INTERVIEW WITH A COUNCIL MEMBER WHO VALUES US:
C.O. “BRAD” BRADFORD AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What was life like for you as a child growing up? COUNCIL MEMBER C.O. “BRAD” BRADFORD: I grew up on our family farm in north Louisiana. My father, mother, six boys and six girls raised cattle, cotton, soybeans, corn and - yes, turnip greens. Thanks to my mother all twelve children are college educated people. AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What did you dream of becoming as you were a child growing up? COUNCIL MEMBER C.O. “BRAD” BRADFORD: It was not farming. I had had enough! My passion was machinery, automobile mechanics and automotive engineering. AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What is your mission in life? COUNCIL MEMBER C.O. “BRAD” BRADFORD: My mission is to initiate and support efforts which benefit the greater good of all. Try to leave a little piece of the world a better place than I found it. AUBREY R. TAYLOR: Can you tell us a little about what you do for a living? COUNCIL MEMBER C.O. “BRAD” BRADFORD:I am an attorney, public safety consultant and former Chief of Police in Houston, Texas. I combine my education, legal training and police experience to work with neighborhoods and businesses, nationally and internationally, to help develop safety strategies. AUBREY R. TAYLOR: Do you have a recent accomplishment you would like to share? COUNCIL MEMBER C.O. “BRAD” BRADFORD: As an atlarge member of the Houston City Council, I am an advocate for after-school programs and summer jobs for our youth. Working with others on city council the last budget cycle, I was able to spearhead efforts which allocated more than two million dollars for these much needed strategies. Also, I authored a Council District Service Budget amendment which allocated, for the first time ever at City Hall, one million dollars ($1,000,000.00) to each district council member for use in their respective districts. AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What is your outlook for 2015? COUNCIL MEMBER C.O. “BRAD” BRADFORD: I am committed to exhausting utmost efforts to re-focus city government on the delivery of core services which include water, garbage, infrastructure issues and safety services. AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What advice would you give to someone
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out there striving to achieve their dream? COUNCIL MEMBER C.O. “BRAD” BRADFORD: Reward is attached to performance and anything worth having isn’t easy to get. Always remember that at the end of the day, when it is all said and done; the question is going to be: ‘What have you done to help others?’ Degrees, titles and positions won’t matter.
ON THE COVER C.O. "BRAD" BRADFORD is an Attorney, Public Safety Consultant, former Houston Chief of Police and Vice Mayor Pro-Tem for the City of Houston. In January 2012, members of the Houston City Council elected Bradford as Vice Mayor Pro-Tem via unanimous vote. Bradford ran three successful citywide campaigns, the maximum (three terms) permitted under law. During his second and third campaign, he won in every council district, without a run-off and got the highest number of votes in all of the citywide contested races. He became a resident of the city of Houston in 1979. Bradford has lived in Hiram Clarke, Alief, Fondren Southwest, and MacGregor areas, he understands the various characteristics of the Houston community and appreciates efforts to focus on neighborhood needs. Bradford served 24 years as a Houston police officer and seven years as Chief of Police. He was appointed Houston's Police Chief by Mayor Bob Lanier and re-appointed by Mayor Lee P. Brown. While serving as Chief of Police, Bradford managed 7,000 personnel and $500 million annual budget. During his tenure, citizens' fear of crime and public safety concerns went from 59% in 1996 to only 10% by the time he left office in 2003, as documented by Dr. Stephen Klineberg, Rice University. He holds degrees in law from the University of Houston Law Center, criminal justice from Grambling State University, and a public administration degree from Texas Southern University. Also, he is a graduate of the FBI Academy and Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government Program for State and Local Executives. Bradford has served as a Precinct Chair and Election Judge in Harris County, Texas. Also, he has extensive experience as a Senior Consultant in the international consulting firm of Brown Group International (BGI). BGI is a full-service consulting firm that provides solutions to problems of government, corporations and individuals. BGI offers services in the areas of Public Safety, Homeland Security, Crisis Management, Government Relations, Community Government, Personnel Selection, Litigation Support, Technology Services and International Trade.