I moved into this part of Houston in 1973.
Richard Nixon was president. The Astros still played in the Astrodome. Houston was a very different city.
The council districts have changed since then, but I haven’t gone very far.
Today my home is in District J.
During those fifty-plus years I have watched a lot of politicians come and go. Some were good. Some were forgettable. A few probably hoped we would forget them.
So when I say Edward Pollard is the best council member I have had, I have a fairly long measuring stick.
Anyone who reads what I write also knows something else:
I don’t give politicians free compliments.
They have to earn them.
Pollard has.
What has impressed me most is not any single program. It is that when something is wrong, he has a habit of staying in the room.
When residents believe nobody at City Hall is listening, Pollard listens.
When something doesn’t make sense, he asks the question.
And when taking a position might irritate somebody more powerful than he is, he has shown a willingness to take it anyway.
That matters to me.
Pollard grew up in Southwest Houston, went through HISD schools, played college and professional basketball, became a lawyer, and eventually came home to represent the part of Houston that produced him. (City of Houston)
As council member, he created the District J Patrol, helped establish Houston’s Food Insecurity Board, developed a police transparency dashboard, supported programs for children—including after-school programs giving priority to children on the autism spectrum—and tackled the Bissonnet Track when it had become one of Houston’s most notorious stretches of road. (City of Houston)
Houstonia’s readers even selected him as their 2025 Houstonian of the Year. (Houstonia Magazine)
Now, let’s not get carried away.
Nobody is perfect.
Pollard proved that when I discovered his choice of favorite movies.
Let’s just say they certainly wouldn’t make my list.
Fortunately, I don’t elect a council member to decide what I watch on Saturday night.
I elect one to represent the people who live here.
And that is really my standard.
Not whether we agree on every issue.
Not whether we like the same movies.
Not whether he belongs to my political tribe.
Did you do the job?
Did you answer when people called?
Did you notice the neighborhoods that City Hall sometimes forgets?
Did you speak when remaining quiet would have been easier?
And when the room became uncomfortable—
did you stay in the room?
After living here since 1973, I believe Edward Pollard has.
That is why, in my opinion, he has been the best council member I have had.
Politicians hear from me when they screw up.
Fair is fair.
They ought to hear from me when they get it right, too.
—Meme
Fortunately, I don’t elect a council member to decide what I watch on Saturday night.