The fourth largest city in the nation should not be infamous for its harsh walking environment and sidewalks to nowhere. We can’t change the weather, but we can still build a city accessible by all. Joe will make walkability a core priority from day one by launching a district-wide sidewalk audit to quickly identify broken, missing, or unsafe sections and get them into the repair pipeline. Referencing studies already done by TIRZ 5, TIRZ 27, or the HGAC Washington Avenue study, and collaborating with civic clubs and concerned residents, we will scope out the problem together as a community. 

He will use multiple funding streams to expand and widen sidewalks where they matter most, around schools, parks, transit stops, and grocery stores, so residents have safe, reliable routes for everyday travel. This includes leveraging District C funds for local, high-impact projects, partnering with TxDOT to secure state dollars for larger corridor improvements, and pursuing federal grants that prioritize ADA-accessible, multimodal infrastructure. For short segments that have been broken for years, we will put out a call for a 50% match to find sponsors to fix these gaps with support from District funds.

Joe will work closely with Public Works and community partners to ensure every sidewalk project meets modern ADA standards, closes key gaps, and contributes to a fully connected, accessible, and walkable District C.

It’s difficult to take the bus when they’re so infrequent, and driving, walking or biking on Houston roads can be a dangerous proposition. Joe will work tirelessly to develop a transportation system that is functional, reliable, and safe. A central focus of this work will be the city’s High Injury Network, the small percentage of streets where a majority of serious and fatal crashes occur. By treating these corridors as top-priority sites for upgrades, we will accelerate improvements such as better lighting, raised crosswalks, narrower lanes, and upgraded bike and pedestrian infrastructure. 

Joe will also lead the development of a Transportation Capital Dashboard that tracks spending on intersection upgrades, safety projects, and sidewalk, bikeway, and transit-access improvements, giving residents a transparent view of how mobility dollars are invested and ensuring resources reach the corridors with the highest safety needs first. We won’t rest until the High Injury Network is a relic of the past. 

In addition, Joe will push for all bus routes in District C to run at least every 15 minutes, because in a major city, anything less simply isn’t acceptable. No one can plan their day around a bus that comes only twice an hour. By working closely with neighborhood groups, transportation nonprofits, METRO, and HGAC, Joe will ensure that new transit investments are not only funded but actually delivered, building a connected, reliable, multimodal network that serves residents across District C and the entire city.

Like many Houstonians, Joe’s childhood home was flooded during Harvey leading to months of exhausting repairs and a life upended. Flooding isn’t just the tragic moments during a hurricane though, but the inconvenient street detours during a 15-minute shower or the sidewalks being unusable for weeks after rain. We can build better.

As Council Member, Joe will bring a data-driven, fundamentally fair approach to flood protection by directing city departments to prioritize drainage and street upgrades where the risks are highest—based on real flood records, infrastructure condition scores, and neighborhood vulnerability. He will create a District C Flood Vulnerability Index to identify the blocks most impacted by chronic flooding and work with Houston Public Works to address those areas first. By coordinating with TIRZs, the Flood Control District, and the Mayor’s Office of Resilience, Joe will ensure District C receives targeted drainage upgrades, green infrastructure improvements, and detention investments that meaningfully reduce flooding. Flooding is a city-wide issue though, and coordination across districts and the county will be critical to holistically protect Houstonians from future storms. 

Joe will strengthen Houston’s flood resilience by pairing major infrastructure improvements with real, on-the-ground support for the neighborhoods most affected by flooding. He will work closely with community-based organizations to ensure grassroots expertise guides the City’s strategy, helping residents navigate recovery resources, identify unmet needs, and elevate community-led solutions.

Finally, Joe will work to secure the funding needed to deliver these flood-protection projects at scale. He will push for increased allocations to drainage and resilience projects in the City’s Capital Improvement Plan, ensure District C projects are shovel-ready for state and federal grants, and collaborate with Harris County Flood Control District to pursue joint-funding agreements that stretch local dollars further. Joe will also work with TIRZs to dedicate a greater share of their budgets to high-impact drainage upgrades and leverage partnerships with nonprofits and private entities to bring in matching funds for green-infrastructure projects. It’s important to leverage the expertise in neighborhoods and will work with groups like White Oak Bayou Association to expedite initiatives. By expanding every available funding stream, Joe will make sure the city has the resources to build long-overdue, long-lasting flood solutions throughout District C.

What good are world class parks and bayou trails if community members can’t access them from surrounding neighborhoods? It’s time we invest in our parks, and invest in our community’s access to them. Joe is committed to supporting our bayou greenways, our local neighborhood parks, and our connections to them. Joe will partner with the Houston Parks Board, Houston Public Works, the local TIRZs, METRO, and local philanthropy to secure capital dollars, right-of-way access, and engineering support. Joe will connect our greenspaces by building off-street multi-use paths that link neighborhoods, parks, schools, and activity hubs within District C. This includes filling key trail gaps along White Oak, Buffalo, and Brays Bayou, and creating new linkages into Montrose, the Heights, Oak Forest, and Meyerland.

District C already contains the backbone of Houston’s trail system; strategic investments will unlock tremendous mobility value with relatively low construction costs. Using district dollars to fund preliminary engineering, we can start the process quickly and build momentum to bring in more partners.

Joe is committed to designing away traffic deaths in Houston. While we can’t influence individual behavior, we can build a city that prevents the worst outcomes of our mistakes. Vision Zero is not a buzz word, it’s a proven framework that should guide City Hall’s strategy from the ground up. Joe will work with the Mayor, Houston Public Works, and community partners to ensure every street project includes design choices that reduce speeds, shorten crossing distances, and make dangerous crashes far less likely.

District C is protected by HPD, Constables, and neighborhood patrols. Joe is committed to strong interagency collaboration that improves information sharing, speeds response times, and strengthens community safety. Building on this approach, the last administration launched a firearm injuries dashboard that brings together data from emergency rooms, first responders, and mortality records. This coordinated effort helps local stakeholders better understand risks and prevent unintentional firearm injuries. Joe will ensure this dashboard, and similar data-driven tools, are fully funded, actively used, and applied across District C’s neighborhoods.