HOUSTON — Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner delivered his final State of the City address today. Turner, who turned 69 today, has led Houston for the past eight years but can't run again because of term limits.
With the theme of "A Lasting Legacy," the mayor reflected on his time in office, shared highlights of some of his accomplishments and said he’s laid the groundwork for the city's future.
“I will hand to whoever the next mayor will be, instead of $160M in the hole, we’ll give you a surplus of nearly $420M," Turner told the crowd.
He highlighted Houstonians’ resilience through seven federally-declared disasters like Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and the 2021 freeze.
He also had advice for whoever will be the next mayor to lead the nation’s fourth-largest city.
“I am going to write a note, and one of the things that I’m going to say is, ‘Enjoy," Turner said. “A word of advice for those who seek to follow: Be careful of what you promise. Be careful on how you criticize.”
Turner also noted he changed the channel during a mayoral debate earlier this week. Some candidates attacked Turner over public safety, handling of city finances and alleged corruption in his administration.
More than 1,500 elected officials and business and community leaders attended the sold-out luncheon.
Early voting for the upcoming Houston mayoral race starts October 23.