HOUSTON – A campaign filing Wednesday marked Dwight Boykins' official run for Houston mayor.
Boykins, a Houston City Council member, has been critical of Houston's current mayor, Sylvester Turner, in the past. On Houston Newsmakers with Khambrel Marshall, Boykins said Turner would rather lay off firefighters and city employees than find a workable plan to fund firefighters pay.
There was a tense exchange during a council meeting Wednesday morning:
“Be respectful. I’m going to be respectful to you in whatever you say because I respect Sylvester Turner," Boykins said.
“I’m the mayor. My name is...” Turner replied
“The mayor,” Boykins said.
“Thank you,” Turner said.
“The CEO,” Boykins added.
“And you are really pushing it. Be careful,” Turner warned.
“What have you done to me mayor?” Boykins asked.
“You are really pushing it,” Turner said.
When asked about Wednesday’s council session, Turner was dismissive.
“We’ll look forward to see who replaces him in Dist D. Anything else?” Turner said.
On Sunday, KPRC found the website, www.dwightboykinsformayor.com. It shows an animation of a man and woman embracing in the background, with the words "Dwight Boykins: The change Houston needs" in the foreground.
In addition to Boykins, Turner, attorney Tony Buzbee, and former Kemah mayor and businessman Bill King are all vying for the mayoral seat.
University of Houston political scientist Richard Murray said Boykins could divide the mayor’s base, African American voters, and that all three challengers are formidable.
“This is the first time we’ve had a four-year-term mayor coming up for reelection. But, normally, a mayor that’s in pretty good shape politically does not draw strong opponents the first time they’re up for reelection,” Murray said.
Boykins' offical announcement could come this upcoming weekend, according to sources.
Meantime, Murray said he expects the field of candidates to become even more crowded before the election in November.