Council approves Whitmire’s final changes to Metro board
Mayor John Whitmire has completed his overhaul of Metro leadership, winning City Council approval for a new slate of board members whom he tasked with getting to work on what he calls nuts and bolts issues for all Houstonians.
With little discussion, the council Wednesday approved naming Christopher McMillan, Kathy Han and T. Leon Preston to the Metro board of directors. Council members also approved Whitmire’s reappointment of Teresa Morales, the sole holdover from board members named by former Mayor Sylvester Turner.
The appointees were sworn in as board members later Wednesday by Metro Chairwoman Elizabeth Brock. The new transit board will maintain a disability advocate on the board — McMillan. The board also will have its first Vietnamese member, Han, who as a municipal court judge also adds a lawyer back on the board. Often the board comprises people with backgrounds in business, engineering and law.
“This is a robust team that is fully committed to making Metro a safe, clean, accessible and viable option that people choose to use,” Brock said in a statement.
The trio replaces current city appointees Lex Frieden, Troi Taylor and Diann Lewter, and upon their confirmation to the board will be the fourth, fifth and sixth new members since mid-February. Whitmire appointed Brock as Metro chairwoman Feb. 13, and she was sworn in Feb. 29, along with Harris County appointee Holly Maria Flynn Vilaseca, who replaced Houston Controller Chris Hollins. Hollins resigned, as required, when he took office after his election.
Four weeks later, representatives from the 14 smaller cities that form Metro with Houston and the county appointed former county judge candidate Alexandra Moral Mealer to the board.
The nine-member board is tilted toward city control, with Houston’s mayor appointing four members and the chairperson. Harris County appoints two members, and the smaller cities jointly appoint two members. The area’s population, which is growing faster in the unincorporated county than the Houston city limits, is teetering on requiring a change to Metro’s makeup, giving the city less authority.
The leadership changes come as Metro works on the first major pieces of its $7.5 billion-plus long-term plan, which voters approved in 2019, and as it transitions to fulfilling many of Whitmire’s stated goals. He has said street repairs and sidewalk installation are projects that Metro is ready and willing to do, if committed.
“You are going to see some very aggressive design work,” Whitmire said after Wednesday’s council meeting. “They want to do it. They are capable of doing it.”