Sylvester Turner

Sylvester Turner was born in Houston, Texas. Turner earned a B.A. in political science from the University of Houston in 1977 and a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1980. His career experience includes working as an attorney. Turner became a member of the Acres Home Citizens Chamber of Commerce, American Cancer Society Board, Brookhollow Baptist Church, Coalition for School Improvement, and the United Negro College Fund.[2][3]

Sylvester Turner did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

Sylvester Turner did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

Turner’s campaign website stated the following:

PLATFORM

Sylvester Turner’s Plan to Keep the 18th District Thriving

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee will be hard to replace, but Sylvester Turner knows we cannot afford to drop the ball when it comes to delivering for the people of our district. Of all the candidates, only Sylvester can hit the ground running from Day One. Sylvester’s plan includes:

1. Keep federal resources flowing to address hurricane recovery, cancer clusters in Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens, rising prices, public safety, health care, women’s reproductive freedom, education, police accountability, and more.

2. Protect women and families. Increase services and funding for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and sex trafficking, including funding for programs under the Violence Against Women Act, reauthorized through the work of the Congresswoman.

3. Pass a federal law to codify Roe v. Wade. Only federal legislation can invalidate Texas’ abortion ban.

4. Address rising prices and the high cost of living by investing in affordable housing and bringing down the price of essentials like food, energy, prescription drugs and healthcare.

5. Pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, reintroduced by the Congresswoman in May. The act would limit qualified immunity, strengthen civil rights protections, improve training, ensure transparency, and invest in innovative approaches to public safety.

6. Pass strong reforms to end the epidemic of gun violence. Require universal background checks on all gun purchases, require mental health background checks and restrictions for gun ownership (red flag laws), raise the minimum age to purchase a gun, and require gun safety storage laws.

7. Reduce inequality in our public schools and end the HISD takeover. School districts and public and private programs receiving federal funds from the U.S. Department of Education through the State of Texas should not be vehicles for discrimination.

8. Achieve environmental justice for the Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens by holding the EPA’s feet to the fire on the investigation at the Union Pacific Railroad site.

9. Pass the Equality Act to outlaw discrimination against LGBTQ+ people in employment, housing, credit, education, public spaces and services, federally funded programs, and jury service.

10. Protect the Affordable Care Act from Republican attacks and work for full participation in Medicaid expansion by the State of Texas, to cover millions of uninsured Texans.[12]

—Sylvester Turner’s campaign website (2024)[13]

Sylvester Turner did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2019 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

Turner’s campaign website stated the following:

Every day, Mayor Sylvester Turner is working to lift every voice in Houston so we can continue to do great things for our city.

Under his thoughtful, determined leadership, we showed the world our resilience, grit and grace during the depths of Hurricane Harvey and the continuing recovery.

We came together as Republicans and Democrats, business people and working families, to save our city from bankruptcy by fixing our pension crisis.

We created more than 100,000 new jobs in the region last year with a focus on startups, technology and innovation.

We filled hundreds of millions of dollars in gaps in tough budgets and filled more than 165,000 potholes.

And yes, we successfully hosted a Super Bowl and celebrated with the World Series Champions Houston Astros.

Houston is a city that never sleeps—and this is a story that continues to be told every day, by every one of us.

That’s why Mayor Turner is laser-focused on flood recovery, prevention and mitigation efforts – from securing billions of dollars in federal funding to passing sweeping changes in the way we develop our city in the future.

He is working to ease traffic congestion and improve road conditions through improvements to Rebuild Houston – the city’s program for streets and drainage that was approved by voters in a landslide last November – and working with METRO to expand and upgrade our transportation infrastructure.

He is not only lifting every voice in Houston, but also lifting entire communities. His award-winning Complete Communities initiative is creating more complete neighborhoods with access to quality affordable homes, jobs, well-maintained parks and greenspace, improved streets and sidewalks, grocery stores, retail, good schools, and transit options.

And he is Houston’s biggest booster when it comes to creating more jobs and economic opportunity – from helping to bring in millions of dollars to Houston through events like the 2020 World Energy Conference, to collaborating with leading institutions to make Houston a world leader in data science and digital technologies.

Mayor Turner always says, “In Houston, if you can dream it, you can do it.” His life is a testament to that philosophy.

[12]

—Sylvester Turner’s campaign website (2019)[14]

Turner's website highlighted the following campaign themes:

Economic opportunity

Excerpt: "Sylvester believes that cities should be given the power to pass local minimum wage increases by a vote of the people."

Excerpt: "Sylvester believes the city should use all available tools to attract and retain jobs, including economic incentives. But the effective use of these incentives requires a real commitment to serve all of Houston, not just a select few."[15]

Safety

Excerpt: "A comprehensive study of HPD released last year supports the conclusion that additional officers are needed. Funding, of course, is the challenge. That’s one of the reasons Sylvester would take a hard look at increasing our revenue cap and dedicating the funds to public safety."[16]

Transportation

Excerpt: "Sylvester will work to implement a quick-fix, 24-hour street maintenance program for city roads. At the same time, we need to be cognizant about the effects of construction on nearby businesses. We should do everything we can to notify businesses of construction, street closures and water cutoffs in a timely manner."

Excerpt: "Sylvester supports a planned approach to transit that includes buses, rail, bikes and pedestrian options, to provide effective and affordable options to all areas of the city."[17]

Education

Excerpt:[18]

Sylvester will bring the city, school districts and parents together to:

Work with the Texas Legislature to get Houston’s schools the funding they deserve.

Share resources with neighborhoods to support after-school and year-round learning.

Get students to school safely by prioritizing sidewalk repairs and other infrastructure improvements along school routes.

Protect neighborhoods from school closures by collaborating with school districts to accommodate community needs and future growth.[12]

Immigration reform

Excerpt: "As a legislator, Sylvester has long supported the Texas DREAM Act and drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants. He’s fought proposals that would have resulted in increased police harassment of Latinos based on their perceived immigration status. He will be proud to support DACA and DAPA as mayor."

Excerpt: "Sylvester strongly believes that our police officers should not be asking immigration status when investigating—the immigrant community needs to know that police are not interested in their immigration status; and that, for their own safety, they should cooperate with HPD officers looking into crime."[19]