Mayor Whitmire is doing such a shitty job as mayor that he is now hindering those council members who want to do more for Houston residents. That happens when we elect someone who is way above his pay grade. The mayor has been on the job for over a year, and service calls to 311 are taking longer; water main breaks take months to repair and are often only repaired when the news media gets involved.
Houston City Council Member Edward Pollard promised additional services for his constituents in what he pitched as a rebrand of his district, but is now hitting implementation roadblocks at Mayor John Whitmire’s office.
The delays weren’t caused by any concerns over the services themselves, according to the mayor’s office, but in the way Pollard wants to provide them.
Last month, Pollard announced his southeast Houston district would be rebranded as “J City” and run much like its own municipality. With the rebrand came the promise of more services for his constituents, such as private heavy trash pickup, a supplemental maintenance team to mow right-of-ways and a beautification team to clear illegal dumping.
Pollard said at the time that he wanted to outsource the services through outside contractors.
While Pollard said his proposals have been approved by the city’s lawyers, he has since had delays getting approval from Whitmire’s office on initiatives for private heavy trash pickup, a PSA system and his Good Neighbor Program that would provide home repairs to seniors, veterans and members of Houston’s disabled community.
The mayor’s office has also essentially blocked the use of an ATV police patrol system tasked with tackling low-level crimes, Pollard added. He said the administration has ordered Houston police to ignore reports that come in through an online portal used by residents, and officers won’t receive overtime for participating in the program.
Pollard speculates it’s a political move, but officials from Whitmire’s office have cited the city’s rules as a reason why the proposals can’t move forward, adding that they have had “several conversations” with Pollard about how the initiatives have to be done in accordance with the city charter.
Don’t take my word for it Channel 2 Houston took the elected members to task and Council Member Pollard was number one.