VOLUME 3 | ISSUE 4

Dear Friends, As always, we are keeping busy at City Hall and supporting exciting projects that are happening across the city. I’d like to share with you a few things that I’ve been involved with recently. On November 14-18, the National Trust for Historic Preservation held their annual conference in Houston for the first time. On behalf of Mayor Turner, I was pleased to accept an award certificate from the . This event was a wonderful opportunity to promote our city’s history and celebrate what’s uniquely Houston. We have also been busy promoting public art in Houston. I attended the dedication of “Soaring in the Clouds” by local artist Ed Wilson, displayed in the lobby of the George R. Brown Convention Center. I also had the opportunity to recognize another local artist, Floyd Newsum, with a proclamation at City Hall this month. Two of Floyd’s paintings are on view at the new Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC.

Finally, I want to extend a warm welcome to Mayor Turner’s new appointees to lead four city departments. Art Acevedo of Austin will assume the position of police chief and Samuel Pena of El Paso will be the new fire chief. Tom McCasland, the interim director at the Housing and Community Development Department since July, will assume the role permanently, and Judge Elaine Marshall will be the new presiding judge of Houston Municipal Courts.

Thank you for reading, and please stay in touch. The At-Large 2 office stands ready to help and hear your concerns and ideas.

Gratefully,

DAVID W. ROBINSON | AT-LARGE POSITION 2

900 Bagby Street, 1st Floor | Houston, TX 77002 P.O. Box 1562 | Houston, TX 77251

COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS

Quality of Life, Vice Chair Housing and Community Affairs Regulation and Neighborhood Affairs, Vice Chair Transportation, Technology and Infrastructure Budget and Fiscal Affairs Houston First Board Member, Ex-Officio Ethics, Elections, and Council Governance H-GAC Transportation Policy Council NEIGHBORHOOD FOCUS - THE GREATER 5TH WARD

Super Neighborhood 55, the Greater Fifth Ward, takes its name from one of the two political geographical districts added to the existing four wards by John Kirby Allen and Augustus Chapman Allen in 1866 to accommodate the expanding city and its growing population, and to assist in the administration of city business.

Located northeast of downtown, the Greater Fifth Ward consists of 3,192 acres of residential, industrial and commercial land bounded by Collingsworth Street to the north, Lockwood Drive to the east, Buffalo Bayou to the south, and Highway 59 to the west.

Until its official formation in 1866, the Fifth Ward was a sparsely populated rural area with a predominantly Jewish, German, Italian and Irish population. Following the conclusion of the Civil War, newly freed slaves began settling in the area and by the mid-20th century, the Fifth Ward had become home to numerous black-owned businesses, with Lyons Avenue as its central and foremost street. In the 1990s and 2000s, the area saw significant revitalization efforts and an increase in single-family housing and commercial development spurred by the Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation.

The Fifth Ward is known as a social, cultural and political powerhouse for Houston’s African-American population. Wheatley High School on Providence Street has educated some of the Fifth Ward’s most famous alumni and still serves as a community hub to this day. Lyons Avenue is home to the historic and newly renovated DeLuxe Theatre, one of the few venues that were open to black Houstonians during segregation. The Fifth Ward has also produced a large number of community and political leaders such as the great Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, Congressman Mickey Leland, Commissioner El Franco Lee, and former Houston Mayor John T. Browne who served from 1892 to 1896.

The Greater Fifth Ward Super Neighborhood is located in Council District B, represented by Council Member and Vice Mayor Pro Tem Jerry Davis. For more information on this super neighborhood, please visit: http://www.houstontx.gov/superneighborhoods/55.html

IN MEMORIAM - CONSTABLE RUBEN DAVIS Fort Bend County Constable Ruben Davis passed away on October 18, 2016 after a long and courageous battle. A 21-year veteran of the Houston Police Department, Ruben ran for constable in Precinct 2 following his retirement from HPD in 1996 and was elected to the position on his first try.

Ruben was a true community leader and a friend who dedicated his career to law enforcement and public service. He earned a reputation for fairness and for his courage as a crusader for goodness and justice. In his passing, he joins his daughter Traneka. He is survived by his wife, Sharon, and younger daughter, Robin. Our prayers are with Ruben and his family. 2016 COMBINED MUNICIPAL CAMPAIGN Every October, City of Houston employees participate in the Combined Municipal Campaign (CMC), a multi-faceted fundraising campaign where the city’s departments and employees form competitive teams to raise money for social, environmental and health related charities.

This year my office worked closely with the chairman of the Council’s team, Council Member Greg Travis of District G, throughout October, Yvette Hernandez, my Director of Constituent Services, solicited donations from a number of local businesses to resell and raffle to city employees, with 100% of the proceeds going to charities chosen Council Member Travis. The BARC Foundation and Frisky Paws were this years recipients. Thanks to Yvette’s hard work, many local businesses stepped up and made generous in-kind donations, including Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, Einstein Bagels, Pink’s Pizza, Shipley’s Donuts, 3 Brother’s Bakery, Corner Bakery, Tiff’s Treats, Raising Cane’s, Russo’s Pizza and Luigi’s Pizza.

One of the highlights of the 2016 CMC was the annual basketball “throw down” held at the Fonde Recreation Center on October 20. For two hours, City Council and staff members faced off against Mayor Turner’s department heads and staff in a highly competitive game. The mayor’s team took an early lead and held it until half-time, when the City Council team was able to take the lead before eventually winning the game with a final score of 37-26. MUNICIPAL, FIRE, AND POLICE PENSION UPDATE

On October 26, the City Council passed a resolution with a 16-1 vote to support Mayor Sylvester Turner’s proposed reform of the city’s three pension systems – the Houston Police Officer Pension System, the Houston Firefighter Relief and Retirement Fund, and the Houston Municipal Employees Pension System. Prior to City Council’s vote, all three pension boards voted in favor of moving forward with the reform package. The administration will now work with the pension funds’ leadership to seek legislative approval of the reforms when the Texas Legislature meets in 2017.

The pension reform proposal stabilizes the plans for current city employees and reduces the city’s unfunded liability through agreed-upon benefit reductions for future employees. The city will begin to fully fund the pension systems every year, and will issue $1 billion in pension obligation bonds to immediately stabilize the pension funds. The remaining debt will be paid off by 2046, without any proposed tax increase. Finally, if annual pension costs exceed pre-agreed limits, all parties will return to the negotiating table to ensure the sustainability of the reform plan. TRADE MISSION TO CUBA

In September, Council Member David W. Robinson travelled to Havana, Cuba, with Mayor Sylvester Turner for a three-day trade mission following the historic restoration of diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba. They were joined by Council Member Dave Martin, Council Member and Vice Mayor Pro Tem Jerry Davis (pictured right with Havana Mayor Reinaldo García Zapata) local business leaders, and representatives from the Houston Airport System, the Port Authority, and the Greater Houston Partnership and the Texas Medical Center.

The Houston delegation met with ministers from the Cuban government representing foreign trade and investment, energy, tourism, and public health with the purpose of promoting the Houston region as a strategic trade, commerce and tourism partner and a natural gateway and hub to Cuba.

Thanks to relaxed travel restrictions following the re-establishment of diplomatic ties, Houston will soon offer weekly, non-stop flights to Havana out of George Bush International Airport. COUNCIL MEMBER IN THE COMMUNITY

LEFT: On October 4, Council Member Robinson joined community leaders, citizens, and local law enforcement for the 34th annual National Night Out to promote police and community partnerships that help support neighborhood camaraderie and create stronger, safer communities.

LEFT: On October 8, Council Member Robinson attended a celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Fifth Ward at ABOVE: At Council Member Dave Martin’s annual Olivet Missionary Baptist Church Clear Lake Town Hall meeting, Council Member on Lyons Avenue with Fifth Ward Robinson joins Dan Seal, executive director of residents and community leader special initiatives at the Bay Area Houston Economic James Joseph. Partnership, spoke to the audience about ongoing efforts to build a regional coastal barrier for storm surge protection.

David W. Robinson 900 Bagby, 1st Floor Houston, TX 77002

AT-LARGE 2 OFFICE

COUNCIL MEMBER David W. Robinson CHIEF OF STAFF Karen J. Haller Mayor Sylvester Turner City Controller Chis Brown AGENDA DIRECTOR 713-837-0311 or 311 832-393-3460 Julia M. Retta DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS DISTRICT G DISTRICT J AT-LARGE 3 Gareth R. Morgans Brenda Stardig Dwight A. Boykins Greg Travis Michael Laster Michael Kubosh CONSTITUENT SERVICES DIRECTOR 832-393-3010 832-393-3001 832-393-3007 832-393-3015 832-393-3005 Yvette Hernandez PHONE DISTRICT B DISTRICT H DISTRICT K AT-LARGE 4 832.393.3013 Jerry Davis Dave Martin Karla Cisneros Larry Green Amanda Edwards TWITTER 832-393-3009 832-393-3008 832-393-3003 832-393-3019 832-393-3012 @dwr4hou FACEBOOK DISTRICT F DISTRICT I AT-LARGE 1 AT-LARGE 5 @dwr4hou Ellen Cohen Dr. Steve Le Robert Gallegos Mike Knox Jack Christie EMAIL 832-393-3004 832-393-3002 832-393-3011 832-393-3014 832-393-3017 [email protected]