The race for Houston City Council Position 2 is one of the most crowded, with six candidates vying to replace term-limited Councilman David Robinson.
There are five general candidates representing the 2.3 million citizens. The race for Position 2 has six candidates who have campaigned for public office before. They bring a wide range of professional experiences, from former city staff to real estate and supply chain logistics. The candidates spoke about public safety, infrastructure and strengthening the city budget.
Here’s who’s running.
Willy Davis
![At-large candidate 2 Willie R. Davis speaks during a forum for At-Large candidates at Acres Homes Multi Service Center on Thursday, September 21, 2023 in Houston.](https://s.hdnux.com/photos/01/34/43/06/24261030/3/1200x0.jpg)
Willie Ray Davis, a pastor, said at a candidate forum that addressing public safety was a major issue. He said Sept. 17 that the city needs to hire more police officers and said rising crime affects businesses and communities’ economies. He also highlighted reduced response times in a Sept. 14 forum.
Davis declined to answer questions from the Chronicle at the events and did not respond to calls and emails.
This is his third race in the 2 overall position after competing twice against starter David Robinson. in 2015 and 2019.
City Council candidates must live in Houston to run for office. He The Houston Chronicle reported that for seven city council candidates, including Davis, public records raise questions. Davis included a home south of Old Spanish Trail near MacGregor Park in his ballot application. Brazoria County property records show Davis purchased a home in Iowa Colony in 2021, where he claims a homestead exemption. Davis reported living in the city of Houston for two continuous years.
Nick Hellyar
![City Council 2 At-Large candidate Nicholas “Nick” Hellyar during a City Council At-Large 2 forum at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023, in Houston.](https://s.hdnux.com/photos/01/34/42/14/24257329/3/1200x0.jpg)
Hellyar, a real estate broker, previously worked in city and state government. He ran in an 11-candidate race for city council at-large position 4 in 2019 and lost.
Hellyar said, based on what he heard during the election campaign and while in city government, that his main issues are addressing crime and improving infrastructure. He noted that Houston has fewer police officers now than it did two decades ago and supports the city’s ability to recruit more officers.
When it comes to the city’s budget, he said the city needs to “get back to the basics.” He said those basics include public safety and infrastructure.
“Infrastructure is a national problem,” Hellyar said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a Republican or Democrat, we can all agree that infrastructure has been underfunded nationally, at the state level and here in Houston for a while. So we just need to get back to the basics, focusing on roads, flood mitigation, that kind of stuff.”
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Marina Angelica Coryat
![Candidate for General Position 2 Marina Angelica Coryat speaks during a forum for At-Large candidates at Acres Homes Multi Service Center on Thursday, September 21, 2023 in Houston.](https://s.hdnux.com/photos/01/34/43/06/24261052/3/1200x0.jpg)
Coryat worked as public information manager for the city’s solid waste department. In 2019, she ran in the District A council member race and lost.
“It was good, but in my heart I knew I should run for the general election,” Coryat said. “We all vote at the table, but the overall position also deals with international and global (issues). That’s something I’m especially passionate about. We get to see the big picture of the city as opposed to the district council members who are confined to geographic areas.”
Coryat has said Working to bring international economic opportunities to Houston is something she would like to undertake if elected, in addition to guiding initiatives to shelter victims of domestic violence.
He also wants to improve other city issues, including timely trash pickup. As a former employee of the solid waste department, she said she supports implementing a garbage collection fee to generate revenue for the department. Houston is the only large city in Texas that does not charge a garbage collection fee.
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Danielle Keys
![Danielle Keys Bess is running for City Council Seat 2.](https://s.hdnux.com/photos/01/34/46/56/24275892/3/1200x0.jpg)
Danielle Keys Bess is running for City Council Seat 2.
Photo by Rae Kade, courtesy of the campaign.Bess ran for Texas House District 147 in 2022 and pushed then-candidate Jolanda Jones to a runoff. where Jones beat Bess by about 200 votes.
Bess, a second generation real estate agent, highlighted affordable housing as a major issue. She also said that creating a sustainable urban budget is a priority for her from day one. The city typically operates at a Structural deficit: expenses grow faster than income..
“We need to focus on, on day one of taking office, building public-private partnerships,” Bess said. “That’s going to be critical to the sustainability of the city government. If I don’t have a good sustainable budget, I can’t have sustainable urban services.”
Bess also said improving infrastructure with federal dollars and public safety are major issues. As for public safety, she said that includes placing lighting in high-crime locations. She said the city needs to have “diversity funding” in the police department, citing federal funding for stress reduction training as an example.
Holly Flynn Vilaseca
![City Council 2 At-Large candidate Holly Flynn Villaseca during a City Council At-Large 2 forum at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023, in Houston.](https://s.hdnux.com/photos/01/34/42/14/24257333/3/1200x0.jpg)
Flynn Vilaseca served on the HISD school board from 2017 to 2022. She works at Johnson Controls, Inc., which she said gives her the experience to reevaluate the city’s budget and long-term planning.
“I want to bring my elected skill set, my skill set from the business acumen that I bring, along with the perspective of being a mother, to solve problems in Houston and make sure that we have equitable access to really good urban services.” said Flynn Vilaseca. “That we’re really focused on public safety and providing the right support to our frontline workers.”
Flynn Vilaseca named infrastructure and public safety as “non-negotiables” or first priority in the budget. She is open to look reassess income limitwhich limits the property taxes Houston can collect each year.
As property values increase, the city often reduces the tax rate to avoid raising more money than the limit allows.
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Obioha “Obes” Nwabara
![City Council 2 at-large candidate Obioha “Obes” Nwabara speaks during a City Council at-large 2 forum at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023, in Houston.](https://s.hdnux.com/photos/01/34/42/14/24257334/3/1200x0.jpg)
Nwabara is a supply chain professional and secretary of the organization that puts on the Bayou City Arts Festival. She ran for the Harris County Department of Education’s 7th overall seat in 2020 and lost.
Nwabara wants to prioritize reducing traffic, describing Houston’s “total gridlock as actively harming the environment.” He also said fixing water infrastructure is a priority for him. He took to social media to document a pipe leak on the street near his J District apartment.
“It’s not just a problem in District J. It’s a citywide problem,” Nwabara said. “I traveled as far north as Kingwood. I traveled as far as Clear Lake, and then east and west as well. Everywhere I go I talk to people, they say ‘yeah, we’ve had water leaks, some water main breaks, everything.’ these things too.’ “So it’s a city-wide problem that will only get worse if we don’t address it.”