HOUSTON – As the clock struck midnight, Houston ushered in both a new year and a new mayor on Monday.
In front of close family and friends, former State Senator John Whitmire placed his hand upon his mother’s bible in front of Judge Victor Trevino to take the oath of office at 12:01 a.m.
Whitmire, an elected official since the age of 22, is now the city of Houston’s 63rd mayor.
Read more: A candid conversation with Houston mayor-elect John Whitmire on infrastructure and public safety (including his own)
“I’m excited for the city of Houston. We’ve worked hard for two years,” Whitmire said after being sworn in. “To explain our vision for the city of Houston, it’s to have total transparency, to share with Houston what I see as a mayor. We have a great city, great people, and we need to do everything we can to see that Houston goes forward and even becomes greater.”
“Devine destiny”
Whitmire has a lengthy history of public service, most recently serving as a member of the Texas State Senate. He resigned his seat as of 10 p.m. on Dec. 31.
He was elected to the State Senate in 1982 after 10 years in the Texas House of Representatives.
“Elected at 22. So, I’ve been a public official in Houston my entire entire adult life, and I always wanted to serve. This is just a continuation,” Whitmire said. “I do believe in divine destiny. I don’t think a 22-year-old gets elected in 1972 knocking doors. I was elected by the people of my district, and they’ve kept me there. They sent me to the Senate. And, now I see this is just a continuation of my public service and a calling. I think public service is a calling.”
Public safety priority #1
The campaign for Whitmire was built around making Houston a safer city.
After just 30 minutes in office, the newly sworn in mayor took to the city’s streets alongside Houston Police Chief Troy Finner. The two responded to crime scenes as well as promoted the importance of getting a safe and sober ride home from New Year’s Eve celebrations.
“Our outstanding police chief, Chief Finner, and I are going to go to scenes tonight throughout this morning to show our appreciation for first responders and let the citizens of Houston know that we have no higher priority than to do everything we can to make this a safer city,” Whitmire said.
It’s a task easier said than done. So how does the new mayor plan on making it happen?
Gage Goulding: “You say you want to hit the ground running with public safety. You are heading out there. Tonight is a first show of that within your first 30 minutes in office. What do you want your constituents, the people of Houston, to take away from that?”
Mayor Whitmire: “We’ve got some serious issues with public safety. We need additional officers. I’ll go ahead and announce tonight that the chief has already done an outstanding job of following one of my commitments to a collaborative effort. We’re going to meet Thursday morning at 10:00 [a.m.] with area chiefs to see how we can divide the city where no community goes unprotected.”
On top of that, the mayor hopes to recruit officers from other cities to work in Houston.
One of the ways he plans on doing that is to offer incentives to assist officers, such as helping pay for their service weapons.
Paving the future of Public Works
From city streets to the water pipes that flow below and even the trash that sometimes sits on the sidewalk for weeks without being picked up.
The public works crisis in Houston is another promise Whitmire pledged to fix during his campaign. On Monday morning, he vowed, yet again, to tackle the problem head on.
“Be very transparent again. It starts at the top. That’s unacceptable. We won’t allow conflicts of interest in my administration,” Whitmire said. “None of this brother in law stuff. Amy Davis did an outstanding job. It should have been done from within. But the press will hold us accountable. The citizens will be watching, and I’ll be very outspoken about staff getting the job done.”
The mayor giving a nod the KPRC 2 Investigates team and their work on the series DRAINED, which probes the ongoing issue with the city’s water infrastructure and billing.
“Public Works needs a really good reshaping, and we’ll do that with our infrastructure, not just streets, but drainage, water,” Whitmire said. “Solid waste, got to do whatever it takes. People have to be able to depend on their garbage being picked up at a regular schedule.”
Formal inauguration
Mayor Whitmire will be sworn in again on Tuesday, January 2 at 9:30 a.m. at the Wortham Theater.
In addition to the mayor, a new city controller and six new council members will also take the oath of office.
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