HOUSTON – KPRC 2′s Mario Diaz interviewed State Sen. John Whitmire on Sunday, after he was elected to be Houston’s new mayor in a runoff against U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee.
He has represented the city for 50 years and said his highest priority will be public safety.
“If we don’t address that. Nothing else matters,” Whitmire said.
He said that others at City Hall need to recognize there is a public safety problem, and he discussed what changes he would implement.
“I will speak out. First of all, we will increase HPD officers. We will collaborate with the other departments. When it comes to the areas I do not have jurisdiction over, the courts, we will speak out. Houstonians elect those judges. By far, we’re the largest bloc of votes in the county,” Whitmire said.
Related: Democrat John Whitmire elected Houston mayor, defeating congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee
He compared Houston to being a region, and he wants to focus on crime in the city and in the areas nearby as well.
“I want them to know if they’re in Houston and they do a crime, we’re coming after you violent repeat offenders, fugitives, (and) fugitives that are charged with murder or capital murder. We need to be aggressive, and we’ll do that from day one,” Whitmire said.
Diaz also asked Whitmire if he believed he won because people wanted to vote against Jackson Lee and because they wanted to vote against Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and his administration.
“Probably, a little of all of the above. I have a strong record of 50 years of public service,” Whitmire said.
He also said he does not have time to waste and will rely on his team to ensure his first 100 days in office go smoothly.
“I’m going to have a great team. I have a lot of experience. I’m going to reach out to Houstonians, those that were for me and some that were opposed to me. We’re going to sit down and work things out. We’re going to have proposals,” Whitmire said.