“Aubrey R. Taylor Communications, the publisher of Your Thought Matters Newspaper is currently asking leaders from across the state of Texas to give us an inside look at how they go about selecting the best candidate in an election. We are also asking these leaders to share their thoughts on a few of the characteristics they look for in a leader. Below are thoughts shared by Mayor Annise D. Parker of Houston, Texas. She is the first person in Houston's history to hold the offices of council member, controller and mayor. She is currently serving her second term in office and will be on the 2013 Mayoral ballot on Tuesday, November 5th, seeking voter approval to serve her third and final term and mayor of Houston.” –
Aubrey R. Taylor Publisher
Mayor Annise Parker has spent many years in service to the people of Houston, with six years as a City Council member and six years as City Controller. She is the first person in Houston's history to hold the offices of council member, controller and mayor. This is her second term as mayor; and she is seeking re-election to a third in the 2013 Mayoral Election to be held on Tuesday, November 5, 2013 in the City of Houston. Don't forget to vote!
Mayor Annise Parker and her life partner Kathy Hubbard have been together for more than 20 years and are advocates for adoption, with two adopted daughters and a son. |
Mayor Annise Parker Shares A Few Thoughts On How She Goes About Identifying the best Candidate In An Election
AUBREY R. TAYLOR: “As a voter, how do you go about selecting the person who is the best candidate in any given election? And what are a few of the characteristics you look for in a leader?”
MAYOR ANNISE PARKER: “It is wrong to run for office just to be in politics; elected officeholders should want to work toward change that will improve the lives of those they represent. I have often said that my job is the best job available because I have the opportunity everyday to truly impact our great city and its residents for the better. When I am personally deciding which candidates to support in an election, obviously, I look for someone who shares my views and positions on the issues. I also look for someone who is passionate, exhibits leadership qualities and is motivated to serve.
Leadership is not simply taking the reigns and getting the job done. A leader also has to be willing to listen to different points of view, flexible enough to change course when the original path proves unworkable or will create an undesirable outcome. And a leader must be willing to compromise. They need to be genuinely concerned about their constituents, and about improving the area they will represent. Ultimately, however, a leader needs to be able to generate consensus through a cooperative approach and stand strong even when the final decision may not be politically popular.”
Annise Parker
The 61st Mayor of Houston, Texas
Here's A Little About Mayor Annise Parker
Mayor Parker is Houston’s 61st mayor and one of only two women to hold the City’s highest elected office. As the City's chief executive officer, she is responsible for all aspects of the general management of the City and for enforcement of all laws and ordinances.
Parker has spent many years in service to the people of Houston, with six years as a City Council member and six years as City Controller. She is the only person in Houston history to hold the offices of council member, controller and mayor. This is her second term as mayor.
Parker’s accomplishments as mayor include job growth far exceeding the number of jobs lost during the recession, resulting in Houston being named the job growth capital of the nation. In addition, she bucked the trend of most other major U.S. cities by balancing three city budgets during the tough economic times without raising taxes or having to eliminate police or firefighter jobs.
The mayor’s tenure also includes passage and implementation of Rebuild Houston, a pay-as-you-go comprehensive street and drainage improvement program that will provide jobs for Houstonians for years to come; voter approval of a $410 public improvement bond program; creation of an independent organization to oversee the City’s crime lab operations; a unique sobering center for public intoxication cases; adoption of a long-term financial plan that ensures the stability of the City’s water department and reorganization of City departments to achieve cost savings and more efficient operations. She created a new City department focused on the needs of neighborhoods and the Office of Business Opportunity to help minority and women-owned small business enterprises compete for City contracts. Additionally, she won City Council approval of a Historic Preservation Ordinance that, for the first time, provides real protection for historic properties in City-designated historic districts and she issued one of the most comprehensive non-discrimination orders in the nation.
Fast Company magazine selected Houston as City of the Year for 2011 and in 2010, Time magazine named Mayor Parker one the 100 most influential people in the world. She has also been the recipient of numerous awards during her career, including the 2011 Guardian of the Bay Award from the Galveston Bay Foundation, Scenic Houston’s 2010 Scenic Visionary Award and the 2010 Guardian of the Human Spirit Award from the Holocaust Museum Houston.
In addition to her duties as mayor, Parker is an active member of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, serves as a member of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary’s Advisory Council and on the boards of the Texas Environmental Research Consortium and Houston Galveston Area Council. She is an advisory board member of the Holocaust Museum, Center for Houston’s Future and Montrose Center.
Mayor Parker is a second generation native Houstonian. She graduated from Rice University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. In the private sector, Parker spent 20 years working in the oil and gas industry, including 18 years with Mosbacher Energy Company. She also co-owned a retail bookstore for 10 years.
Parker and her life partner Kathy Hubbard have been together for more than 20 years and are advocates for adoption, with two adopted daughters and a son.
