Born in Jacksonville, Florida, in December 1949 and raised in Houston, Hallisey moved to League City in 1972. (Jake Magee/Community Impact)
Hallisey has been League City’s mayor since 2016. Hallisey decided to not seek re-election, which means his term will end in late November.
Born in Jacksonville, Florida, in December 1949 and raised in Houston, Hallisey moved to League City in 1972. A passionate swimmer, Hallisey got a job taking care of a city pool.
Not long after, the city asked Hallisey to work full time for the city’s new parks department. It was there Hallisey realized his passion.
“I fell in love with public service,” he said.
Over time, Hallisey, who once considered himself an introvert and not a fan of crowds, came out of his shell. Today, he can often be found rubbing shoulders with residents and city officials alike, and he is not afraid to tell people what he truly thinks, he said.
“I am not perfect,” he said. “I do have an Irish temperament, and I certainly hate foolishness.”
In 1993, Hallisey decided to run for Galveston County judge. He lost, but the experience was “eye opening,” he said.
That was not the end of Hallisey’s political career.
A few months later, League City City Council unanimously appointed Hallisey as mayor.
“And I go to work,” he said. “You never know if somebody is ready until you give them the opportunity to do it, and that’s been the story of my life.”
For years, Hallisey spent every day at City Hall, closely working alongside the city manager and others. Today, Hallisey still regularly calls City Hall to check in and takes calls from concerned residents to solve problems, he said.
“You just don’t get a second chance to make a good first impression,” Hallisey said. “We can’t fix everything, but the lack of a phone call just makes people dislike us more.”
After his appointment ended in 1996, Hallisey ran in 2016 during a special election for mayor. Hallisey won, and he won re-election in 2018.
In his time, Hallisey has accomplished much he is proud of. The $145 million bond voters overwhelmingly approved in 2019 to address road and flood projects was largely orchestrated by Hallisey, he said.
Hallisey has also been an advocate for bringing the Grand Parkway to the Bay Area. While construction has yet to begin, Hallisey said he is proud he has been able to keep it top of mind for legislators.
There are things about being mayor of League City that Hallisey will miss, including the people he works with. He said he got to see the community’s strength in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, when neighbors rallied to take care of each other.
“It is the warmest community I have ever lived in,” he said.
Now, Hallisey wants to concentrate on his health, wife and two daughters, one of whom is getting married in April. After years of missed vacations to stay as close to League City as possible, Hallisey said he is looking forward to traveling.
“[My wife] Janice and I both have given our entire life to public service in one form or another,” Hallisey said. “We wanna have some fun.”
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