A MAYOR SAYS GOODBYE
Annise Parker’s time as mayor saw our city go through an unprecedented transformation. With the citywide elections taking place tomorrow signalling the beginning of the end of her administration, we asked Annise Parker to reflect and share any parting words for the City of Houston.
Parker’s office on the third floor of City Hall looks nothing like you would expect judging from the exterior of the Art Deco masterpiece on Bagby Street — or even her own lobby.
It is spacious but cozy; filled with the memorabilia of a woman who for the past six years has led a city through hurricanes, tragedies, biblical floods, controversial policies, economic disaster — the list goes on and on — and brought us out better on the other side. …show more content…
Parker says that though Houston had been under the radar lately, that perception is no more, “Houston didn’t suddenly become cool when I became mayor,” she says, “People just started to pay attention.”
About 200 people move to the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown area everyday, bringing diverse people together from across the world and expanding our city’s already flourishing cosmopolitan cultural scene.
“My campaign brought overwhelming worldwide media coverage.” Parker says this renaissance has come from the media attention brought to Houston from the steady economy, quality of living — and her election, “and I used it to talk about Houston.”
Becoming mayor didn’t come as a shock to Parker. As a former city councilwoman and controller, she sees herself as the most experienced mayor Houston has had.
“Experience makes a big difference,” she says, “there’s a very steep learning curve.”
Of course, being a native Houstonian couldn’t have hurt either. “I’m proud to be a native Houstonian, but it’s really about loving the city and I don’t think you have to be a native to do