Here’s one with a very clear choice.
Tiffany Thomas
District F residents have two distinct choices in the City Council runoff election — stay the course with an aide to the incumbent councilman or choose a fresh start with a former Alief ISD trustee.
Tiffany D. Thomas, 38, finished in first place in Election Day balloting, ahead of six other candidates. The Prairie A&M University assistant professor of community development said she wants to change F’s reputation as the “forgotten district,” and said the area has lacked a strong advocate in City Hall.
“There’s a huge opportunity for us to revitalize our neighborhoods, and remind people that this is one of the best places to live in Houston,” Thomas said.
Van Huynh, chief of staff to current District F Councilman Steve Le, said his platform centers on reducing burglaries and robberies, ensuring timely trash pickup, improving flood control and cracking down on nuisances like speeding and illegal dumping.
An immigrant from Vietnam who came to Houston in 1991, Huynh said he would work to help the high number of non-U.S. born District F residents connect to government services of which they may be unaware.
“A lot of people living in my district are newcomers to the country and the city,” Huynh said. “They don’t really feel connected to local government, and there is a lot of opportunity the city can bridge with the community.”
The candidates are running for a four-year term to replace Le, who has represented District F since 2016. Le in July announced he would not seek re-election, two months after the Houston Chronicle reported his then-top aide continued to collect his salary while out of state at military training.
My interview with Tiffany Thomas is here. She’s brought a little heat to the runoffs, and she’s got some material to work with. Steve Le was not a good Council member, and the case for a clean break and a new direction is clear. Thomas led the field in round one, and I’m rooting for her to win.