Wednesday Wrap-Up
Understanding City Government
Now more than ever, it is critically important for as many constituents as possible to be informed about how our local government operates. With this in mind, Council Member Pollard has started a new video series called Wednesday Wrap-up. Each week, he will release a video that highlights one topic addressed at Houston City Council sessions in an effort to provide insight into the innerworkings of City Hall. Check out Council Member Pollard's social media pages to see the first few weeks worth of videos.
Supplemental Maintenance Team
Beautifying District J
District J now has a new service to help keep neighborhoods aesthetically pleasing. The Supplemental Maintenance Team is a program that supplements the essential services provided by the city, focusing on maintaining Houston's medians, right of ways, esplanades, accessible ditches, and ensuring efficient litter abatement on city property.
City Council Sessions
How to Watch City Council Sessions
City Council meetings are held weekly on Tuesdays at 1:30 p.m. and Wednesdays at 9:00 a.m. All Council meetings are open to the public and broadcast live on the local municipal channel, HTV. Click the link below to access past Council meetings or watch on the HTV Facebook page.
Meet Your Council Member
Edward Pollard is a proud product of Southwest Houston. He attended all HISD schools (Lovett, Johnston, Lamar), before accepting a basketball scholarship to Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA. While in college, Edward was recognized as an NCAA Academic All American and graduated with honors earning his BA in Political Science. After playing professional basketball overseas in the Republic of Singapore and Chile, South America, Edward returned to Houston to pursue his law degree. He attended Thurgood Marshall School of Law where he graduated with honors earning his Juris Doctorate with a concentration in Government and Policy. Edward also received his Certificate in Negotiation Mastery from Harvard Business School.
Professionally, Edward is the principal owner of Pollard Legal Group, LLC, a boutique civil litigation law firm located in District J. Edward is also the founder of Suits for Success, a 501c3 organization that mentors teen boys on life skills at District J high schools. The semester-long program focuses on public speaking, etiquette training, personal finance, resume building, interview techniques, and how to tie a tie. At the completion of the program, each student earns a free suit, shirt, and tie for high school graduation and life beyond.
As Council Member, Edward led the creation of the city’s Food Insecurity Board, launched MoreJobsHouston.com to provide easy and accessible resources and employment opportunities for job seekers, initiated the Police Transparency Dashboard that gives current public-facing police department data and policy, granted over $100,000.00 in tax dollars to support after-school programing with a priority on programs for kids on the autism spectrum, and most notably, completely transformed the notorious Bissonnet Track, where his leadership efforts and strategies have resulted in crime stats dropping by a staggering 90 percent.
Edward’s signature program of his tenure has been the creation and success of the District J Patrol. This patrol is a modern approach to community policing where District J residents report neighborhood related offenses to DistrictJPatrol.com and a specialized HPD officer will address the issue in streamlined fashion and notate a response back to the constituent on the website for full transparency and accountability.
Edward is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., a lifetime member of the historic Antioch Missionary Baptist Church downtown, and has two children, EJ and Nadia.