Long term Texas state Senator John Whitmire is officially throwing his hat in the ring as a candidate for mayor of Houston.
"We need state resources on our infrastructure, our water supply, our public safety. I will bring Austin and Houston leadership to work together. And with the County. The County and the City are going to have to work closer together," Whitmore told a gathering at Minute Maid.
John Whitmore has represented District 15 in North Houston since 1983. Prior to that Whitmire served in the state house from 1973 through 1982.
Whitmire paid his way through the University of Houston working for the Texas State Welfare Department interviewing food stamp recipients while getting a degree in political science.
The well-connected politician has already attracted strong backing.
"I support John Whitmire for mayor," proclaimed Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia.
The uniformed civilian services are also backing Whitmire. "There's a person in this room that I believe will make those hard decisions, and work, in THIS city, in THIS city, we're going to support our law enforcement. In THIS city we're going to support our firefighters.
Mayor Sylvester terms out of office in November. Whitmire has been a longtime advocate of public safety.
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