Third generation Houstonian and two-term at-large City Councilman Peter Brown has placed himself in a position to be the next mayor of Houston.’
True to form as an architect, he is armed with a blueprint to improve the city.
‘This would be an absolutely magnificent opportunity to make a huge difference in how Houston goes and changes to being a more mature city,’ Brown said of his decision to run for mayor. ‘I want (Houston) to be the best it can possibly be.’
Brown’s definition of a mature city includes better transportation and safer streets.
The tenets of Brown’s blueprint also include economic development, government accountability and the environment.
‘We’ve got to get better results from our police department,’ Brown said. ‘We’ve got to become tougher and smarter about crime, and I think we can do that.’
Houston’s notorious pollution and traffic problems could be addressed simultaneously by making the city’s transportation system better, Brown said.
‘The other side of that coin is that we’ve got to make Houston a more transportation-efficient city so we have less driving, giving people more transportation choices,’ Brown said.
That would include doing a better job with the existing street system, expanding the light rail through most neighborhoods and getting better results from the Metropolitan Transit Authority.’
Brown is excited about the plans to expand the light rail from Midtown to UH and TSU.
After graduating from UH with a bachelor’s degree in French literature, Brown received a master’s degree in architecture and urban planning from the University of Pennsylvania. He spent six years on active reserve in the Army in the ’60s.
Brown believes that spending more than 30 years running his own architecture firm has prepared him for the challenges that would come with being the mayor of Houston.
‘We are in tough times, but in my experience as a businessman, I’ve learned how to manage a business through hard times,’ Brown said.
As a UH alumnus, Brown feels that the University can bring talent to the Houston workforce and be an example of a well-built environment.
‘Well I think we’re headed towards being a (flagship) University. That’s really an important part of the future of our city,’ Brown said.
Brown also said he could address rising tuition costs by working with the state legislature and he would be in favor of getting local businesses to offer students scholarships.
‘You couldn’t have a bigger supporter than Peter Brown,’ Brown said as his message to UH students.
