Maybe this thread won't get as much traction as a Trump thread, but I've been thinking for a couple months I need a place to talk trash about Mayor Whitmire. Maybe I'm quick to throw him under the bus because I never liked him and didn't vote for him. But I'd say he's done nothing to win me over. I am sure Whitmire's retort to whatever I say next is that we have a significant budget shortfall. And so he's on a mission to eliminate waste and become more efficient. He's done this audit with E&Y and has put on a hiring freeze. Of course, who can complain about greater efficiency, eliminating waste and all that jazz? All mayors should be doing that all the time. Meanwhile, though, the city is going to crap. He has to do both -- make it efficient and not let it all go to crap. My first beef is with trash pickup. Whitmire didn't extend his hiring freeze to fire and police, but it does apply to trash. Of all services the city renders, imo trash pickup is the most important, hands down. Still managing to get trash bins most of the time, is routinely late on recycling pickup, pretty spotty on heavy trash pickup, and forget about tree waste or yard waste pickup -- those two services no longer exist. Getting trash picked up is my most frequent touchpoint with the city, and they suck at it. My second complaint is with the permitting office. They take for freaking ever and businesses lose tons of money waiting on approval of construction plans from the permitting office. Its choking small business. My wife's business did an expansion and we had 6 months grace before paying rent, but it was 10 months before that space could produce revenue because of the permitting office. My church's new building is now a year overdue and still waiting. My friend -- and he's an architect so he has plenty of experience with permitting offices -- gave himself a year to get his permits and it still took another 6 months after that. He says we have too many employees in city government, but both those departments are failing because they don't have enough people. Maybe its just the city is too fat in other departments, or they have the wrong employees. But it's not compelling at all to hear him say he's going to save money while he's not rendering service. If all you have to do to save money is not spend on meeting your obligations, I could be mayor.
Permitting has become a huge problem. We are about to go into our 3rd year of a small expansion. The city has changed the requirements 4 times on us. They are passing requirements faster than we can close the permit. I mentioned in another thread this has also been problematic in the housing sector. A more standardized permitting system can help with home building automation.
There is a growing movement to recall him. Right off the bat he played pp games with a project he previously supported to improve a major road that spans the Heights, using Federal dollars (not ours). He lost me immediately by doing that. Actually he lost me immediately by being an old dinosaur. I'm sick of boomers. I agree, he doesn't care about small business. He's on board with big business (unwanted HWY expansions to help Amazon move freight slightly faster). But seemingly not working to help local businesses. Or the people that actually live in Houston (not Katy). If you don't spend money to take care of your big cities (where the jobs are) they go to ****. America is terrible about this. I also fear Republicans at the state level (have and will continue) to impede and punish cities like Houston. You know, those small government Republicans that took over HISD.
SCREW THESE PEOPLE TRYING TO FIND AN ALTERNATE METHOD OF TRANSPORT OR EVEN EXCERCISE. https://atotb.org/2025/03/27/city-o...ritical-protected-bike-lane-on-austin-street/ Documents obtained through a Texas Public Information Act (TPIA) request reveal that the City of Houston is planning to spend taxpayer money to remove the existing concrete-separated bike lane along Austin Street, stretching from Holman to Pierce.
I thought we were trying to make Americans healthier again. Guess Whitmire is all for putting those who want to ride bikes for exercise and commuting more at risk for becoming roadkill.
That's my biggest beef too. I set out those special yard bags that aren't cheap for yard trimmings that are supposed to get picked up weekly and by the time they finally collect them I have yellow spots on the grass. Then, when it's big trash the neighborhoods look ghetto forever until they finally come around to collect the stuff. I sure hope they get that nonsense fixed before hurricane season or stuff will be flying around and clogging up the gutters.
I made the mistake of voting for Whitmire. I really should of paid more attention and shame on me. I'm disliking his open target on providing alternative modes of transportation.
I've done site developments in the City of Houston and have also worked on capital improvement projects for the City. No matter the client, whether internal or external, the process has always been absolutely miserable. It's crazy to hear that it's gotten even more miserable, it's been a few years since I've worked on an actual City of Houston job.
You want tolls. Feel free to drive from Texas to the state of NY. Cost me 25 bucks each way to see in laws in Buffalo on the NY state thruway, that has been paid for many times over. I understand maintenance but at a minimum the tolls should stay flat, but they keep going up.
We've been spoiled for 40 years going back to his ex sister-in-law. Harris won the ounty, but Hispanic men are breaking Republican and the venom Jackson-Lee was getting as a long-time rep was clearly indicative of some other trend. Whitmire (and his ilk) may be the last line of defense once HPOCs start fielding viable conservative candidates and the "old Three Hundred" and "never forgive Beto" types want a shorter commute.
Texas Legislature might put some regulation on the tollways this year. But given how Harris county has apparently been using toll money to pay for unrelated local improvements, turning off the spigot of toll money might exacerbate budget shortfalls and/or restrict future improvements.
My biggest problem is the horrible infrastructure. I'm not even talking about public transportation. Potholes EVERYWHERE, horribly designed traffic lanes, ridiculous traffic light timing. Drive around in any other city and notice how long the traffic light signals are. Yes, they pile up when it's red but it doesn't matter because, once it turns green, you can be sure you are going to make it through the intersection before it turns red again. Long right and left turn lanes that get you out of the same line with the people going straight. Just common sense traffic control.
