5 qualifying Houston mayoral candidates debate, discuss their platforms

HOUSTON – Houstonians are preparing to decide who will be the next mayor of Houston.

KPRC 2 and partners Telemundo Houston, Que Onda Magazine and the League of Women Voters of Houston hosted a mayoral debate featuring the five qualifying candidates Tuesday. They are:

• Annie “Mama” Garcia

• Lee Kaplan

• M.J. Khan

• Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee

• Senator John Whitmire

Moderated by KTMD’s Crystal Ayala and KPRC 2′s Daniella Guzman, the qualifying candidates at this debate were determined by the number of individual campaign donors. The candidates discussed their vision of Houston’s future specifically related to crime, city infrastructure, disaster preparation as well as equity and equality in housing and employment.

See live updates from the debate below:

7:03 – As a result of drawing, Jackson Lee was asked the first question about her strategy to reduce crime. She said she would help clean up high-crime areas by using a comprehensive approach through data analysis and layered policing. She said the city will work with the district attorney, ATF and the FBI. She said gun intervention resources would come from federal funds.

7:04 – Khan said he would add $100 million to the Houston Police Department budget and start recruiting 500 more officers. He wants officers to patrol the streets and he thinks the recruit officer should be from the neighborhood. He said he wouldn’t ask DPS for help, unlike Whitmire.

7:06 – Whitmire said that crime needed to be addressed and violent offenders have to be held accountable. He said the crime is affecting our economy so much that property values are dropping in the Galleria. He expressed that drug addicts needed to be helped with their addictions and that mental health needed to be addressed. He feels mental health needs to be a priority of the city.

7:08 – Garcia pushed back on the way crime was being “framed” in the city. She said that crime comes from poverty. She quoted Texas Monthly, saying homicides have dropped by 28% from last year and overall, violent crime is down by 12% from the first quarter of the year. She says the number one issue is the HISD takeover. She also challenged Whitmire, saying he was considered to be one of the worst senators this last session in Texas Monthly because of his focus on crime.

Kaplan said we have half as many police officers per capita as Chicago and New York and we haven’t increased that number in 20 years. He believes more visibility helps with crime.

7:11 – When Khan was asked about easing the burden of Hispanic communities in the city that have an income of $50,000 or less, he said he wants to attract business openings in the city because he believes the city is not “business-friendly.” He also said that he wanted to start a credit program so that more people could go into entrepreneurship. He said he wanted to make the business market more open to everyone.

Whitmire followed, saying he has what it takes to unite the community and make sure the Hispanic community isn’t left behind. He said Hispanic communities are underrepresented at city hall and department heads are also scarce. He said Hispanics need to be included in mainstream Houston.

7:13 – Garcia said the city’s diversity is its superpower. She wants to equalize and provide more opportunities for all kids across the city. challenged HISD superintendent Mike Miles, saying that Black and Brown children are being left behind in HISD. Garcia said 37% of Houstonians speak Spanish in their homes and their children are being left behind because HISD is not teaching them in the Spanish language.

Kaplan agreed that education is critical. He said he wanted employment rates to be higher, we needed to attract more businesses and build a more educated workforce.

7:14 – Jackson Lee said she is the only candidate who has traveled across the city before she began her campaign for mayor. She believes the way to fix the issue is to fix the sidewalks, fix water leakages, provide affordable housing and mainly work with the educational landscape to ensure children are getting the education they need. She said with federal funding, the city should make appointments in the city for all to partake, including the Latino community.

7:16 – Garcia rebutted, mentioning that Whitmire voted for HB 1842, which she said led to the HISD takeover.

7:17 – When Whitmire was asked about errors on water bills and increased water rates and what he would do to help with those issues, he said he’d like to empower city council members to have greater constituent services by having Houstonians call a council member, not a 311 number. He said he would put a pause on the increase in water rates.

7:18 – Garcia said the city should look at caps for seniors and disabled individuals who don’t have the ability to adequately offset their increased water bills.

7:19 – Kaplan said an algorithm is needed to accurately assess water bill issues. He said the algorithm should be that “if your water bill is more than twice what it was in the average period in the prior years, and it’s suspended right now, you complain and then you wait for a refund.”

7:28 – Khan said Sen. Whitmore has no room to talk about conflicts of interest.

7:30 – Kaplan said the streets need to be repaired. Jackson Lee said to analyze the city by neighborhoods and technology to determine where the roads need to be fixed.

7:34 – Garcia said her concern is not potholes but instead the HISD school system. She asked Sen. Whitmire what he would do about it.

7:36 – Jackson Lee said she would make sure migrants will be welcomed into the city. Khan rebutted and said Jackson Lee is partly responsible for the lack of preparation and issues that happen after migrants enter the city.

7:38 – Whitmire said migrants should be discouraged from coming into the country. Garcia said she was very “afraid” of the language the other contenders were using when discussing immigration. Lee said the next mayor should tell the legislature that we want migrants who want to work and we need them.

7:41 – When asked about preparing for an extreme weather event, Khan said we have to be ahead of the curve and build a task force to help. He said he would make sure all resources are in place so that people will have what they need.

7:42 – Whitmire said first responders should be supported more in order to help with extreme weather events. He said the administration and first responders have a “ridiculous relationship.”

7:44 – Garcia said we need to work with the Harris County Flood District but it’s going to take money.

7:45 – Jackson Lee said she would work with the county ahead of time to find out how you prevent the flooding that devastates communities across the city. She said she has the experience to help with these events.

7:47 – Whitmire said no one knows what the city’s expenditure is. He said the city is wasting money through their conflicts of interest, saying the removal of Pappas restaurants in IAH is an example.

7:48 – Garcia said Whitmire is one of the reasons we can no longer vote on the HISD school board. She said her children no longer have special needs services.

7:50 – Lee said the city isn’t misspending money, there just aren’t enough people. He said he would interview every department head to see if they need to be kept or replaced.

7:51 – Jackson Lee said it isn‘t ethical to promise people jobs. She also said she would have a financial chief advisor.

7:52 – Khan said none of the candidates could answer the question.

7:54 – Whitmire said the HISD takeover happened, so let’s make it work, directing the comment to Garcia.

7:55 – Jackson Lee said it is difficult to speak with people who don’t know what they are talking about. She said she helps HISD and works with the people of the district. She used another rebuttal.

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