Early Years

Houston is my hometown. My grandfather came here from Chicago in 1901 and built a sawmill on the Trinity River at Wallisville. My family has been here ever since. I attended grade school in Riverside Terrace and in River Oaks, and received my high school diploma from St. John’s School.  My university degrees are from The University of Houston (B.A.), the University of California at Berkeley (M.A.), and the University of  Pennsylvania (B. Arch, M. Arch, M. City Planning).  During my University years, I spent 18 months of study in Paris, France, and served in the U.S. Army, with an honorable discharge after six years of active reserve in 1965.

Professional Career

My career as an architect and urban planner began in Philadelphia in 1966, where I spent 16 years working on major projects in the northeast U.S. and in Florida. In 1982 I moved back to Houston, where I have been a partner in an architecture and planning office, working in 20 U.S. cities, including Miami and Ft. Lauderdale (FL), Oklahoma City, Denver, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, Philadelphia, and numerous Townships in New Jersey.  My work locally involves urban design plans, parks, recreation centers, housing developments, transit plans and facilities, health clinics and law enforcement facilities in over 30 Houston neighborhoods. In 2003, I was elevated to Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, the profession’s highest distinction. I maintain my professional practice part-time as a City Councilman, working primarily on housing and land development projects.

Family Life

We are a large, close and loving family. I am married to Anne Brown, who has lived in Houston since age 2, after her family fled the Nazi occupation of Paris during World War II. Together we have 8 children and 15 grandchildren. I have three sons - Hoyt, a civil engineer; Marlin, a CPA in Dallas; and Chris, who works for the City of Houston. My daughter Hilary is a successful attorney in Dallas, and my youngest, Catherine, is an urban planner in Baltimore.  As a family, we love cooking, travel, politics, outdoor activities, and lively intellectual discussions of “cabbages and kings.”

Credo

My parents taught me to work hard, to be honest in all things, to value education and intellectual pursuits, to treat every human being with utmost respect, and to exemplify the principles of our Judeo-Christian heritage. It is also important to enjoy and appreciate the gift of life in all of its aspects, great and small. I love cities, city life and the interaction of people. The city and its architecture are the most noble of human achievements, and the neighborhood, where family life thrives, is the basic building block of civilized life. The purpose of life’s journey is, in the words of my dad, “to make the world a better place.” This is why I studied and practice architecture; this is why I serve the people of Houston on City Council.

Political Career

Although I consider my mission of “building a better Houston” a civic agenda rather than a political agenda, I decided to run for an At-Large seat on City Council in 2003, against a well-known Council Woman, Shelley Sekula-Gibbs.  As a complete novice, I received 48.5 % of the vote, and raised more money than any previous City Council candidate.  I kept running, and in November 2005, I was the only candidate to win an open seat, At-Large 1, without a run-off.

Since taking office in January 2006, I have been a vocal advocate of protecting our neighborhoods and property values, getting tough on crime, safeguarding the environment, expanding the City economy and tax base, and streamlining city government.