HOUSTON — With only a few weeks left before his final day in office, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner sat down with KHOU 11's Len Cannon to talk about the challenges of the job, his accomplishments, unfinished business and his future.
In his eight years as mayor, the City of Houston faced seven federally declared disasters -- from flooding to the pandemic and a winter freeze.
"You get applauded for some things and blamed for a lot of things," Cannon said.
That's part of life for the mayor of the biggest city in Texas and the fourth-largest in the country.
His last day in office is Dec. 31, but he said he's not retiring. Turner said he's not sure what lies ahead, but he knows one thing he's not doing.
"I am not interested in going to Congress," he said.
He stopped short of saying it's the last political office he will pursue.
"I'm not willing to say that because you never know what's coming down the pike," Turner said.
His quest for mayor lasted 25 years. He finally won on his third try in 2016.
"If I had to do it again, I would do it again. If I could run again for a third term, I would run again," Turner said.
Even with his dream job, Turner said there is still unfinished business. He said he never was able to reach a contract agreement with Houston firefighters, who demanded higher pay.
"You can be my friend, but if you are asking for something that is not in the best interest of the City, it is important for me to say ... you are my friend, I respect you, but no," he said.
In the past year or so, Turner's administration took heat for failing water pipes and sky-high water bills.
"I wish when you call Public Works we could come directly to your street in front of your house and fix it," he said.
Through it all, Turner said he's proud of helping the City navigate some difficult days.
"Harvey, COVID, social civil unrest, winter storm. ... Houston has proven to be resilient and we are still moving forward," he said.
Perhaps Turner's biggest challenge was a cancer diagnosis last year. He's now cancer-free but gets constant checkups.