Houston City Council elections are still over a year away, but the March death of late council member Larry Green forced a special election to be held on Saturday, and now city council will be fully staffed once again.
Martha Castex-Tatum bested a field of nine, winning a majority outright and avoiding a runoff. The unofficial results showed just over 5,000 voters turning out, or about 6%, most of those going to Castex-Tatum who walked away with over 3,200 votes or 65%.
Tatum has served as Green’s constituent services director since 2015 and previously served on the San Marcos City Council where she unseated a 12-year incumbent after graduating from Texas State University.
In a statement late Saturday, Mayor Sylvester Turner congratulated Tatum saying, “I look forward to working with Martha on the issues important to District K and all residents throughout the city of Houston…As a result of her vast experience, she will provide continuity in the district council office and understand the priorities which include flood control, economic development and public safety among others.”
Turner is expected to release his annual budget this upcoming week, and a council vote to place a lift of the revenue cap on the November ballot is likely not far behind,so having a full council, and another ally, is in the mayor’s best interest. More importantly, though, it is in the best interest of the roughly 200,000 constituents who deserve to have the District K seat filled and their concerns represented.
