Flooding
There will be additional storms in the future; we must plan now. We must be wiser on how we prepare for hurricanes. We have
some of the country's brightest, talented people. I'll involve them with practical stuff we can do right now to make Houston
less vulnerable to potential storms.
We all recall Hurricane Harvey's destruction. But the truth is, the vast majority of the Houston-area floods since 1979
have occurred outside the established hurricane season. The floods will escalate, and while we will continue to introduce
solutions to minimize the damage, we must also do short-term things to protect ourselves. Everyone in Houston should consider
buying flood insurance, no matter what "zone" you live in.
We must learn to defend ourselves when the storms happen, including using applications that display passable areas and places
that aren't, including using devices that can be bought to protect our vehicles. Far more straightforward tasks can be done.
Some of the ideas we've heard about for some time, and yes, some have been included in the transformation reports but we
haven't had the leadership to enact them. I'll do that.
We must fix three forms of flooding in Houston and the surrounding areas. Storm surge, which is a problem that we will have
to resolve concerning Clear Lake, the industrial locations around the Port, and other southern parts of Houston. Failure
to create a strategy to fix the ship channel's storm surge would ruin Houston's economy. We know that while Harvey was said
to be a rare storm, we will have more and more such "rare" storms; Sheet flow, which is the flooding that happens annually
well before the bayous are complete or the tributaries flow over their banks; and river flood or detention flood is our
lack of capacity resulting in Buffalo Bayou leaving banks or uncontrolled releases from reservoirs. Each is a significant
issue to be tackled comprehensively. Like each flood type, flooding solutions are specific and as unique as Houston flooding
areas.
With West Houston, we need more power. We must lobby the Engineers' Corps to start building the potential now. And, as releases
are made from Barker's and Addick's reservoirs, we must be conscious. During Hurricane Harvey, many on the west side felt
the storm had survived with little or no damage, only to wake up the next morning with flooding in their homes. These people
lost vehicles and other valuables they couldn't have lost if they knew the door would open. But, sadly, the Engineers Corps
wanted to open the floodgates at midnight. The current administration was informed of this decision, but no warning was
given. I'd never let that happen. Who knows what personal belongings or cars might have been saved if anyone warned residents?
Houston annexed Kingwood, but residents who live and work there receive only a fraction of the services they deserve, particularly
when you compare the income Kingwood generates against the value of the services they receive. I've spent a lot of time
talking to Kingwood locals, and I know they're neglected. The city doesn't overlook them anymore. One resolution is to have
a city office in Kingwood to communicate with people. We need accountabilities. Regarding frequent flooding in the Kingwood
district, the San Jacinto River required dredging for years.
Much of our leadership wasn't a spokesperson for people. A lack of dredging and rampant sand mining next to the river led
significantly to Harvey's impacts. Since Harvey, the river's lack of power has deteriorated due to sand. While some dredging
is performed, the region that most needs were dredging — the mouth bar — is not dredged! Besides urgently needed dredging,
flood gates need to be upgraded and replaced. Finally, detention must be established outside Kingwood. Most of Kingwood's
water comes from outside. Kingwood needs a council member to fight for his interests. This will require contact with Harris
County Flood Control District, SJRA, Corps of Engineers, and Montgomery County.
Besides the problems discussed above, we also need to fix the outdated storm and drainage system that regularly causes Kingwood
sections to flood. Areas flood due to sheet flow that shouldn't attack. Methodically, we must deal specifically with these
regions. Of course, that would include using money from the restore Houston drainage charge and ad valorem tax on drainage
projects, rather than diverting it to other projects or the general fund to balance the budget. Finally, Kingwood needs
a City Councilman who acknowledges that some of the latest construction proposals to come before the approval will intensify
Kingwood flooding. We must be conscious that construction is not good if it harms the local community. Kingwood was neglected
for years.
As a City Councilman, I will be a good voice for Kingwood and focus on these issues. I can develop short-term solutions
while working on long-term solutions. Nearly a decade ago, Houston voted for a drainage and ad valorem tax. The last election
reaffirmed the vote. After that initial vote, the city has raised over $1 billion. But only a small amount of such money
was used in irrigation projects. That must end. I will ensure that our drainage fee and the resulting tax are spent on drainage
rather than being siphoned off into the general fund to pay for city operations. Houston could have received nearly $1.18
billion in federal funding. We waited over 18 months, and after Harvey, many people are still out of their homes. This assistance
is intended to help uninsured people return to their homes or apartments and buy out those in flood-prone areas. We must
ensure that every penny of that money is used for this purpose — and that purpose alone.
Everyone knows Houston has a flooding problem. Much was thought about, but very little was done. Indeed, Houston's own "Flood
Czar" admits we're in no better shape than we were before Hurricane Harvey. We have to get serious. Did you know that when
the current administration came to power, the transition team set out some concrete measures that could be done to eradicate
or at least minimize the effects of flooding?
Corruption
The practice of City Hall insiders and friends of the City Councilman having more influence
at City Hall than Houston Taxpayers must end. It serves only the select few that
seek to profit not those who seeks to serve.
As your City Councilmen, I will support a measure that allows Houston Taxpayers and
Voters to end the practice of rewarding city contracts to big campaign contributors.
Contracting with the city should be based on merit, and the benefit to the taxpayers,
not who you know or who gave money to the City Councilman or council. Simply put, If you donate
to a politician at City Hall, for one year you will not be permitted to enter a
contract with or work for the city – period.
Furthermore, I will ask the New City Councilman to Support the following changes in City Hall Budget Operations.
- Appoint a fulltime independent Auditor to provide a publicly accessible website that tracks pothole
repairs, the permitting process for homeowners, and a regularly updated real-time report of live animal
adoptions from our City Animal Shelters.
- Change the law so that Lobbyist are required to register and that any dollars spent to inform or educate
your public officials must be reported. Any violation of this will result in that lobbyist being banned
from doing business with the City and this should include public action against the Elected or City official
if they don't report the event.
Again, As your City Councilmen, I will call for an end to the current practice of pay to play politics at City Hall.
Firefighters & Our Police
City of Houston Voters have already spoken on the issue of PROP B and Pay Parity.
We must respect the will of the Voters, too many have paid the ultimate price to
protect the democratic process for me there is no room for debate on this issue,
the Prop. B election was the debate.
As the son of a Firefighter, I am well too aware of the risk these men and woman
take every single day along with all of their fellow first responders. Our Current
City Government neglected this issue for too long. Current and past administrations
ignored this issue for too long, this issue will not go away if we act as if its
does not exist. And City Councilman Turner's political solution to pit the Police and Firefighter
Unions against one another is wrong. We should do what we can to give both our men
and women in the Police and Fire Departments the money they need to raise a family
in this great City.
We need to address the critical shortage we are facing in personnel in both departments.
This will require that your City Councilman tell you the taxpayer the truth. That
this can be accomplished not by raising taxes but by making smarter decisions.
Crime
To be clear our City faces a serious crime problem. A significant contributing factor is that we have too many
officers on desk duty and not enough out on our streets. Only 2,3000 officers are on regular patrol of the almost 5,200
police officers; What this means is that if we are lucky we may only have 500 officers on patrol. In a city that is 664
square miles. We need more police officers. We also need to provide them the proper training so they can better serve
in the most diverse city in the United States, We must also do whatever it takes and whatever the cost to protect them
while they protect us. We must switch from reactive policing to proactive policing. That is a process where the Community
and the police building better relationships and that is a commitment I will make as your City Councilmen.
Additionally, as a City, we should fully commit to the following.
Employ the Comp-stat (link)system of policing. And work with the Polic Department leadership to make it official policy.
Make a fully committed fight against Human Trafficking in the area. To cooperate at all time with local, State and
Federal Government to end the Crime and modern slavery. As a husband and father and as a brother this is something we
must eradicate wherever and whenever we can.
As a part of the new community cooperative protective policing we can do more and do better in the wat against Gangs
and Gand Violence in our City. Gan Crime is everywhere but it is a greater threat on many of our at-risk and underserved
communities. These gangs often prey on the Immigrant community and hide their illegal activity in plain sight using the
fear of those most at risk for cover.
Also working with the new City Councilman I will seek to examine the following practices to see how Houston can employ Best Practices to make us even better
Body cameras on all officers in the street, even when executing a warrant
Address a command structure that appears to be bloated.
Better recognition of officers who demonstrate heroism or outstanding police work.
Outsource vehicle maintenance.
Revise the current chase policy.
Civilian police academy with certified, trained officers patrolling underserved areas on a volunteer basis
Reinstitute neighborhood watch programs, but provide them support.
Stray Dog Population and Animal Control
Did you know that 54% percent of residents in Harris and surrounding counties say
that stray dogs and cats are a problem, and that 1 out of 4 people in Houston say
that stray dogs and cats are a very serious problem? Stray animals are not only
a humanitarian issue, but also a safety and quality of life issue. In some neighborhoods,
packs of wild dogs run free. We have heard reports of wild dogs attacking pets in
the Third Ward. We’ve heard of children being chased by dogs in the East End. We
have to do something.
Innovation
One Bin Concept. We can make Houston completely waste-free in four years. The City
of Houston collects waste, recycling, and yard waste for approximately 376,000 single-family
residential households. More than two-thirds of our residents use our city’s waste
service. Those that use the city’s service have their solid waste picked up once
per week—when it is actually picked up. And, again, when it actually picks it up,
the city picks up the recycling twice a month. And, of course, the city picks up
yard waste once per month. All of the solid waste picked up by the city goes into
landfills. Less than 30% of the “recycling” picked up by the city actually gets
processed and recycled; the rest goes into landfills. (It has recently been reported
that all of our recyclables are being buried in a landfill.) Around the perimeter
of the city, we have multiple landfills and multiple transit stations for this trash—all
operated by private companies. What if we could put in place a system such that
we recycle almost all of the waste that the city produces and sell it ? Believe
it or not, the technology exists to do so. As City Councilman, I will put in place a system
such that we pick up waste once per week, with all waste going into the same bin–NO
MORE WASHING PLASTIC CONTAINERS OR SORTING TRASH. Such waste will be then taken
to what is known as an Ecohub, where it will be sorted and turned into various products
that can be sold. This will not only reduce the amount of trucks and personnel we
need for waste disposal by a factor of three, but it will also save the city more
than $40 million a year. The company that has this proven technology presented this
idea to the city several years ago. But, due to lobbyists and the City Councilman’s friends
who are connected to the current waste companies doing business with the city, the
proposal went nowhere. That will change! We can be the first waste-free city in
the United States. That’s something we can all be proud of.
Repurposing our libraries. The city has 44 libraries. We need to make sure we are
getting the most out of our libraries. Too many times, we have more staff in the
library than there are patrons. And, we are not providing a relevant service. We
all know HISD is going through some very difficult times; we cannot let HISD fail.
One way we could help is by repurposing our libraries and making sure they are being
used for our youth. Whether it be pre-school programs or after-school programs,
we can support the school system and help give the kids something worthwhile and
educational to do, all the while keeping them off the streets. I already have experts
coming up with a plan on how we can do better with our libraries. The city employs
more than 460 people at our libraries and spends more than $40 million per year
on operating costs. This is an important service that the city provides. We can
do it much better.
5G. A lot has been said about 5G. We don’t need to put base stations all over the
city, in neighborhoods that don’t want them. If we use what I call REAL 5G, we would
need very few base stations and yet we will have connectivity that would allow you
to download your favorite movie in less than three seconds. So far, the large companies
have failed at real 5G. But, winning technology is currently being tested right
now in various countries that will completely change the landscape of how we communicate
with one another–with no danger to our health! I’ve met with those on the forefront
of this effort – they are Texans. We can make Houston the leader in real 5G.
Self-driving cars. The day will come when we will all utilize self-driving cars.
Houston is perfectly poised to lead this effort. To accomplish this, we have to
be forward thinking, change the way we do business and be open to new ideas. Imagine
if we had driverless buses and cars taking us around Houston. This would be a dramatic
paradigm shift. The technology exists now. The only impediment is outdated thinking,
and lobbyists and businesses who are worried about losing market share and money.
As City Councilman, I will lead the effort to put Houston on the map with regard to developing
technologies.
Unions and Collective Bargaining
My father was a union meat cutter. I have always believed that there are only two
places a worker has a chance to get a fair shake: in a court room or through the
union. The current City Councilman has sought, in court, to declare collective bargaining
unconstitutional. When I’m City Councilman, I will immediately drop that suit, not only because
it has no legal merit and is a waste of taxpayer money, but also because I know
the importance of unions in the workplace. We shouldn’t have the city engaged in
litigation with firefighters, period.
A Renewed Sense of Nuts and Bolts Volunteerism
We live in a dynamic, entrepreneurial, diverse, can-do city. I believe Houston has
some of the most creative and generous people in the United States. We are all in
this together. For several years, I attended the various galas and balls that occur
in the city each year. The people who throw these galas are wonderful people who
are trying to raise money for many important causes. I applaud them and encourage
them to keep up the fight! As City Councilman, I will encourage a new type of volunteerism.
I believe that if you ask, people will help.
Here are a few examples that will foster a renewed sense of volunteerism and bring
us together to do something good, as well as help the city save money:
As City Councilman I will be asking citizens to help with the clean up of the city. We will
create and put in place a system to do what I will call “pop-up clean-ups.” Organized
by the citizens themselves, when a citizen spots a particular area of the city in
need of cleaning, through the city and sanctioned by the city, that citizen can
organize a clean-up effort. The city will provide security and water for the effort,
as well as receptacles for the trash. Think of how we could clean up this city together!
The city has 370 parks and 200 green spaces. The city employs more than 700 people
in the Parks Department, with a budget of more than $70 million yearly. Parks and
green space are very important. But, we can do better. I believe that we can maintain
our parks better, with fewer people. I believe that we could create a nonprofit
for each park, where it makes sense, and have the people who live in the area of
the park maintain and improve that park. I know Houstonians. If you ask them, and
lead by example, they will help. Think of the improvements we could see in our parks
and the money we could save.
Houston is home to many families who have lived here for generations. Many of these
families have been very fortunate and control endowments and foundations that, by
law, must donate millions yearly to charitable causes. I believe we could and should
pool these resources for the great benefit of the city. As City Councilman, I will go to each
of the major foundations across the Houston area (I’ve already started!) with a
comprehensive plan. We are calling it “Moonshot.” I believe we can choose an underserved
area in our great city and do a complete needs assessment, as well as an assessment
on what services are already in place. Imagine if we could put together a comprehensive
program where we choose a defined area and, using private funds, ensure that prenatal
care, resources for children from age 0-2, Pre-K, and after-school programs focusing
on vocational training and tutoring STEM subjects are all in place. On top of that,
ensuring that adequate housing is available will drastically reduce truancy, and
that the police who work in the community actually live in the community as well.
And, we can also make use of our local educational institutions, churches, and civic
associations to assist in the project. Is this idea too “pie in the sky?” I don’t
think so. We put astronauts on the moon! Surely we can dramatically change for the
better areas of our city that need extra help. I think that with private funds pooled
in this manner, we could make transformational change in some of the traditionally
underserved areas of our great city.
Whether it be holiday lights or blight removal, helping the homeless or cleaning
up City Hall, Houstonians will pitch in and help if asked. The answer isn’t always
hiring more people and spending more money. Houstonians are yearning to be proud
of their city. We must lead the way and bring this city together. The way to do
that is to engage all residents in making Houston a better place to live.
Creating Jobs
As City Councilman, I will aggressively seek out businesses that are considering moving to
Houston. The only way to do this is to make Houston a preferred place to live. This
means, of course, that we cannot let HISD fail, and we have to do a much better
job at providing the core services that residents expect. This means dealing with
flooding head on, picking the trash up on time, reducing and solving crimes, making
sure our fire department is adequately staffed and that firefighters have the right
equipment, and making sure we can drive down the street without blowing out a tire.
Due to my background and experience, I know key people in most industries. We need
to get the word out that the City of Houston is open for business. The best way
to do that is to make the city work for all its residents. I will aggressively seek
out those businesses that are appropriate for the city and that the city has the
infrastructure to support. In addition to making our city work again, I will create
panels of subject matter experts to help us make our city more efficient.
Waste and Inefficiency
Let me start with this: I’m against raising the revenue cap. It’s not needed. The
city wastes millions of taxpayer’s dollars and public monies. The money is there
to put more police on the streets and pay the firefighters, as well as to efficiently
and promptly provide the core services that residents expect.
Recently, it was revealed that the Airport Enterprise Fund had spent $85 million
in the intended renovation of the international receiving terminal. Unfortunately,
only $11 million of that was spent on actual brick and mortar. The rest was wasted
on a plan that all of those involved agree was “flawed.” We have to do better. There
should be immediate accountability of all of those involved in this debacle, including
the City Councilman himself. The current City Councilman is frequently prone to calling himself the
“CEO” of the city. We all know that any CEO who oversaw a debacle similar to what
is happening at the airport would have already been fired.
The current City Councilman offered up, and pushed through, a spending item that the city
would spend $3 million to hire performance bands for the airport. Why? This is a
colossal waste of money. There are individuals in this town who would provide this
service for free. We have to do better in the way we spend money.
The current City Councilman offered up, and pushed through, a spending item that the city
would spend $3 million to hire performance bands for the airport. Why? This is a
colossal waste of money. There are individuals in this town who would provide this
service for free. We have to do better in the way we spend money.
Every year the city spends upwards of $500,000 on holiday lights at City Hall. Again,
in light of the current budget situation, we simply can’t afford that. There are
many light companies in this town that, if asked, would likely provide this service
for free in exchange for the name recognition. Houston needs a City Councilman who is cognizant
of the fact that every dollar spent doesn’t belong to the city; it instead belongs
to the taxpayer. The answer to a need or problem is not always to spend more money!
Similarly, it is my belief that every department of the city is overstaffed. Have
you looked at the various departments within the city? When I’m City Councilman, department
heads will have to justify the necessity of every employee, detail what that employee
does for the city, and why that employee is needed. They will also have to justify
the existence of their very department. I believe in motivating and keeping good
personnel. I also believe that in any organization there are those who do not pull
their weight and don’t really provide a service. We all have to understand that
the existence of a city job is not to provide an income for the employee, but is
instead to provide a service for the citizens. With regard to personnel, of course,
I will start with the City Councilman’s office itself. Currently, the City Councilman has—in his personal
office—almost fifty individuals. If you count the other offices of which the City Councilman
has direct control, that number is more than 100. That is too many! As City Councilman, I
will make it clear to city employees that we work for the citizens of Houston, not
vice versa.
We currently employ an individual whose entire job is to encourage moviemakers to
come to Houston to shoot their movies. We pay this individual more than $150,000
yearly and provide her a fully paid for condo in Los Angeles. Do you know how many
movies she has convinced to film in Houston? ZERO. We cannot keep spending money
irrationally. This will end when I’m City Councilman.
City Budget & Finance
Third-Party, Independent Financial Audit. Over the past three years, City revenues
have increased by $450 million, yet spending has increased by $570 million. Are
services any better? No. Are the streets better? No. Do we have more police on the
streets? No. We have to get a handle on spending in the city. When I am City Councilman, we
will have a third-party, independent audit of the budget. This audit will include
the budgets of all TIRZ’s, Enterprise and other dedicated funds, as well as the
General fund.
Process Audits. We must ensure that the way we perform city functions is the most
efficient and productive way. I will encourage subject matter experts to assist
me for the good of the city (free of cost) in performing process audits of every
single department. Can you imagine how we could improve the way we do permitting
or the way we repair potholes? Through process audits, we will be looking for ways
we can do things more efficiently and for duplications and ways to save. Moreover,
through such audits, every department and every position will be carefully analyzed
to ensure it serves the residents in an efficient manner.
Zero-Based Budgeting. Houston needs a City Councilman who knows how to effectively deploy
resources and get the absolute most for our public dollars. We must be more efficient.
Because I’m not taking campaign donations and am not actively seeking endorsements,
I will have the freedom to do what is necessary to ensure we provide core services
and also balance the budget. All too often, a candidate promises to do something
but does not follow through once in office because it is contrary to his/her campaign
donors’ interests or to those who endorsed him/her. Not me. And, too often politicians
and government bureaucrats complain that they don’t have enough money for core city
services yet they have no problem finding money for a pet project – or worse – they
give multi-million dollar contracts to their friends, donors, or former partners.
I’ve overseen big budgets as a Texas A&M Regent. I’ve learned all the tricks of
how large government organizations spend money. As chair of the audit committee,
I oversaw the processes and budgets of 11 universities and 7 state agencies. I know
where to find the inefficiencies and wasted monies. As the owner of a large, successful
law firm, I know how to hire, train, motivate and manage employees. I’ve owned shopping
centers and apartment complexes, and I know about capital projects, permitting,
construction, and renovation. I’ve built retail businesses from the ground up, staffed
them and sold them. Over the years, I’ve come to understand budgets, management,
and how to keep a business going and make it successful. For every expenditure,
I’ve learned to ask “why,” and if we can do it for less. And, the most important
thing I’ve learned is to surround myself with smart budget experts and verify their
recommendations. I won’t have all the answers myself, but I do know how to find
the answers.
Homelessness
We can be fiscally conservative and still care about the homeless and those that
need help. We have a homeless epidemic in this city. We have to address it! It is
not only an issue in every major artery entering and leaving downtown, but it is
also an issue in many neighborhoods. We need a plan. Whether you see it as a humanitarian
issue as I do (I don’t see people who are down and out as an “eyesore”; a health
and safety issue; a public safety issue; or an optics issue that reflects poorly
on our city, we MUST do something. One caveat: homelessness and panhandling are
two different issues. I intend to end panhandling, period. Many aggressive panhandlers
are simply not homeless. We have rules in place with regard to panhandling and I
intend to enforce them. No one should be accosted at a stoplight, or trying to walk
down the street or going to the store. We will end that immediately when I’m your
City Councilman.