February 12, 2026      4:14 PM

In his State of the City address, Houston Mayor Whitmire highlights budget efficiencies and takes shots at the mayors of Austin and Dallas

“If somebody wants to work with me to fix and improve Houston I will go anywhere anytime,” Whitmire said. “I don’t have time for politics. I don’t have time for partisanship.”

HOUSTON - Telling a downtown crowd of about 1,500 people that a big reason to smile is he is not giving the State of the City Address for New York or Los Angeles, Houston Mayor John Whitmire on Thursday dismissed his administration’s critics, slammed partisan politics, and took shots at some of his counterparts in other parts of the state.

Brushing aside commentary from local media including the Houston Chronicle as well as the Harris County Democratic Party, which recently voted to never endorse the longtime Democratic legislator going forward, Whitmire said he's more interested in getting things done for Houston than partisan politics.

Whitmire used most of his speech, hosted by Houston First and the Greater Houston Partnership, to focus on improving public safety and infrastructure. But he also slammed Austin Mayor Kirk Watson and Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson – yes, both by name – for recent setbacks.

By Scott Braddock

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