Progress Texas endorses and strongly supports Chris Hollins in the race for Houston City Controller on Nov. 7. When elected, he will transform public safety and city operations, expand economic and educational opportunities, and safeguard city tax dollars. But first things first, it’s important to explain the city controller’s role and duties. 

What’s a controller

The controller acts as the city’s chief financial officer (CFO), who is responsible for ensuring that the assets of the city are properly accounted for and expended. This relates to all things financial, including ensuring the availability and distribution of city funds for commitments, making investments and conducting the sale of bonds, and operating and maintaining the city’s financial management system. Since this role does not report to the mayor nor the city council, the office holder can provide objective, independent oversight on the effectiveness of the city’s finances and operations. That is especially important because other roles include overseeing the auditing of city departments, and creating an annual financial report. So, that’s the controller.

Why Hollins?

Chris Hollins is uniquely qualified to handle the job thanks to his background with McKinsey & Company, combined with his Harvard Master in Business Administration. At the management consulting company, he pioneered strategies for large government agencies - in public safety, defense, and security, so he is acquainted with the scale and tasks that this role would demand. This is especially true regarding the improvement of city operations, which is built into his platform to protect tax dollars, in addition to maintaining the administration and supervision of city finances and operations.

Other candidates include Orlando Sanchez, Dave Martin, and Shannan Nobles. Name ID and partisan affiliation may be the deciding factors in this race, though candidates don’t run with a D or R after their name. 

Hollins pledges to build a safer Houston, and invest in its future. Actually, he already has. Back in 2020, he served as the county clerk during a critical election season where he fought for voting rights through innovations which included drive-thru voting, 24-hour voting, online mail ballot tracking, and tripling the number of early voting centers–[which] led to eye-popping record voter turnout despite the ongoing global pandemic. He has a proven record of expanding opportunity and access to voting rights, and we believe this extends to his policies on expanding educational and economic opportunities as well.  

Other points of interest for his campaign: taking advantage of Houston’s status as the “most diverse city in the nation” and as “Energy Capital of the World.” He wants Houston’s investments and “governance [to] equitably reflect the richness of our community,” as well as add energy jobs to stimulate the economy and area. Overall, his vision for Houston is one that “that never goes backward. That’s the Houston I know – always forward.”

Other allies are saying Vote Chris Hollins

Key endorsements include State Rep. James Talarico, State Rep. Ron Reynolds, State Rep. Gene Wu, along with the organizations Transport Workers Union Local 260, AFL-CIO Texas Gulf Coast, and The Collective PAC.

We strongly recommend Houstonians vote for Chris Hollins for City Controller on Nov. 7 because he can make the city safer, more functional, and prosperous.

• Important Election Dates
  • Early Voting: Open from Oct. 23 to Nov. 3. at 68 voting locations from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon – 7 p.m. on Sunday.
  • Ballot-by-mail applications received: by Oct. 27
  • Ballot-by-mail itself must be received by Nov. 7 unless postmarked by 7 p.m. on Election day, then it must be received by 5 p.m. on Nov. 8.
  • Election day: Nov. 7, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Other Resources
  • Vote your full ballot! Read our Statewide Progressive Voter Guide for the 14 statewide constitutional amendment ballot propositions.

Voting Qs? Visit our website, GoVoteTexas.org.