HOUSTON – Houston has several new city council members. For an in-depth breakdown of each member and their background, scroll below. Explore the profiles of these individuals entrusted with guiding the future trajectory of our city.
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Julian Ramirez - At-Large Position 1
Julian Ramirez was a prosecutor with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office for 27 years. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1986 and his Doctor of Jurisprudence in 1989 from the University of Texas at Austin. Ramirez prosecuted thousands of felony cases and tried more than 150 first-chair jury trials for crimes ranging from death penalty capital murders to DWIs. He was promoted to chief felony prosecutor in 1994, managing large dockets of felony cases, and division chief in 2007. Ramirez has overseen multiple felony courts, the public corruption unit, and the civil rights division. He has also handled many gang cases, high-profile matters, and complex investigations. Ramirez has taught various criminal and investigative topics to officers at the Houston Police Academy and prosecutors at the district attorney’s office.
According to Ramirez’s website, he believes Houstonians deserve an “honest, efficient city government to keep us safe from crime, provide a clean, reliable water supply, and maintain our streets for safe travel.”
Willie Davis - At-Large Position 2
Willie Davis is the senior pastor and founder of the MacGregor Palm Community Baptist Church, a Vietnam War veteran and board member at Houston Christian University. Raised in the Third Ward by a single mother in a home with 10 siblings, he is no stranger to hardship. He’s been a minister for three decades and believes in service. One of Davis’ goals is to ensure communities are integrated and not segregated.
“His servitude toward the people of Houston didn’t just start, he has always been involved with community issues, it’s who he is as a person,” Reverend Carl Matthews is quoted saying on Davis’ website.
Twila Carter - At-Large Position 3
As a long-time Houstonian, Twila Carter has a track record of service in the community. For over a decade, Carter has served as Senior Vice President of Community Relations of the Houston Astros and Executive Director of the Astros Foundation. During her tenure, the foundation reportedly raised over $60 million for charities that focus on improving the quality of life in our city. According to Carter’s website, she was raised from humble beginnings, often dependent on welfare as a child, but worked to break the cycle of poverty in her family. She has served as Vice Chair for the Texas Council on Family Violence and Family Time Crisis and Counseling Center. She also serves on the Advisory Board for the Houston Area Women’s Center and is a former Board Member of Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse (AVDA).
Carter says she is committed to fully funding the Houston Police Department. She is the Board Chair for USO Houston and currently serves on the Houston Police Foundation.
Letitia Plummer - Council Member, At-Large Position 4
Letitia Plummer was raised in a multicultural household, an experience that she says has shaped everything she does. She is a graduate of Spelman College and Baylor College of Dentistry. According to the city’s website, Plummer has been recognized by fellow Houstonians with numerous awards, including “Top Professionals on the Fast Track” and “Houston’s Top Dentist.”
As a City of Houston council member, Plummer has worked on several initiatives. During COVID-19, she successfully engaged top Houston chefs to feed seniors and food insecure families across Houston through her ‘Feed the Need Program’ and has continued since. She also introduced comprehensive policing reform as part of Houston’s budget amendments and has continued to be an advocate for criminal justice reform.
Carolyn Evans-Shabazz - District D
Dr. Carolyn Evans-Shabazz is from the city’s historic Third Ward. A graduate of Jack Yates Senior High School, she went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Spelman College. Her educational journey continued at Texas Southern University, where she earned a master’s degree in Psychology and a Ph.D. in Education.
In addition, she has worked in the community to assist underserved and vulnerable residents impacted by Winter Storm Uri and has been recognized by several community-based organizations for her efforts. Evans-Shabazz proposed an Apartment Inspection Reform ordinance to improve the quality of life and habitability of Houston’s tenants.
Mary Nann Huffman - District G
Mary Nan Huffman was sworn in as a council member for District G on Feb. 2, 2022. She graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Political Science degree and attended St. Mary’s University School of Law.
Nan Huffman has served as a prosecutor in the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office for almost 10 years, rising quickly to become the Chief Felony Prosecutor in the Child Exploitation Division and over the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Division. During her time as Chief of Child Exploitation, Nann Huffman prosecuted a wide range of internet-related crimes committed against children. According to the city’s website, her work as a prosecutor of child exploitation cases has earned her a national reputation and is sought after as a special prosecutor for difficult child exploitation prosecutions. Huffman is the President of the Board of Directors for Children’s Safe Harbor, Texas’ seventh-largest children’s advocacy center.
Mario Castillo - District H
Mario Castillo was born and raised in District H. As a city council member, Castillo plans to tackle crime that still plagues parts of the district, utilize TIRZ 21 funds to pay for HPD overtime patrols, install HPD remote monitor stations on public land near crime hotspots, implement a District J Patrol Partnership model in District H and bring back neighborhood storefronts.
Castillo wants to expand access to affordable health care by partnering with the county and Harris Health to put mobile health clinics in areas without easy access to hospitals and medical clinics. He also wants to increase monitoring and penalties for illegal dumping. The new councilman plans to provide neighborhoods with the tools to protect themselves from gentrification through minimum lot size protections and modernize the Chapter 42 Minimum Lot Size Ordinance to include the ability to sign the petition digitally, the ability to submit your vote digitally and bi-lingual workshops for residents in an area where an application has been filed. Sixteen council members, along with the mayor and city controller, are elected every four years.
Council members are limited to serving two terms of four years each, with each term beginning on Jan. 2. Five council members are elected at-large, or city-wide, while the other 11 are elected to geographic districts of roughly the same proportion of the population, the city’s website states.
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