In an interview with Invest:, Mayor John Whitmire outlined Houston’s growth, driven by TMC³, Chevron’s relocation, and port expansion. “We’ve been discovered,” he noted, citing the city’s diverse economy. Key priorities include public safety, streamlined governance, and infrastructure upgrades. With the 2026 World Cup ahead, Whitmire aims to make Houston more livable, inclusive, and globally competitive.
What major changes have shaped Houston’s economy and business landscape over the past year?
TMC³ is expanding our Medical Center significantly, and that’s attracting international traffic to Houston. Chevron relocated its U.S. headquarters downtown, which is huge; they’ve always had a presence, but this is different. We’re also growing our port, and more companies are coming in.
What’s exciting is that these developments aren’t just going to the suburbs. Houston proper is benefiting, and we’re focused on making sure people can live here, not just commute. Around 700,000 people travel to Houston daily from surrounding areas. Our challenge is making Houston not only a place to work, but a place where people want to stay and live.
What makes Houston a strong business market today, and how is the city positioning itself for future investment?
We’ve been discovered. Our diversity, job market, and broad industrial base — including energy, the Port of Houston, the Medical Center, and NASA — make us attractive. TSU has a growing pilot school at Ellington Field. Everything is moving in the right direction.
Our top priority is safety. We’re investing heavily in police and fire services, and we recently signed the first firefighter contract in eight years. We’ve also improved police pay and benefits to support recruitment and retention. Public safety leads everything else.
We’re also tackling infrastructure. Our streets, drainage, and mobility systems have been neglected, and we’re addressing that by working with Metro, the county, and the state. Metro, for example, is launching airport shuttles and making downtown more accessible. These efforts directly support businesses.
How is the city balancing growth with fiscal responsibility and long-term sustainability?
Houston has a strict revenue cap, 3.5% growth tied to inflation, so we’ve had to work within those limits. That cap has made it harder to maintain infrastructure, so we’re looking at efficiencies first. We completed an efficiency audit with Ernst & Young and found we had more employees per capita than other major cities.
We’re also reorganizing city government, merging departments, eliminating duplication, and tightening operations. Forty percent of our supervisors were overseeing three or fewer employees, and that’s changing.
Once we’ve become as efficient as possible, I’ll ask Houstonians: Do we want to invest more in services like garbage collection, parks, and street repairs? I want to avoid asking for more revenue until we’ve done our part first. But eventually, we may have to consider fees or tax increases to support the services residents expect.
What strategies are being implemented to improve daily life in Houston, especially mobility, affordability, and core services?
We’re making transit more accessible and pushing Metro to deliver cleaner, more reliable service. We’re also addressing illegal dumping and water system issues. Houston’s primary water treatment plant, which supplies 60% of the city’s water, was built in 1954. There’s no backup, and I talk about it openly. We need to fix it, and the public deserves to know.
We’re also committed to affordability. We replaced the Housing Authority’s leadership because of waste and questionable decisions. We are requiring developers to meet transparency standards and commit to reduced rents. The suburbs are still more affordable and sometimes safer, but we want to change that. As Houston becomes safer and more livable, more people will return to the city.
How is the city encouraging trust and engagement with residents and businesses?
By being available and honest. I don’t hide. I drive around Houston on the weekends, with no entourage, and report what I see, from broken signs to water leaks. My team can trace where I’ve been by my calls. I tell it like it is, and I think people respect that.
I’ve always been partisan in the legislature. But as mayor, I represent everyone. I’ve worked hard to be nonpartisan and collaborative, and I think residents feel that. I have critics, and that’s part of the job, but I’m hearing support. People stop me in restaurants to say, “Keep going.”
What role does regional collaboration play in Houston’s progress, and what upcoming initiatives are you most excited about?
We’re working closely with Metro, the county, the state, and federal partners. Communication is stronger now. We’re also getting ready for the 2026 World Cup. FIFA says we’re ahead of other cities, and we just celebrated the one-year countdown. But I always tell people we’re not just preparing for the world; we’re preparing for Houstonians.
Transit, safety, housing, and cleanliness are local priorities that happen to benefit global visitors, too. The World Cup is exciting, but our work is about making Houston better every day.
As you look ahead, what are your top goals for Houston in the next few years?
My focus is to build opportunity, keep the economy strong, make the city safe, improve infrastructure, and be transparent. I’m watching what’s happening at the state and national levels to make sure we’re protecting rights and staying inclusive.
One of the most exciting initiatives is the expansion of the George R. Brown Convention Center. It’s a $2 billion investment that will add over 700,000 square feet of new space and a major pedestrian plaza connecting the Convention Center to the Toyota Center. We expect this project to increase events by 30% annually and generate more than $20 billion in spending over the next three decades. It’s a huge step toward making Houston a global destination for sports, entertainment, and tourism — especially with the World Cup and the Republican National Convention coming up.
Houston’s identity is built on diversity and collaboration. We want people to know this is America’s friendliest big city, and we’re proving it every day. My hope is simple: be honest, be transparent, and treat people right. When we do that, everything else falls into place.
