I had thought about writing something good about the new mayor; his parks should be free. But I decided to wait to see if two good things could occur. Unfortunately, they didn’t. I can’t believe that the mayor of Houston is worried about upsetting a few Republican council members. John Whitmire is no Bob Lanier; I will be surprised if he is able to get to the level of his sister-in-law, Kathy Whitmire, who held that position years ago.
When the District E council member gave Mayor Lanier some problems, the mayor sent Dave Walden to talk to essential folks in District E. The District Council member knew who was running the show.
It seems that the Republicans are now running City Hall.
This what Melanie Miles had to say about John Whitmire;
In an interview with Chron on Friday, Miles said she was contacted by Whitmire about the job last Thursday but was notified Monday that the city was repealing the offer. According to Miles, Whitmire cited Ramirez’s opposition to her appointment and not wanting to upset Republican councilors on the 16-member nonpartisan group.
“I was totally shocked,” she said. “I was totally caught off guard and shocked. I was disappointed. I wasn’t seeking the appointment to be housing chair of the Houston Housing Authority. He contacted me.” Miles added that she and the mayor have known each other for 20 years and expressed concerns about Whitmire’s decision-making process.
In Thursday’s letter, Miles said she received a call from Whitmire saying her potential appointment was opposed by Ramirez and claimed his “freshman allies” would fall in line with the opposing side and he “couldn’t afford to alienate them.” “He texted me that “he was protecting me and council, and he didn’t want a fight or the press getting involved,” she wrote.
“I am seriously concerned about how this matter was handled, not for me, personally, but for the implications that qualified Black, and possibly Latino candidates are now subject to a veto by Council Member Ramirez, and the possibility that Mayor Whitmire, who ran on transparency and inclusiveness is allowing City Council to become a partisan body as opposed to the nonpartisan entity it is supposed to be.”
Ramirez confirmed that he spoke with Whitmire about Miles’s potential appointment and voiced his concerns surrounding ethics issues.
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