901 Bagby: Inside The Mayor's Office
Inside Houston City Hall, Mayor John Whitmire and notable members of his administration, sit down for candid conversations about the decisions, challenges, and priorities shaping the future of Houston — from public safety and infrastructure to quality of life, growth, and major events. Hosted by former TV news anchor Owen Conflenti.
Episodes
17 episodes
Michael C. Nichols: Houston's Housing Challenges & Solutions
Houston's Housing & Community Development Director opens this episode with a correction most people have never heard: when the federal government approved $314 million in disaster relief, no check arrived. The city earns that money by spend...
Melissa Dubowski: Houston's Finance Director Froze Employee Healthcare Costs — and Almost Nobody Noticed
When Mayor Whitmire's FY2027 budget passed City Council 15 to 1, the headlines went to solid waste fees and right-of-way restructuring. Melissa Dubowski, Houston's Director of Finance, says the more important story got almost no coverage: the M...
Judge Nelly Trevino Santos: We Are the People's Court, All The Services At Houston Municipal Courts
Houston’s Presiding Municipal Court Judge emphasizes that the Municipal Court is truly the people’s court. She is committed to ensuring the public receives an excellent customer service experience while resolving their court matters. Her staff ...
Dr. Theresa Tran Carapucci: Houston's Health Dept. Does More Than You Think
Dr. Theresa Tran got the call about leading Houston's Health Department while she was pregnant. Baby Teddy was born July 24th. Her predecessor's last day was August 30th. There was no maternity leave — just one month to learn a 1,000-person dep...
Gwendolyn Tillotson-Bell, COH Chief Economic Dev Officer: How Houston Invests In Itself
Most Houstonians have driven on streets, walked through parks, or lived in neighborhoods built with a financing tool they've never heard of. Owen sits down with Gwendolyn Tillotson-Bell, Houston's Chief Economic Development Officer, to explain ...
Mayor Whitmire on Houston's FIFA World Cup, a 15–1 Budget Vote, and the Question Nobody Asked About That Recycling Fire
City Council passed Houston's FY2027 budget 15–1 — and Mayor Whitmire tells Owen exactly how a coalition stretching from the AFL-CIO to the Acres Home Chamber of Commerce got it done. More than 90 community briefings, over 30 supporting letters...
She Learned English at the Houston Public Library. Now She Runs It.
Sandy Gaw learned English as a kindergartner at the Houston Public Library. Forty years later, Mayor Whitmire appointed her to run it — a system with more than 330,000 active cardholders, 2 million visits last year, and 8 million physical and d...
1.6M Houstonians Are Not Ready for Hurricane Season
When Hurricane Beryl was bearing down on Houston, the wife of the city's top emergency manager decided — for the first time in years — to stay home. Beryl passed directly over their house. Brian Mason, Director of the City of Houston Office of ...
Houston's Chief Operating Officer On Fixing The Budget
Houston's city budget has run a structural deficit for nearly 40 years — the last structurally balanced budget was under Mayor Lee Brown. In Episode 9 of 901 Bagby, Chief Operating Officer Steven David walks through exactly how the Whitmire adm...
Houston's Latest Public Safety Efforts & New Crime Data
In his second month in office, Mayor John Whitmire got a call: HPD had 260,000 suspended cases that had never been investigated. "Let me say it again," he tells the room. "260,000." A year later, Houston's murder rate is down 36% year-over-year...
Houston Public Works Director Randy Macchi: Major Infrastructure Improvements
When Randy Macchi took over as Houston's Public Works Director, the city had 1,900 active water main leaks running at the same time. He's brought that number down to roughly 100 — and other mayors have started calling to ask how.Macchi i...
Houston Mayor: We Won't Tolerate Racism
Houston Mayor John Whitmire doesn't hold back on tough decisions—including firing a top-performing police officer for using racial slurs, despite her stellar academy record. In this episode from City Hall, Mayor Whitmire opens up about how his ...
Houston Fire Chief Thomas Muñoz: HFD's Dramatic Turnaround
You've never heard a fire chief get this emotional about his job. Houston Fire Department Chief Thomas Muñoz tears up talking about potentially pinning his own son as a Houston firefighter, and reveals how Hurricane Katrina taught ...
Voting Against Abbott More Than Any Living Human
Ever wonder what it's really like when a mayor goes head-to-head with the governor?Houston's John Whitmire doesn't mince words about his battles with Greg Abbott over immigration policy, while also haring the important numbers beh...
How Houston Added 800 Police Officers Without Raising Property Taxes
Other mayors are quietly calling Mayor John Whitmire asking, "How are you doing it?"In this episode, Mayor Whitmire addresses overtime criticism head-on, explaining how Houston added 800 police officers and reached an all-time hig...
Houston's $314M Recovery Plan & National Homelessness Model
Houston just secured $314 million in federal funding and the Mayor reveals why the city is positioning itself to become America's model for ending homelessness.In this episode, we break down the comprehensive $41 million Emancipat...