Greetings from Mike Knox
At Large Council Member Pos 1.
I am disappointed the mayor and council voted to lay off hundreds of our firefighters just as court ordered mediation has been initiated. I opposed laying off firefighters, because I believe the mayor should have delayed this vote until after mediation has been successful or the court forced to make a ruling.
What Mayor Turner has done by forcing a vote on this issue is prematurely interjecting city council into the mediation process. The mayor’s threat, if council did not approve the layoff of classified firefighters, was to lay off hundreds of additional city municipal workers. Despite discussion of several reasonable alternatives to laying off hundreds of municipal workers, nine of my colleagues were convinced by the mayor’s threat and voted with him on this issue.
This vote was clearly designed to give the administration the upper hand in negotiations with the firefighters and was outside the duty of council. The Houston City Charter is clear that the mayor is the administrator of the city and as such he is responsible for negotiations with all employee groups. City Council is restricted to legislative functions and specifically barred from administrative functions. For Council Members to vote to lay off firefighters prior to the successful completion of the mediation process or the ruling of the court effectively provided the mayor with a hammer to beat the firefighters with at the negotiation table. Thereby making council a participant in the mediation process counter to the city charter.
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Residents in Tanglewilde called my office saying they could not get any resolution from solid waste as to when their heavy trash would get picked up. I drove out there to meet the solid waste folks to make sure the job got done. Problem solved!
The latest study regarding Buffalo Bayou.   https://conta.cc/2WfFyNs 
On April 21, 1836, Texas won it's independence! San Jacinto Day is the celebration of the Battle of San Jacinto where Sam Houston defeated Santa Anna in an 18 minute battle to secure the independence of Texas from Mexico.
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Baker Ripley Leonel Castillo Community Center's old fashion Easter egg hunt with Council Member Karla Cisneros. Hope everyone had a peaceful Easter and Passover.
Low income residents enrolled in SNAP, the federal government’s food assistance program, can now double their benefits at Houston area farmers markets, as part of a new program launched by Urban Harvest. Double Up Houston has teamed up with the Houston Health Department's "Get Moving Houston" farmers market to identify "food deserts" in Houston.
Groundbreaking for the new Avenue Community Center across from Moody Park. Avenue is a builder of homes and a builder of communities in Houston. They make smart investments in people and places that promote vibrant, inclusive neighborhoods and strengthen our city. Congratulations!
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Willow Waterhole Music Fest is in the books for the year. Good turnout on a beautiful day in my old neighborhood. Great hearing jazz and blues, and being with friends Becky Edmondson and Howard Sachs.
Community Egg Hunt - HISD's Wraparound Houston at Billy Reagan K-8 Education Center. Thanks Deputy Chief of Staff Sheena Childs for attending. Glad the rain held off.
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Thank you CITGO for co-hosting this event with the Houston Food Bank, as part of your “Fueling Good, Rebuilding Lives” initiative in Independence Heights. This will improve access to healthy foods for residents still rebuilding after the storm.
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F.C.C. opens new recycling center in northeast Houston off Ley Rd. Council Members and selected officials from the City of Houston attended the ribbon cutting ceremony and a tour of the recycling facility. F.C.C. will process and return to the market all the City of Houston recyclable materials for at least the next 15 years.
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Greens Bayou Greenway Ribbon Cutting. Celebrating the Houston Parks Board finishing construction on the first of its Bayou Greenway projects along Upper Greens Bayou.
The new greenway begins at Greens Parkway near Fall Lake Apartments and continues on the
south side of the bayou until it reaches just shy of I-45, at which point it crosses to the north side of
the bayou, utilizing a new hike-and-bike bridge .
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Dedication of the Brigitte and Bashar Kalai Plaza of Respect at Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houston, Honoring Rev. William A. Lawson, Archbishop Joseph Florenza and Rabbi Samuel Karff. The Plaza is a place of inspiration, connection and interfaith education in the heart of Midtown. I am glad I was asked to attend.
The joys of serving as a City Council Member is running into old friends at City Hall. Lorenza Butler has been a longtime fixture in these halls.
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The prayer for Public Session was given by Pastor Michael Tillman of New Testament Baptist Church in the historic Fifth Ward area. Dr. Tillman received his undergraduate degree from Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina. He attended Inner Peace Theology College where he received his Double Bachelor’s degree in Religious Counseling and Religious Education, his Master of Theology in Religious Education and his Doctorial of Theology in Religious Education. He is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.
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April 2019 Council Highlights

April 10 - Once again, Council approved spending $1.3 million to hire outside legal services. This time to represent the City regarding utility rate matters. One would think having a City legal department with almost 100 attorneys, the City would not have to continually spend millions of taxpayer dollars to hire outside legal services.

Following weeks of delay, Council approved contract documents for Hurricane Harvey Homeowner Assistance Program. This program, funded with federal housing grant dollars, will reimburse homeowners for repair work and provide aid for rehabilitation and reconstruction.

April 17 – Council approved the purchase of ten replacement vehicles for the fire department which were destroyed by Harvey.

Council awarded a five-year contract with Centerpoint for $30 million to provide natural gas service at City of Houston facilities. After a lengthy RFP process, it was determined Centerpoint provided the best value.

April 24 – I opposed the Mayor and Council’s vote to lay off 220 firefighters. Now that the firefighter union and the Mayor have entered into court-ordered mediation, I opposed the Mayor’s scheme to have Council interject itself into the mediation process. I lost by a vote of 10-6.

I opposed the Mayor’s May 28th deadline to offer amendments to his proposed budget. The Mayor scheduled to have Council vote on the City’s annual budget on June 5th. I don’t think it is right to restrict Council’s ability to offer budget amendments while we are debating the budget. I lost by a vote of 13-3.
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]

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