Houston Council District J Candidates Speak at Sharpstown Civic Meeting

Fifteen candidates for Houston’s upcoming election spoke at the Sharpstown Civic Association meeting last night, including the two District J candidates for City Council: incumbent Edward Pollard (also owner of Pollard Legal Group, LLC), and former real estate lender Ivan Sanchez (also founder of Houston Millennials).

Mayor Pro-Tem Dave Martin introduced twelve of the candidates, including Pollard and Sanchez, even though Martin is a political candidate himself (for city controller) and works closely with Pollard on the Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee.

The SCA has held a District J debate in the past, but not this year. Instead, each candidate had three minutes to speak.

Pollard emphasized his history of attending SCA meetings “for about ten years now,” working on service projects before he ran for office. He claimed that “the district is stronger today than it’s ever been” and credited his staff Francis Ellis, Misty Starks, David-Alexander Brizuela, and Paul Young: “It’s not just me—it’s the entire team.”

He pointed to his current projects like the District J Patrol, District J Jobs, and the HOT Team: “All that stuff has just started. It’s going to be even better in the next four years.”

Meanwhile, Sanchez evoked “the golden days of this neighborhood…when our streets were safe…when our neighbors were like family…when Sharpstown Mall was the glorious part of town.”

But, he said, “Our side of town has been neglected for a very, very long time.” He emphasized increasing public safety—especially addressing local sex trafficking—and boosting economic prosperity—especially through his plan to “rehab Sharpstown Mall” (also known as PlazAmericas) to prepare for the 2026 World Cup.

Here are the other City Council candidates who spoke (listed in order of position and appearance):

At-Large Position 1: Kendall Baker, Conchita Reyes, Leah Wolfthal

At-Large Position 2: Willie Davis, Holly Flynn Vilaseca

At-Large Position 3: Richard Nguyen, Donnell Cooper, Ericka McCrutcheon

At-Large Position 4: Roy Morales, Drew Patterson

At-Large Position 5: Sallie Alcorn

For the mayoral race, candidate M.J. Khan spoke, as did Elizabeth Weller, representing candidate John Whitmire.

The election will be held on Tuesday, November 7, 2023, from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM.

Your council district may have changed this year because the city recently redistricted. Read our explainer here.

Want to learn more about your city council candidates? Sharpener editor Tyess Korsmo got to interview both District J candidates in depth last week. The articles are delayed due to his busy schedule (three part-time jobs right now), but they’re coming. Subscribe so you don’t miss them!

Correction: Mayor Pro-Tem introduced twelve of the candidates, not fourteen (as our article originally stated).