Through The Fire

This episode of the podcast was originally written in response to the Houston Chronicle's endorsement of Sylvester Turner for Mayor in the primary. I'm publishing it now and including a brief update on ICF International as well as a look at what's at stake for Houston firefighters and their families with Election Day coming up.Thanks for listening!---Don't forget to leave us a rating and a review! Also, make sure to hit that subscribe button to stay up to date on the story as we add more episodes!Twitter: @TTFHoustonFacebook: @ThroughTheFirePodcast fb.me/ThroughTheFirePodcastEmail: [email protected]

This episode of the podcast is the first of its kind. It’s not so much a news update as it is an editorial. It's an opportunity for me to get something off of my chest that has been nagging about this whole Prop B saga since I began putting this project together seven months ago. Thanks again for listening!---This episode is brought to you by...Safety and Fire Education Trainingwww.safe-t4u.com281-808-0656---Don't forget to leave us a rating and a review! Also, make sure to hit that subscribe button to stay up to date on the story as we add more episodes!Twitter: @TTFHoustonFacebook: @ThroughTheFirePodcast fb.me/ThroughTheFirePodcastEmail: [email protected]

Mayoral candidate Tony Buzbee is a former Marine and now a nationally-renowned lawyer, among many other things. Most political experts predict Buzbee will go to a runoff against the incumbent Sylvester Turner.https://www.tonybuzbeeformayor.com/---Don't forget to leave us a rating and a review! Also, make sure to hit that subscribe button to stay up to date on the story as we add more episodes!Twitter: @TTFHoustonFacebook: @ThroughTheFirePodcast fb.me/ThroughTheFirePodcastEmail: [email protected]

Dwight Boykins currently serves on Houston's City Council, representing District D. He is also one of the front-runners to challenge incumbent Mayor Sylvester Turner in Houston's Mayoral race.https://www.dwightboykinsformayor.com/---Don't forget to leave us a rating and a review! Also, make sure to hit that subscribe button to stay up to date on the story as we add more episodes!Twitter: @TTFHoustonFacebook: @ThroughTheFirePodcast fb.me/ThroughTheFirePodcastEmail: [email protected]

As promised, I’m adding more episodes to provide updates on the Prop B saga, the race for Houston Mayor, and the podcast itself, so thanks for listening.If you haven’t already, catch up on all six original episodes of the podcast to hear the story of the decades-long war between the city of Houston and its fire department. Listen to find out where it all began to where we are now.On this updates episode we’ll take a look at the Fire Union’s no-confidence vote in Fire Chief Sam Pena, the first televised mayoral debate, Prop B money being recouped from firefighters that resign or retire, even more questions surrounding Hurricane Harvey relief funds, and the latest controversy Turner find himself in, this time surrounding his connection to a man given an internship with the city that pays $95,000 a year.---Don't forget to leave us a rating and a review! Also, make sure to hit that subscribe button to stay up to date on the story as we add more episodes!Twitter: @TTFHoustonFacebook: @ThroughTheFirePodcast fb.me/ThroughTheFirePodcastEmail: [email protected] Credits:ABC News, NBC News, Fox News, Fox Business, CNN, AP Archive, New York Times, KHOU, KPRC, KTRK, KRIV, KRBE, HTV Houston Television, NPR Houston, Houston Chronicle, Houston Post, Houston Press, Texas Monthly, WPRI, SylvesterTurner.com

After a devastating vote by City Council that approved the laying off and demoting of hundreds of firefighters to pay for Proposition B, there was still ongoing mediation to attend to. If a resolution wasn’t reached, Democratic Judge Tanya Garrison would then be the lone voice in deciding the validity of Prop B. The Fire Union’s options were dwindling as mediations seemed more superficial and obligatory than an opportunity to make a deal, especially given that layoffs and demotions were already approved. So the Fire Union’s hope then seemed to lie with Judge Garrison and the upcoming election season, as a new crop of Mayor hopefuls, sought to take down the incumbent. With the recently approved layoffs and demotions, Prop B still tied up in court, and a heated mayoral race, there looked to be no end in sight, in war between the city of Houston and its fire department.---Don't forget to leave us a rating and a review! Also, make sure to hit that subscribe button to stay up to date on the story as we add more episodes!Twitter: @TTFHoustonFacebook: @ThroughTheFirePodcast fb.me/ThroughTheFirePodcastEmail: [email protected] Credits:ABC News, NBC News, Fox News, Fox Business, CNN, AP Archive, New York Times, KHOU, KPRC, KTRK, KRIV, KRBE, HTV Houston Television, NPR Houston, Houston Chronicle, Houston Post, Houston Press, Texas Monthly, WPRI, SylvesterTurner.com

It’s about 10 pm on November 6th, 2018 and the final Proposition B votes are being collected from around the city. Prop B was a ballot measure created by the Fire Union that would give firefighters equal pay with police officers of corresponding rank and years of service.That night, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner remained vocally steadfast in his stance that if Prop B passed, there would be hundreds of layoffs of firefighters and police officers and a reduction of services. He likened the pay parity initiative to a storm, saying “when you see a storm coming, you have to begin to make preparations.” For the Fire Union and its president Marty Lancton, this night was decades in the making but the last few years had been particularly eventful, more so than ever before. Pension reform that drastically reduced the retirements of firefighters, consistently stalled contract negotiations, years of Prop B legal battles, an acrid relationship with city leaders, all on top of unacceptable fleet and station conditions had left the rank and file of the fire department beaten and tired. Morale was fading fast. So, the passage of Prop B would not only be a remarkable legal victory for firefighters, but it would also be a momentous morale boost.  By almost 11 pm, the majority of votes had been counted and the outcome had become clear…So, would voters side with Turner and vote against Prop B for fear that it would bankrupt the city and comprise public safety, or were they certain that pay parity was within the city’s financial means and vote to give firefighters the raise they had gone without for the last eight years?  And, more than that, if Prop B did pass, would Turner honor the will of the voters and fully implement Prop B immediately or would he continue to fight it by taking legal action against it? And would he actually layoff hundreds of firefighter if it passed?And if it didn’t pass, what would Lancton and the Fire Union have prepared and how would that affect their strength in further negotiations as they continued to work without a contract?---Don't forget to leave us a rating and a review! Also, make sure to hit that subscribe button to stay up to date on the story as we add more episodes!Twitter: @TTFHoustonFacebook: @ThroughTheFirePodcast fb.me/ThroughTheFirePodcastEmail: [email protected] Credits:ABC News, NBC News, Fox News, Fox Business, CNN, AP Archive, New York Times, KHOU, KPRC, KTRK, KRIV, KRBE, HTV Houston Television, NPR Houston, Houston Chronicle, Houston Post, Houston Press, Texas Monthly, WPRI, SylvesterTurner.com

It’s now the summer of 2017 and Sylvester Turner is a year and a half into his four years as Houston’s Mayor. Senate Bill 2190 is inching closer to being inked into law, despite strong objections and literal protests at the State Capitol by the both Fire Union and the Firefighters Pension Board. The bill, which Turner helped author, would overhaul Houston’s unsustainable pension system but would most adversely affect the retirements of firefighters. Fire Union President Marty Lancton was leading the Union’s resurgence by not only helping to halt the bill, but he was also sparing with Turner for a new contract for the department. It was a perfect storm; retirements and pay for firefighters were at stake and Lancton, fueled by the Union’s never-before-seen momentum, was squaring up against the city’s most capable Mayor ever. For years, the heavyweights traded blows and eventually, Turner would land one of the biggest haymakers to the fire department any mayor ever has. But Lancton and the Fire Union would prove that they were ready for the big time, and they went right back to trading blows, making never-before-seen moves in their fight against the city.---Don't forget to leave us a rating and a review! Also, make sure to hit that subscribe button to stay up to date on the story as we add more episodes!Twitter: @TTFHoustonFacebook: @ThroughTheFirePodcast fb.me/ThroughTheFirePodcastEmail: [email protected] Credits:ABC News, NBC News, Fox News, Fox Business, CNN, AP Archive, New York Times, KHOU, KPRC, KTRK, KRIV, KRBE, HTV Houston Television, NPR Houston, Houston Chronicle, Houston Post, Houston Press, Texas Monthly, WPRI, SylvesterTurner.com

As Houston’s 62nd Mayor, Sylvester Turner was responsible for leading the city through many national news worthy events, some remarkable, some odd, and many tragic. Turner’s years as Mayor were also dotted with suspect political and business dealings, with one opponent even calling it “the most corrupt administration” in the last 40 years. And the controversies didn’t end there. Turner initially earned the endorsement of the Firefighter’s Union. But, like many Mayors before, the relationship between Turner and the Fire Union quickly soured when he reneged on a campaign promise that earned him their endorsement to begin with. In doing so, Turner would deliver a devastating shot to the foundation of the department and trigger a new era of battles unlike any others in the decades-long war between city of Houston and its fire department.---Don't forget to leave us a rating and a review! Also, make sure to hit that subscribe button to stay up to date on the story as we add more episodes!Twitter: @TTFHoustonFacebook: @ThroughTheFirePodcast fb.me/ThroughTheFirePodcastEmail: [email protected] Credits:ABC News, NBC News, Fox News, Fox Business, CNN, AP Archive, New York Times, KHOU, KPRC, KTRK, KRIV, KRBE, HTV Houston Television, NPR Houston, Houston Chronicle, Houston Post, Houston Press, Texas Monthly, WPRI, SylvesterTurner.com

In 2015, Sylvester Turner had his sights set on becoming Houston’s next Mayor. This would be his third attempt at doing so over the last 25 years, so Turner knew he would need an edge this time, in order to finally win. And, Turner himself had a bit more of an edge, and he certainly wasn’t the same man that ran for Mayor in 1991. To know Sylvester Turner, we must not only look at his journey during that time, but we must know his story even before that, in order to fully appreciate who he has become and what kind of city leader, he might be.---Don't forget to leave us a rating and a review! Also, make sure to hit that subscribe button to stay up to date on the story as we add more episodes!Twitter: @TTFHoustonFacebook: @ThroughTheFirePodcast fb.me/ThroughTheFirePodcastEmail: [email protected] Credits:ABC News, NBC News, Fox News, Fox Business, CNN, AP Archive, New York Times, KHOU, KPRC, KTRK, KRIV, KRBE, HTV Houston Television, NPR Houston, Houston Chronicle, Houston Post, Houston Press, Texas Monthly, WPRI, SylvesterTurner.com