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John Harris Whitmire (born August 13, 1949) is an American attorney and politician who has served as the 63rd mayor of
Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
, since 2024. Whitmire was previously a Democratic member of the
Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. There are no Term limits in the United States, term limits. The ...
from 1973 until 1983, and the
Texas State Senate The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature, with the Texas House of Representatives functioning as the lower house. Together, they form the state legislature of the state of Texas. The Senate is made up of 31 members, where eac ...
from 1983 to 2023. In the state senate, he represented District 15, which included much of northern Houston. In November 2021, Whitmire announced his candidacy for mayor of Houston in the 2023 election. In November 2023, he advanced to a runoff with Representative
Sheila Jackson Lee Sheila Jackson Lee ( Jackson; January 12, 1950 – July 19, 2024) was an American lawyer and politician who was the U.S. representative for , from 1995 until her death in 2024. The district includes most of central Houston. She was a member of ...
. He won the runoff in a landslide on December 9, 2023.


Early life and education

Whitmire was born in
Hillsboro, Texas Hillsboro is a city in and the county seat of Hill County, Texas, United States. It is located between Dallas, Fort Worth and Waco, directly on Interstate 35 in North Central Texas. Hillsboro draws trade from throughout the county, and from Inte ...
, north of Waco, to James Madison Whitmire, the Hill County clerk, and the former Ruth Marie Harris, a nurse. His parents divorced when he was seven years old, and the family moved several times, facing difficult financial circumstances. In his early teenage years, he moved to North Houston and attended Waltrip High School. Whitmire attended college at the
University of Houston The University of Houston (; ) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas, United States. It was established in 1927 as Houston Junior College, a coeducational institution and one of multiple junior colleges formed in ...
to study political science while paying for his education by working for the Texas State Welfare Department, where he interviewed food stamp recipients for compliance.


Texas House of Representatives (1973–1983)

Under pressure from the Federal courts, the 1971 legislature drew up Texas's first single-member district plan for the House of Representatives. Whitmire's political science professor Richard Murray was the one to inspire him to run for office as he illustrated the newly drawn district lines that encompassed Whitmire's neighborhood. Whitmire won the primary following a runoff election and easily defeated his Republican opponent. His father provided him with a $5,000 loan for his campaign funds. Whitmire served in the Texas House with colleagues Gene Green, Craig Washington, and Mickey Leland and eventually finished his undergraduate degree. In his early years, he was not seen as a particularly influential legislator, and he was criticized by ''Texas Monthly'' magazine for his low impact. He began his law studies at the Bates College of Law (now the
University of Houston Law Center The University of Houston Law Center is the Law school in the United States, law school of the University of Houston in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1947, the Law Center is one of 12 colleges of the University of Houston, a state university. It is ...
), then passed the bar in 1981 while still serving in the House. He did not graduate, as state law at the time allowed legislators entrance to the bar without a full J.D.


Texas Senate (1983–2023)

In 1982, Senator Jack Ogg vacated his seat to pursue the Attorney General position. Whitmire captured the Senate District 15 seat, taking office in 1983. Whitmire won reelection to the state Senate in the
general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...
held on November 6, 2018. With 152,728 votes (65.2 percent), he defeated the Republican candidate, Randy Orr, who polled 75,423 (32.2 percent). Another 6,266 votes (2.7 percent) went to the
Libertarian Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...
choice, Gilberto "Gil" Velasquez Jr. He resigned effectively from the State Senate on December 31, 2023, after his election as Mayor of Houston. Whitmire served as the acting governor of Texas for a single day in 1993 as part of the "Governor for a Day" tradition.


Criminal justice

In 1993, Whitmire was appointed by Lieutenant Governor Bob Bullock as Chair of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, where he oversaw reforms to the penal code and increased construction of prisons, to a generally favorable reception. Whitmire remained the chair as of the eighty-seventh Texas Legislature.


Freeing the Tulia 13

Whitmire passed legislation to free the Texans who were imprisoned as a result of the Tulia drug raid. That incident resulted in the conviction of 38 Texans based on the testimony of one individual who has since been indicted and arrested for perjury. The legislation allowed the judge to release the prisoners on bond pending the decision of the Court of Criminal Appeals. On June 10, 2003, the Tulia defendants were freed on bond as provided for in Whitmire's legislation. They were later pardoned by the Governor.


End to special last meals

Whitmire was angered by convicted murderer Lawrence Russell Brewer's refusal to eat the expensive last meal he ordered prior to his September 21, 2011, execution. Whitmire said that this was Brewer's attempt to "make a mockery out of the process." The senator contacted the
Texas Department of Criminal Justice The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is a department of the government of the U.S. state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails ...
and asked the agency to end the practice of last meal requests or he would get the State Legislature to pass a bill doing so. The agency replied that last meal requests were accommodated "within reason" from food available in the prison kitchen, but it agreed to end the practice immediately at Whitmire's insistence.


A/C in prisons

In 2011, Whitmire responded to questions about the lack of air conditioning in prisons by saying: "You know, we can talk about this all day, it's not gonna change. The prisons are hot. They're uncomfortable. And the real solution is, don't commit a crime and you stay at home and be cool. We're not gonna air condition them. One, we don't want to. Number two, we couldn't afford it if we wanted to." Whitmire's quote was featured in a 2021 segment on ''
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver ''Last Week Tonight with John Oliver'' (often abridged as ''Last Week Tonight'') is an American news satire late-night talk show hosted by comedian John Oliver. The half-hour-long show premiered in the end of April 2014 on HBO and currently has ...
'' criticizing Texas for not air conditioning its prisons, exacerbating medical conditions and even causing the deaths of some prisoners. Heat has killed numerous prisoners and cost Texas taxpayers millions of dollars in wrongful death suits brought by victims' families.


Redistricting

In 2003, Whitmire was one of the "Texas Eleven", a group of Democrats who fled the state for
New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
in 2003 in a quorum-busting effort aimed at preventing the passage of
redistricting Redistricting in the United States is the process of drawing electoral district boundaries. For the United States House of Representatives, and state legislatures, redistricting occurs after each ten-year census. The U.S. Constitution in Art ...
legislation that would have benefited Texas Republicans. He ultimately returned to the legislature, creating a quorum and undoing the efforts of the rest of the Texas Eleven.


Ethics

During the 1990s, Whitmire was the subject of several controversies related to potential conflicts of interest with clients and employers stemming from his position on the Senate Criminal Justice Committee. In 1993, weeks after passing a bill benefitting the Houston Firefighters' Relief and Retirement Fund, Whitmire was hired by the Fund as a Washington, D.C. lobbyist. The Fund allowed the contract to expire following public scrutiny. In 1995, Whitmire came under investigation by the Harris County district attorney's office for taking a job with a state agency whose funding he oversaw via the Senate Criminal Justice Committee. The district attorney eventually cleared him of wrongdoing. Whitmire also came under criticism from watchdog groups and colleagues for hiring a friend as a consultant to the Criminal Justice Committee. From 2013 to 2016, Whitmire received $25,000 from PACs and executives affiliated with
GEO Group The GEO Group, Inc. (GEO) is a publicly traded C corporation headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, that invests in private prisons and mental health facilities in the United States, Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. The company ...
,
CoreCivic CoreCivic, Inc. formerly the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), is a company that owns and manages private prisons and detention centers and operates others on a concession basis. Co-founded in 1983 in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas W. B ...
, and Correct Care Solutions, a for-profit prison health services company. He received contributions while chairing the Texas Senate Criminal Justice Committee which determines the outcome of bills related to TDCJ, prison conditions, and programs that would further privatize the prison system. He was amongst the top 5 recipients of private prison money, other recipients included Gov. Greg Abbott and the Senate Republican Caucus.


Mayor of Houston (2024–present)


2023 election

In November 2021, Whitmire announced his candidacy in the 2023 Houston mayoral election to succeed term-limited Mayor Sylvester Turner. He first considered a mayoral bid in the 1990s and was encouraged by Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo to run in the 2023 race. Though being a crowded field, ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' described the race as a '' de facto'' two-person contest between Whitmire and U.S. Representative
Sheila Jackson Lee Sheila Jackson Lee ( Jackson; January 12, 1950 – July 19, 2024) was an American lawyer and politician who was the U.S. representative for , from 1995 until her death in 2024. The district includes most of central Houston. She was a member of ...
. Both are Democrats and long-time fixtures in Houston politics. His campaign focused on public safety with a pledge to bring 200 troopers from the Texas Department of Public Safety to assist the Houston Police Department. With a
moderate Moderate is an ideological category which entails centrist views on a liberal-conservative spectrum. It may also designate a rejection of radical or extreme views, especially in regard to politics and religion. Political position Canad ...
message, Whitmire positioned himself to appeal to centrist and Republican voters, while Jackson Lee was considered the more progressive candidate. Whitmire held a fundraising advantage over Jackson Lee, raising over twice as much as she did between July and late September 2023; he outspent her five-to-one in the same time period. In the general election, Whitmire received about 43% of the vote, with Jackson Lee receiving 36%. With both candidates below the 50% plus one threshold, a runoff was held between Whitmire and Jackson Lee on December 9, 2023. He was projected to be the winner following a commanding early lead.


Tenure

Whitmire took office as mayor on January 1, 2024. Sworn in at the age of 74, he became the oldest mayor of Houston in over a century.


Personnel

Early on in his mayorship, Whitmire ordered personnel changes for the city, including new appointments of several department heads, such as the finance department, planning department, neighborhoods department, airport system, and Metro and transportation planning authority. In his first 100 days in office, Whitmire appointed seven department heads, which is about a one-third turnover in the city's leadership. As of June 3, 2024, about 12 department heads and senior officials had resigned or left Whitmire's administration, including Chief Recovery Officer Stephen Costello, who has been referred to as Houston's "flood czar". This has raised uncertainty over the future of the city's policies.


Public safety

Since 2016, the Houston Police Department has suspended 264,000 criminal cases due to lack of personnel. In March 2024, Whitmire introduced a five-person committee to investigate the case suspensions. The situation has been considered a scandal and resulted in the abrupt May 2024 resignation of Interim Police Chief Troy Finner, whom Whitmire has temporarily replaced with Larry Satterwhite. HPD had 342 fewer officers in April 2023 then it had 25 years before then. There is now a group of 100 investigators assigned to review the suspended reports. On June 11, 2024, Whitmire said the report of the committee he delegated to investigate the matter would be released the next week. In August 2024, Whitmire called for changing state law to permit younger police recruits to address officer shortage.


Budget and firefighter deal

Whitmire has proposed a $1.5 billion deal to end the eight-year-old stalemate between the city and the fire fighter's union. The deal includes $650 million in backpay and a 10% raise in 2024, with the possibility of another 6% increase over the proceeding four years. Upon entering office, the City of Houston had a $160 million budget shortfall. Whitmire has said he has intentions to propose an increase in the property tax cap, which would need voter approval. Increasing the cap would mean on a $15 increase in property taxes per month (or $180 a year) for the average tax payer. Whitmire proposed a $6.7 billion budget for the 2025 fiscal year, a 7% increase from the year before. Despite speculation, the proposal did not have an increase in property taxes or fees; instead, remaining federal funds for the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
will be used to close the deficit. About $1.7 billion of the budget goes to public safety efforts, with the Houston Police Department taking roughly 15% of the budget, a 3.6% increase from the prior year. The proposal would include 200 more police officers and about 100 more full-time employees for the fire department.


2024 storm response and relationship with Lina Hidalgo

In April 2024, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo reported to the media that she and Whitmire had not met despite her attempts to reach out to Whitmire and his office several times. Whitmire's office confirmed that he had not met with Hidalgo and stated Whitmire "doesn't have time for games or meet and greets." Hidalgo said the lack of communication could damage cooperation between Harris County and the City of Houston in coordinating hurricane preparation. Whitmire said he had met with several county commissioners on hurricane preparedness and indicated he would meet with Hidalgo when appropriate. In May 2024, a severe storm effected the Houston area causing seven deaths and nearly a million to lose electricity. Whitmire and Hidalgo held a joint press conference. However, they exchanged passive aggressive remarks during the conference. When Whitmire tried to allow Lesley Briones, a commissioner for Harris County precinct 4, to speak, Hidalgo cut him off saying she had promised that she would repeat her remarks in Spanish after Whitmire was done speaking and that she "didn't feel comfortable giving special treatment" to Briones. Whitmire then said "I'm glad I made the approval list," and Hidalgo retorted, "Mayor, this is a disaster. This is not the time." Similarly, Hidalgo cut him off when he tried to allow Representative Jolanda Jones to speak. The two then released separate news releases and held separate press conferences. In June 2024, Whitmire came under scrutiny following a
Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
comment he made under a post by Hidalgo showing her and her fiancé at their bridal shower. Whitmire wrote, in reference to her fiancé, "Wonderful. He sure looks like a nerd." The comment was subsequently deleted. Hidalgo described the comment as "cruel". A spokesperson for Whitmire stated, "Whitmire was having a lighthearted moment and meant no harm."


Infrastructure

In December 2023, Houston Public Works and City Council District H completed the installation of safety improvements along Houston Avenue, south of Washington Avenue. These improvements included the construction of a center median with turn lanes and pedestrian refuge island, and reduction of the road from five lanes to four lanes. This sparked controversy amongst residents, most notably, Trinity Lutheran Church located in Downtown Houston. The cost of the project was $100,000. As one of his first actions as Mayor, Whitmire ordered Houston Public Works to remove the safety improvements and return Houston Avenue to five lanes. Houston Public Works spent $230,000 to reverse the safety improvements and an additional $500,000 to repave the road. Following the Houston Avenue fiasco, Whitmire announced a hold on several mobility improvement projects until further review can be completed. This includes drainage, mobility, and pedestrian improvements to Montrose Boulevard, mobility improvements to Westheimer Road, mobility improvements to Alabama Street, and drainage, mobility, and pedestrian safety improvements to Shepherd and Durham Drives in the Heights. In March 2025, Whitmire's office directed additional safety infrastructure removals, including the removal of physical barriers separating bike lanes from car lanes on Heights Blvd south of Interstate 10, as well as a raised crosswalk across Westheimer Rd near Montrose Blvd. One week later, he also directed the city to remove the $2 million bi-directional bike lane on Austin St. in Midtown, planning to replace it with a single direction
shared lane marking A shared lane marking, shared-lane marking, or sharrow is a street marking installed by various jurisdictions worldwide in an attempt to make cycling safer. Description These markings are used in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Spain, the Unit ...
(mixed with car traffic). The office stated that this was in response to community comment, however no public comment hearing was held.


Personal life

Whitmire was previously married to Rebecca "Becki" Dalby. Whitmire's brother, James M. (Jim) Whitmire, was married from 1970 until his death in 1976 to Kathy (née Niederhofer) Whitmire, who was mayor of Houston from 1982 to 1992.


Electoral history


Notes


References


External links


Profile
at the
Texas Senate The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature, with the Texas House of Representatives functioning as the lower house. Together, they form the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the state of Texas. The Senate ...

Campaign websiteProject Vote Smart - Senator John Whitmire (TX)
profile *''Follow the Money'' - John Whitmire
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, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Whitmire, John 1949 births Living people Baptists from Texas Democratic Party members of the Texas House of Representatives Democratic Party Texas state senators Mayors of Houston People from Hillsboro, Texas People from Whitney, Texas University of Houston Law Center alumni 21st-century mayors of places in Texas 21st-century members of the Texas Legislature 20th-century members of the Texas Legislature