Houston Mayor Turner, candidate John Whitmire spar over diversity

Outgoing Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said the mayoral front runner, state Sen. John Whitmire, owes him and the city an apology over claims of a lack of diversity in the top levels of City Hall. 

Data shows claims made by Whitmire on the lack of Asians and Hispanics at the uppermost rungs of city leadership are correct – but they’re also a part of a larger story of municipal government demographics across the country.

In a FOX 26 debate Monday, Whitmire criticized the demographic composition of the Turner administration’s top leaders and said they didn’t represent Houston’s diversity. 

“Look at the department heads,” Whitmire said in the debate. “Pull them up. Google them. Look at who’s running the city of Houston. It’s not the Asian community. The Hispanic community is severely underrepresented. So let’s practice what we’re so proud of.”

Of the city’s 41 past and current department heads appointed by Turner, 18 are Black (44%) and 16 are white (39%), according to data provided by the Mayor’s Office. Five are Hispanic (12%) and two are Asian (5%).

However, research reveals the underrepresentation of Hispanic and Asian top-level officials in City Hall is not confined to Houston and can also be seen in other large metros across the country.

In Chicago, for example, while Hispanics and Asians make up 29% and 6.4% of the city population, respectively, they hold just 19% and 5% of the city government’s management-level positions, Chicago’s city data shows.

The issue also applies to the general city government workforce. In Houston, 35% and 28% of its over 21,000 city employees are Black and white, respectively, according to the city’s latest payroll data. Only 28% are Hispanic, despite the group constituting nearly half of the city population. Seven percent of the city staff are Asian.

Similarly in other cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City, both Black and white individuals tend to be either proportionately represented or overrepresented in the city workforce, whereas Latinos are consistently underrepresented and Asians see mixed experience in different cases, according to each city’s official statistics and census data.

At Wednesday’s council meeting, Turner highlighted the numerous Asian and Hispanic department heads he has appointed including Police Chief Arturo Acevedo and former Fire Chief Samuel Peña. 

Outside city department directors, the mayor also noted other key appointed officials who have served under his tenure such as METRO Chair Sanjay Ramabhadran, Houston Airport System Director Mario Diaz and Priya Zachariah, the chief resilience and sustainability officer of the Mayor’s Office.

“Saying that there is no diversity in the top levels of City Hall is a blatant misrepresentation,” Turner said during the Wednesday meeting. “He owes me an apology. Quite frankly owes the whole city of Houston an apology.”

Later, Turner continued, “I’ve lived 69 years. I know when you’re sending a dog whistle. This city deserves better. It deserves better, and I’m not going to let that slide.”

Turner, who is term limited and is finishing out his final month in office, has endorsed Whitmire’s opponent U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee in the mayoral race.

Whitmire’s campaign declined to provide a response to Turner’s comments from the Wednesday City Council meeting.