s next mayor are familiar to many big cities: crimecrumbling infrastructurebudget shortfalls and lack of affordable house.
But in the nation’s crucial November mayoral election, the best candidates with the best chance of turning the tide in Houston are two Democrats who have been in power in the city longer than almost anyone else, leaving outsiders to start Monday. are scrambling to gain a foothold in early voting.
U.S. Representative sheila jackson lee He took office in 1995, about 20 years after serving as a state senator. John Whitmire Started in the Texas Legislature. Both cities have grabbed the spotlight and money in the race to lead the nation’s fourth-largest city, whose booming growth has created municipal headaches but also made the Houston area a growing stronghold for Texas Democrats.
“The (new) mayor comes into office at a time when the city is doing well but also facing problems,” said Bob Harvey, president and CEO of the Greater Houston Partnership, a local business group.
Before November 7 electionAmong the 18 candidates vying to lead Houston, many are trying to strike a balance. They highlight Houston’s shortcomings while promoting it as a global city filled with diversity. They focus on how the city long ago shed its image as a concrete place where urban cowboys worked in the oil and gas industry.
Although the mayoral race is nonpartisan, most candidates are Democrats. They are seeking to replace Mayor Sylvester Turner, who has served eight years and is unable to run again due to term limits.
With the competition so tight, it is unlikely that any candidate will get 50% of the vote to avoid a runoff.
Others vying for the job include former head of Houston’s public transportation system Gilbert Garcia, attorney Lee Kaplan, Houston City Councilman Robert Gallegos and former city councilors Jack Christie and MJ Khan. .
People who don’t live in Texas think it’s “uneducated” and “dominated by oil and gas,” Garcia said.
“If they come here, they will find that we are much more than that. We are a cosmopolitan city. But we can do better, and we should do better.” Garcia said, he was prepared for this game. More than $3 million of its own funds were invested in the competition.
Democrats are also concerned that the stakes in the election extend beyond picking a new mayor.
A new law signed by Republican Governor Greg Abbott provides state control If it is determined that the election was not conducted normally, voting will be held in Harris County, which includes Houston.
Voting rights groups worry Republicans will seize on issues like polling places opening late or long lines because of issues with voting machines as excuses in the coming weeks. assume responsibility for supervising elections Will be the largest county in Texas in 2024.
although crime in houstonLike other major cities Rising sharply during the epidemic,it has Since falling. Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said Wednesday that the overall crime rate is down 5% compared to this time last year, and the number of homicides is down nearly 18%.
Despite the downward trend in crime, Whitmire has emphasized keeping crime rates down.
“Of course, public safety will be my top priority,” he said during Thursday’s mayoral debate.
The city’s challenges are partly due to explosive growth over the past decade. Compared with the 20 most populous metropolitan areas in the United States, Houston ranks third in growth, adding more than 1,000 new jobs between 2012 and 2022, said Patrick Jankowski, chief economist for the Greater Houston Partnership. 140,000 inhabitants.
Bill King, a businessman and former mayoral candidate who blogs about politics, said Houston has grown rapidly without making the necessary investments to maintain streets, water systems and other infrastructure.
A potential budget gap of up to $300 million will complicate the next mayor’s job of dealing with pothole-ridden streets.
All of these issues will hamper the city’s efforts to invest in its future, said University of Houston political science professor Brandon Rottinghaus, who is trying to transition away from an economy largely reliant on the oil industry.
Jackson Lee, whose campaign touted her experience in securing federal funds in Congress, said she was aware of funding challenges Houston faces in addressing issues such as housing and crime.
“What we have to do is find the most creative ways to increase revenue and put this city in the league of all the other big cities in America,” she said during a debate earlier this month.
Johnny Matta, a longtime activist with the Greater Houston Alliance for Justice, said he hopes the next mayor works to meet the needs of the city’s poor and underserved while balancing concerns about crime with adequate oversight of police Strike a balance.
“We face so many challenges. Of course, we must collectively engage in addressing them,” Mata said.
The city’s diversity has long been hailed as one of its strengths. Of the city’s 2.3 million residents, 45% are Latino, 23% are black, and 24% are white. One in four Houston residents was born outside the United States, Jankowski said.
Harvey said diversity will be a selling point the next mayor emphasizes as the city’s chief salesperson when attracting new investment.
“It’s hard to be proud of a strip center,” Harvey said of the unassuming and long-derided malls that dominate Houston’s urban landscape.
“But strip centers allow immigrants to come to Houston, open a restaurant or a small retail store and be successful,” Harvey said. “We built our city around the idea that we welcome newcomers, We’re building, creating opportunities.”
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