Hidalgo touts county’s progress
Leader discusses work on flood control, criminal justice
Harris County in the past year has made significant progress on flood control, criminal justice and improving public health, County Judge Lina Hidalgo said in her first State of the County address Friday.
The county executive also announced that her administration will make significant investments in early childhood development in the coming year.
Hidalgo said the Houston area continues to enjoy a bustling economy and low unemployment but that business and government leaders must not be complacent.
“To a veteran coming home ill-prepared for the 21st-century job market, a low unemployment rate doesn’t mean much,” Hidalgo said at the annual luncheon, held this year at the Hilton Americas-Houston Hotel downtown. “To a family who struggles, a great medical center can’t help them if they don’t have health insurance.”
Hidalgo highlighted several accomplishments that she said have improved the lives of county residents. She acknowledged that these speeches can be sedate affairs, and she took the stage to “Soy Yo,” an upbeat pop song from her native Colombia about perseverance and being yourself. She ditched the lectern in favor of a more conversational style, pacing back and forth and using a slideshow of different numbers to segue between topics.
She lauded a historic settlement to reform the county’s bail system for misdemeanor defendants that a federal judge had declared unconstitutional. Hidalgo thanked Commissioner Rodney Ellis, who has long
been an advocate on criminal justice issues.
She noted that in response to a series of chemical fires in east Harris County, Commissioners Court significantly increased the size of the pollution control and fire marshal’s offices, as well as purchased new air monitors.
“We’ve established the most robust environmental policy that Harris County has seen in at least 30 years,” Hidalgo said.
Hidalgo thanked the county’s flood control district and engineering department for speeding up work on the $2.5 billion flood infrastructure program and fasttracking drainage projects in 105 subdivisions.
She also said her office has made county government more transparent by holding a series of town halls, developing a 311 call system and making a greater effort to include the public at more open, albeit lengthy, Commissioners Court meetings. Hidalgo said that to date, four times as many residents have participated than last year.
Hidalgo was elected last year in a Democratic wave that flipped the balance of power of Commissioners Court for the first time in a generation. With the help of Democratic commissioners Ellis and Adrian Garcia, Hidalgo could enact much of her agenda.
Though court members at times have sparred in meetings and held divided votes on hiring prosecutors, property taxes and gun control, Hidalgo took a moment to thank Republican commissioners Jack Cagle and Steve Radack, the two minority members.
“We have so many 5-0 votes on key issues, from flooding, to census, to economic opportunity, this work on veterans,” she said. “They’ve been part of a lot of these victories.”
Hidalgo said her next priority will be to improve early childhood development, an issue in which Harris County government has little experience. Hidalgo said a focus on a child’s formative years produces many benefits.
“It lowers crime among those kids. Kids complete high school without suspension. It’s just about the gold star of what government can do for its community,” she said.
The county judge said her office would kick off a public listening tour next year to solicit advice on the topic from residents, and she pledged to make a concrete proposal by her next State of the County address.
In concluding her remarks, Hidalgo reflected on how many residents worried after she was elected at age 27 last year that she lacked the experience to lead the county.
“You all saw the predictions the day after Election Day; they thought it was the end of the world,” she said, eliciting chuckles from the audience.
She joked that Roy Hofheinz was three years younger when he was elected to the post in 1936. In an interview afterward, Hidalgo said her greenness allowed her to be more ambitious about what county government can accomplish than her predecessors.
“We have a budget that tops $5 billion. That’s more than bridge money,” Hidalgo said. “That’s funds we can use to support opportunity all across our county, and we have been doing that. That goes beyond flooding, to justice, to housing.”
Mayor Sylvester Turner and a number of Harris County elected officials attended the speech, including District Attorney Kim Ogg, County Clerk Diane Trautman, District Clerk Marilyn Burgess, and commissioners Ellis and Garcia.