The Chron makes a strong endorsement of Chris Hollins for Houston City Controller.
Chris Hollins
Overseeing Harris County’s vote during one of the most contentious presidential elections in American history, smack dab in the middle of a raging pandemic, Hollins led a massive expansion of early voting sites on top of his innovative 24-hour and drive-thru options. One night, Houston rapper Bun B performed and people were encouraged to tune their car radios to the show and then go across the street and vote.
“Anything you can do to drum up excitement,” said Hollins.
Of course, all that excitement earned Hollins negative attention, too. Though he had reviewed practices in other states, scoured the Texas election code and even worked with the Texas Secretary of State for approval, Harris County became a target of Republicans alleging unfair voting practices. At one point, it seemed possible the state might throw out some 120,000 ballots cast using drive-thru voting. While Hollins’ plans to send out mail-in ballots to all registered voters were blocked by the state Supreme Court, the validity of the drive-thru ballots was upheld.
By the time Hollins announced his bid in early 2023 to become Houston’s next mayor, his reputation as an innovative thinker and dynamic communicator was cemented and excitement built for a young, energetic leader to represent our diverse city. Yet, when Sheila Jackson Lee, a well-known veteran Black congresswoman, entered the mayor’s race, Hollins, who had never been elected to public office, saw the writing on the wall and set his sights on another local office: city controller.
Controller, which might seem like a glorified accountant since it carries no real policymaking power, is actually a vital watchdog position responsible for auditing city departments, sounding the alarm over city finance concerns and otherwise serving as a check on the mayor and councilmembers who directly control purse strings. We think this arrangement works best when the controller’s fiscal philosophy foils that of mayor. The controller also manages the city’s investments and processes its payments.
Hollins promises to inject the same kind of energy and public-facing purpose to the controller’s office that he did as clerk. While his financial acumen appears solid — in addition to his business degree, he’s worked as a management consultant with McKinsey & Company helping governments write billion-dollar budgets — his communication skills seem his strongest attribute.
Put simply, a controller’s true influence over the city’s budget challenges and overall financial health is only as strong as his ability to, well, put things simply. It’s not enough to warn taxpayers about an impending “fiscal cliff” or “structural deficit.” You have to be able to explain what those terms mean. And hopefully, make Houstonians care.
We want someone to invigorate the controller’s office in the same way Hollins took what he called a “sleepy, restrained agency” and transformed it into a “champion for democracy” as county clerk.
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As the mayor’s race seems to be zeroing in on the familiar talking points of crime, potholes and trash, it’s tempting to imagine what Hollins could have brought to the table had he the needed experience and backing.
“People say, ‘I want better roads. I want to be safe,’ and people should be safe and people should have better roads but if we would’ve sent out a poll when I was county clerk, zero responses would’ve said I want drive-thru voting, zero responses would’ve said I want 24-hour voting,” said Hollins. “We had to take a step back, understanding the underlying need, which was access and then take a look at what options were available to us.”
That’s the kind of thinking we want at the city.
Like I said, a strong endorsement. They had some nice things to say about Dave Martin, though they dinged him for a housing project he supported that they say wasn’t worth the cost. They said a few anodyne things about Orlando Sanchez, and they noted that Shannan Nobles didn’t get back to them about being interviewed. (I can relate.) My interview with Chris Hollins is here, my interview with Dave Martin is here, and you should go read the rest.