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By Mayor Dedrick D. Johnson

Texas City is the town that made me. It’s where I grew up, where I graduated, and where I gained a foundation of faith that still drives me today. It’s the place my friends and family still call home, and where my children were born and now attend school.

I have always felt called to serve this exceptional city. Since 2000, I have worked to do just that—first as a commissioner and later as your mayor. After 15 years as a public school teacher, I transitioned into a career at one of the nation’s largest petroleum companies, where I am now in my 15th year. Each of the major employers in this city has played a role in my life, and I owe so much to the community that shaped me.

Addressing Misinformation

In all my years of service, I haven’t seen an election as important as the one before us now. Yet, for the first time, many candidates are moving away from sharing a vision for our city and are instead aligning themselves with dramatized rhetoric on social media. Today’s digital landscape is often saturated with misinformation presented without context.

I want to set the record straight on a few key points:

• Development: Claims that I “single-handedly shut down” a major development are false. In reality, the developer never submitted a formal application, meaning a review process never even began. My staff and I spent over a year meeting with them, but they refused to negotiate in good faith.
• Police Relations: Some assert that I have “refused to meet” with police association leadership. Public record shows the opposite: I made multiple attempts to meet, each of which was declined.
• Public Forum: Critics claim I “won’t let people speak,” ignoring our long-standing policy allowing citizens to address the Commission on any agenda item. I also introduced town hall meetings with open forums and no time limits.
• City Audits: While findings were noted in a specific grants audit, auditors attributed these to staff transitions in the finance and grants departments. The city received a clean overall audit, corrective actions are already in motion, and we continue to lower the property tax rate for our citizens.

Moving Forward Together

It is concerning that much of this misinformation is driven by those outside our city with political or for-profit motives. However, I can only control what I can control. I have stayed focused on progress and exhibited courage under fire.

There is too much good happening in Texas City to be distracted by noise designed to divide us. We have thousands of new homes in the construction pipeline, billions in investment flowing into the community, and a significant reduction in crime over the past year.

I don’t believe our work together is done; I believe it’s just getting started. I would greatly appreciate your vote to re-elect me as Mayor of Texas City, Texas.