Bloomberg Campaign Press Release - Houston, Texas Mayor Sylvester Turner Endorses Mike Bloomberg for President

Mayor of one of America's largest and most diverse cities to serve as National Co-Chair for the Bloomberg 2020 Infrastructure Council

HOUSTON — Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg today, praising his national infrastructure vision that confronts challenges facing cities across the country and his commitment to helping under-resourced and underserved communities that have been ignored for too long. Mayor Turner was also named National Co-Chair for the campaign's Infrastructure Council where he will advise on strategy and policy.

"As Mayor, I know that cities are ultimately made up of two things – people and places – and to be a truly successful city, we need to invest in both. And not just some people and some places, but all people and all places. We cannot allow American cities to be divided into cities of haves and have nots. That means creating economic opportunity in neighborhoods that have historically been overlooked, and it means doing the hard work of overhauling our infrastructure so that citizens can go about their lives more efficiently and safely," said Mayor Sylvester Turner. "A key to that effort is finding partners who are willing to work hard alongside us, and I've found that partner in Mike Bloomberg. Mike's been a mayor himself, so he knows that we need more federal dollars for local projects, and that cities can go farther when they have leaders in Washington who are responsive to their concerns. As mayor, Mike embraced New York's diversity and made smart investments that brought better infrastructure and greater opportunity to all five boroughs. We need a president who knows how cities run. It's why I'm proud to endorse Mike for president, and I look forward to sending him to Washington in November."

"Being a great mayor of a large, diverse city means taking on big challenges that affect millions of people, like infrastructure and climate change, and issues specific to certain groups, like expanding opportunities for young men of color – and Mayor Sylvester Turner has done both amidst the melting pot of cultures in Houston," said Mike Bloomberg. "He deserves a true partner in the White House – a president who understands local issues and empowers local leaders – and that's what I'll be. I'm honored to have his support and excited to welcome him as National Co-Chair for our campaign's Infrastructure Council. Together, we can turn Texas blue and rebuild and reunite America."

As Houston's 62nd mayor, Turner has eliminated a $160 million budget shortfall in record time; led the city's remarkable rebound from Hurricane Harvey; championed historic pension reform; expanded municipal investments in renewable energy and led the winning bid to host the World Petroleum Congress in 2020. Through the Complete Communities initiative, Turner has leveraged private and nonprofit investments to enhance infrastructure and economic and cultural developments in underserved neighborhoods. Turner has brought a performance-driven approach to the job, creating more responsive, streamlined and efficient delivery of city services while shoring up Houston's financial future.

Prior to his election as mayor, Turner served for 27 years in the Texas House as the representative for District 139. He worked on the House Appropriations Committee for 21 years, serving as Speaker Pro Tem for three terms and appointed to several Budget Conference Committees to help balance the state's budget and served on the Legislative Budget Board.

Turner will be with Bloomberg later today at an event in Houston to help officially launch Mike for Black America, a Mike Bloomberg 2020 organizing program to engage Black Americans on key issues important to the Black community and organizes voters to defeat Donald Trump and elect Mike in November.

Mike for Black America embodies the Greenwood Initiative, a real plan responding to systemic bias keeping many Black Americans from amassing generational wealth. The plan would invest $70 billion in the country's 100 most disadvantaged neighborhoods. It creates 1 million Black homeowners, 100,000 new Black-owned businesses, and supports Black entrepreneurs by increasing access to capital.

For Mike, this is more than a plan. It's building on his proven track record. As mayor of New York City, he instituted an ambitious plan to expand affordable housing. The New Housing Marketplace Plan led to a $23.6 billion investment in affordable housing across the city. The initiative built or preserved 175,000 units. Mike also supported minority-owned businesses. The value of contracts awarded to women-and-minority owned businesses grew to $3.5 billion in New York.