Mayor-elect Annise Parker is keeping a busy schedule the day after she won a very divisive and historic runoff race.
UPDATE: A source told 2 On The Beat that Parker began her day attending praise and worship service at Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church in Houston’s third ward.
Pastor D.Z. Cofield presides over the predominately African-American congregation. The source told me that Parker and Cofield have a twelve-year friendship and working relationship.
She was invited to attend the 10 a.m. service by some of her supporters who are also church members.
Parker spoke briefly at the end of the service and Pastor Cofield asked that everyone pray for her, even if they didn’t vote for her in the runoff election.
Later in the day it was back to official business.
Parker was surrounded by a handful of her campaign staff, including campaign manager Adam Harris and communications director Jeri Brooks, who helped her juggle a news conference and sitdown interviews with local and national members of the media.
It seems the whole world wants to know more about Houston’s first openly gay mayor-elect. On January 1st, Parker will officially become the first openly gay woman to lead the nation’s 4th largest city,
During the news conference, the mayor-elect announced that State Rep. Garnet Coleman (D-Houston) will be one of the key players on her transition team.
In addition to starting work on the city finances and finding ways to cut spending, Parker plans to begin meeting with city department heads.
Her priority is to start making changes at the Houston Police and Fire Departments.
Parker made no secret during the campaign that she plans to replace HPD Chief Harold Hurtt. “I want to have my own police chief,” she told the media.
She also told reporters that she believes there is an urgent need for significant change in the fire department. She plans to meet with HFD Chief Phil Borieski in the coming days.
Parker says she’s concerned the department has not properly handled complaints of racism and sexism, and that it doesn’t have enough women within the ranks for a department of its size.
Leave a Reply