Friends,

Yesterday, we voted on a $7B budget for the city, and although I appreciate the diligence and efforts of the mayor’s office, I voted "no" based on this chart presented by the city’s Finance Director. This chart is our 5 Year Forecast. It shows that at a baseline, that if all things stay equal, that the city is estimated to face a $462M budget deficit in five years. An optimistic scenario estimates we will face a $329M deficit. A pessimistic estimate shows we will face a $536M deficit. These are enormous numbers that cannot be ignored. For any business survive it cannot have the expenditures outweigh the revenues by this much. My vision for Houston cannot just satisfy today, but must take into account the future well-being of our city. I am committed to working with the mayor and council to achieve a brighter tomorrow for us all.

Together we will!

Edward Pollard