Adrian Garcia announces his run for mayor at the Lindale Park Civic Club near his house in Houston’s Near Northside.
It had been an open secret, but Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia has finally made it official.
“Today I am announcing my candidacy for mayor of the city of Houston,” Garcia said to a crowded room full of supporters and numerous media outlets at a civic center a few blocks from his house on the Near Northside.
Garcia is joining a crowded field of experienced candidates, including State Rep. Sylvester Turner, former U.S. Rep. Chris Bell, City Council member Stephen Costello, former Kemah Mayor Bill King, former City Attorney Ben Hall and businessman Marty McVeigh.
Now that he has announced, Garcia will have to give up his post as sheriff and the Harris County Commissioner’s Court is scheduled to discuss a possible replacement for him next Tuesday.
Garcia didn’t answer media questions after his announcement and he didn’t talk too much about the issues he wants to tackle as mayor, other than saying that Houstonians want a leader who focuses on the future, “and keep our city business friendly, working to broaden our profile with Fortune 500 firms as well as working closely with our micro and medium businesses, all while we continue to commit to enhancing our quality of life that benefits all communities to wealthiest to the humblest.”
In an email to supporters, Garcia wrote that he knows how to balance a budget, save taxpayer money and keep the city safe.
Before he was elected sheriff in 2008, Garcia had a long career as a Houston police officer and served six years on city council.
<a href="http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/2073913/garcia-resignation-letter.pdf">Garcia Resignation Letter (PDF)</a>
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<a href="http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/2073913/garcia-resignation-letter.txt">Garcia Resignation Letter (Text)</a>
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