2005 Race for Houston City Council At-Large Position 2: Jay Aiyer, speaks to Houston Business Connections publisher Aubrey R. Taylor Jay Aiyer
Candidate for Houston City Council At-Large, Position #2 TAYLOR: Tell us in 200 words or less why Houstonians should vote for your candidacy? AIYER: I believe Houstonians should support my candidacy because I am the best-qualified person in this race to serve on Houston City Council. The challenging events of the last several weeks remind us of the importance of having strong, experienced leadership at City Hall local government matters in people's lives, now more than ever. I have the public service and private sector experience to get the job done on City Council. I served as Chief of Staff to Houston Mayor Lee Brown, and am currently a Trustee for the Houston Community College System. I know how City government works and how to get things done. As a management consultant and attorney in the private sector, I have worked with public organizations to improve their processes and performance. I will do the same at City Hall to get the most out of taxpayer dollars. Houston is a great city of hope and opportunity, but we face challenges. We must improve public safety, repair our aging infrastructure, revitalize communities and expand economic opportunity for all. Community needs are great and resources are scarce, but with strong leadership on Council, working with the mayor, we can achieve a bright future for Houston. TAYLOR: Tell us in 100 words or less about your greatest strength? AIYER: I have been able, in both public service and the private sector, to develop innovative solutions to difficult problems. The City faces challenges and the budget is tight. City government must think "outside the box" to meet these challenges. The City must look at working with other local governments and the private sector to maximize taxpayer dollars and delivery of vital services, such as public safety protection and badly needed infrastructure improvements. In the private sector I have worked with public entities to solve these kinds of problems, and have done the same in my service with HCCS. TAYLOR: In your opinion how important is good leadership in times of crisis? Is there anything you would have done differently in responding to Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Rita? AIYER: Good leadership is vital in times of crisis, and we have been lucky here in Houston to have strong leadership from the City and County. Looking back at any situation, there are always things that can be done better. The evacuation for Hurricane Rita clearly could have gone more smoothly, and the influx of evacuees from Hurricane Katrina has caused some difficulties. But overall, the response in Houston has been excellent. TAYLOR: On a scale of (1 to 10) how would you rate our city's response to the recent national disaster? AIYER: Houstonians get a 10 for their amazing generosity in helping Katrina victims. The problems associated with Rita's evacuation and those few bad apples who took advantage of the situation hurt a little bit, but I would give our city a 9 for how it has handled a very challenging several weeks | 
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