CORPUS CHRISTI’S YOUNGEST CITY COUNCILMAN SPEAKS OUT ON HIS FIRST 90 DAYS IN OFFICE, WHAT HE LEARNED FROM HIS FATHER, AND WHY ALL OF US ARE CHAMPIONS. one of the more vocal parents in the bleachers.
IT’S ALL IN A HANDSHAKE On a Wednesday afternoon in early June, Michael Hunter’s phone blared out the kind of peppy tune you might hear before the beginning of an athletic event. It was a little after 5 pm as he cruised home down Ocean Drive to change into a suit and tie – not his natural state. “There is nothing better than a t-shirt, basketball shorts, and running shoes,” said Hunter. Ironically, a basketball sat in the back seat of his black Mercedes Benz, nestled up to a pile of folders and papers stacked at least a foot high. The phone rang again. It’s not the first time the young but able City Councilman had double booked himself during his first 90 days in office. He had an hour before needing to make an appearance at Katz 21 for a Young Business Professionals event where he would kick off his first campaign for City Council. The son of Texas State Representative, Todd Hunter, has felt the outside pressure to enter the political realm for a while. And only minutes after Lillian Riojas’ resignation from City Council earlier this year, Hunter received the call that quickly threw him in the game. Hunter, 28, was born and raised in Corpus Christi and got his first taste of politics at an early age. “Our family would go out to dinner a lot [or more often] than other families. I really didn’t understand why until I got into college and dad started running for office again,” said Hunter. However, politics was never the topic of discussion around the dinner table. “Dad was always more concerned with what we cared about,” said Hunter. But he explains that when you go out to dinner, people see you. “I would have to shake about 20 hands before sitting down to eat.” Perhaps it’s here he developed the firm and sincere handshake that he now carries.
A BORN CHAMPION As a self-proclaimed giant child, 6ft 2in in the 8th grade to be exact, politics was far from view as a kid. As a natural athlete, Hunter lettered in baseball, basketball, football and track at King High School. He even received All-South Texas honors in football and basketball and All-State as a baseball pitcher. Despite his father’s busy political schedule, he was always in the stands and
Entering his senior season, the King High School baseball team was considered one of the worst teams in the district. No one would give them any credit, especially with Moody coming off a State Championship and ranked as one of the best teams in the country. Hunter didn’t believe it. Most of Hunter’s teammates had played together since childhood, and he knew what they were capable of. He challenged and rallied the team to two wins over Moody that season and a district championship that year. Unfortunately, the championship was taken away when it was later discovered that one of the players who acted as a pinch runner was not eligible due to some unfiled paperwork. According to Hunter, the outcome would have remained the same, but the title was lost in the record books. “Even though we were not the champions, I started calling everyone champion,” said Hunter. “People like it; it makes them feel better about themselves.” People loved it when he called them champion. It was something that stuck with him when he briefly left Corpus Christi to attend college and play baseball for Trinity University. While at Trinity, he would often receive blank stares when he mentioned where he was from. Most of his out-of-state friends had never even heard of Corpus Christi. “They would ask, ‘What is Corpus Christi?’ not where,” said Hunter. “When I left Trinity, people from outside Texas knew where Corpus Christi was. I made sure everyone remembered where Corpus Christi was. This is God’s country and the best city in the world.” Hunter was clear that he doesn’t call everyone champion, but he does call everyone in Corpus champion, because he truly believes they are. “We are underdogs here, and we always have to fight. It just never seems like things go the way we want it to…People look over us,” said Hunter.
FROM CELL PHONE TO CITY COUNCIL Hunter’s home is the quintessential bachelor pad, featuring two big screened televisions aligned with gaming system in tow. According to Hunter, he has always exceled in computer games since the launch of the original War Craft, but he doesn’t get much
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