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Houston Controller Chris Hollins hosts a town hall on Houston’s budget at BakerRipley Ripley House in Houston, Wednesday, May 7, 2025.<\/p>\n
Yi-Chin Lee\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
City Controller Chris Hollins sent the strongest signal yet on Wednesday that he could launch a challenge against Houston Mayor John Whitmire\u2019s bid for a second term in 2027.<\/p>\n
Hollins, the city\u2019s second-highest-ranking elected official, swiped at Whitmire during remarks at a press event in Dallas, where he appeared with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker as part of Democrats\u2019 pushback against the ongoing midterm Republican National Convention<\/a>.<\/p>\n While much of Hollins\u2019 short speech was aimed at boosting statewide Democratic candidates, including James Talarico and Gina Hinojosa, he named Whitmire, who he has long clashed with over city finances and other issues, on a list of officials he hoped would be soon unseated.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cWe have folks who will do anything that they can to be the lapdog or the doormat of this demented, incompetent tyrant,\u201d Hollins said, referring to President Donald Trump. \u201cWe\u2019re stuck for now, for just a couple more days, with Greg Abbott, with Ken Paxton.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re stuck for a little bit longer with Ted Cruz, with (Dallas Mayor) Eric Johnson, with John Whitmire,\u201d Hollins continued. \u201cBut the day for change is coming.\u201d<\/p>\n Hollins did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday. In a statement, Whitmire called the controller\u2019s remarks \u201csilly politics that I do not have time for.\u201d<\/p>\n The two officials have been at odds since both took office in 2024. From his post as the city\u2019s financial watchdog, Hollins has publicly criticized Whitmire\u2019s actions on the city\u2019s budget woes<\/a> as inadequate short-term fixes. He also opposed a number of mayoral initiatives, including the city\u2019s settlement with firefighters<\/a> and its recent $50 million deal to avoid annexing The Woodlands<\/a>, moves he says significantly raise expenses while cutting off revenue streams.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n READ MORE: Critics warn Mayor John Whitmire’s budget could strain Houston water-sewer system for years to come<\/a><\/p>\n Even so, Hollins\u2019 remarks are a sign that the feud could soon devolve into \u201copen warfare,\u201d said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the harshest and most pointed criticism we\u2019ve seen from Hollins against Whitmire to date,\u201d Rottinghaus said. \u201cThey\u2019ve had an ongoing fracas which tended to be over policy issues, but this has become much more of a political fight.\u201d<\/p>\n Hollins has also accused the city of improperly withholding related documents<\/a> and is investigating a top Whitmire advisor<\/a> after a Houston Chronicle report found he rarely appeared at City Hall.<\/p>\n The mayor, in turn, has frequently accused Hollins of \u201cplaying politics\u201d and initiated a city ethics probe into what Whitmire called a \u201cpay-to-play\u201d scheme<\/a> through sponsorships for a city financial conference. Investigators later closed the case after finding it \u201cnot sustained.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Hollins\u2019 remarks indicate that he may look to consolidate Houston\u2019s liberal base against a mayor who has often leaned on the support of moderate and conservative-leaning voters<\/a>, said Nancy Sims, a political science lecturer at the University of Houston.<\/p>\n