If your summer calendar is filling up with beach trips, pool days and out-of-office replies, apparently you aren’t Houston Mayor John Whitmire.
Former KPRC 2 anchor and podcast host Owen Conflenti asked the mayor whether he planned to take any time off or “slow down” this summer. In reply, the mayor said he won’t be taking any time off.
“No, I won’t be taking a vacation,” Whitmire said. “Also, I have not traveled out of the country, really out of the state, just twice since being elected. I feel like my responsibility is to be here in Houston.”
“Until I feel comfortable that Houston is where I want it to be, where Houstonians want it to be, I’m not going to leave,” Whitmire said. “I’ve got a great team…but it’s my responsibility to be here in Houston to oversee the great team I have in place.”
The mayor said he is always just a phone call away and described the job as something he looks forward to.
“I enjoy my work. I’m seeing the results of hard work and long hours, and I thank Houstonians for giving me this opportunity,” Whitmire said.
Whitmire’s office did not immediately respond to Chron’s request to confirm he does not plan to take a vacation or clarify what benchmarks he wants Houston to meet.
“We went the smallest amount possible using an administrative fee,” Whitmire said.
As part of the conversation, the mayor appeared to signal that there would be no increase to the fee—at least for now.
“It will not increase. It will not become a garbage fee until city council discusses it,” Whitmire said. “We expect better services before we even contemplate any future fee increase.”