From the Mayor’s GLBT Liaison
World-shaking Concerns, Pothole Concerns
by Janine Brunjes

Still reverberating in my mind are the words announcing the tragedy in New York City and our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. I was in a meeting with our mayor that fateful Tuesday morning when the cell phones began to ring, the eyebrows raise. Mayor Brown glanced over and quickly rose from his seat and was ushered out the door. I knew that he had been urgently called...for what I didn’t know. Due to the state of increased security, all of his meetings were cancelled that day–and the day of our mayor and the lives of all of us were forever changed.

Mayor Brown’s words of citywide readiness and increased security offered much comfort to our anxious hearts and minds. Many in the community have commented to me that they viewed Lee P. Brown that day as not only our mayor but as Chief Lee P. Brown. Nothing is quite so comforting as having a mayor who has been chief of police for Houston and President Clinton’s drug czar. My prayers and wishes go out to all of those whose friends and family members have been affected by this horrific series of events.

My meeting with the mayor was rescheduled, and we will address those items that are of utmost importance to our community. Those concerns, which I have amassed from many meetings and discussions, center around the November referendum, fundraising for People for a Fair Houston, and Houston street conditions. I have the utmost confidence in the mayor that he will uphold his promise to support the GLBT community throughout this next battle. It is not only our cry but the cry of our city . . . to be a fair city, allowing each and every one of us access to jobs and benefits.

Mayor Brown was endorsed for mayor by the Houston Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus and not only is appreciative of our show of support for him, but does not take our endorsement lightly. He shared with me that he is in this battle all the way. You will continue to hear that from the mayor and will continue to see his support.

We all are as concerned about the status of our streets as anyone, and I do hear from the community that reporting complaints about those infamous potholes to www.cityofhouston.gov produces results. I can tell you that I have learned more about road repair and its complexities over the past nine months than I ever imagined. Know one thing for sure: Mayor Brown is aware of the issues both in Montrose and our entire city and is doing something about the conditions of our streets. Councilmember Annise Parker continually talks to the mayor on our behalf on both our issues and those of other communities in Houston. Mayor Brown and Councilmember Parker in 2001!

I have focused diligently on ensuring that my work for the community is purposeful and productive, and my attention, now that elections are near, will not stray. I will simply do both. One more voter brought out for our mayor is a vote for our community. I will represent your issues to the mayor–and I would not be forthright if I did not say that I am working and am more than hopeful for our mayor’s re-election. He has announced his support for us and has not let us down.

Please join me for the liaison’s roundtable every second Wednesday of the month from 5 to 6 p.m. at the Gay and Lesbian Community Center at 802 Hawthorne. The chats on Wednesday evenings have been cancelled due to the rescheduling of the roundtable. Please do attend. Your input is valuable to the mayor and our entire community. You can always reach me at brunjesj@aol.com.

The mayor is interested in my attending the International Network of Lesbian and Gay Officials (INGLO) conference in Washington, D.C., this fall. He is interested in what other cities are doing in relation to the GLBT community, as well as the effort of other GLBT-appointed and -elected officials. When I was first appointed, Mayor Daley’s liaison, Bill Greaves, called me from Chicago. We are one of the few cities with an appointed liaison. I will report back to you if I am able to attend the meeting. We will see just how progressive Houston is.