Outgoing Houston mayor Sylvester Turner talks challenges, accomplishments, his future
HOUSTON - He’s the 62nd leader for the city of Houston, and he's just days away from ending his term as mayor. FOX 26 anchor Rashi Vats sat down with him exclusively to talk about the challenges, accomplishments, and his future.
When asked how he was doing especially after the cancer diagnosis last year, he said, "Spirit is strong, faith is strong. I am feeling pretty good. Appreciate people's prayers and positive thoughts."
"Even with the cancer diagnosis, the surgery and the radiation, my faith said hey why not you? Now it is time for you to take the same advice you have given to others. When going through the storms, when people have lost their homes, and gone through various circumstances out of their control and press conferences after press conferences with people telling them we are going to make it through, we are going be ok. There comes a time where you have to apply that to yourself," he said.
"You try not to get too high, and you try not to get too low. Steady as she goes. That primarily comes from my parents. When you are raising nine kids, and then my mom raised nine after my dad died, steady as she goes. That was my mom, steady as she goes. Tomorrow will be better than today. Sylvester, we can't do it today, tomorrow. Steady as she goes. That comes from mom and dad."
On the lighter side, he explained how he has collected more than 40 suits throughout the years and recently donated dozens of them.
He also explained how driving is going to "new" to him, since he hasn’t driven a car in eight years.
"I haven't driven in so long, I still have the new license plates on my truck. That's just to let you know there was no urgency to change them, and I said to my truck, you and I about to get reacquainted. That will be new," he said.