In the conclusion of The Post Newspaper interview with incoming Texas City Mayor Dedrick Johnson, who will be sworn in on Wednesday evening, Johnson talks about the path laid before him by area African-American politicians, his faith and how he will help combating the coronavirus.
Q: Do you have any plans on how you can contribute to the progress of TCISD
Mayor Dedrick Johnson: We are a separate entity, but I want the district to know, that as their new Mayor, I stand by and support whatever endeavors they have to progress their school district. If I can help in any capacity, we will continue to collaborate with the things we have collaborated with in the past. If we can find new, creative ways to help one another out, they have to know I am 100 percent for that. I believe that a strong school district is indicative of a strong city. Schools are one of the primary things that attracts new residents who know their kids will be in top-notch facilities with top-notch educators. I look forward to working with them any way that I can.
Q: How do you look at promoting the city to help entice businesses to put jobs into Texas City?
MDJ: We have a unique location on the Gulf Coast. We have something a lot of cities don’t have. We’re right here on the Gulf Coast, so if we want to take advantage of our port, if we want to take advantage of our island access to Galveston, we have to be able to sell our city with the things that are unique to us that are not unique to the other cities.
We also have a great Texas City-La Marque Chamber of Commerce that we want to work with. They have done a great job attracting new businesses. There’s some turnover at the Chamber with Ms. Jenny Senter leaving and Ms. Page Michel taking over (as President). I want to make myself available to them so they can continue to do the great job they’ve been doing by attracting businesses and helping our existing businesses.
Q: When you look back at the trail laid by the African-American community, how important is it for you to look back and be thankful for the contributions of those who came before you?
MDJ: I like to use the phrase, ‘I’m eating apples off trees that they sowed.’ They were definitely some trailblazers. Ms. Connie Jackson, who was a District 1 City Commissioner, was the one who really got me involved hands-on in local politics here. I’m indebted to her as my mentor. Mr. Sonny James Sr. was a Justice of the Peace and was a Constable in the 1980s…I was a kid at that time, but he was the one who pulled me to the side and let me help put out signs for him. He said, ‘if you want to see change in your community, you have to get involved in the political process.’ As a 15-year-old kid, that stuck with me. Now, here I am as a grown man involved in politics, I look back at what he said because it planted a seed in me.
I want to be sure I’m planting thos same kind of seeds in young boys and girls who may or may not see themselves as future political leaders. I’m thankful to Sonny James and Connie Jackson and Thomas F. Carter. I’m thankful for Mr. Wayne Johnson….I’ll never forget my first campaign when I was running for City Commissioner in 1998, Mr. Johnson allowed me to use his phone bank, which was set up in his house. He said, ‘this is for you,’ and I will forever be grateful. He went Home to be with the Lord shortly after, but those are the people who help blaze the trail for us. I hope I am able to do the same.
Q: How much will you rely on your faith in your new role?
MDJ: My faith gets me through everything. I will rely heavily on my faith to get me through this. The Bible says ‘Faith without works is dead,’ so while I will rely on my faith, I also have to put some faith into action through works and the God-given leadership He has bestowed me with and the network and the people that I meet. It’s about relationship building, building bridges and not burning bridges. The more bridges that you build, the more successful you are. I think that played a large role in the success of my campaign because all of my life I have built bridges and worked with people and leaving them in better shape than when I met them, so when it came time for me to ask for their vote, it wasn’t such a difficulty for them to put their trust in me.
Q: With a number of new faces being elected along with you, does it feel like a new era is beginning toward keeping Texas City moving forward?
MDJ: Well, that’s yet to be seen. We do have a change in the face of leadership. We do have a change in the face of our council and commission, but Texas City was moving in a positive direction before the election. I want to keep Texas City moving in a positive direction. We’ve had great leadership under our recent Mayors…Matt Doyle, Carlos Garza, Charles Doyle and so on. I’m not going to turn that into a 180, but at the same time, we can still characterize leadership in different areas with different people.
I want to congratulate the four new commissioners for joining the Texas City commission, and I want to congratulate the four commissioners who are leaving because they did a great job while they were there as well. It’s our goal to keep Texas City moving in a positive direction and make it a great place to work and live.
Q: What are your personal projects that you’d like to pursue that is also important to the city?
MDJ: I have always mentioned youth programs, and I think Texas City has done an outstanding job with their summer camps, youth Little League sports and things like that. However, I want to see some things in the city that may not be so sports-driven. We can do some creative programs, because I think we help develop these young men and women into future leaders while also curbing some of the delinquency involved and our crime numbers, which have not been good this year.
We want to provide the platform for youth programs and invite grass-roots organizations to take part. We would love to have the YMCA or the Boys Club to think that Texas City is a great place to dig their heels in and work with the youth.
Q: How do you plan to help Texas City get through the latest rise in Coronavirus cases?
MDJ: It’s difficult because it’s become so divisive around the country when it comes to what to or what not to believe in. I’m going to listen to the experts. I’m not a doctor. I’m going to listen to the Center of Disease Control, the Galveston County Health District or anybody in the city that has specialized experience. We have to fight this thing together as a team, and we’ll do the best we can. If they say we can open up, we’ll open up. If we need to clamp down, we’ll clamp down.
