John Whitmire stood before Houston on Tuesday morning as the new sheriff in town—or, rather, the city's 63rd mayor, determined to swiftly tackle public safety, infrastructure, and city services. The former state senator, who was sworn in at a public ceremony at Wortham Theater Center, has vowed to not only retain Houston Police Chief Troy Finner but also to potentially bring fresh faces into the mix. "Chief Finner is a good police chief...But I want him to be a great police chief, and I think he can do that under my administration," Whitmire told Houston Public Media.
Following his public oath, Whitmire immediately got down to business at City Hall, addressing a council meeting where he committed to tackling a plethora of issues head-on. A notable pledge was to address the deficit of approximately 240 police officers compared to eight years ago, as stated during his inaugural address, while also vowing to work on clearing court backlogs. This commitment appears to strike a chord with Houston residents like Sergio Lira, who is hopeful about Whitmire's promise to collaborate with various law enforcement agencies to bolster public safety in the city, as he told Houston Chronicle. "He can get those people together," Lira said. "He’s built those relationships."
However, there's no free lunch, and Whitmire's list of priorities come with a hefty price tag at a time when Houston is facing looming budget shortfalls projected between $114 million and $264 million. According to statements from the new Houston City Controller Chris Hollins obtained by Houston Public Media, "We are spending, as a city, somewhere between $200 and $300 million more than is coming in on a recurring basis every year." Hollins is sounding the alarm, indicating that one-time solutions are not sustainable and that the city will have to face its financial music soon.
The new mayor has also promised to tackle the city's infrastructure woes, which are said to include a broken permitting process as well as concerns like garbage pickup and illegal dumping. Whitmire was quoted by the Houston Chronicle as saying, "These are problems we can no longer kick down the road to address." With budget strains already a major hurdle, Whitmire maintained that he's ready to look for budget cuts and would even consider raising taxes if necessary, particularly if it pertains to ensuring public safety. "I don’t think I would hesitate to ask for an exception to the revenue cap for public safety," Whitmire stated.
There may also be changes in the power dynamics within city governance, as Mayor Whitmire will have to navigate new balances of power, including Proposition A, which empowers city council members to place items on the agenda without the mayor's consent. Yet, Whitmire welcomes this shift, reflecting a spirit of compromise and collaborative governance—a sentiment he aims to extend even to the relationship with state government, preferring negotiation to the courthouse in addressing disputes. "I just think, as often as you can stay out of the courthouse, the better," he acknowledged in reference to the ongoing issues surrounding HB 2127, according to Houston Public Media.
