My name is Christopher Busby, I am a Harris County Republican precinct chair, member of the Harris County Republican Party Local Governance Committee and am president of the Houston Young Republicans*. I’m writing today to urge your consideration of my friend and Houston City Council member Steve Costello in his bid to become the next mayor of Houston.
Steve is an engineer who has set forth a plan to fix our roads, prioritize public safety and protect our taxpayer dollars by getting our city finances in order. His experience as a small business owner and City Council member grants him a unique perspective on how to change our city for the better. As a professional engineer, he is the most qualified of any candidate in the race to fix our streets and cut down on traffic. His detailed plan on pension reform, located at costelloformayor.com, provides local control and puts the power back in the hands of Houstonians instead of politicians in Austin.
Steve Costello’s fiscally conservative philosophy has benefited our great city and Houston will continue to prosper when he’s elected mayor. You have the opportunity to pick someone who will not only fix our city’s problems but develop our city in a way which will grow the economy and provide a future for generations to come. Not only as a city of Houston resident but also as a Republican leader I can think of no other candidate running who has the credentials and the political fortitude to do what’s necessary for a better tomorrow.
Now many conservatives have made some claims about Steve that I would like to address, especially in regards to Rebuild Houston. Rebuild Houston(also called the Rain Tax by opponents) is a voter approved conservatively structured finance program for city infrastructure. Rebuild Houston has been hotly debated by opponents and proponents alike. The program is a pay as you go program which will in time eliminate the city’s debt related to infrastructure and drainage. Most conservatives can agree that eliminating debt and instituting pay-as-you-go financing is not only the most conservative way to finance city’s operations but also the economically smart way. By eliminating debt we save the city millions of dollars in interest payments and prevent future generations of carrying the burden for today’s services. A false accusation has floated around for years that somehow Steve has benefitted from this program, but any level of fact checking with city records will show that Costello Inc has not accepted a city contract during his entire tenure on council.
I know many conservative and Republican voters are weighing heavily which candidate to support. I would urge them to keep in mind that Steve is the only self-identified Republican who is running for mayor and the only one who has actually served on the Houston city council. Former Kemah mayor, Houston Chronicle writer, and author of the book Unapologetically Moderate is also vying for conservative votes. Having met with Mr. King on more one occasion I find some concerns about his vision for Houston including his preference for municipal bonds (more debt) for city infrastructure over the pay-as-you-go system under Rebuild Houston. His vision on pension reform is muddled as he has both claimed opposition to and support of local control of our pension systems.
Steve Costello is a family man, a businessman, and a true example of someone who has built his success on hard work and community. You the voter have a huge decision to make in deciding who will lead our city as the next mayor. In the next few years we have many obstacles to face including a looming multi-million dollar budget deficit, soaring pension obligations, and an infrastructure in need of renewal. I have taken the opportunity to personally meet with each of the major candidates for mayor and discuss their visions for the city of Houston. While many of them are good people and have dedication, it is clear that Steve Costello is the one with the highest qualifications and a vision to move our city forward.
Christopher Busby
*Note. This does not constitute an endorsement of either the Houston Young Republicans nor an endorsement of the Harris County Republican Party Local Governance Committee.