* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [2022 State of the City Address: “A Bridge to the Future”] [00:00:10] WELCOME TO HOUSTON TELEVISION, SPECIAL COVERAGE OF THE 2022 STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS. I'M YOUR HOST, AKASHA FRANCIS, DIRECTOR OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS. THIS YEAR'S STATE OF THE CITY, HOSTED BY THE HOUSTON FIRST CORPORATION TAKES PLACE AT THE HILTON AMERICAS HOTEL LOCATED IN DOWNTOWN HOUSTON. THIS IS MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER'S SEVENTH STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS. SINCE TAKING OFFICE IN JANUARY, 2016, TODAY, MAYOR TURNER WILL SHARE HIS VISION FOR HOUSTON WITH COMMUNITY LEADERS, COUNCIL MEMBERS, AND THE CITIZENS OF OUR GREAT CITY. OUR THEME IS A BRIDGE TO THE FUTURE, AND WE WILL HEAR THE MAYOR DESCRIBE MANY OF OUR ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE PAST YEAR, AS WELL AS SOME OF THE CHALLENGES FACING OUR CITY. ANNOUNCED BY MAYOR TURNER IN FEBRUARY OF THIS YEAR. ONE. SAFE HOUSTON IS THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO COMBAT VIOLENT CRIME. THE CITY RECENTLY HELD ITS SECOND ONE SAFE HOUSTON GUN BUYBACK EVENT IN WHICH MORE THAN 1200 FIREARMS WERE COLLECTED. HERE'S MORE ABOUT THAT EVENT SUCCESS. THIS IS A DEMONSTRATION OF COLLECTIVE EFFORT, AND AS OF 9 25, UH, WE HAVE, UH, COLLECTED MORE THAN 285 GUNS ALREADY. THIS IS GOOD DEAL. UH, WE'RE MOVING FORWARD WITH IT. IT REMOVES GUNS OFF THE STREETS AND PUTS THEM IN SAFE HANDS. SO THAT'S A GOOD THING, AND TO MAKE IT AN EVEN GREATER SUCCESS, TO LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT THIS IS NOT AN EFFORT TO TAKE GUNS. BUT IF WE FIND A GUN THAT WAS STOLEN, THAT GUN IS RETURNED TO THE PERSON THAT HAD THE GUN. IT'S NOT JUST HPV, UH, BUT IT'S OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS WHO ARE WORKING, UH, UH, WITH US. IT'S OUR COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE WORKING, EVERYBODY THAT'S COMING TOGETHER TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. FOR EVERY GUN THAT WE'RE ABLE TO TAKE OFF THE STREET, IT'S GONNA COST FOR A SAFER COMMUNITY IN THE AREAS IN WHICH WE LIVE AND AND SERVE. WE ARE BRINGING DOWN CRIME. WE ARE ON THE MAP AND WE ARE USING IT FOR A BUYBACK PROGRAM THAT NOW IS GOING TO SPREAD ACROSS AMERICA. WE ARE GIVING PEOPLE MONEY TO SAVE LIVES. SO LOOK, SHOW UP. I'M HONORED NOT JUST TO SERVE ON CITY COUNCIL, BUT TO BE A MEMBER OF AN ORGANIZATION THAT VALUES PROTECTING HOUSTONIANS. IF WE'RE GONNA KEEP HOUSTON AS GOOD AS WE SAY, SHE'S, THESE ARE THE TYPES OF PROGRAMS AND OPPORTUNITIES WE MUST INVEST IN. AND AT THIS POINT, OVER 285 GUNS HAVE BEEN COLLECTED. MORE THAN 300 CARS ARE STILL IN LINE, AND WE WILL BE HERE UNTIL NOON OR UNTIL THE LAST CAR, UM, LEAVES. IF YOU DO THE RIGHT, THE CITY OF HOUSTON WILL HAVE YOUR BACK. THE INITIATIVE IS WORKING, BUT WE'RE NOT SATISFIED UNTIL THERE ARE NO CRIMES BEING COMMITTED. JOINING US NOW TO TELL US MORE ABOUT THE ONE ONE SAFE HOUSTON INITIATIVE IS CRYSTAL AKO FOUR, DEPUTY INSPECTOR GENERAL. CRYSTAL, THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH ME TODAY. HOW YOU DOING? I'M DOING WELL. HOW ABOUT YOURSELF? I AM WONDERFUL. WONDERFUL. I'M EXCITED TO TALK ABOUT ONE SAFE HOUSTON AND THIS AMAZING INITIATIVE THAT YOU'RE WORKING WITH WITH MAYOR TURNER. SO WHY DON'T YOU TELL OUR VIEWERS MORE ABOUT ONE SAFE HOUSTON? ABSOLUTELY. SO ONE SAFE HOUSTON WAS UNVEILED BY THE MAYOR IN FEBRUARY OF THIS YEAR. IT'S A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO COMBATING VIOLENT CRIME, AND WE'VE SEEN GREAT SUCCESS FOR THE PROGRAM. WHEN IT FIRST STARTED, WE WERE WELL ABOVE LAST YEAR'S NUMBERS IN ALL VIOLENT CRIMES AREAS. MM-HMM . UM, SINCE IMPLEMENTING THE PROGRAM, THERE ARE SEVERAL PIECES TO IT. IT'S APPROXIMATELY $55 MILLION OF APA FUNDING THAT HAS GONE TOWARDS IT. AND SO PART OF THE FUNDING HAS GONE TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. ANOTHER PART FOR THE OVERTIME OFFICERS. MM-HMM . ANOTHER PORTION ABOUT $22 MILLION HAS GONE TOWARDS MENTAL HEALTH INITIATIVES. THAT'S OUR CERT TEAMS. OUR CORE WITH IS LAPTOPS. AND THEN OUR, UM, DRT TEAMS. ALSO, WE HAVE A $10 MILLION PORTION THAT GOES TOWARDS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. WE HAVE A PORTION TOWARDS CREDIBLE MESSENGERS. UM, IT'S JUST A HOLISTIC APPROACH. THERE ARE COUNCILS WITH THE RELIGIOUS AND FAITH LEADERS AMONGST THE COMMUNITY, AND SO WE'VE SEEN GREAT SUCCESSES I MENTIONED, AND NOW VIOLENT CRIME IS DOWN IN ALL LEVELS. AWESOME. THAT SOUNDS WONDERFUL. YES. NOW, AS I LISTENED TO YOU OUTLINE PART OF ONE SAFE HOUSTON, I RECOGNIZE A LOT OF THE REFORM INITIATIVES FROM THE MAYOR'S, UH, COMMITTEE ON POLICE REFORM. WERE MANY OF THOSE, UM, ASPECTS OF THE SUGGESTIONS FROM THAT COMMITTEE IMPLEMENTED IN ONE SAFE HOUSTON. ONE SAFE HOUSTON DOESN'T NECESSARILY TAKE APART, UH, THE MAYOR'S TASK FORCE INITIATIVES, BUT IT DID WORK IN WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. AND SO APPROXIMATELY $10 MILLION IN OVERTIME HAS GONE TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE WAY IN WHICH THEY'RE USING THAT AND PART OF THE MENTAL HEALTH INITIATIVES AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PIECES WERE PORTIONS OF THE, UM, TASK FORCE REFORM ALSO. WOW. IT'S WONDERFUL. SO IT SOUNDS LIKE WE ARE ON THE RIGHT ROAD. ABSOLUTELY. IT'S, IT'S DEFINITELY TAKING HOLD AND I'M SO THANKFUL FOR THE MAYOR FOR COMING UP WITH THIS PROGRAM AND THE SUCCESS BECAUSE IT REALLY ALLOWS THE COMMUNITY TO GET INVOLVED, AS YOU SAW WITH OUR, UM, GUN BUYBACK PROGRAM, WHICH IS BELIEVED TO [00:05:01] BE THE MOST SUCCESSFUL IN THE COUNTRY IN THE HISTORY OF GUN BUYBACKS. AWESOME. WELL, I MEAN, WE ARE HOUSTON, SO WE DO IT BIG, ALWAYS BIGGER. WE ALWAYS GO BIG AND GO HOME, . WOW. SO WHAT ELSE CAN THE COMMUNITY EXPECT BESIDES WHAT WE'VE ALREADY SEEN? ARE THERE MORE GUN BUYBACK PROGRAMS HAPPENING THROUGHOUT THE CITY OR WHAT OTHER WAYS CAN WE GET INVOLVED? ABSOLUTELY. SO THERE'LL DEFINITELY BE SOME MORE GUN BUYBACK PROGRAMS, UM, BECAUSE THEY'VE BEEN SO SUCCESSFUL. AND SO WE WANNA CONTINUE TO HELP WITH THAT. AND THEN THERE'S ALSO GOING TO BE SOME YOUTH INITIATIVE PIECES THAT WE'RE WORKING ON, AND THEN ALSO MORE WITH THE MENTAL HEALTH THAN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SO THAT WE CAN REALLY HELP THOSE PEOPLE THAT ARE IN NEED. AND THEN WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING TO DO ANYTHING WE CAN. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE TODAY TO TALK TO US ABOUT ONE SAFE HOUSTON, AND WE ARE EXCITED TO BRING MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE GREAT THINGS HAPPENING IN OUR CITY. THIS PAST SPRING, MAYOR TURNER ANNOUNCED THE TEXAS COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITIES APPROVAL OF THE LARGEST URBAN SOLAR FARM IN THE COUNTRY, LOCATED IN SUNNYSIDE, TEXAS, WHICH IS ONE OF THE THE 10 COMPLETE COMMUNITIES. THIS PROJECT WILL TRANSFORM A LONG DORMANT LANDFILL INTO A SOLAR FARM, WHICH WILL PROVIDE RENEWABLE POWER SOURCES AND JOBS. LET'S TAKE A LOOK. THIS WEEK, UH, THE CITY AND ITS PARTNERS RECEIVED IMPORTANT NEWS AND IT IS MY GREAT PLEASURE TO REPORT THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED THE APPROVAL FROM THE TEXAS COMMISSION ON FOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY TCEQ TO PROCEED WITH THE SUNNYSIDE SOLAR FARM PROJECT IS ENVISIONED TO CONVERT 240 ACRES OF LANDFILL THAT HAVE SAT DORMANT FOR OVER 50 YEARS INTO A SOLAR POWER FORM THAT WILL PROVIDE RENEWABLE POWER RESOURCES, ENOUGH ENERGY TO POWER UP TO FIVE TO 10,000 HOMES. THAT'S THE SOLAR ENERGY RIGHT THERE. THERE WAS A QUESTION AS TO WHETHER SUNNYSIDE WOULD SURVIVE, BUT I'M HERE TO TELL YOU TODAY THAT SUNNYSIDE WILL NOT ONLY SURVIVE, IT WILL THRIVE BECAUSE WHAT THEY THOUGHT WAS A LANDFILL FOREVER WILL BECOME A SOLAR FARM THAT WILL BECOME THE EPICENTER OF CHANGE WHEN IT COMES TO SOLAR ACTIVITY IN URBAN AMERICA, THIS HAS BEEN AN INVOLVED PROCESS BETWEEN THE PRIVATE SECTOR, THE COMMUNITY, AND CITY AND STATE ENTITIES. AND IT GOES TO SHOW THAT WHEN ALL OF US COME TO THE TABLE, WE CAN MOVE THE NEEDLE ON OUR CLIMATE AMBITIONS AND TRANSFORM A COMMUNITY IN A, IN VERY REAL, IN A VERY REAL AND MEANINGFUL WAY. LAUNCHED AS A CITYWIDE PROGRAM TO REVITALIZE HOUSTON'S MOST UNDER-RESOURCED NEIGHBORHOODS. COMPLETE COMMUNITIES IS ONE OF MAYOR TURNER'S SIGNATURE INITIATIVES. JOINING US NOW TO TELL US MORE IS DIRECTOR OF COMPLETE COMMUNITIES, SHANNON BUGS. SHANNON, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE WITH US TODAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH, AKASHA POOR HAVING ME IN THIS CONVERSATION. SO NOW LOOK, WE TALKED ABOUT SOME OF THE SIGNATURE AND MAJOR INITIATIVES OUT OF COMPLETE COMMUNITIES STARTING WITH SUNNYSIDE SOLAR FARM. SO WHY DON'T YOU KICK US OFF WITH THAT AND TELL US ABOUT SOME OTHER IMPORTANT INITIATIVES HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. WELL, AS YOU KNOW, THE SUNNYSIDE SOLAR FARM IS GOING TO BECOME THE NATION'S LARGEST SOLAR PANEL FARM ON A LANDFILL THAT'S EVER BEEN CREATED IN THIS COUNTRY. AWESOME, AWESOME. IT'S TRULY DYNAMIC, BUT THERE'S MORE TO IT THAN THAT. YES, THERE ARE GONNA BE COMMUNITY BENEFITS THAT THAT WHOLE FARM GENERATES IN ADDITION TO BEING ABLE TO PUT PEOPLE TO WORK YES. AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE FARM. WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT WAYS OF BRINGING MORE HEALTHY, UH, FOOD INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND CONNECTION WITH SOME OF THE INTERESTS AROUND FOOD INSECURITY AND BEING ABLE TO GENERATE SOLAR POWER FOR THAT NEIGHBORHOOD THAT WILL HELP US TO BE TRANSFORMATIONAL IN MORE THAN JUST DEALING WITH THE LANDFILL. AWESOME. SO IT IS A TRULY HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING, UM, A LONG ENVIRONMENTAL INJUSTICE THAT HAS EXISTED IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD. YES. WITH VERY HOLISTIC QUALITY OF LIFE, AMENITIES THAT UPGRADE THE, UM, LAND AND ALSO CONNECT TO THE ENERGY OF THE WONDERFUL SUNNYSIDE RESIDENTS WHO HAVE LONG OVERCOME, UM, HAVING LESS RESOURCES. YES. BUT MAKING TREMENDOUS IMPACT ON OUR CITY THROUGH THE WORK THAT THEY DO. I THINK IT'S AMAZING BECAUSE AT THIS POINT WE'RE ALL MOVING TOWARDS RENEWABLE ENERGIES IN OUR ENERGY SECTOR. SO HAVING SOLAR FARMS IS A GREAT WAY TO NOT ONLY RAISE THE BANDWIDTH IN SUNNYSIDE AND OTHER UNDER-RESOURCED NEIGHBORHOODS, BUT ALSO PROVIDING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY. THAT'S A GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENT. THANK YOU. AND SO WE'RE THAT'S ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF, UH, HOUSTON. ALRIGHT. ON THE NORTH SIDE WE ARE, UH, TRANSFORMING A FORMER ELEMENTARY MIDDLE SCHOOL CAMPUS IN THE ALDE ISD, UM, INTO OUR BETHUNE EMPOWERMENT CENTER. NICE. WHICH WILL BE A WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT CENTER THAT WILL ALSO HAVE, UM, TRAINING OFFERED BY LONE STAR COLLEGE, UH, AROUND SOLAR JOBS, UH, OF THE FUTURE. AWESOME. SO WE ARE AS A CITY, LOOKING AT HOW WE'RE GONNA INCLUDE EV CHARGING STATIONS INTO OUR OVERALL INFRASTRUCTURE. MM-HMM . AND LONE STAR IS GONNA HELP GET PEOPLE READY TO DO THOSE TYPES OF JOBS THERE AT THE BETHUNE EMPOWERMENT CENTER, BUT WE ALREADY HAVE OUR FIRST TENANT THERE AT THE CAMPUS AS WE'RE DOING THE ONGOING RENOVATIONS OF THE PHASE ONE [00:10:01] PART OF IT, WHICH WE'LL WRAP UP VERY SOON. AND THEN WE'LL BE LAUNCHING IN THE VERY BEGINNING OF NEXT YEAR, THE SECOND PHASE OF RENOVATIONS. AWESOME. UM, AND THOSE RENOVATIONS, UH, WILL ALSO LEAD TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF A BRAND NEW BUILDING ON THE CAMPUS FOR A MAKER SPACE WHERE WE'RE GONNA MAKE SURE THAT THE ENTREPRENEURS OF AKERS HOME AND THE NORTH SIDE OF TOWN HAVE A PLACE WHERE THEY CAN BE CREATIVE AND TURN THEIR VISIONS OF ALL KINDS OF INVENTIONS INTO REALITY, HAVE ACCESS TO THE TOOLS AND THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE THAT THEY NEED RIGHT THERE ON THAT CAMPUS. AND I KNOW THAT WE ARE, OUR TIME IS SHORT, BUT THERE ARE 10 COMPLETE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE ALL OVER THE CITY. THIS OF COURSE, IS ONLY A SNIPPET OF EVERYTHING WE'RE DOING, BUT JUST QUICKLY, CAN YOU RUN DOWN SOME OF THE PROGRAMS ASSOCIATED WITH COMPLETE COMMUNITIES? I CERTAINLY CAN. ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAVORITES IS COMPLETE COMMUNITIES UNIVERSITY, WHICH YOUR DEPARTMENT, THE DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS, TRANSFORMED INTO A CIVIC ENGAGEMENT COURSE WHERE PEOPLE GET A CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION FOR THE WORK THAT THEY DO OVER EIGHT WEEKS TO LEARN ABOUT HOW THE CITY OF HOUSTON REALLY WORKS. YES. RIGHT. GOING BEYOND WHAT'S ON A WIKIPEDIA PAGE AND OUR OFFICIAL WEBSITE TO REALLY UNDERSTANDING HOW YOU WORK WITH YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS, HOW YOU WORK WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS, HOW YOU WORK WITH COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AND STAKEHOLDERS AND OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, IN ORDER TO REALLY MAKE THE TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE WITHIN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD THAT YOU AND YOUR NEIGHBORS WANNA SEE. IT IS THE WORK THAT TRANSFORMS ASPIRATIONS INTO CONCRETE WORK AND IT IS AMAZING. UM, BUT ADDITION TO THAT, WE ALSO PROVIDE FREE FINANCIAL COUNSELING AS A CITY SERVICE THROUGH OUR HOUSTON FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT CENTER PROGRAM. AND THAT IS LOCATED IN FOUR OF OUR COMPLETE COMMUNITIES. WE'RE EXPANDING TO A FOURTH. UM, AND IT IS, UM, AMAZING TO BE ABLE TO GIVE PEOPLE THE RESOURCES THAT THEY NEED AROUND MANAGING MONEY, ELIMINATING DEBT, IMPROVING CREDIT SCORES, UM, PAYING OFF DEBT, UM, ALL KINDS OF WORK THAT IT TAKES TO REALLY, UH, GET YOUR MONEY TOGETHER AND TO BE ABLE TO THAT IS WONDERFUL. BETTER MANAGE YOUR LIVES. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH SHANNON. THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US TODAY AND GIVING US THAT AMAZING INFORMATION ABOUT COMPLETE COMMUNITIES UNIVERSITY. WE ARE DOING A LOT OF WONDERFUL THINGS AS WELL AS ALL OF OUR COMPLETE COMMUNITIES DOING GREAT THINGS IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. AND NOW THE CITY OF HOUSTON IS HOME TO OVER 382 DEVELOPED PARKS AND MORE THAN 167 GREEN SPACES. THE CITY HAS ANNOUNCED PLANS TO EXPAND BUFFALO BAYOU PARK TO HOUSTON'S EAST END WITH NEW FUNDING. HERE'S A LOOK AT THIS EXCITING PROJECT WHICH WILL TRANSFORM THE EAST END AND GREATER FIFTH WARD. I'M DELIGHTED TO ANNOUNCE A HISTORIC PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP TO REALIZE THE ORGANIZATION'S VISIONARY BUFFALO BAYOU EAST MASTER PLAN A COLLABORATION THAT ALSO INCLUDES HARRIS COUNTY OF PARTNERS WITH HARRIS COUNTY, OUR FEDERAL PARTNERS, AND QUITE FRA UH, FRANKLY OUR PRIVATE PARTNERS AS WELL. OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS, WE WILL SEE MORE THAN $310 MILLION INVESTED IN BUFFALO BA EE. THE VISION INCLUDES RESTORING, EXPANDING AND IMPROVING PARKLAND, INCLUDING THE TO MARONE AND JAFFER CREEK PARK. THIS IS AN INVESTMENT IN COMMUNITIES. IT WILL BRING NEW BAYOU PARKS, TRAILS, AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND CULTURAL DESTINATIONS TO THE UNDERSERVED GREATER EAST END AND WARD NEIGHBORHOOD. AT THE KINDER FOUNDATION, WE HAVE HISTORICALLY CONCENTRATED ON SUPPORTING AND ENABLING WHAT WE CALL TRANSFORMATIONAL PROJECTS. AND I REALLY CAN'T IMAGINE ANY PROJECT MORE TRANSFORMATIONAL THAN WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE TODAY. WHILE OUR DONATION WILL KICKSTART THIS PROJECT, IT'LL ONLY SUCCEED WITH THE SUPPORT OF OUR PARTNERS AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH THEM TO ACHIEVE OUR AMBITIOUS GOALS OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS. I DON'T WANT TO JUST QUICKLY PASS BY THIS DAY AS IF IT HAPPENS EVERY DAY BECAUSE IT DOES NOT. AND IN FACT, UH, THIS IS INDEED HIS STORY. RICH AND NANCY, AGAIN, LET ME SAY THANK YOU FOR LETTING ALL OF HOUSTON KNOW THAT ALL OF HOUSTON IS WORTH BEING INVESTED IN. AND WE'RE BACK. SO, SHANNON, IN ADDITION TO THE ADVANCEMENTS WE JUST SAW WITH BUFFALO BAYOU PARK, WHAT OTHER ADVANCEMENTS SHOULD WE EXPECT IN OUR PARKS THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF HOUSTON? OH, SURE. THE MAYOR HAS PRIORITIZED NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS MM-HMM . IN ADDITION TO SEEING ALL OF THE FABULOUS WORK THAT'S HAPPENED AT OUR SIGNATURE ICONIC PARKS SUCH AS MEMORIAL PARK, HERMAN PARK, UH, EMANCIPATION PARK. MM-HMM . MAYOR TURNER HAS PRIORITIZED THE NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS THAT ARE RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO RESIDENTS IN OUR COMPLETE COMMUNITIES AND BEYOND. AND SO HE INITIATED THE WORK THAT'S BEING DONE THROUGH AN EQUITY LENS TO IMPROVE 50 NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS THROUGH OUR 50 50 PARK PARTNERS PROGRAM. SO IN THE NEXT YEAR YOU'LL SEE 22 PARKS WITHIN THAT PROGRAM. MM-HMM . ALL ACROSS THE CITY IN THE COMPLETELY COMMUNITIES AND BEYOND IN ALL OF OUR COUNCIL [00:15:01] DISTRICTS GETTING SOME IMPROVEMENTS. UM, AND IT'S A LOT OF THINGS LIKE NEW PLAYGROUNDS AND UM, UH, BASEBALL FIELDS AND, UH, BASKETBALL COURTS BEING RENOVATED. ALL OF THAT WORK IS BEING DONE. BUT WE ALSO HAVE TARGETED A MILLION DOLLARS OF PRIVATE PHILANTHROPIC DOLLARS TO PARTNER WITH OUR PUBLIC FUNDING IN ORDER TO DO THE MAYORS OF INVESTOR TURNER LOVE OUR PARKS COMPLETE COMMUNITIES INITIATIVE TO SPECIFICALLY WORK ON 10 POCKET AND NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS THAT GREAT THROUGH THE PANDEMIC WE SAW WERE HIGHLY USED AND, UM, NECESSARY FOR FOLKS IN THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS TO HAVE A SAFE AND WONDERFUL PARK EXPERIENCE CLOSE TO HOME. AWESOME. AND WE KNOW HERE IN HOUSTON, WE LOVE OUR PARKS. SHANNON, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY AND TELLING US ALL ABOUT COMPLETE COMMUNITIES. THANK YOU, TASHA. IT HAS BEEN WONDERFUL TO BE HERE WITH YOU. WE'RE VERY HAPPY TO HAVE YOU. AND NOW WE'RE TURNING TOWARDS HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS. HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS IS IN CHARGE OF MAINTAINING AND OPERATING CITY STREETS AND DRAINAGE, WATER PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION WASTEWATER, AS WELL AS CONSTRUCTION PERMITTING AND REGULATION. WE RECENTLY SPOKE WITH HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR CAROL HADDOCK, ABOUT THE LATEST PROJECTS IN HPW. LET'S TAKE A LOOK. THE FIRST PROJECT THAT I WANNA HIGHLIGHT IS THE PROGRESS THAT WE'VE MADE ON THE EXPANSION AT THE NORTHEAST WATER PURIFICATION PLANT. BY THE END OF THIS COMING YEAR, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A LARGE PORTION OF THAT ONLINE SO THAT WE CAN ENSURE WATER SUPPLY AS WELL AS SAFE DRINKING WATER FOR A LARGE PORTION OF THE REGION. THE SECOND AREA THAT I'D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT IS BOTH OUR STREETS AND DRAINAGE. THE MAYOR STREET REHABILITATION PROGRAM HAS ALLOWED US TO REHABILITATE 550 MILES OF STREETS THESE PAST TWO YEARS. WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE THIS AND INCREASE OUR ANNUAL PRODUCTION THIS COMING YEAR. THE SECOND THING THAT WE'RE GOING TO REALLY STEP INTO IS WE HAVE DOUBLED THE HOUSTON CONTRIBUTION TO OUR STORMWATER ACTION TEAM PROJECTS. AND WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING WITH HARRIS COUNTY TO MAKE AN ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTION SO THAT WE CAN REALLY ADDRESS DRAINAGE IN LOCAL NEIGHBORHOODS AND MAKE IT BETTER FOR PEOPLE EVERY TIME IT RAINS. THE STORMWATER ACTION TEAM PROJECTS ARE A WAY THAT WE GET INTO EVERY SINGLE COUNCIL DISTRICT EVERY SINGLE YEAR. WE WORK WITH THE COUNCIL MEMBERS TO WORK WITH THE LOCAL COMMUNITY TO IDENTIFY THOSE AREAS THAT NEED THE MOST ATTENTION. MAYOR TURNER RECENTLY WELCOMED DIGNITARIES AND EXECUTIVES TO THE FIRST HOUSTON AFRICA ENERGY SUMMIT. LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THE HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE TWO DAY AFFAIR AFRICA. THE MOMENT IS LOOKING FOR PARTNERSHIPS AND WHAT, WHICH, WHICH IS THE BETTER WAY OF ENTRY INTO THE US IS THROUGH HOUSTON. AND THE WAY IS THE HUB OF ENERGY, WHICH IS THE CHALLENGE IN AFRICA TODAY AS WE SPEAK. AND WHY WOULDN'T I ACCEPT THIS INVITATION? A VERY IMPORTANT INVITATION TO ME. I HAD TO LEAVE THE Y EH, HUNGER AND I SAY TO MYSELF, THE HOUSTON IS THE THING, I HAVE TO COME HERE. YOU DOING GREAT WORK? AND THIS IS WHAT AFRICA WANTS, WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW, WE ARE YEARNING TO INDUSTRIALIZE. HOW DO WE INDUSTRIALIZE WITHOUT THE ENERGY? HOW DO WE DIGITALIZE WITHOUT ENERGY? SO THIS IS THE THING. YOU ARE THE HEAD OF THE HUB OF ENERGY HERE IN HOUSTON. WE'RE FOCUSING ON TECHNOLOGIES. A LOT OF EMPHASIS NOW ON CARBON CAPTURE UTILIZATION AND STORAGE, WORKING WITH OUR ENERGY COMPANIES, CLEAN HYDROGEN, WORKING WITH OUR ENERGY COMBINATION. AND, UH, QUITE FRANKLY, WHEN WE PUT TOGETHER OUR RESILIENT HOUSTON PLAN THAT'S UNDERWRITTEN BY BP, UH, OUR CLIMATE ACTION PLAN IS UNDERWRITTEN BY A UTILITY COMPANY CENTER POINT AND WHERE WE ARE TAKING A LANDFILL IN AN UNDERSERVED AREA OF TOWN WHERE 240 ACRES WERE LEFT CONTAMINATED. WE ARE WORKING WITH THE ENERGY SECTOR TO TURN THAT INTO THE LARGEST URBAN SOLAR FARM IN THE COUNTRY. EVERYBODY STARTS AT DIFFERENT POINTS AND YOU CAN'T ASK PEOPLE TO DO THE SAME THING WHEN THEY ARE, ARE NOT STARTING AT THE SAME POINT. SO I THINK WHAT WHAT WE HAVE DONE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON CAN BE HELPFUL TO AFRICAN COUNTRIES THAT MAY FIND THEMSELVES [00:20:01] AT DIFFERENT POINTS. AND I THINK WE OUGHT TO, FOR THOSE OF US WHO ARE QUITE SENSITIVE TO WHERE THINGS ARE, AND THEN YOU, YOU LOOK TO FIND HOW YOU CAN MAKE THINGS A WIN-WIN AND NOT A WIN LOSE. 'CAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE HAD TO DO IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. FIND WIN-WINS AND NOT WIN LOOSE. AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR, THE BEZOS ACADEMY AND THE CITY OF HOUSTON SIGNED A HISTORIC AGREEMENT FOR THE DENVER HARBOR COMMUNITY. HERE'S MORE. WE ARE HERE TODAY TO BUILD ON THE MOMENTUM STARTED LAST WEEK WHEN CITY COUNCIL APPROVED A 10 YEAR LEASE AGREEMENT WITH BEZOS ACADEMY TO OPEN A, UH, TUITION FREE MONTESSORI INSPIRED PRESCHOOL IN THE DENVER HARBOR MULTI-SERVICE CENTER THAT IS SCHEDULED TO OPEN IN THE FALL OF 2022. YEAH. AND TODAY I AM PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT BEZOS ACADEMY HAS SIGNED LEASE AGREEMENTS WITH THREE NONPROFIT INSTITUTIONS TO OPEN THREE ADDITIONAL CAMPUSES FOR A TOTAL OF FOUR ACADEMIES IN THE HOUSTON AREA. TWO OF THEM IN NEIGHBORHOODS DESIGNATED AS COMPLETE COMMUNITIES, MAGNOLIA PARK, MANCHESTER, AND SUNNYSIDE. GIVE IT UP TO THEM AGAIN. WE HAVE LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES AT BEZOS ACADEMY. THEY GUIDE HOW WE DO THINGS AND HOW WE THINK. AND THE FIRST ONE IS CHILD FIRST ALWAYS. AND WE PUT THAT AT THE CENTER OF EVERY ACTION, EVERY, EVERY, UH, EVERYTHING THAT WE DO TO SPEND MONEY, ALL OF OUR THOUGHTS. WE PUT THE CENTER, THE CHILDREN AT THE CENTER, AND IT, AND I BELIEVE YOU DO TOO. UM, THE OTHER THING THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT JUST TO KEEP IN MIND IS THAT ABOUT 90% OF WHO WE ARE RIGHT NOW HAPPENED BETWEEN BIRTH AND SIX YEARS OLD. UH, BRAIN RESEARCH NOW TELLS US THAT OUR, OUR MINDS WERE FORMED THE MOST IN THAT PERIOD. AND AS A COUNTRY, WE DON'T PROGRAMMATICALLY INVEST IN THAT, THAT PERIOD OF A CHILD'S LIFE. THAT IN PART IS WHY JEFF DECIDED TO DO THIS, BECAUSE IT'S WHEN WHO WE ARE IS FORMED. SO, UM, WE ARE REALLY EXCITED TO JOIN YOU HERE IN THE COMMUNITY OF HOUSTON. UM, WE'RE EXCITED TO SERVE THE CHILDREN OF HOUSTON AND THE FAMILIES OF HOUSTON AND THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE. AND FRANKLY, IT'S, UH, WE VIEW THIS AS A SPECTACULAR START WITH SOME SPECTACULAR PARTNERS, BUT IT SHOULD JUST BE THE BEGINNING. THERE'S A LOT MORE WORK TO DO AND WE'RE HERE. I AM CONFIDENT THAT THIS PROGRAM WILL BE A GAME CHANGER FOR MANY FAMILIES. UNDERSERVED CHILDREN WILL HAVE ACCESS TO EDUCATION THAT WILL INSPIRE THEIR CREATIVITY AND CHALLENGE THEM TO SUCCEED IN THE CLASSROOM. AND THEN LASTLY, SOMEONE WAS SAID ONCE SAID THAT CHILDREN ARE MESSAGES THAT WE SEND INTO THE FUTURE TO A WORLD WE OURSELVES MAY NEVER SEE. WHAT SORT OF MESSAGE SHALL WE SEND THEM? THANK YOU FOR WATCHING OUR SPECIAL COVERAGE OF THE 2022 STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS ON HTV. THIS AFTERNOON, MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER WILL TAKE THE STAGE AND DISCUSS HOW HOUSTONIANS CAN WORK TOGETHER TO CREATE A CITY THAT IS STRONGER FOR EVERYONE. THE THEME THIS YEAR IS A BRIDGE TO THE FUTURE. THIS IS MAYOR TURNER, SEVENTH YEAR UNDER HIS SECOND FOUR YEAR TERM. LET'S JOIN THE GRAND BALLROOM AT THE HILTON AMERICAS IN DOWNTOWN HOUSTON, WHERE THE 2022 STATE OF THE CITY IS ABOUT TO BEGIN. HOUSTON, LET'S GO. WOO. HEY, UP ON YOUR FEET EVERYBODY. LET'S GO. HEY, LET'S GO. HEY EVERYBODY. CLAP. HOUSTON, TEXAS. WELCOME TO YOUR 2022 STATE OF THE CITY, A BRIDGE TO THE FUTURE. I AM YOUR GUIDE TODAY TO TRELLO, G BUT BE REFUGEE K FOR LIFE. WE ARE HERE TO CELEBRATE THE GREATEST CITY IN AMERICA. AS A MATTER OF FACT, THE GREATEST CITY IN THE WORLD AND THE GREATEST MAYOR IN THE WORLD. OUR OWN MAYOR, SYLVESTER TURNER. MAKE SOME NOISE TODAY. IF YOU CAME TO CELEBRATE HOUSTON, LIKE THE SPIRIT OF HOUSTON, GUMLINE AND MARQUIS AND THE CHOIR TODAY, PUT YOUR HS IN THE AIR ONE TIME. LET PUT YOURS UP. COME ON. NO MATTER, NO MATTER WHERE YOU GO THE BEST, NO MATTER WHERE YOU BE, NO MATTER [00:25:01] WHERE YOU GO, YOU THINK THE BEST YOU ALREADY KNOW. LET'S GO. IT'S ON YOU GUYS. LEE TRYING TO HELP ME SNAP. Y'ALL READY TO MOVE WITH ME? HERE'S A MOVE RIGHT HERE. COME ON ME. A CHANGE FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE, HEY, WOO. IT'S GOING TO FEEL REAL GOOD. GOING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. GOING TO MAKE IT RIGHT. COME ON. WHY SINGAPORE? HEY, I'M SO, I'M STARTING WITH THE MAN IN. YEP. I'M ASKING HIM TO CHANGE HIS WAY. COME ON. NO, IF YOU WANNA MAKE A WORLD A BETTER PLACE, TAKE A LOOK AT YOURSELF. COME ON. YOU THINK? CUT YOUR HANDS OUT. I'M STARTING WITH THE MAN. OH, I'M ASKING HIM TO CHANGE HIS WAY. COME ON. NO MESSAGE. NO ME WILL BE ANY CLEAR UP. IF YOU WANNA MAKE THE WORLD A PANTHER PLACE, TAKE A LOOK AT YOURSELF. LET'S KICK IT UP. Y'ALL, I'M STARTING WITH OH, OH YEAH. I'M ASKING YOU TO CHANGE THIS WAY. HEY, NO MESSAGE. NO MESSAGE WOULD BEEN ANY IF YOU WANNA MAKE THE WORK BUT BAD THE PLACE. TAKE A LOOK AT YOURSELF AND MAKE THE CHANGE. I'M STARTING, I'M STARTING WITH THE, I'M ASKING YOU TO CHASE AND WAIT. NO MESSAGE. NO MESSAGE. IF YOU WANNA MAKE NO WORK, TURN THE PLACE. TAKE A LOOK AT THE SHELF AND MAKE THE CHANGE WAY UP, DOWN, POPPING DOWN THE POOL. CHURCH STREET CHURCH GIVES. NOW COME ON Y'ALL MOTHER SONG, EVERYBODY I SAY SAY STREET LIFE TREE LIFE PEOPLE. COME ON LIVING, JUST LIVING JUSTIFYING. COME ON HEIDI. HIDING. COME. GONNA GIVE Y'ALL. COME ON WAITING. HEY, COME ON. RE UP AND DOWN. UP AND DOWN THE SHADOW. SHADOW. COME ON, Y'ALL SAY RELINE PEOPLE. COME ON. Y'ALL SAY LIVING JUST THE FACT. JUST THE GOING HONEY. HEY DOWN. LET'S GO Y'ALL. LET'S GO. S**T. DON. STOP. BELIEVE IN. BELIEVE IN. BELIEVE IT. COME ON. YOU SAID HOLD. DON'T HOLD ONTO THE DEAL. SCREAM. SCREAM LIKE HIT STOP. COME ON, Y'ALL SAY HOLD ON. HIT STOP. BELIEVE IT. DON'T BELIEVE IT. BELIEVE. HEY, SAY HOLD ONTO THAT FEELING. HOLD ONTO THE TREE. LIGHT. LIGHT. PEOPLE SAY DON'T STOP. DON'T BELIEVE IT. BELIEVE IT. SAY HOLD ONTO THAT FEELING. HOLD ONTO THAT FEELING. STREET PEOPLE, PEOPLE STOP. DON'T BELIEVE IT. SAY HOLD ON PEOPLE I HURT YOU. SAY DON'T STOP. DON'T BELIEVE IT. BELIEVE IT. DON'T STOP. DON'T BELIEVE IT. BELIEVE IT'S GONNA BE A GREAT YEAR IN. DON'T STOP. DON'T STOP. [00:30:05] PLEASE WELCOME DAVID MINTZBERG, CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS HOUSTON FIRST CORPORATION. HOW'S THAT FOR AN OPENING BUN B WITH THE SPIRIT OF HOUSTON COUGAR MARCHING BAND, THE NORTH HOUSTON CHILDREN'S CHORUS AND MARQUIS TAYLOR AND THE HOUSTON CITY ENSEMBLE. PLEASE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE. WHAT AN INCREDIBLE OPENING AS CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF HOUSTON FIRST CORPORATION, THE DESTINATION MARKETING ORGANIZATION FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON. AND THE HOST OF MAYOR TURNER'S 1600 PERSON SOLD OUT STATE OF THE CITY LUNCHEON. WELCOME. AND WHILE THEY WILL BE FORMALLY INTRODUCED LATER IN THE PROGRAM, A MAJOR SHOUT OUT TO TODAY'S VERY, VERY SUCCESSFUL CO-CHAIRS CINDY CLIFFORD AND MY BOARD COLLEAGUE ELIZABETH BROCK. PLEASE JOIN ME IN STANDING FOR THE PRESENTATION OF COLORS BY THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT HONOR GUARD, FOLLOWED BY THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND THE NATIONAL ANTHEM LED BY THE NORTH HOUSTON CHILDREN'S CHORUS. AND THEN PLEASE REMAIN STANDING FOR THE INVOCATION BY PASTOR JOEL OSTEEN OF LAKEWOOD CHURCH. HELLO, SIR. MARK 3, 2, 4. PLEASE JOIN US FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. I PLEDGE TO ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD IN INVISIBLE WITH LIBERTY, JUSTICE FOR ALL. OH SAY, CAN YOU SEE WHAT BRUSHES AND BRIDE STARS THROUGH THE THE MARK? GREAT TO BE WITH YOU TODAY. WE'LL SAY AN OPENING PRAYER. LORD, THANK YOU FOR THIS DAY [00:35:01] THAT YOU'VE GIVEN US TO BE ALIVE. THANK YOU FOR A GREAT CITY TO LIVE IN. LORD, WE RECOGNIZE EVERYTHING GOOD COMES FROM YOU. AND LORD, WE JUST PRAY BLESSINGS UPON OUR CITY TODAY AND ALL THE CITIZENS, MAYOR TURNER. LORD, WE THANK YOU FOR GIVING HIM AND THE LEADERSHIP WISDOM AND JUST YOUR PROTECTION, YOUR FAVOR, YOUR GOODNESS. AND LORD THAT HOUSTON WILL CONTINUE TO SHINE BRIGHTLY. THAT LORD, YOU'RE FILLING US WITH FAVOR, WITH WISDOM, WITH YOUR GOODNESS. AND LORD, THAT WE WILL BE BLESSINGS WHEREVER WE GO. SO LORD, WE COMMIT THIS DAY INTO YOUR HANDS. WE THANK YOU FOR, FOR LIFE AND HEALTH AND FREEDOM. AND WE JUST SPEAK BLESSINGS OVER ALL THE PEOPLE HERE AND ALL THE PEOPLE IN OUR GREAT CITY. IN JESUS NAME, AMEN. AMEN. GOD BLESS YOU TODAY. PLEASE BE SEATED. THANK YOU TO THE HPD HONOR GUARD TO THE NORTHEASTERN CHILDREN'S CHORUS FOR HELPING TO GET OUR PROGRAM OFF TO A GREAT START. AND THANK YOU PASTOR OSTEEN FOR TODAY'S INVOCATION AND EVEN MORE PASTOR FOR ALL YOU DO FOR OUR COMMUNITY. HOW GREAT TO BE TOGETHER AGAIN AT THE STATE OF THE CITY AND MY WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES. MAYOR TURNER APPOINTED ME CHAIR ALMOST SEVEN YEARS AGO AND HE GAVE ME A VERY SIMPLE DIRECTIVE, DAVID, I WANT YOU TO MARKET HOUSTON. WHAT HE FORGOT TO MENTION TO ME AT THAT TIME WAS THE UPCOMING AND FORTHCOMING 10 PLAGUES THAT DESCENDED UPON US. WHAT THE MAYOR DIDN'T FORGET THOUGH, WAS HIS ROLE FROM SPEAKING TO LEADERS OF PROSPECTIVE CONVENTIONS TO GOING ALL THE WAY TO PROMOTE HOUSTON AND JAPAN FROM WHERE HE'S JUST RETURNED. HOUSTON, WE HAVE NO BETTER REPRESENTATIVE. NO, WE HAVE NO BETTER MARKETER THAN MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER. PLEASE GIVE IT UP FOR HIM. STANDING WITH HIM ARE MY COLLEAGUES, THE APPOINTED AND COMMUNITY-MINDED BOARD OF HOUSTON FIRST CORPORATION. PLEASE HOLD YOUR APPLAUSE. I'D LIKE TO, I'M GONNA CALL THEM OUT AND I'D LIKE TO ASK EACH OF THEM TO STAND AND THEN IF YOU'D RECOGNIZE THEM ALL AS A GROUP, STARTING WITH MY VICE CHAIR, DESIREE MORGAN, SOPHIA AND DROGE, ELIZABETH GONZALEZ, BROCK, NIKKI KEENAN, REGGIE MARTIN, RYAN MARTIN, COUNCIL MEMBER DAVE MARTIN. YES. THEY ALL HAVE THE SAME LAST NAME. YOU CAN HARDLY TELL THEM APART ON THE BOARD. PAUL PUENTE, TOM SESSA, BOBBY SINGH, GERALD WOMACK, JAY ZEIDMAN, AND ALSO COUNCIL MEMBER ROBERT GALLEGOS. PLEASE RECOGNIZE THEM FOR THEIR WORK. AND WE, THE BOARD ONLY LOOK GOOD BECAUSE OF THE OUTSTANDING AND TALENTED TEAM AT HOUSTON FIRST CORPORATION. AND YOU'LL BE HEARING SHORTLY FROM OUR CEO WHO'LL TALK MORE SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE JOB AND ROLE THAT THAT WE PLAY IN OUR COMMUNITY. OUR GROUP OF DEDICATED PROFESSIONALS WORK TIRELESSLY DEVELOPING AND EXECUTING STRATEGIES TO SELL AND MARKET HOUSTON. ENSURING WE NOT ONLY REMAIN COMPETITIVE, BUT WE BREAK TOURISM RECORDS AND WE'RE ON A PATH TO BREAKING THE TOURISM RECORDS THAT WE SET. PRE PANDEMIC HOUSTON FIRST IS BACK, HOUSTON IS BACK, TOURISM IS BACK. AND 25 MILLION PEOPLE WILL BE HERE NEXT YEAR TO SEE US IN ACTION. HOUSTON FIRST SALES MARKETS PROMOTES HOUSTON. WE DO IT LOCALLY, WE DO IT IN THE STATE, WE DO IT NATIONALLY. AND WITH THE HELP OF MAYOR TURNER, WE DO IT INTERNATIONALLY. WE DO SO BY CAPITALIZING ON THE BEST. HOUSTON HAS TO OFFER FROM OUR CITY'S RICH DIVERSITY OF CULTURES TO OUR INNOVATIVE TALENTS FROM EVERY SECTOR, BUSINESS, SCIENCE, MEDICINE, ENTERTAINMENT, THE ARTS. AND DID I SAY SPORTS? THE HOSPITALITY AND TRAVEL INDUSTRY KNOWN AS THE VISITOR ECONOMY IS THE SIXTH LARGEST ECONOMIC INDUSTRY IN OUR CITY. THAT MEANS BILLIONS OF DOLLARS ANNUALLY AND PERHAPS MOST CRITICALLY THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF JOBS FROM ONE END OF THIS CITY, FROM ONE END OF THIS COUNTY, FROM ONE END OF THIS REGION TO THE OTHER. AND THAT'S A PRETTY BIG DEAL. AND NOW I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE DYNAMIC HOUSTON FIRST TEAM, AN INDIVIDUAL WITH LEADERSHIP, [00:40:01] VISION, AND COMMITMENT TO OUR CITY. PLEASE JOIN ME IN WELCOMING HOUSTON FIRST, CEO, MICHAEL HECKMAN, MICHAEL DAVID, THANK YOU FOR SUCH A KIND INTRODUCTION AND LET ME THANK YOU FOR THE OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP YOU HAVE PROVIDED FOR THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OVER THE PAST SIX AND A HALF YEARS. BUT NOT ONLY THAT FOR YOUR FRIENDSHIP. GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE. AND MY GOSH, LIKE DAVID SAID, WHAT A GREAT TURNOUT. IT TRULY IS AN HONOR FOR HOUSTON FIRST TO BE ABLE TO HOST THIS EVENT AGAIN THIS YEAR. AS MAYOR TURNER LAYS OUT HIS VISION FOR OUR CITY. AS DAVID SAID, IT'S BEEN QUITE A YEAR SINCE WE WERE HERE LAST, THE VIBRANCY ENERGY AND MOMENTUM IN HOUSTON ARE EVIDENT EVERYWHERE AND PEOPLE ARE NOTICING. IN FACT, THIS YEAR, HOUSTON ONCE AGAIN GARNERED GLOBAL ATTENTION BY THE AUTHORITATIVE AMERICA'S BEST CITIES REPORT AS ONE OF THE BEST PLACES TO LIVE, WORK, INVEST, AND OF COURSE VISIT HOUSTON ADVANCED SIX SPOTS TO NUMBER 11 AMONG A HUNDRED CITIES AND DON'T TELL OUR FRIENDS TO THE NORTH. BUT WE WERE THE TOP RANKING CITY IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. THE HEADLINE FOR THE RANKING READ HOUSTON AMERICA'S STEALTHY POWERHOUSE ON THE RISE. YOU'LL SEE SOME OF THE REASONS FROM THE REPORT ON THE SCREEN BEHIND ME, INCLUDING ECONOMIC MIGHT, RESTAURANTS, CULTURE, FOREIGN BORN POPULATION, JUST TO NAME A FEW. INDEED HOUSTON IS A STEALTHY POWERHOUSE, BUT AS A CITY ALWAYS IN MOTION, WE ARE NOT RESTING ON OUR LAURELS AS THERE IS STILL WORK TO BE DONE. TELLING HOUSTON STORY IS PART OF THAT WORK FOR MORE THAN A YEAR AT THE DIRECTION OF MAYOR TURNER. HOUSTON FIRST HAS LED AN AMBITIOUS BRAND UNIFICATION EFFORT IN HOUSTON. I WANNA BE CLEAR, I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT CREATING A TAGLINE. WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT IS AUTHENTICALLY COMMUNICATING HOUSTON'S DNA, OUR BRAND ESSENCE BY UNIFYING THAT BRAND ACROSS ALL INDUSTRIES, TOURISM, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, BUSINESS, ENTERTAINMENT, SPORTS, LIFESTYLE AND MORE. WE SOUGHT TO FRAME OUR CHALLENGE AND UNDERSTAND WHAT MAKES HOUSTON UNIQUE BY DEFINING KEY CHARACTERISTICS AND DIFFERENTIATORS. OUR THOROUGH RESEARCH STUDIED PERCEPTION, PERFORMANCE, AND ASPIRATION. HOUSTON'S PERFORMANCE AGAINST 15 PEER METRO CITIES ACROSS SIX CATEGORIES. PLACE, PROMOTION, PRODUCT PROGRAMMING, PROSPERITY, AND OF COURSE OUR PEOPLE PERCEPTION FROM RESIDENTS, TALENT AND INVESTORS. AND FINALLY, ASPIRATION FROM HOUSTON BUSINESS COMMUNITY AND CULTURAL LEADERS. WHAT WE DETERMINED IS SOMETHING THAT I THINK ALL OF US IN THIS ROOM KNOW HOUSTON'S GREATEST STRENGTHS IS OUR PEOPLE. AND IN THE END WE UNCOVERED THREE FOUNDATIONAL BRAND TRUTHS. HOUSTON IS A TAPESTRY OF CULTURE WHOSE WHOLE IS GREATER THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS. IN HOUSTON, PEOPLE CAN BE THEMSELVES AND THEY CAN BUILD A FUTURE OF THEIR OWN. HOUSTON EMPOWERS PEOPLE TO SUCCEED. OUR COMMUNITY COLLABORATES TO BUILD A SHARED FUTURE AND A BETTER CITY. THOSE ARE POWERFUL TRUTHS AND THEY'RE HIGHLY ATTRACTIVE AND INCLUSIVE. WE ALL CELEBRATE HOUSTON'S DIVERSITY. THE MAGIC OF HOUSTON IS HOW OUR DIVERSITY MAKES US STRONGER AND HOW OUR PLURALITY OF COMMUNITIES WORK SO WELL TOGETHER. THAT IS WHAT MAKES HOUSTON SPECIAL. I'VE BEEN PLEASED THAT WE HAVE WORKED VERY CLOSELY WITH THE GREATER HOUSTON PARTNERSHIP AND MANY OTHER COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO ALIGN THIS BRAND MESSAGING MORE VOICES MAKE OUR MESSAGE STRONGER. SO OVER THE NEXT YEAR WE WILL DEPLOY A ROBUST PLAN TO REACH THROUGHOUT OUR COMMUNITY TO COMPANIES, ORGANIZATIONS, AND DO ALL OF THOSE THAT ARE PART OF TELLING HOUSTON STORY. WE'LL PROVIDE THE TOOLS, MESSAGING AND RESEARCH THAT CAN HELP YOUR COMPANY OR YOUR ORGANIZATION BECOME AN EVEN STRONG AM STRONGER AMBASSADOR FOR HOUSTON. [00:45:02] I THINK THE PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM, ALL OF US KNOW THAT HOUSTON IS THE BEST CITY IN THE WORLD NOW. WE JUST NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE REST OF THE WORLD KNOWS THAT UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF MAYOR TURNER, HELPING BUILD THAT FUTURE IS WHAT WE DO AT HOUSTON FIRST. SO IN SUPPORT OF THAT OBJECTIVE NEXT YEAR, HOUSTON FIRST WILL CREATE AND DEVELOP A 10 YEAR DESTINATION DEVELOPMENT PLAN THAT WILL CHART A VISION AND A FRAMEWORK FOR HOW WE CAN BECOME AN EVEN MORE ATTRACTIVE PLACE TO VISIT OR TO LIVE, AND HOW WE CAN COMPETE EVEN MORE EFFECTIVELY WITH THE BEST CITIES IN THE WORLD. THIS PROCESS WILL BE INCLUSIVE AND COMPREHENSIVE AND NEXT YEAR AT THIS TIME, WE'LL BE ABLE TO DISCUSS THOSE RESULTS. AND I ANTICIPATE THEY WILL BE A ROADMAP THAT IS INTENDED TO PUSH BOUNDARIES AND ESTABLISH VISIONARY GOALS THAT AMPLIFY AND BUILD UPON OUR STRENGTH AS A DESTINATION. AS YOU CAN TELL ME AND ALL OF MY COLLEAGUES AT HOUSTON FIRST ARE ENORMOUSLY OPTIMISTIC AND PASSIONATE ABOUT OUR CITY AND ITS FUTURE. AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH ALL OF YOU TO BUILD A BETTER FUTURE. NOW I HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF INTRODUCING TODAY'S EVENT CO-CHAIRS. AS YOU HEARD DAVID SAY EARLIER, TODAY'S EVENT IS SOLD OUT 1600 PERSON CAPACITY CROWD, WHICH WHICH IS EVEN LARGER THAN LAST YEAR'S AND THE LARGEST STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS IN CITY HISTORY. THIS IS A TESTAMENT FIRST TO MAYOR TURNER AND THE ENERGY AND ENTHUSIASM FOR HOUSTON THAT HE GENERATES. IT'S ALSO BECAUSE FOR THE SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR, WE'VE HAD THE FORTUNE TO WORK WITH OUTSTANDING EVENT CO-CHAIRS IN ELIZABETH BROCK AND CINDY CLIFFORD. AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, ELIZABETH IS THE VICE PRESIDENT OF ENERGY SOLUTIONS AND BUSINESS SERVICES FOR CENTER POINT ENERGY. AND CINDY IS THE PRESIDENT OF THE CLIFFORD GROUP. NOT ONLY HAS OUR HFC TEAM HAD THE PLEASURE OF WORKING WITH THEM, BUT I HAVE HAD THE PERSONAL PLEASURE OF WORKING WITH EACH ONE OF THEM TO PREPARE FOR TODAY. AND I COULDN'T BE MORE GRATEFUL FOR THEIR WORK AND THE TIME THAT THEY HAVE COMMITTED AND PUT IN TO MAKE TODAY SUCH A SUCCESS. NOW PLEASE JOIN ME IN WELCOMING TO THE STAGE ELIZABETH BROCK AND CINDY CLIFFORD. GOOD AFTERNOON. WHEN MAYOR TURNER ASKED ELIZABETH AND ME LAST YEAR TO CO-CHAIR THIS EVENT, WE HAD ABOUT 65 DAYS AND WE WERE DAUNTED DAUNTED, BUT WE DID WHAT WE ALWAYS DO. WE MADE A LIST AND WE GOT ON THE PHONE AND WE CALLED ALL OF YOU AND YOU ANSWERED, WE HAD 1400 PEOPLE HERE LAST YEAR, AND THIS YEAR THERE ARE MORE THAN 1600. LIKE MICHAEL SAID, IT IS BECAUSE OF MAYOR TURNER. AND YOU ALL RESPONDED WITH GREAT, YES, OF COURSE I'LL BE THERE. OF COURSE WE'LL BE SPONSORS. SO WHEN THE MAYOR ASKED ELIZABETH AND I AGAIN TO CHAIR THIS, WE LOOKED AT EACH OTHER LIKE, OH NO. AND, UH, , WE, WE ARE VERY, VERY HONORED THAT HE DID AND THAT HE GAVE US HOUSTON FIRST, WHO IS AN AMAZING ORGANIZATION LED BY DAVID AND MICHAEL AND THEIR INCREDIBLE TEAM. UM, THIS IS ONLY THE SECOND YEAR THAT IT'S BEEN DONE UNDER THAT UMBRELLA OF HOUSTON FIRST. AND I WANNA THANK RIGHT NOW IT WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT OUR AMAZING SPONSORS. I WANNA THANK OUR TOP TWO CATEGORIES OF SPONSORS. NOW I CANNOT THANK EVERYBODY WHO'S A SPONSOR BECAUSE WE'D BE HERE ALL AFTERNOON. BUT THE PRESENTING SPONSORS ARE CENTER POINT ENERGY, GREATER HOUSTON CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU, AND FOR OUR PLATINUM SPONSORS, AMERICAN FIRST NATIONAL BANK, CIGNA, SIT, GO, COMCAST, [00:50:01] OUR GOOD FRIENDS AT KELSEY SIEBOLD, THE EVER, EVER AMAZING KINDER FOUNDATION, THE PORT OF HOUSTON, QUANTA S AND B INFRASTRUCTURE, SHELL AND THE FOLKS WHO WANNA BRING GAMING TO TEXAS, TEXAS DESTINATION RESORT ALLIANCE. AND LAST BUT NEVER LEAST UNION PACIFIC. I'D LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT OF SPECIAL PRIVILEGE TO THANK THREE PEOPLE AT HOUSTON. FIRST WHO WERE ELIZABETH AND MA EVERYTHING FIRST, PAUL CASSO, STEVE MILLER AND TODD HOLLOMAN. THEY ARE PROS. THANK YOU ELIZABETH. THANK YOU. FIRST OF ALL, I WANNA START BY THANKING MICHAEL, DAVID, AND CINDY FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND YOUR FRIENDSHIP AS A BOARD MEMBER. I COULD NOT BE MORE PROUD OF THE WORK THAT HOUSTON FIRST IS DOING TO MAKE HOUSTON A PREMIER DESTINATION CITY. AND AS THOUGHT LEADERS IN THIS ROOM, IT IS OUR GOAL THAT YOU WILL LEAVE HERE TODAY AND SPREAD THE WORD AROUND THE COUNTRY AND THE WORLD OF THE GREAT THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING HERE IN HOUSTON. AND ON THAT NOTE, CAN I GET A GHOST ROSES? AND WHILE I'M AT IT, I THOUGHT I'D TAKE A MOMENT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE AND SAY, GO COUGS. I'D BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T RECOGNIZE MY CENTER POINT FAMILY THAT'S HERE. UH, THESE ARE THE FOLKS THAT ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR KEEPING YOUR LIGHTS ON. YOU MAY NOT REALIZE IT, BUT EACH PERSON AT CENTER POINT HAS A STORM ASSIGNMENT AND WHEN THERE'S AN EMERGENCY AND MOST PEOPLE ARE PREPARING THEIR FAMILIES AT HOME, OUR EMPLOYEES HAVE TO LEAVE THEIR FAMILIES TO GO HELP OTHER FAMILIES IN NEED AND THEY DON'T GET TO RETURN HOME UNTIL THE POWER HAS BEEN RESTORED. SO I DID WANNA GIVE THEM A QUICK SHOUT OUT AND SAY THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO. ONCE AGAIN, CINDY AND I CANNOT THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR MAKING THIS NOT ONLY A SOLD OUT EVENT, BUT A JUST A HUGE FAMILY REUNION. WE CAN'T IMAGINE HAVING DONE THIS WITH A BETTER TEAM THAN THE HOUSTON FIRST TEAM. SO I WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO THEM. SO NOW IF YOU'LL PLEASE ENJOY YOUR LUNCH AND WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK TO, UH, BEGIN THE PROGRAM. THANK YOU. [01:05:30] PLEASE [01:05:30] WELCOME [01:05:31] AVALON HOGANS HOUSTON YOUTH POET LAUREATE. HELLO OF MINE. MY HEART BEATS ALONG TO THE FOOT TRAFFIC OF DOWNTOWN SIDEWALK SKY ME TO MY POTENTIAL SKYSCRAPERS. POINT ME TO MY LIMITLESS LIMITS. I HOLD MY HEAD HIGH BECAUSE I'M H TOWN BOUNDS. OUR CULTURE IS SO INFLUENTIAL ST. SUCH A BEAUTIFUL AND DIVERSE IMAGE. MY CITY SPARKS HOPE. MY CITY GIVES LIGHT. MY CITY'S MY ONLY HOME LOCALLY MADE, MY CITY'S MY BIRTHRIGHTS. I'VE SEEN FIREWORKS OUT MY WINDOW. I'VE IMAGINED MY OWN AFRO-AMERICAN DREAM. I'VE SEEN THUNDER OUT MY WINDOW. I'VE WATCHED FLOODED GLOOM DREAM BACK TO GLEAM HOUSTON STRONG. WE REBUILT OUR LEGACY BRICK BY BRICK. WE REGENERATED OUR HOME. THE DAYS WERE LONG AND DARK IN HURRICANE HARVEY, BUT HOUSTON HOPE DOESN'T DROWN. IT FLOATS. THE DAYS WERE LONG AND DARK LAST WINTER WHEN TEXAS SNOW TURNED TO POWER GONE. BUT AS THE FREEZE FROZE OVER, WE HUDDLED AND CLOSER LEANING ON OUR COMMUNITY TO KEEP US POWERING ON DRESSED TO IMPRESS. MY HOME IS THE MOST DIVERSE IN THE NATION. BEYONCE BLESSED MY HOME IS THE HEART OF ASPIRATION, BUT THE ARTS IS IN THE ARTIST AND THE FOOD IS IN THE COOK. THE SINGER IS IN THE SONG AND THE AUTHOR IS IN THE BOOK. IT'S THE PEOPLE THAT MAKE THIS PLACE WORTH PRAISING. IT'S THE CULTURE THAT MAKES THIS AREA SO AMAZING. WHO SAYS YOU CAN'T SEE STARS IN THE CITY? THEY'RE COMING DOWN THE HIGHWAY, THEY'RE RUNNING THROUGH THE PARK WHO SAYS STARS DON'T SHINE AS BRIGHT IN THE CITY AND HOUSTON SPACE CITY NICKNAMES. WE CAN SEE STARS IN THE LIGHT AND IN THE DARK. HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM AND OUR HOUSTONIANS CAN SOLVE IT. HOME TO THE WISEST AND KINDEST YOU'LL EVER MEET. SHOUT OUT TO THE FIRST GEN STUDENTS AT HOUSTON'S AMAZING UNIVERSITIES. GROWING UP AND LIVING IN HOUSTON HAS TAUGHT ME SO MUCH ABOUT HAVING PRIDE AND I FEEL SO PROUD TO LIVE UNDER THE SKYLINE OF MINE. THANK YOU. PLEASE WELCOME BACK TO THE STAGE OUR EVENT CO-CHAIRS ELIZABETH GONZALEZ BROCK AND CINDY CLIFFORD. WHAT ABOUT OUR YOUTH FOR LAUREATE? IT IS NO SURPRISE TODAY THAT SO MANY ELECTED OFFICIALS ARE HERE. NOT ONLY HAS MAYOR TURNER BEEN THE MAYOR FOR THE PAST SEVEN YEARS, HE ALSO SERVED IN THE LEGISLATURE, TEXAS LEGISLATURE FOR I THINK 26 YEARS WHERE HE ROSE TO BE THE SPEAKER PRO TEMP. TODAY THERE ARE NATIONAL OR FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL OFFICIALS WITH US. IT WOULD TAKE ME A LONG TIME TO INTRODUCE THEM ALL, EXCEPT I WANT TO SAY THAT EACH ONE OF THEM BRINGS SO MUCH TO THIS COMMUNITY. IT'S UNBELIEVABLE THE TIME AND THE EFFORT THAT THEY TAKE TO MAKE OUR CITY, OUR STATE, AND OUR COUNTRY BETTER. IF YOU ARE AN ELECTED OFFICIAL, WILL YOU PLEASE STAND AND BE RECOGNIZED? THANK YOU. LIKEWISE. EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR, THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF VOLUNTEERS [01:10:01] WHO SERVE ON THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS THAT MAYOR TURNER HAS APPOINTED FROM HOUSTON. FIRST THE SPORTS AUTHORITY AND COUNTLESS OTHERS. YOU MAKE OUR CITY GO ROUND. WE COULDN'T HAVE A CITY THAT WORKS AS WELL AS IT DOES. IF YOU ARE ON A BORDER COMMISSION APPOINTED BY MAYOR TURNER, PLEASE STAND. AND LASTLY, I WANT TO THANK THE MAYOR'S TEAM. THEY WORK SO HARD. IF YOU ARE A MEMBER OF MAYOR TURNER'S STAFF, PLEASE STAND. AND LASTLY, I'D LIKE TO THANK MY GOOD FRIEND MARY BETTEN, WHO'S WITH THE MAYOR'S STAFF FOR HELPING ELIZABETH AND ME WITH A LOT OF THE PROGRAM, UH, PICTURES ANIMATION SHOW. UM, THANK YOU MARY. NOW I HAVE THE DISTINCT HONOR OF INTRODUCING THE MAN WHO HA, WHO NEEDS ABSOLUTELY NO INTRODUCTION. IN FACT, I'M PRETTY CONFIDENT THAT OUR MAYOR HAS TOUCHED EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN THIS ROOM. HE'S EITHER HELPED YOU IN A TIME OF NEED OR HE'S CELEBRATED A SPECIAL OCCASION WITH YOU. TODAY, OUR MAYOR WILL GIVE HIS STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS THEMED A BRIDGE TO THE FUTURE. WE WILL HEAR HOW THE MAYOR AND HIS ADMINISTRATION HAVE HELPED THIS COMMUNITY MEET THE NEEDS OF TODAY AND FOR DECADES TO COME IN AREAS LIKE ENERGY, SUSTAINABILITY, AND QUALITY OF LIFE. MAYOR TURNER'S LEADERSHIP WILL HELP HOUSTON PREPARE FOR POTENTIAL BIG CITY CHALLENGES, ALL THE WHILE MAKING HOUSTON AN EVEN BETTER PLACE TO LIVE, WORK, AND PLAY. WE ARE EXCITED TO HAVE MAYOR TURNER SHARE HIS INCREDIBLE WORK AND THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS TODAY. IT'LL BE FOLLOWED BY A FIRESIDE CHAT WITH OUR SPECIAL GUEST AWARD-WINNING JOURNALIST TOM COOK. YOU SEE, TOM RECENTLY RETIRED FROM AN ICONIC 39 YEAR CAREER AT A BC 13 MAKING TODAY'S INTERVIEW THAT MUCH MORE SPECIAL. SO THANK YOU TOM. YOU KNOW HOW THE ASTROS HAVE A WALKUP SONG? WELL, IN THIS CITY. THIS MAYOR HAS A WALKUP VIDEO. PLEASE WELCOME TO THE STAGE THE HONORABLE SYLVESTER TURNER, MAYOR CITY OF HOUSTON. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. LET ME START OFF BY THANKING, UH, THESE TWO, UH, WOMEN, CINDY CLIFFORD AND ELIZABETH BROAD FOR DOING AN AMAZING JOB. GIVE IT UP TO THESE TWO WOMEN. AND I CERTAINLY WANT TO, TO TO THANK THEM. I'VE CALLED ON THEM, UM, MANY TIMES AND THEY, THEY'VE ALWAYS SAID YES. PAUSE FOR A SECOND. BUT EVENTUALLY I KNEW THE ANSWER WAS GOING TO BE YES. SO I WANT TO THANK THEM. I WANNA THANK HOUSTON FIRST, UH, FOR JUST DOING AN INCREDIBLE, INCREDIBLE JOB, UH, TO DAVID AND MICHAEL TO THE BOARD MEMBERS OF HOUSTON. FIRST, PLEASE GIVE IT UP TO HOUSTON FIRST. AND THEN I CERTAINLY WANT TO THANK ALL OF THE TABLE SPONSORS AND THOSE [01:15:01] WHO HAVE PURCHASED TABLES AND, UM, MADE THIS EVEN POSSIBLE. UH, IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT ABOUT ME, IT'S ABOUT THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND, UH, FOR THERE TO BE 1600 PLUS PEOPLE HERE TODAY AND OTHERS WHO DESIRE TO COME AND COULDN'T AND COULDN'T BECAUSE OF THE CAPACITY. I WANT TO THANK EACH AND EVERYONE. SO GIVE YOURSELVES A HAND, UH, THIS, THIS MORNING. LET ME, LET ME JUST HIT ON A FEW, A FEW POINTS BEFORE I SIT DOWN WITH TOM. AND WHAT I SAY TODAY, UH, QUITE FRANKLY, IS DUE TO THE 22,000 CITY EMPLOYEES THAT WE HAVE, I KNOW I'VE GOT, UH, MANY OF THE CITY DIRECTORS WHO ARE HERE, THOSE WHO ARE IN EXECUTIVE POSITIONS WHO ARE HERE. UH, SO, UM, NOTHING CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED WITHOUT THEM. I AM FORTUNATE TO HAVE 22,000, ROUGHLY 22,000 DEDICATED AND COMMITTED CITY EMPLOYEES WHO, WHO DO AN EXCELLENT JOB EACH AND EVERY DAY. I DO WANNA START OFF AND TALK ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY, UH, BECAUSE THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF CONVERSATION ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY. AND LEMME JUST SAY TO PUT THINGS IN CONTEXT. WHEN I CAME IN AS MAYOR IN JANUARY OF 2016, CHIEF PENA, UH, 38% OF THE ROUGHLY 5,200 POLICE OFFICERS THAT WE HAD WERE ELIGIBLE TO RETIRE. MORE THAN 2000. OF THOSE 5,200 WERE ELIGIBLE TO RETIRE, 38%. UH, SINCE THEN, SINCE I'VE BEEN MAYOR, WE HAVE HIRED 1,991 POLICE OFFICERS. UM, AND WE HAVE REDUCED THAT 38% DOWN TO 29% EVERY SINGLE YEAR. THE NUMBER OF ELIGIBLE POLICE OFFICERS HAS BEEN GOING DOWN. UH, WE INHERITED A VERY AGING POLICE FORCE AND TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF POLICE OFFICERS TO BE HIRED EVEN MORE. UH, STARTING THIS MONTH, UH, THE INCOMING PAY FOR CADETS WILL INCREASE BY 10,000. INSTEAD OF MAKING 42, THEY'LL BE MAKING $52,000. IN JANUARY OF THIS YEAR. UH, CRIME HOMICIDES WERE HEADING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION. IT WAS ABOUT 65% ABOVE LAST YEAR. IN FEBRUARY OF THIS YEAR, WE PUT IN PLACE ONE SAFE HOUSTON. UH, IT'S A $53 MILLION PROGRAM ALL FUNDED TO ALL THE CONGRESSIONAL, UH, PERSONS WHO ARE HERE BY FEDERAL DOLLARS. AND I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT ONE SAFE HOUSTON IS WORKING. UH, WHERE WE SIT TODAY, AS OF THIS MORNING, HOMICIDES IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON IS DOWN BY 11% COMPARED TO LAST YEAR. 45 FEWER MURDERS THAT HAVE TAKEN PLACE IN OUR CITY THAN LAST YEAR. AND ALMOST EVERY MAJOR CATEGORY, EVERY MAJOR CATEGORY CRIME IS DOWN FROM LAST YEAR. AND YOU MAY HAVE HEARD THAT COMMERCIAL ON TELEVISION THAT'S BEEN RUN THAT SAID HOUSTON HAS MORE MURDERS THAN CHICAGO. I WANT TO STAND BEFORE YOU HERE TODAY TO SAY THAT IS JUST A FLAT OUT, WELL, THAT'S WRONG, THAT'S FALSE. UM, IF I WASN'T A CHURCH GOING PERSON, I WOULD PUT, I WOULD PUT TWO WORDS WITH THAT. BUT THAT'S WRONG. AS OF TODAY. AS OF TODAY, CHICAGO HAS MORE THAN 200 MORE MURDERS IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. SO FOR ANYONE TO SAY THAT HOUSTON HAS MORE MURDERS THAN CHICAGO IS SIMPLY NOT TELLING THE TRUTH. SO WE ARE COMMITTED TO PUBLIC SAFETY IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, AND WE ARE MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION IN TERMS OF HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS. OUR GOAL IS TO BUILD 3000 SINGLE FAMILY HOMES BY THE END OF NEXT YEAR, THE END OF MY TERM. AND WE ARE MOVING IN THAT DIRECTION AT A RAPID PACE SINCE 2012 WHEN IT RELATES TO HOMELESSNESS, THE CITY OF HOUSTON HAS REDUCED HOMELESSNESS BY 63%, 30% OF THAT WHILE I HAVE BEEN MAYOR AND WHILE I HAVE BEEN MAYOR. AND WHILE I'VE BEEN MAYOR, WE HAVE DECOMMISSIONED 57 HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS, UH, IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. AND STARTING, STARTING THIS MONTH IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS, WE'RE GOING TO BE STARTING WHAT WE CALL DINNER TO HOUSING. IT IS AN INITIATIVE TO RETAKE THE CENTRAL LIBRARY DOWNTOWN AND TO RESTORE THAT TO A VERY FAMILY ORIENTED ENVIRONMENT, NOT TO LOSE THAT MAJOR ASSET. SO WE ARE GONNA START WHAT WE CALL DINNER, UH, TO HOUSING. WE'RE GONNA SET UP IN THE REASONING AREA. WE'RE GONNA BE PROVIDING 100 MEALS A DAY, FOUR TIMES [01:20:01] A WEEK TO THOSE WHO ARE HOMELESS, PRIMARILY THOSE WHO KIND OF, UM, UH, SITUATE THEMSELVES IN FRONT OF THE LIBRARY, THE MAIN LIBRARY DOWNTOWN. IT WILL BE RUN BY BREAD OF LIFE, PASTOR RUDY RASMUS. AND WE ARE WE'LL SET UP TABLES AND CHAIRS. WE'LL TREAT PEOPLE WITH DIGNITY AND RESPECT, BUT IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT PROVIDING THEM A DINNER. THE GOAL IS THAT WE'LL PROVIDE THEM WITH HOT MEALS. WE'LL PROVIDE THEM WITH TABLES AND CHAIRS, BUT WE'LL ALSO BE THERE TO PROVIDE THEM WITH PERMANENT SUPPORT HOUSING BECAUSE WE WARN PEOPLE OFF THE STREET IN AN BETTER ENVIRONMENT. AND I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT INITIATIVE THAT WILL TAKE PLACE WITH REGARDS TO ENERGY TRANSITION AND INNOVATION. UM, WE SEEK, WE ARE THE ENERGY CAPITAL OF THE WORLD AND WE ARE PROUD OF THAT. BUT WE SEEK TO BE TO LEAD IN ENERGY TRANSITION. AND I WANT YOU TO KNOW, UH, THAT THIS CITY, THE CITY OF HOUSTON, THE ENERGY CAPITAL OF THE WORLD, WE PURCHASE MORE RENEWABLES THAN ANY OTHER CITY IN THE UNITED STATES. WE PURCHASE MORE RENEWABLES THAN LOS ANGELES OR LA OR CHICAGO OR NEW YORK CITY OR ATLANTA. ALL 550 MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON ARE POWERED BY RENEWABLE ENERGY. AND WE ARE PROUD OF THAT. WE ARE IN PROCESS OF ENGAGING IN OUR 30 BY 30 INITIATIVE UNDER EVOLVE HOUSTON. AND THAT'S 30% OF OUR VEHICLES TO BE POWERED BY ELECTRIC VEHICLES. BY 2030, WE'RE MOVING FORWARD WITH ELECTRIC CHARGING STATIONS. AND WHEN IT COMES TO ALTERNATIVE FORMS OF ENERGY, WE HAVE OVER 70 COMPANIES IN THIS CITY THAT ARE ALREADY FOCUSED ON CARBON CAPTURE UTILIZATION AND STORAGE AND CLEAN HYDROGEN. SO WE ARE MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. SO MUCH SO THAT OTHER, OTHER PLACES ACROSS THE GLOBE ARE TAKING A LOOK AT. THE CITY OF HOUSTON IS NOT BY HALF A CHANCE THAT I HAVE LED, UH, THE BOARD, BEEN THE BOARD CHAIR OF THE GLOBAL RESILIENT CITIES NETWORK FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS ARE CHAIR OF THE UNITED STATES, CLIMBING MAYORS FOR THE LAST YEAR. IT'S BECAUSE WHAT THEY ARE SEEING TAKING PLACE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON WHEN IT COMES TO INNOVATION. WE, WE DON'T TAKE A SECOND SEAT TO ANYONE. AND SO YOU SEE THE CANNON THAT IS OPENED UP IN THE OLD SEARS BUILDING, T-X-R-A-X IN EAST HOUSTON. UH, THE CANON ITSELF, THE ION IN THE SEARS BUILDING, THE CANNON IN WEST HOUSTON. THE SPACEPORT IS TAKEN OFF AND GREENTOWN'S LAMBS HAS EXPANDED FROM THE BOSTON AREA NOW TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON. AND SO WE ARE MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. YES, PEOPLE REFER TO SILICON VALLEY, BUT NOW THEY'RE REFERRING TO HASHTAG SILICON BAYOU RIGHT HERE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. WHEN I CAME INTO OFFICE, I SAID I DIDN'T WANT TO BE THE MAYOR OF TWO CITIES IN ONE. SO WE STARTED AN INITIATIVE CALLED COMPLETE COMMUNITIES AND THAT IS MOVING BETWEEN NOW AND THE END OF NEXT YEAR. AN ADDITIONAL 22 NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS WILL GET A MAJOR, MAJOR INNOVATION. THEY'RE GOING THROUGH THE PERMITTING PHASE NOW ALMOST IN EVERY CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT. WE ARE RENOVATING, WE ARE RENOVATING THESE PARKS, THE A LEAF MULTI, UH, MULTI NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER. THEY HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THAT FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS. THIS 63,000 SQUARE FOOT STATE OF THE ART FACILITY WILL OPEN UP IN AND THEY LEAVE, UH, LATER ON IN THE MONTH OF DECEMBER IN THE SUNNYSIDE AREA. THEY'VE BEEN WAITING ON THEIR MULTI-SERVICE CENTER FOR QUITE SOME TIME. THAT 57,000 SQUARE FEET FACILITY WILL OPEN UP BY THE END OF NEXT YEAR. WITH REGARDS TO OUR KIDS AND CHILDCARE, WE HAVE PARTNERED WITH THE BASELESS FOUNDATION. FOUR BASES ACADEMY EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE CENTERS WILL OPEN UP IN SPRING OF 2023. MAGNOLIA PARK, MANCHESTER SUNNYSIDE, DENVER HARBOR, AND NORTH HOUSTON. AND THEN WHEN IT COMES TO RENEWABLES, THIS, THAT LANDFILL IN SUNNYSIDE THAT'S BEEN HOLDING DOWN THAT COMMUNITY FOR THE LAST 50 YEARS. 240 CONTAMINATED ACRES BY THE FIRST QUARTER IN 2024, IF NOT SOONER, THAT WILL BECOME THE LARGEST URBAN SOLAR FARM IN THE UNITED STATES. UNE ELEMENTARY AND ACRE HOME, UH, THAT CLOSED DOWN THE CITY OF HOUSTON NOW HAVE ENTERED INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH AL DEAN FOR 30 YEARS TO TURN THAT INTO THE BETHUNE AND EMPOWERMENT CENTER. JOB TRAINING, CHILDCARE, BUSINESS INCUBATOR. ALL OF THESE INITIATIVES HAVE BEEN BECAUSE OF [01:25:01] THE FEDERAL DOLLARS THAT WE'VE RECEIVED BECAUSE OF PRIVATE SUPPORT, PUBLIC PRIVATE INITIATIVES. AND WE ARE ONLY JUST BEGINNING WITH REGARDS TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. WE CONTINUE TO BREAK BREAK RECORDS IN OUR COMMITMENT TO PROVIDING CONTRACTING OPPORTUNITIES TO MINORITY AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESSES. SINCE I TOOK OFFICE, THE CITY HAS AWARDED OVER $3.3 BILLION TO MW SBE. IT IS A RECORD IN HOUSTON'S HISTORY. AND WITH REGARDS TO BUILDING A RESILIENT, SUSTAINABLE, AND SMART CITY, WE HAVE ALREADY APPROPRIATED AND ALLOCATED CLOSE TO A BILLION DOLLARS. LOCAL DOLLARS, WHICH HAVE BEEN SPENT ON DRAINAGE AND FLOODING. OVER 400 ACRES HAVE BEEN PURCHASED ON THE PROCESS OF BEING PURCHASED FOR DETENTION. CITY COUNCIL JUST PASSED A RE A RESOLUTION TODAY AND COUNCILMAN POLISH DISTRICT AND COUNCILMAN MCCAIN, ANNETTE, TO ENTER INTO NEGOTIATIONS WITH, WITH WEST UNIVERSITY TO PURCHASE WHAT WE CALLED THE RAFINO PROJECT. UH, THAT WILL BE A MAJOR DETENTION HUB ONCE WE CLOSE OUT ON THAT PARTICULAR DEAL. AND FEMA JUST APPROVED THE MONEY FOR THE INWOOD FOREST, UH, HAZARD MITIGATION GRAND PROJECT ON THE NORTH SIDE THAT WILL HOLD MORE WATER, UH, THAN THE ASTRODOME ITSELF. AND THEN WITH REGARDS TO SUSTAINABILITY, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OFF, THE POWER GOES OFF. IN EVERY ONE OF OUR COMPLETE COMMUNITIES, WE ARE IDENTIFYING WHAT WE CALL SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY RESOURCE HUBS, MULTI-SERVICE CENTERS OR LIBRARIES THAT WHEN THE POWER GOES OUT, THE POWER IN THESE HUBS WILL NEVER GO OUT. SUCH THAT PEOPLE IN THESE NEIGHBORHOODS WILL ALWAYS HAVE A PLACE TO GO TO IF THERE'S A MAJOR, UH, POWER OUTAGE. AND WE'RE WORKING WITH CENTER POINT AND OTHERS TO MAKE THAT, TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN. AND THEN WHEN I CAME IN, THE ROADS WERE BAD. POTHOLES, POTHOLES, POTHOLES. WELL, SEVEN YEARS LATER, 96% OF THE TIME WE WERE ASSESSING AND ADDRESSING THOSE POTHOLES BY THE NEXT BUSINESS DAY. STREETS WERE BAD, BAD, YOU COULDN'T DRINK A DRINK, A CUP OF COFFEE. SINCE TWENTY TWENTY FIVE HUNDRED AND FORTY EIGHT MILES OF ROADWAY HAVE BEEN, HAVE UNDERTAKEN MAJOR REHABILITATION. AND BETWEEN NOW AND NEXT YEAR, BE PREPARED A LOT OF INCONVENIENCE. BUT WE DO WANT TO HAVE A MAJOR MAKEOVER ON AS MANY OF THESE STREETS BETWEEN NOW AND THE END OF NEXT YEAR. I'LL CLOSE WITH THIS. THE FIRST SEVEN YEARS HAVE BEEN CHALLENGING, BUT THEY HAVE BEEN REWARDING. SOMEONE SAID, MAYOR, I KNOW IN 14 MONTHS YOU'LL BE GLAD TO LEAVE. NO, THAT IS NOT TRUE. I WISH THERE WAS A COVID EXEMPTION THAT WOULD ALLOW ME TWO MORE, TWO MORE YEARS. HINT, HINT TO EVERY LEGISLATOR IN TEXAS. I KNOW A BILL CAN BE, YOU KNOW, INTRODUCED. BUT HAVING SAID THAT, LEMME JUST SAY OVER THE LAST SEVEN YEARS, AND THIS YEAR IN PARTICULAR, WE HAVE DONE OUR BEST TO SET THE GROUNDWORK FOR WHOEVER SHALL COME AFTER THIS ADMINISTRATION. WHAT I CAN TELL YOU NEXT WEEK, THE HOUSTON OPEN WILL TAKE PLACE AT MEMORIAL. AT MEMORIAL PARK. WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS THAT THE NCAA MEN'S FINAL FOUR WILL TAKE PLACE NEXT YEAR IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS IN 2026, HOUSTON WILL HOST THE MEN'S FIFA WORLD CUP. WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS THE ISMA CENTER, THE SEVENTH IN THE WORLD, WILL OPEN UP IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2024. WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS THAT HOUSTON AIRPORT HOBBY IN 2022 IS THE FIRST AND ONLY FIVE STAR AIRPORT IN NORTH AMERICA, ONE OF 17 IN THE WORLD. AND WHAT I CAN TELL YOU, FOR SIX OF MY SEVEN YEARS, THE ASTROS HAVE GONE TO THE PLAYOFFS. THREE TIMES IN THE WORLD SERIES, THEY'VE ALREADY WON ONE, AND I PROMISE YOU, THEY WILL WIN A SECOND ONE IN JUST A FEW DAYS. THIS IS A GREAT CITY. DO WE HAVE OUR CHALLENGES? ABSOLUTELY. DO WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO? ABSOLUTELY. BUT WHAT I CAN SAY, GOD HAS LOOKED FAVORABLY ON THIS CITY. THIS IS THE MOST DIVERSE CITY IN THE UNITED STATES. THE BIGGEST THING THAT I AM PROUD OF, YOU SAID YOU CAN BE DIVERSE, SEPARATE, SEGREGATED, AND APART. THE [01:30:01] QUESTION IS, CAN YOU BE DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE AT THE SAME TIME? AND WHEN I LOOK IN THIS ROOM TODAY FROM TABLE TO TABLE, FROM ONE SECTION TO THE OTHER, I SEE THE FACE OF HOUSTON THE BEST FOR OUR CITY IS NOT YESTERDAY, THE BEST FOR OUR CITY HAS YET TO COME, AND I AM PROUD OF THE WORK WE HAVE DONE. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. PLEASE WELCOME TOM COOK, FORMER ANCHOR, KT RRK, A BC 13. GOOD TO SEE YOU, MAYOR. WE'LL HAVE A LITTLE CONVERSATION TODAY. HEY, SMOOTH SAILING ON THE WAY DOWN HERE. NOT A POTHOLE IN SIGHT. THANK YOU. EXCEPT FOR LAST NIGHT'S GAME, . OKAY. YOU AND I HAVE KNOWN EACH OTHER FOR A LONG, LONG TIME, SINCE YOUR EARLY DAYS IN THE LEGISLATURE. YES. WE HAVE TALKED OFTEN ABOUT GRATITUDE, HOW GRATEFUL WE BOTH ARE FOR WHAT WE HAVE AND WHERE WE ARE IN THE GREATEST CITY IN THE WORLD. DO YOU STILL WAKE UP IN THE MORNING AND SAY, I'M THE MAYOR, THE 62ND MAYOR OF THE GREATEST CITY IN THE COUNTRY? UH, QUITE FRANKLY, THE ANSWER IS YES. EVERY TIME I, EVERY TIME, UH, I AM GOING THROUGH, LET'S SAY DOWN THE PIERCE ELEVATOR COMING INTO TOWN FROM THE NORTH SIDE OF THE SOUTH SIDE AND LOOKING AT, FOR EXAMPLE, ALL THE BUILDINGS DOWNTOWN ARE DRIVING THROUGH THE CITY ALL OVER THE CITY. UH, YEAH, I STILL, I STILL IN A SENSE PINCH MYSELF. UH, I MEAN, WHO, WHO WOULD'VE FOUGHT YEARS AGO? UH, THAT A KID WHO GREW UP IN ACRE HOME, THE NORTH SIDE, THE FOFO. YEP. UH, AS, AS YOU ALL KNOW FROM A MOM WHO WAS A MAID AT THE RICE HOTEL. RIGHT. WHO WOULD'VE THOUGHT THAT THAT KID, UH, WOULD NOW BE THE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON? BUT THAT'S, UH, THAT'S THE CITY OF HOUSTON. IT IS. AND I'M PROUD OF IT. IT'S WHAT WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF IN YOUR YEARS AS MAYOR OF HOUSTON? YOU KNOW, IT IS, IT'S, IT'S HARD TO SAY AS A, IS THIS AS MAYOR OR JUST ACROSS AS A WHOLE? AS A WHOLE? I GUESS YOU'VE SERVED THE PUBLIC FOR A LONG, LONG TIME. WELL, I'M PROUD OF THE FACT, 30 YEARS AGO, THIS CITY LOOKED FAR DIFFERENT. IT WAS NOT NEARLY AS DIVERSE AS IT IS TODAY. 30 YEARS LATER, UH, WE ARE A LOT, LOT DIFFERENT. WE ARE THE, WE ARE THE FACE OF AMERICA. IF, IF ANYBODY WANTS TO SEE, UH, WHERE THE, WHAT THE UNITED STATES WILL LOOK LIKE 20 YEARS FROM NOW. BUT, UH, THEY NEED TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE CITY OF HOUSTON. NOW, IF WE ASK, IF YOU ASK ME A QUESTION, WHAT AM I MOST PROUD OF AS MAYOR? UH, THE LIST IS, THE LIST IS FAIRLY LONG. I'M PROUD OF THE PENSION REFORMS THAT WE PUT IN PLACE. UH, WHEN WE CAME IN, THE UNFUNDED LIABILITY WAS 8.2 BILLION IN GROWING IN THE LAST CER OF LAST YEAR, UH, ONE FUNDED LIABILITY WAS DOWN TO 1.49. SO THAT'S A SIGNIFICANT DROP. I'M PROUD OF THAT. I'M PROUD OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS, UH, FOR THOSE FAMILIAR WITH THE NORTHEAST WATER PURIFICATION PLANT, ONE OF THE LARGEST IN THE WORLD, UH, THAT'S MOVING FORWARD AND NEXT YEAR BE SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETED. UH, WITH REGARDS TO, UH, THE HAZARD MITIGATION PROJECTS THAT I TALKED ABOUT, THE STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS, UH, THE CONSENT DECREE, UH, THAT THIS CITY WAS UNDER FOR 10 YEARS, UH, FOR, UH, SANITARY SEW, UH, OVERFLOWS, WE GOT THAT RESOLVED. I'M PROUD OF THAT. UH, SO ALL OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS ARE KEY. SO I'M REAL PROUD OF WHAT WE'VE DONE ON, ON THAT, ON THAT FRONT. COMPLETE COMMUNITIES INVESTED IN NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE THERE HAVE BEEN A LACK OF INVESTMENTS FROM A LEAF TO SUNNYSIDE TO, UH, THE EAST END, NORTH HOUSTON ACRES, HOME, CASHMERE GARDENS, UM, FORT BEND, ALL OF THOSE AREAS. I'M VERY PROUD OF WHAT'S TAKING PLACE ON, ON THAT FRONT. SO IT'S NOT ANY ONE THING OF THE, UH, SUSTAINABILITY RESILIENCE PLAN. WE FACE SEVEN FEDERALLY DECLARED DISASTERS. UH, BUT IN, UM, IN FEBRUARY OF 2020, WE PUT IN PLACE OUR RESILIENT HOUSTON PLAN ON EARTH DAY, OUR CLIMATE ACTION PLAN. UH, THOSE PROJECTS ARE MOVING AT A, AT A QUICK PACE. SO I'M, I'M PROUD, I'M PROUD OF THE SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS THAT HAVE HAVE TAKEN PLACE. SO IT'S MULTIPLE THINGS, INNOVATIONS WE'VE DONE, I THINK WE'VE DONE COLLECTIVELY. WE'VE DONE SOME MAJOR THINGS UNDER SOME CHALLENGING TIMES. THE CITY HAS PROVEN TO BE RESILIENT. AND, UM, AND, AND THOSE THINGS I'M, I'M VERY PROUD OF. AND THAT'S MY QUESTION. A LOT OF AMERICAN CITIES THESE DAYS SEEM FRAYED AT THE EDGES. AND YET HOUSTON HAS GONE THROUGH HURRICANES. WE TALKED ABOUT COVID, WE TALKED ABOUT THE FREEZE. SO MANY PROBLEMS WE'VE FACED, AND YET WE SEEM TO HAVE COME OUT ON TOP. WHY? BECAUSE WE ARE, WE ARE VERY RESILIENT. THAT'S ONE THING. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I WOULD THINK OUR DIVERSITY HAS BEEN OUR STRENGTH. OKAY? WE'VE [01:35:01] BEEN ABLE TO CALL ON PEOPLE AND GROUPS FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE, UM, AND THEY HAVE, AND, AND THEY HAVE STOOD UP. IF YOU, IF YOU MAKE A REQUEST, HOUSTONIANS WILL RE HOUSTONIANS WILL RESPOND. I'LL NEVER FORGET DURING HURRICANE HARVEY, WHEN WE HAD THE 10,000 PEOPLE AT THE GEORGIA BROWN CONVENTION CENTER, WE HAD PEOPLE FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE COMING TO HELP OUT. WE HAD PEOPLE FROM THE ISMA COMMUNITY THAT WAS THERE FEEDING PEOPLE. WE HAD PEOPLE FROM THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY THAT WAS RESPONDING. THE ASIAN COMMUNITY WAS AMAZING ON HOW THEY RESPONDED. UH, WE HAD PEOPLE, RESTAURANTS FROM ALL, FROM ALL DIMENSIONS, UH, THAT WERE SHOWING UP. HOUSTONIANS STOOD UP IN A MAJOR WAY, AND I WOULD, I, THAT'S THE MOMENT THAT I'LL ALWAYS REMEMBER BECAUSE AS I WALKED THROUGH THE GEORGE R. BROWN DURING HURRICANE HARVEY WITH 10,000 PEOPLE THERE AT THE CONVENTION CENTER, IT WASN'T LIKE A SHELTER. IT WAS MORE OR LESS LIKE A, A MALL WHERE YOU HAD THE FLAVOR OF CITY OF HOUSTON ON FULL DISPLAY. AND PEOPLE WERE TREATING EACH OTHER WITH DIGNITY AND RESPECT. AND SO, YEAH, WE, WE'VE HAD OUR CHALLENGES. THE STORMS HAVE COME, BUT THE CITY HAS PROVEN TO BE RESILIENT. THE OTHER THING I REMEMBER IS THAT THERE WAS A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO CAME IN AFTER HURRICANE HARVEY, AND THEY WANTED TO SEE ALL THE DEBRIS. THEY HAD HEARD ABOUT 52 INCHES OF WATER FALLING. AND THEY KNEW AS THEY DROVE THROUGH THE CITY OF HOUSTON, THAT THEY WOULD SEE ALL THE DEBRIS ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THEY, THEY RENTED THESE VANS. THEY STARTED DRIVING THROUGH THE CITY OF HOUSTON. AND THEN THEY CALLED AND SAID, YOU KNOW, WHERE, WHERE DID THE STORM, WHERE DID THE WATER HIT? YOU KNOW, UM, AND WE SAID IT HIT ALL OVER. AND THEY SAID, WELL, WHERE IS THE DEBRIS? AND ALL OF THAT. WELL, THAT WAS GONE. NOW INSIDE PEOPLE'S HOMES STILL NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED, BUT THAT WAS THE YEAR IN WHICH THE ASTROS WENT TO THE WORLD SERIES. AND WHAT THEY DID SEE WERE A MILLION PEOPLE LINED UP, UH, THROUGHOUT THE DOWNTOWN AREA. THAT'S THE CITY OF HOUSTON. WE WEATHER THE STORMS. WELL, WE RE REBUILD, BUT WE DON'T NECESSARILY, WE BUILD BACK. WE BUILD TOWARDS THE FUTURE. WE BUILD BETTER. LET'S TALK POLITICS. JUST ONE QUESTION. YOU'RE A POLITICIAN FOR A LONG TIME. I'M NOT A POLITICIAN. OKAY. . WELL, YOU SERVED, I'M A STATE YOU. THAT'S TRUE. THAT'S TRUE. THAT'S TRUE. AND HE IS GRATEFUL FOR THAT TOO. ALL THOSE OTHER POLITICS ARE THAT THERE. YOU KNOW, WE SEEM TO HAVE REACHED SUCH A DIVISIVE POINT IN THIS COUNTRY WHERE, YOU KNOW, WORKING FOR THE COMMON GOOD AND COMPROMISE SEEM TO BE THINGS OF THE PAST. ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT THE FUTURE? AND HOW DO WE GET OUT OF THIS? HOW DO WE GO BACK TOGETHER? AND, YOU KNOW, I'M A VERY, VERY OPTIMISTIC PERSON. UM, I WILL TELL YOU, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT I'M CONCERNED ABOUT OUR COUNTRY. OKAY? UM, AND VERY MUCH CONCERNED. UH, THE ATMOSPHERE IS VERY TOXIC. THE MISINFORMATION IS JUST FLOWING. AND IT SEEMS AS THOUGH PEOPLE HAVE TAKEN, GONE TO THEIR CORNERS AND NOTHING, NOTHING IS MOVING ANYBODY. AND THAT'S, AND THAT'S VERY, VERY DISTURBING. IT'S ALMOST AS IF, IF I GET MINE, I DON'T CARE WHAT ANY, I DON'T CARE WHAT PEOPLE DO. UH, FACTS DON'T MATTER. WHEN I, WHEN I SAW, WHEN I SAW THOSE COMMERCIALS ABOUT SHOOK, YOU KNOW, HOUSTON HAVING MORE MURDERS THAN CHICAGO CALL PEOPLE, I'M SAY, THAT'S NOT TRUE. IT JUST SEEMED LIKE HIM. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, PEOPLE TAKE INFORMATION AND THEY RUN WITH IT. SO A LOT OF MISINFORMATION. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT OUR DEMOCRACY. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT OUR CIVILITY. UM, AND I AM CONCERNED THAT IF WE ARE NOT CAREFUL, WE WILL ENGAGE IN A DOWNWARD SPIRAL. AND IT'S GOING TO, AND IT'S GONNA GET REAL BAD BEFORE PEOPLE REALIZE THIS IS JUST NOT GOOD AND NOT GOOD FOR OUR CHILDREN. LEMME GIVE YOU NOTHING. TALK SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE CITY OF HOUSTON. WE ARE A, WE ARE THE MOST DIVERSE. WELL, LEMME TELL YOU, AS THE MAYOR OF THIS CITY, IT'S NOT EASY TO KEEP A DIVERSE CITY TOGETHER. YOU HAVE TO WORK AT IT. YOU HAVE TO BE INTENTIONAL. YOU HAVE TO BE IN THESE DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES BECAUSE PEOPLE WANT TO FEEL AS THOUGH YOU ARE THEIR MAYOR. AND WHEN YOU ARE THEIR MAYOR, YOU SHOW UP AT THEIR TABLE, IN THEIR HOME, AT THEIR EVENT, YOU KNOW, LISTENING TO THEIR CONCERNS, RESPO, CUSTOMIZING WHAT YOU DO TO FIT THEM. BUT BEING THE MAYOR OF THE ENTIRE CITY, YOU ALSO ARE THE CATALYST HOLDING IT TOGETHER. AND THAT'S NOT AN EASY THING TO DO. AND IT'S NOT ONE AND DONE. SO PEOPLE ASK ME ALL THE TIME, YOU KNOW, SPECIAL, WHY DO YOU GO ALL OF THESE PLACES? [01:40:01] I GO TO ALL OF THESE PLACES BECAUSE THEY ARE THE, THEY ARE HOUSTON. AND YOU NEED, AND YOU HAVE TO BE AT THEIR TABLE. NOW, LET ME ALSO SAY THIS. WHEN YOU HAVE A VERY DIVERSE CITY, IF YOU ALLOW PEOPLE TO COME IN AND DIVIDE IT, IT CAN BE VERY, VERY BAD. SO IF PEOPLE PUT OUT CERTAIN MISINFORMATION, PITTING ONE GROUP AGAINST ANOTHER, AND IF THAT STARTS TO INFILTRATE, PENETRATE, AND YOU CREATE THESE DIVISIONS OF ONE GROUP AGAINST ANOTHER, THEN A DIVERSE CITY CAN BE A VERY DESTRUCTIVE CITY. AND IT, AND, AND, AND IT WILL WORK AGAINST YOU. AND SO IN THIS POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT RIGHT NOW WHERE EVERYBODY, WHERE PEOPLE JUST WANT TO WIN AT ALL COSTS, THEN YOU CAN WIN. YEAH, YOU CAN MAKE A, YOU CAN GAIN A TEMPORARY VICTORY, BUT THE LONG TERM DAMAGE WILL FAR OUTSEE SEVEN FEDERALLY DECLARED DISASTERS. AND IT WILL BE VERY DIFFICULT TO PUT A VERY DIVERSE CITY BACK TOGETHER. THAT'S MY CONCERN. AND I'M AFRAID THAT WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW, THAT PEOPLE ARE SO COMMITTED TO THEIR OWN INTERESTS, THAT ANYTHING THAT ANYBODY ELSE DOES IS, OKAY, AS LONG AS I GET MINE, THAT'S DANGEROUS. AND IT'S DANGEROUS FOR OUR KIDS BECAUSE THEY SEE AND LISTEN TO WHAT WE DO AND WHAT WE SAY. UH, SO IT MAY BE ALL RIGHT FOR THOSE OF US WHO ARE ADULTS, BUT WHEN I WOULD ASK PEOPLE TO REMEMBER WHEN YOU DO THOSE, ENGAGE IN THOSE THINGS OR ALLOW IT TO TAKE PLACE. THINK ABOUT THESE CHILDREN. AND THEN LASTLY, WHEN GOOD PEOPLE STAY QUIET, WHEN GOOD PEOPLE DON'T STAND UP, THEN THOSE WHO ARE PERPETUATING THESE DIVISIONS MISINFORMATION, THEY PREVAIL. AND THEN WE ALL SUFFER. AND, AND SO MY HOPE, MY HOPE IS THAT THE GOOD PEOPLE, PEOPLE WHO KNOW RIGHT FROM WRONG, GOOD, FROM EVIL FACTS, FROM MISREPRESENTATIONS, THAT THE GOOD PEOPLE WILL STAND UP AND RECLAIM YOUR POSITION AND THEN WILL HAVE A BETTER CITY, A BETTER STATE, AND A BETTER COUNTRY. YOU'VE GOT 14 MONTHS LEFT. ALRIGHT? OTHER THAN GUARANTEEING AN ASTROS WIN, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ACCOMPLISH? WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND? YOU KNOW, I'VE HAD TIME, I'VE HAD TIME TO RE TO REFLECT ON A, ON A NUMBER OF THINGS. WE'VE, WE'VE GONE THROUGH, UM, WE'VE GONE THROUGH A GREAT DEAL AT THE CITY. SEVEN FEDERALLY DECLARED DISASTERS. I WILL TELL YOU, YOU KNOW, I'VE, IT HAS BEEN THE GREATEST JOY. YOU KNOW, I'VE ALSO, YOU KNOW, HAD MY OWN PERSONAL MEDICAL SITUATION. YEAH. YOU KNOW, UM, FOR ALL OF MY LIFE, I'VE BEEN THE HEALTHIEST EVER. AND YOU DEAL WITH SEVEN FEDERALLY DECLARED DISASTERS. YOU KNOW, I GO TO THE DENTIST TO GET A ROOT CANAL ON MY WAY TO FRANCE WITH THE TRADE MISSION. AND DOCTORS COME AND SAY, EH, EH, A LITTLE BIT BETTER, A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN A ROOT CANAL. I SAY, WHAT IS IT? EH, GO AND GET YOU. WE GOTTA GO AND TEST YOU OUT A LITTLE BIT. AND SO I GO AND GET A BIOPSY. AND JUST BEFORE I WAS GETTING READY TO GO, DOCTOR SAID, I DON'T THINK YOU, YOU'RE NOT GONNA MAKE THIS TRIP. OKAY. AND THEN THE NEXT THING I KNOW, A WEEK LATER, YOU KNOW, I'M IN THE HOSPITAL, NINE HOURS OF SURGERY, YOU KNOW, AND THEY DISCOVERED WHAT THEY CALL OSTEO SARCOMA RIGHT THERE IN MY JAW AREA. AND THIS WAS ON JULY THE 30TH IN SURGERY FOR NINE HOURS, UH, WHERE THEY ARE, DOCTORS WORKING UP HERE, DOCTORS WORKING ON MY LEG MM-HMM . TO REPLACE THE BONE RIGHT UP HERE. THEY'RE HAVING TO TAKE BONE FROM MY LEG AND TO RE UM, WHAT YOU CALL IT, RESTRUCTURE, UM, IN THE HOSPITAL FOR EIGHT DAYS. UM, WENT THROUGH RADIATION FOR SIX WEEKS EVERY SINGLE MORNING, MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, SEVEN 30, AUGUST THE FIRST THROUGH SEPTEMBER THE 12TH, BACK AT CITY COUNCIL ON THAT DAY, CONTINUED TO DO WHAT I NEEDED TO DO IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. LET ME TELL YOU, I HAVE [01:45:01] BEEN BLESSED. I HAVE BEEN BLESSED. AND SO AS I LOOK AT THE SOUTHERN FEDERALLY DECLARED DISASTERS, AND THEN I LOOK AT WHAT I'VE HAD TO ENDURE MYSELF, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU BOUNCE BACK. WHAT I WOULD SAY TO YOU, THIS IS AN INCREDIBLE, AN INCREDIBLE CITY. AND AS LONG AS WE, UM, STAY STRONG, BE MINDFUL, HOLD ON TO OUR FAITH AND GO FORWARD, UH, THE BEST IS, THE BEST IS YET TO COME. UH, IT HAS BEEN AND CONTINUES TO BE AN INCREDIBLE AND INCREDIBLE JOURNEY. WE HAVE SOME OF THE BEST HOSPITALS, UH, IN THIS COUNTRY. I CAN PERSONALLY ATTACH TO IT. UH, AND THEN TO COME THROUGH ALL OF THAT, TO GO TO JAPAN, UH, BE A PART OF THE TRADE MISSION, CONTINUE TO DO EVERYTHING THAT WE'VE DONE, IT'S JUST BEEN REMARKABLE. NOW, WHAT I'LL DO 14 MONTHS AFTER THAT, I DON'T, IT'S MY NEXT QUESTION. I, WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY? I'M RETIRED. YOU WANT ME TO SAY YOU ROCKING CHAIR OR, UH, NO, I DON'T WANT A ROCKING CHAIR. . NAH, NO, THAT'S NOT YOU. AND THAT'S NOT ME EITHER. SO YOU'RE WRITING A BOOK, YOU WANNA WRITE A BOOK, RIGHT? I'M WRITING TWO. TWO, ALRIGHT. WRITING TWO. UM, ONE, ONE DEALS WITH THE, THE PEOPLE, THE CIRCUMSTANCES, THE EVENTS THAT HELP TO EVOLVE MY THINKING. UM, AND IT GOES FROM CHILDHOOD UP UNTIL THE LAST DAY OF THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION. OKAY. AND THEN I CUT OFF ON THE LAST DAY OF IN THE LEGISLATURE. THE SECOND ONE IS LEADERSHIP ON THE MAJOR CRISIS. AND, UM, AND THAT'S ONE THAT SPECIFICALLY JUST FOCUSES ON MY TIME AS MAYOR, YOU KNOW, AND IT'S KIND OF FUNNY AS, AS, AS, AS I FINISHED THE OUTLINE ON THAT, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE GOOD LORD SAID, OKAY, YOU'RE WRITING ABOUT EVERYTHING INVOLVING THE CITY AND THAT'S FINE, BUT LET'S PUNCTUATE IT WITH YOUR OWN PERSONAL STORY. OKAY? AND THEN SOMETIMES IT IS EASY TO DEAL WITH OTHER THINGS. YES. BUT WHEN IT'S DEALING WITH YOURSELF, DO YOU STILL HAVE THE SAME PASSION AND THE SAME DESIRE AND THE FIRE? SO YOU HAVE TO BE TESTED. OKAY? SO THAT WILL PUNCTUATE THE SECOND ONE, AND THEN WE'LL SEE. BUT 14 MONTHS IS A LONG WAY OFF. WHAT I'VE SAID TO MY TEAM IS THAT WE'VE GOT A LOT OF WORK TO DO. THERE ARE A LOT OF BOXES WE NEED TO, RIGHT? WE NEED TO, UH, RIGHT, UH, CHECK, UH, THERE'S A NUMBER OF PROJECTS WE'VE STARTED THAT I WANT US TO COMPLETE. AND, AND PEOPLE AT CITY HALL WILL KNOW. I'M ALWAYS ASKING, IS THIS GOING TO BE DONE BY DECEMBER 31ST, 2023? ? AND WHAT I CAN TELL YOU ON DECEMBER 31ST, 2023, UH, THAT THEY'LL BE CARRYING ME OUT IN MY CHAIR, , WHILE I'M STILL SIGNING, YOU KNOW, EXECUTIVE ORDERS FOR THE NEXT MAYOR, EITHER TO TEAR UP OR TO UNDO . UM, CAN I GET VIDEO OF THAT? YEAH. YOU KNOW, BUT I INTEND, I PROMISE YOU, UH, YOU HIRED ME FOR EIGHT YEARS AND I PROMISE YOU, YOU, YOU WILL HAVE ME ON THE JOB FOR THE FULL EIGHT YEARS. TOMORROW WILL TAKE CARE OF ITSELF. OKAY? YOU ARE A LEADER. YOU ARE A STATESMAN. ANOTHER OFFICE, A HIGHER OFFICE. I DON'T KNOW, IT'S, IF YOU ASK ME ONE, ONE WEEK, I MAY SAY YES. IF YOU ASK ME ANOTHER WEEK, I'LL SAY, I DON'T KNOW. NO. UM, IF I, I LITERALLY, I LITERALLY, I LITERALLY DON'T, DON'T KNOW. YEAH. UM, YOU KNOW, I I I WANTED TO BE MAYOR FOR SUCH A LONG TIME. , YOU KNOW, THE REALITY IS, I, I GOT THE BEST GIG THAT ONE COULD HAVE. BUT THE CHALLENGES AND ALL, AND AND TRULY SPEAKING, IF I COULD RUN AGAIN, I WOULD RUN AGAIN. OKAY. UM, SO THIS HAS BEEN, THIS IS, THIS IS, I MEAN, HOW OFTEN DO YOU GET TO BE THE MAYOR OF THE CITY IN WHICH YOU WERE BORN IN RED AND THEN, YOU KNOW, STILL LIVING IN THE HOOD. YEAH. AND THEN WHEN YOU, THE GREATEST THRILL IS WHEN I RETURNED BACK TO MY NEIGHBORHOOD. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S THE KID WHO MADE GOOD. YOU KNOW, AND THERE'S THAT GRATITUDE THAT YOU AND I TALKED ABOUT SO OFTEN. WHERE DOES THAT COME FROM? THE GRATITUDE IS THAT, YOU KNOW, MY MOM AND DAD ALWAYS SAY, IF, IF, IF YOU'RE, IF YOU'RE NOT GRATEFUL, THEN YOU'RE ESSENTIAL. AND THEIR THOUGHT WAS, NUMBER ONE, NOBODY HAS TO DO ANYTHING FOR YOU. TRUE. I MEAN, THAT'S NUMBER ONE. YOU KNOW, CINDY, ELIZABETH HOUSTON, YOU KNOW, NOBODY HAS TO DO ANYTHING FOR YOU. UH, SO THAT'S NUMBER ONE. SO WHEN PEOPLE DO SOMETHING FOR YOU, UH, THEN YOU OUGHT TO BE GRATEFUL. WHEN OPPORTUNITIES ARE MADE AVAILABLE [01:50:01] FOR YOU, YOU OUGHT TO BE GRATEFUL. NO ONE HAD TO VOTE FOR ME FOR MAYOR. UH, WELL, FOR, FOR TWO TIMES THEY DIDN'T . I HAD TO BRING THAT UP. , I HAD A FLASHBACK, YOU KNOW, I WAS JUST GOING STRONG. AND THEN I REFLECTED BACK, YOU KNOW, BUT LEMME JUST SAY THIS, ALRIGHT. BUT EVEN THAT WAS A PART OF THE DIVINE PLAN. IT JUST WAS NOT MY TIME. I STRONGLY BELIEVE GOD ORCHESTRATED THIS MOMENT MY TIME. SEVEN DISASTROUS. YES. COVID. YES. MONKEY MONKEYPOX. YES. WINTER STORM URI. YES. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE'VE DONE A WHOLE LOT RESILIENCE, CLIMATE, SUSTAINABILITY, INNOVATIONS, COMPLETE COMMUNITIES, EVEN THE PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUES, THE APPOINTMENTS OF MANY OF PEOPLE OR DIRECTORS FOR THE FIRST TIME THAT WAS THIS TIME. THE KIDS THAT ARE GROWING UP. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THIS YOUNGER GENERATION TO SEE PEOPLE LIKE MYSELF WHERE I AM AT THIS POINT IN TIME. TOUGH. YES. UH, BUT THIS IS, THIS IS THE TIME. AND YOU CAN EITHER BE ON THE BENCH AND THE GAME IS TIGHT, THE FINAL SECONDS ARE COMING DOWN, AND FOR SOME ON THE BENCH, THEY MOVE FURTHER AWAY FROM THE COACH BECAUSE THEY DON'T WANNA BE CALLED ON. MM-HMM . AND THEN THERE ARE SOME WHO, WHO ARE CONSTANTLY LOOKING AT THE COACH SAYING, PUT ME IN, PUT ME IN. I WANT TO PLAY. I'M FORTUNATE THAT I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO PLAY. I DON'T WANT TO BE ON THE SIDELINE. AND SO IN THIS CITY, AND IT IS A GREAT CITY, YOU WANT TO PLAY. AND I'M LOOKING AT 1600 PEOPLE IN THIS CITY, AND THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF OTHERS WHO WANT TO PLAY, WHO ARE SAYING, PUT ME IN, CALL ON ME. I'M IN. SO THIS IS AN INCREDIBLE MOMENT IN SPITE OF THE TOXICITY. THIS IS AN INCREDIBLE MOMENT IN WHICH TO BE A HOUSTONIAN AND TO MAKE A HUGE, HUGE DIFFERENCE. SO, UM, I'M GLAD PEOPLE DIDN'T PUT ME IN, IN 91. YEAH. IN 2003, BUT THEY SAID YES IN 2015. MAYOR, CONGRATULATIONS AND THANK YOU. THANK YOU TOM. AND WE ARE ALL PRAYING FOR YOU. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, SYLVESTER TURNER. THANKS VERY MUCH. THE GREATEST MAYOR IN THE GREATEST CITY IN THE WORLD. THANK YOU. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.