at City Hall
detailed oriented, well prepared and broadly knowledgeable.
I thank you for providing that example in the district.
– Wayne Holt
Let’s keep galveston moving forward
The last ten years have been a period tremendous rebirth and growth for Galveston. The city looks better than ever. More streets are paved, the stormwater system is being completely revamped, and our critical infrastructure has been hardened against the next storm.
Now we’re looking to the future – building pump stations and water management systems that will help reduce damage not just from hurricanes, but from destructive rain events like Hurricane Harvey. We’re working closely with the Army Corps of Engineers as they develop the Coastal Spine surge protection system to be sure that Galveston is protected, without disrupting the way of life we love so much.
We’re working on traffic management, finding ways to get people out of their cars and into businesses; to get our beach daytrippers to spend a night; to entice vacationing families to spend an extra day with us, to see one additional thing, visit one new restaurant; and to put Galveston in front of the million visitors who come down Harborside each year just to get on a cruise ship and leave, so that they may spend their next vacation right here on the island.
And potholes! Over the last two years I’ve worked with city staff to implement a plan to work with residents to identify the worst streets in the District and to get them paved, including 16th St., Sealy St., the section of Ball St. behind the Emerald and more this year. The city has been very good about fixing thing when they learn about them. I’ve continually invited residents to report problems to me, then I take those issues to the city and pay attention until they’re addressed.
Code enforcement has a long way to go, but it’s better than ever. Again, it’s because we work on these issues together to keep the city focused on the things that enhance our quality of life.
I’m proud of the work we’ve done on Council. With the opening of the new public works building this spring, Hurricane Ike will be mostly a memory. That building represents the last of the federal money we’ve received because of the storm. But we’re not done. We’re looking forward to the next 180 years. We’re not kicking the can down the road as previous city administrations have done. We’re making the tough decisions and taking on the projects that will protect this island for decades to come. I’m proud to be a part of it, and I look forward to continuing to be your voice at City Hall.
I’m a semi-retired publishing professional living the dream on the beach.
I first came to Galveston in 1970 and soon found myself on the air as a disc jockey at KILE radio – in the basement of the Hotel Galvez. Before I left, almost 10 years later, I was the morning DJ, on the air every weekday morning opposite Galveston legend Vandy Anderson on KGBC. If you were under 30 in the 70’s you probably listened to me on the radio.
Life led me to Austin, then California where I had a successful career as an IT consultant with some of America’s largest corporations, before starting a small publishing company in 2004.
years, through good times and bad. We came home to dedicate ourselves to being a part of that rebuilding.
In 2018 I saw that the people were not being served by their city council representative. My neighbors deserved a council rep who wasn’t AWOL month after month. Someone who would take calls, address the issues concerning them, and be their voice at City Hall.
That year, the people chose me to be that voice, and I’ve worked hard every day to deserve that trust. I go to every community meeting I can find, I talk to HOAs and resident groups every week, determined to understand what Galvestonians want in their city.
In addition to being the District 3 Council member, I’m also Council’s representative on the Park Board of Trustees, and ex officio member of both the Landmark Commission and the Zoning Board of Adjustment. I represent the city on the Community Work Group interfacing with the Army Corps of Engineers in their Coastal Spine study, and I’ve recently been appointed to the HGAC Transportation Policy Council, the regional group responsible for transportation planning in the Houston region.
Serving on Council effectively is a full-time job, but it’s a labor of love for me. I’m honored to represent almost 9000 of my neighbors on City Council and I look forward to continue doing so in the next term.
I sincerely appreciate your support.
Preserving our heritage
Galveston has been the shining jewel of the Gulf Coast for 180 years. A big part of that allure is our architectural and cultural heritage. We have the largest collection of Victorian-era architecture in Texas, and the Strand boasts more ornate, 19th-century iron-front buildings than any city in America. The Strand Mechanic District and the East End Historic District are National Landmarks, protected by law.
These assets are a large part of the tourists draw to the island. But that’s not why we strive to protect them. We do it because this is our history, this is our heritage. We’ve inherited this beauty from our ancestors and we have an obligation to preserve it for our grandchildren. Once it’s lost, it can never be recovered. All those beautiful homes on Broadway that were demolished in the 60s to make way for pawn shops and car washes are gone forever.
I have an opponent who would simply cast aside these landmarks so that they could be replaced with duplexes and fourplexes under the guise of creating more ‘affordable’ housing. In fact, all that would do is create more short-term rentals. The STR business is a valued part of the Galveston economy, but we don’t want every other house on the island to turn into summer party houses that sit empty through the winter. And we don’t want to lose the beauty and grandeur that grace our neighborhoods and downtown.
In my time on Council we’ve passed the Strand Architectural Features ordinance, designed to keep the Strand Historic District from deteriorating into a cheap t-shirt mall. We’ve passed protections for historic homes. We’ve instituted minimal standards for structures to give the city leverage to reverse blight in our neighborhoods.
I’m a dedicated, and unapologetic preservationist and I’ll continue the fight to preserve and enhance the cultural heritage that makes Galveston such a unique and beautiful part of Texas and the South.
A Galveston for All
More than seven million people come across the Causeway every year to play, relax, attend festivals or board a cruise ship. Those visitors are an essential part of our economy. The festivals alone – Dickens, Mardi Gras & Biker Rally – account for more than $150 million in economic activity annually. Without all those hungry tourists, we’d be a sleepy, happy little beach town with one good restaurant on Postoffice, no 1894 Grand Opera House, no Bryan Museum, an empty Bishop’s Palace, and we’d struggle to find the money to keep the streets paved.
Sometimes we all wish we could go back to those days, but the reality is, we’re a tourist town. We don’t own the beach. It belongs to all the people of Texas, and in high summer it can feel like each and every one of them has come to town. So our task is to manage the problem as best we can. Every decision I make on City Council starts with the question, “How is this good for Galveston?” How will my choices enhance the quality of your lives, whether it’s traffic, noise, stormwater management, garbage collection, or beach maintenance? How can we lever our visitor traffic to help pay for the challenges that come with all that successful tourism?
And Council has delivered. Starting this year, your beach park and port assets will put almost three-quarters of a million dollars into the city’s general fund. This is money that will help improve your parks, your streets, your safety. And this is just the beginning. In three years, that number could be over a million dollars. For the first time ever, we’re making tourism pay.
