IN THIS EPISODE:
- Texas Senator John Whitmire (D-Houston) said he’s “running scared” in the mayoral race because the chance to be Houston mayor can’t be taken for granted.
- Fit Houston nonprofit has teamed up with the Texas Heart Institute for the East End Fit Fest.
Whitmire says 50-year political experience is not a hinderance
Texas Senator John Whitmire has been called the Dean of the Texas Senate because of his 40 years as a state senator and ten as a state representative. His political opponents have used that experience against him, saying a life long politician is not the right person to be the next Houston mayor.
Whitmire is a guest on this week’s Houston Newsmakers and says his passion for the mayor’s job should not be looked at as the final accomplishment of a long career.
“It’s a continuation of public service that I started at 22 years of age as a University of Houston student knocking on doors because I had passion for helping people,” he said. “It’s that same passion that I had as a young man for public service, but now, I have years of experience and context that can make a difference.”
Whitmire hits on a number of topics, including accusations that his campaign may have been behind the leaked audio of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Houston) berating a staffer, and what he says is the wrong claim that the City of Houston has a $400 million surplus.
“You’ve got to let Houstonians and the city council know what the true picture is. We do not have a $400 million surplus,” he said. “No reasonable person would say we have a surplus. You only have money in the bank because you’re not paying your bills!”
See the full interview on this week’s Houston Newsmakers with Khambrel Marshall.
Fit Houston heads for East End festivities!
The name of the nonprofit organization is Fit Houston. It started its first year last January with a #Walk30 campaign designed to get people to focus on trying to walk for 30 minutes a day. The organization is preparing for next weekend’s East End Fit Houston Fest where the goal is still the same.
“We believe that just 30 minutes of physical activity (or more if you want to do more) every single day of the week will dramatically improve one’s health,” said Lharissa Jacobs, Founder and Executive Director of Fit Houston. “And we know this from the public health data and also from our friends from the Centers for Disease Control.”
Joining Jacobs is the CEO of the Texas Heart Institute, Dr. Joseph Rogers who supports the Fit Houston vision because of the impact even minimal physical activity can have on diseases like diabetes.
“So much of the diabetes we see today is related to being overweight and you know almost 90% of people who have diabetes, they simply can’t make enough insulin based on the size of their bodies,” Rogers said. “So, if we can remain leaner, and this is what draws in the exercise component, if we can remain leaner, there will be less diabetes.”
Find out more about Fit Houston and the East End Fit Houston Fest on this week’s program.
For more information on this week’s Houston Newsmakers
· John Whitmire, (D) Candidate for Houston Mayor
· Website: https://www.johnwhitmire.com/
· Lharissa Jacobs, Founder CEO, Fit Houston
· Website: https://www.fithouston.org/
· Dr. Joseph Rogers, CEO, Texas Heart Institute
· Website: https://www.texasheart.org/