Greetings from Mike Knox
At Large Council Member Pos 1.
The Mayor proposed a narrowly focused ordinance to make smokeless tobacco illegal for one group of employees, working for one employer, and in one location, in the entire city of Houston. I argued the ordinance may violate the 14 th Amendment, (Equal Protection Clause) and at the very least was inherently unfair. The targeted employees were our very own Houston Astros Baseball players and the only location where this ordinance would be in effect was Minute Maid Park. Kevin McGuiness, the C.O.O. of the Major League Baseball Players Association flew in from New York to support my position. We were successful in convincing Mayor Turner to pull his ordinance and rethink his position. A small but significant victory for common sense in government.
#RODEOHOUSTON Great fun riding through downtown with good friends. Thanks for coming out and raising scholarship money for our young kids.
The world's largest rodeo starts off with the world's biggest rodeo parade through downtown. Yee-Haw!
Among the many riders in this year's parade is former Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison who is now the U.S. Ambassador to N.A.T.O. Ambassador Hutchison has been riding in the parade for decades. She was at City Hall to receive a Proclamation and standing ovation from everyone in the Chamber.
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo came to City Hall to kick off Rodeo Houston events. You always hear about the diversity of Houston. Where else can you see horses and cattle in front of City Hall graze on hay while folks in business suits gather around for the annual proclamation for Go Texan Day!

These folks have been on the trail rides since the mid 1950s and scoffed at the very idea of people riding horses by day and sleeping in RVs at night with hot and cold running water. These pioneers are members of the Prairie View Trail Riders promoting Black Heritage Day at Rodeo. They brought all kinds of items to highlight the historical and cultural contributions of African American cowboys and cowgirls.
The City of Houston’s Animal Shelter and Adoptions Center is pleased to announce the 350-pound male tiger, abandoned in a vacant house, has been transferred to the Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch, an affiliate of the Humane Society of the United States and is doing well.
‌
Every community has their way of marking Black History Month. I was happy to be invited to Missouri City to take part in their celebration. Thanks for the invite.
Honored to present a Mayoral Proclamation on behalf of Mayor Turner and a Certificate of Appreciation from my office to LaTosha Johnson for her dedication and commitment to bridging the gap between early childhood and higher education to insure all students get an equal opportunity to the tools needed to become a productive citizen in society.
Top Ladies of Distinction (TLOD) is a national, non-profit, educational and humanitarian organization with chapters throughout the U.S. The Houston Chapter of TLOD, one of 110 Chapters under the leadership of Lady Katherine Wilson engages in numerous programs and projects through several national programs, the most important of which is Top Teens of America. The chapter also contributes strongly to beautifying the community, ensuring the well-being of senior citizens, upholding the status of women, and partnering with others in the community in order to increase the presence and impact of the organization.
Got a chance to take my grandson, Cooper, to the 2019 Lunar New Year Celebration at the Asian Community Center. Cooper was all smiles as he enjoyed the big crowds, bigger kids playing with yo-yos, and folks playing ukuleles. He got to stand on the stage and recite the pledge of allegiance with all the elected officials. The most fun was the dragon dance. Cooper loved to see the dragon roar at the end. Kung Hay Fat Choi-Happy New Year!
Enjoyed visiting with everyone who came out for the City of Houston’s Office of Business Opportunity (OBO) Advisory Board's 6th Annual Champions of Diversity Awards Ceremony held at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Congratulations to all who were honored.
Proclamation honoring the Texas Center for the Missing, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Clear Channel Outdoor Americas (CCOA), Outfront Media and the Outdoor Advertising Association of Texas (OAAT) launching a new month-long billboard campaign across the city of Houston and throughout the state of Texas to help generate leads in missing persons cases. Digital billboards all over the state will focus on missing persons.
Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Tilman Fertitta Tactical Training Center, a state of the art facility for the men and women in blue. Tilman Fertitta provided the first 2.5 million dollars and the Houston Police Foundation has funded the rest for a total of 10 million dollars. This is only the fourth such facility in the country and is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year.
Congratulations to the students, faculty, and staff of the new Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts on your dedication and ribbon cutting. The first HSPVA school was located in a synagogue in midtown. The new school is located at 790 Austin Street in the Theatre District. The school was paid for by the voter approved 2012 bond referendum.
Had the pleasure of meeting Shawna Roy who has been named the new Senior Executive Director of Buckner Children and Family Services in southeast Texas. This includes Buckner’s services in Houston, Aldine, Conroe, and Beaumont. Last year, Buckner opened a new Family Hope Center and Family Pathways residential program in Houston as part of the Cornerstone Community, a collaboration between Buckner International, the Star of Hope Mission and New Hope Housing Inc.

FEBRUARY 2019 CITY LEGISLATIVE HIGHLIGHTS

* The City continues to hire outside legal counsel to the tune of $250,000 this month. The Administration contends the City’s Legal Department attorneys once again do not have the necessary legal expertise for various matters.
 
* City Council approved the purchase of twelve StarChase High Speed Pursuit Tracking systems. This purchase for $65,000 will be utilized by the Houston Police Department’s patrol division. This technology allows HPD units to be able to track suspects’ vehicles they are chasing using a GPS device. These devices will allow HPD helicopters and patrol units to easily follow vehicles they are pursuing. The thought is that this system will reduce the number of crashes involving HPD vehicles pursuing suspects during chases.
 
* The City continues to recover from Harvey damage. Council approved purchasing 360 vehicles as replacements from Harvey. Many of these vehicles will be utilized by the Public Works Department and will be purchased with FEMA dollars.
 
* City Council also approved another $99 million from FEMA for housing recovery from Harvey. This amount is in addition to the $1.17 billion from FEMA designated for housing which Council approved last month.
Chief of Staff
John Moss
832-393-3014
Deputy Chief of Staff
Sheena Childs
832-393-3014
Communications Director
Lanny Griffith
832-393-3014
Administrative Coordinator
Kathy Rembert
832-393-3014
email us at: [email protected]

Stay in touch!