6 minute read
Sue Lovell and Mayor Turner Answer questions about the Mayor's job
from Heights Magazine
SUE LOVELL May o r a l Fo r u m
Sue Lovell moved to Houston in 1970 from Fresno, California with three suitcases, thirty five dollars, and two good friends. She was 19 years old. In the 49 years since, Sue has raised a family, owned a small business, started and led nonprofit organizations, worked in the corporate world and been a leader in politics. Sue served as Houston’s City Council Member At-Large for three terms and unanimously elected Vice Mayor Pro Tem by her City Council colleagues. She was appointed by two different mayors to serve on the Houston-Galveston Area Council, an 18-county council of government, as well as the Transportation Policy Council. Sue was successful in bringing millions of dollars in federal funding to the city for infrastructure investment. She also served as the Chair of the City Council’s Transportation, Aviation and Infrastructure Committee and Quality of Life Committee. She successfully passed the city’s first historic preservation ordinance and was the leader in transforming the city’s graffiti problem into a thriving network of public murals. Since leaving council, Sue has stayed active in the community, serving as a commissioner on the Houston Archaeological Historic Commission and a board member of the Houston Public Library Foundation. Her most important role has been as a grandmother, which is the reason why she wants to continue making this city a place of opportunity and equality.
What character traits and experience do you possess that you feel will make you an effective mayor? Houston is a city where we face tough challenges and where dreams are possible. But the current mayor’s lack of leadership is holding our city back. I served on City Council with Mayor White and Mayor Parker - I know what good government looks like. The current mayor’s answer to a budget crisis was to lay off first responders. We are now experiencing a crime wave. Our garbage is not being picked up on time. Our streets are full of potholes and are in need of repair. The city government has gotten out of touch with the everyday issues that matter most to the people of Houston. We need an experienced, proven leader who people can trust to get things done - I am that leader. What are the two or three most important issues facing the city today?
The top three issues Houstonians are concerned about this election season are infrastructure, crime, and transportation. The city is still recovering from Hurricane Harvey and anticipating future extreme weather events, but the current city government has fallen behind on updating our infrastructure. As mayor, I plan to update the technologies used to study flooding, work with local organizing groups to promote flood prevention techniques, and empower communities to respond to flooding by decentralizing emergency shelters. To start tackling our public safety problem, I plan to establish a domestic violence crisis intervention center. Our current transportation debates center around potholes and the planned I-45 expansion - I will fight to amend the expansion plan to keep our low-income communities from being displaced and prioritize fixing our city streets so we can keep our neighborhoods active and connected.
Mayor Turner has not balanced the budget to protect employee pensions - our liability is growing by about $160 million a year according to the Houston Chronicle. We need a balanced budget so everyone can plan more securely for their future. How do you propose to make our city safer?
One of the biggest threats to our city right now is the lack of funding for our firefighters - they are driving out-of-date trucks without air conditioning and don’t have sufficient ambulances to meet community needs. As mayor, I plan to update our fleet in accordance with the recent studies conducted by Rice University and provide our city with the infrastructure it needs to handle emergency situations.
SYLVESTER TURNER May o r a l Fo r u m
Turner grew up in the Acres Homes community in northwest Houston where he was born and raised as one of nine children in a modest two-bedroom home. His mother worked as a maid in the old Rice Hotel in Houston and his father worked as a painter. He and his sons cut yards to make extra money. Sylvester lost his father to cancer when he was 13 years old. With the help of his family, pastors and teachers, Sylvester went on to attend the University of Houston and Harvard Law School before joining the law firm of Fulbright & Jaworski. He later founded the Houston law firm of Barnes & Turner in 1983. In 1988, Sylvester was elected to the Texas House of Representatives. In 2015, Sylvester Turner was elected as the 62nd Mayor of Houston.
What character traits and experience do you possess that you feel will make you an effective mayor? I work hard to solve problems by bringing people together, not tearing them apart or tearing them down. I strive for quiet competence, because I care more about making a difference than making noise. As an African American man who grew up in Houston during Jim Crow, I work every day to lift every voice in Houston.
As for my experience, there’s a lot of it and I am proud of it. Since taking office as mayor, I have eliminated multi-million dollar budget shortfalls; led the city’s remarkable rebound from Hurricane Harvey; championed historic pension reform; expanded municipal investments in renewable energy, led the winning bid to host the World Petroleum Congress in 2020 – and filled more than 273,000 potholes. What are the two or three most important issues facing the city today?
Flooding and drainage Jobs and economic development Public safety Street conditions and traffic Public transportation Infrastructure, neighborhoods and equitable distribution of projects
Diversity, economic inequality and making the city work for all Houstonians
We need to repeal the city’s voter-imposed revenue cap. It is hurting our city’s ability to grow and thrive.
We also need to make progress eliminating the city’s structural budget deficit. It’s been tough after Hurricane Harvey, but we are making progress. In fiscal year 2021, we will transition to a zero-based budgeting system, in which every dollar must be justified rather than be carried over from existing budgets. How do you propose to make our city safer at schools, events and in general?
Ensuring Houston is safe is the most important responsibility I have as mayor. I have included five police cadet classes with 75 cadets each in all four of my budgets. I hired a proven crime fighter—Police Chief Art Acevedo— and I have worked to give him the resources he needs.
Perhaps the most important members of our community that benefit from strong law enforcement are our children. And one of the best ways to fight crime is to prevent it from ever happening. The youth programs offered by the Houston Police Department reach out to young Houstonians in a positive way and strengthen our community.
Chief Acevedo is a believer in “relational policing.” He knows that every
time a police officer interacts with someone, he or she has the ability to establish a good relationship with that person. And when you establish that good relationship with a child, you can impact that child’s life forever.
Last year, Chief Acevedo revived the Greater Houston Police Activities League. Its mission is to reduce juvenile crime and violence. The program connects police officers with young people 8 to 18 and mentors them through activities such as athletics, education, homework assistance, character-building lessons and more.
The last two years, GHPAL has held “field days,” where kids can come out and play games and engage with police officers in a positive way, building trust. Local professional athletes spend time with the young people in GHPAL. Recently, Houston Rocket James Harden treated some to a shopping spree at Academy Sports and Outdoors.
The Houston Police Department has a number of other programs for young people. These are just one part of our efforts to keep our city safe – but as far as our kids are concerned, they are a very important part indeed.
