BEGIN:VCALENDAR PRODID:-//github.com/ical-org/ical.net//NONSGML ical.net 5.1.4//EN VERSION:2.0 BEGIN:VEVENT DESCRIPTION:John Whitmire Mayor\, City of Houston Join us at our January 9\ , 2025 lunch to hear "A Year in Review and a Look to the Future"   JOIN V IRTUALLY ---> THURSDAY JAN 9 2025   John Whitmire\, the former Dean of th e Texas Senate\, was sworn into office as Houston's 63rd Mayor on January 2\, 2024. He  has served his community his entire adult life. As a youn g boy\, John worked odd jobs and learned the value of hard work\, even shi ning shoes at a Harrisburg Beer Hall. He also witnessed domestic abuse and moved frequently as a child. When a fire burned down his family home\, th e community wrapped their arms around him\, donating clothes and providing shelter. That lesson in compassion and empathy would guide him as a publi c servant. In his teenage years\, Whitmire settled into a more stable life in Houston with his mother\, a nurse\, and his stepfather\, a social work er. Watching his parents help people as public servants steered John towar ds a career path of service. After graduating from Waltrip High School\, h e soon began working for the Texas “Food Stamp” office\, at the time a nutrition initiative for poor families. The case numbers became people an d families when he was sent out to do house visits. These real-life intera ctions would become the base for how John would analyze and shape policies . At the age of 22\, a chance meeting with his UH professor\, the legendar y Richard Murray\, presented the precocious Whitmire with the chance to ru n for a newly drawn Texas House District. The new single-member district s howed his home\, high school\, church\, and hospital where his mother work ed. “It looks like they drew that one for me\,” Whitmire recalled. And  in that moment\, his journey as a public servant was solidified. Throug hout his career as a State Representative for 10 years and State Senator f or 40\, Whitmire fought tirelessly for district representation across Hous ton. Notably\, he played a key role in establishing the first Latino state senate district in Harris County and has been a staunch advocate for expa nding access to early voting in person and Election Day polling locations in African American and Latino communities. His commitment to LGBTQ+ right s earned him the Harvey Milk Award in 1993 for his efforts against the cri minalization of the Sodomy Law. Whitmire has also been a vocal champion of women's rights\, backed by a 100% voting record. He has worked tirelessly to preserve the DREAM Act\, ensuring undocumented young individuals can access in-state tuition rates. Additionally\, he supported workers' compen sation for injured farm workers and unemployment compensation. In a pivota l moment in his life\, Whitmire and his family were robbed at gunpoint\, a n experience that ultimately led to his chairmanship of the Criminal Justi ce Committee and his fight for public safety. As a long-serving chair of t he Texas Department of Criminal Justice\, Whitmire has demonstrated his ab ility to strike a balance between being tough on crime and being smart on crime by implementing intelligent reforms. He authored the Sandra Bland Ac t\, addressing law enforcement training\, jail resources\, and support for individuals with mental illness\, substance abuse\, or intellectual diffe rences. He also spearheaded grand jury reform\, eliminating the "pick a pa l" system and promoting diversity in panel selection. Additionally\, he su ccessfully led efforts to decriminalize school behavior and expunged tho usands of class C misdemeanors from the records of young Texans. When call ed on by the people of Houston to run for mayor\, Whitmire eagerly accepte d the challenge because he believes in answering the call wherever it lead s. With a wealth of experience working alongside nine mayors and seven gov ernors\, he possesses invaluable knowledge in public safety\, infrastructu re\, and effective problem-solving. John Whitmire's extraordinary life exp eriences\, unwavering dedication\, and a proven track record in getting th ings done make him a true public servant committed to the well-being of Ho ustonians. DTEND:20250109T190000Z DTSTAMP:20261024T194834Z DTSTART:20250109T174500Z LOCATION:Tony’s Restaurant SEQUENCE:1 SUMMARY:Mayor John Whitmire UID:cc1fcce1-853c-4cb3-b216-009022b10194 X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

John Whitmire

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Mayor\, City of Houston< /strong>

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Join us at our January 9\, 202 5 lunch to hear

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"\;A Year in Review and a Look to the Future"\;

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 \;

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JOIN VI RTUALLY --->\; THURSDAY JAN 9 2025< /span>

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 \;

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John Whitmi re\, the former Dean of the Texas Senate\, was sworn into office as Housto n'\;s 63rd Mayor on January 2\, 2024. \;He \; has \;< /span>served hi s community his entire adult life.

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As a young boy\, John worked odd jobs and learned the value of hard work\, even shining shoes at a Harr isburg Beer Hall. He also witnessed domestic abuse and moved frequently as a child.

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When a fire burned down his family home\, the communit y wrapped their arms around him\, donating clothes and providing shelter. That lesson in compassion and empathy would guide him as a public servant.

\n\n

In his teenage years\, Whitmire settled into a more stable life in Houston with his mother\, a nurse\, and his stepfather\, a social work er. Watching his parents help people as public servants steered John towar ds a career path of service.

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After graduating from Waltrip High School\, he soon began working for the Texas &ldquo\;Food Stamp&rdquo\; of fice\, at the time a nutrition initiative for poor families. The case numb ers became people and families when he was sent out to do house visits. Th ese real-life interactions would become the base for how John would analyz e and shape policies.

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At the age of 22\, a chance meeting with h is UH professor\, the legendary Richard Murray\, presented the precocious Whitmire with the chance to run for a newly drawn Texas House District. Th e new single-member district showed his home\, high school\, church\, and hospital where his mother worked.

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&ldquo\;It looks like they dre w that one for me\,&rdquo\; Whitmire recalled. And \;in \;that momen t\, his journey as a public servant was solidified.

\n\n< p class="s3" style="margin-top: 5px\; margin-bottom: 5px\; line-height: 1. 2\; caret-color: rgb(0\, 0\, 0)\; color: rgb(0\, 0\, 0)\; font-size: 18px\ ;">Throughout h is career as a State Representative for 10 years and State Senator for 40\ , Whitmire fought tirelessly for district representation across Houston. N otably\, he played a key role in establishing the first Latino state senat e district in Harris County and has been a staunch advocate for expanding access to early voting in person and Election Day polling locations in Afr ican American and Latino communities. His commitment to LGBTQ+ rights earn ed him the Harvey Milk Award in 1993 for his efforts against the criminali zation of the Sodomy Law. Whitmire has also been a vocal champion of women '\;s rights\, backed by a 100% voting record. He has worked tirelessly to preserve the DREAM Act\, ensuring undocumented young \;individuals c an access in-state tuition rates. Additionally\, he supported workers'\ ; compensation for injured farm workers and unemployment compensation.

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In a pivotal moment in his life\, Whitmire and his family were robb ed at gunpoint\, an experience that ultimately led to his chairmanship of the Criminal Justice Committee and his fight for public safety.

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As a long-serving chair of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice\, Whit mire has demonstrated his ability to strike a balance between being tough on crime and being smart on crime by implementing intelligent reforms. He authored the Sandra Bland Act\, addressing law enforcement training\, jail resources\, and support for individuals with mental illness\, substance a buse\, or intellectual differences. He also spearheaded grand jury reform\ , eliminating the "\;pick a pal"\; system and promoting diversity in panel selection. Additionally\, he successfully \;led< span class="s2" style="line-height: 14.4px\; font-size: 12px\; font-family : "\;Open Sans"\;\; color: rgb(34\, 34\, 34)\;"> \;efforts t o decriminalize school behavior and expunged thousands of class C misdemea nors from the records of young Texans.

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When called on by the peo ple of Houston to run for mayor\, Whitmire eagerly accepted the challenge because he believes in answering the call wherever it leads. With a wealth of experience working alongside nine mayors and seven governors\, he poss esses invaluable knowledge in public safety\, infrastructure\, and effecti ve problem-solving.

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John Whitmire'\;s extraordinary life expe riences\, unwavering dedication\, and a proven track record in getting thi ngs done make him a true public servant committed to the well-being of Hou stonians.

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