Former city council member Amanda Edwards joins Houston's mayoral race

One-on-one with Houston Mayoral Candidate Amanda Edwards

FOX 26 Political Reporter Greg Groogan speaks with former Houston City Councilmember Amanda Edwards, who is looking to make history with a run for mayor.

HOUSTON - Amanda Edwards has never seen public service as a pathway to the elected office but rather elected office as a force multiplier for greater service.

"I am announcing my candidacy to be the next Mayor of Houston to do just that," said Edwards.

A former City Council Member and candidate for U.S. Senate, Edwards has spent years proactively walking door to door on hundreds of Houston streets gauging need, helping where she can, and most of all, listening.

"In order to lead I firmly believe you've got not just to elevate and hear the voices of the people, but you've really got to understand and be present in their communities, so I love to come out in neighborhoods," said Edwards. "I didn't want to be as a City Council Member somebody who governed from City Hall. To me, good governance means bringing City Hall to you."

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An attorney with deep knowledge of public finance, Edwards says her goal if elected will be delivery of core fundamentals as a springboard for a Bayou City citizenry that is both thriving and united in the future.

"I don't know anyone who doesn't want economic opportunity," said Edwards. "I don't know anybody who doesn't want housing. I don't know anyone who doesn't want good schooling These are all things I think we can all unite around in terms of fixing the challenges and owning the solutions to that as a community."

Within a recently renovated Harvey and freeze-damaged home of an elderly Houstonian whom Edwards felt compelled to help, the candidate pledged to close the governmental "cracks" so many of her neighbors have fallen through.

"If we are not reaching out and making it less overwhelming for them, then they are not going to get the help that they need and our City cannot survive that way with people being left behind," said Edwards.

Edwards joins former Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins and longtime State Senator John Whitmire in the 2023 Houston mayoral field.