ABOUT COUNCIL MEMBER SUE LOVELL Sue Lovell moved to Houston in 1970 from Fresno , California with 3 suitcases, $35 and two good friends. She was 19 years old. Lovell has been committed to creating jobs and opportunity for Houstonians ever since. She has worked in the private sector-both as a small business owner and as a corporate manager-and in the public sector-in the State Comptroller's office and as a Houston City Council Member for the last two years. Council Member Sue Lovell uses her experience in business and in community activism as she serves the City of Houston as a leader on City Council.
AS A LEADER ON CITY COUNCIL The Houston City Council elected Council Member Sue Lovell Vice Mayor Pro-Tem in a unanimous vote on January 2, 2008. Lovell chairs the Transportation, Infrastructure, and Aviation [TIA] committee. TIA will consider ground transportation and general mobility, issues regarding freight and passenger rail, management of public utilities and right-of-way infrastructure; and matters relating to the Houston Airport System. She will plan and facilitate a monthly, public TIA meeting the second Tuesday of each month.
Additionally, Lovell currently serves on the following committees:
Budget and Fiscal Affairs
Considers all fiscal matters and initiative to improve management and efficiency of City Service delivery.
Ethics
Considers Council regulation adopted in Chapter 18 of the Code of Ordinances and other matters involving ethical conduct by City officials and employees.
Human Services and Technology Access
Considers strategies to achieve digital inclusion for all Houstonians and to improve access to human services throughout the community, with special focus on serving Youth and Seniors.
Public Safety and Homeland Security
Considers public safety and law enforcement, including Police, Fire and EMS; Homeland Security and emergency preparedness, and the Houston Emergency Center.
Quality of Life
Considers issues effecting parks and greenspace; billboards and signage; litter and graffiti
Sustainable Growth
Considers strategies to promote environmental health, energy efficiency and conservation of natural resources in a growing city-including recycling, air quality regulation, and fuel efficiency.
Regulation, Development and Neighborhood Protection
Considers issues affecting neighborhoods, including enforcement of deed restrictions, building codes and regulations.
During her first term on the Houston City Council, Council Member Lovell served on Budget and Fiscal Affairs, Ethics, Human Services and Technology Access, Public Safety and Homeland Security, Quality of Life, Regulation, Development and Neighborhood Protection, and Environment and Public Health Committee. She was also the Chair of the Historic Preservation Sub-Committee.
Council Member Lovell is most known for her work in eliminating illegal graffiti from the walls, sidewalks, bridges, and streets of Houston . During her last term, Lovell was allotted $1 Million by Mayor White to address the elimination and abatement of tagging from our city. Prevention of future graffiti and removal of existing graffiti are the top priorities of her program. In October of 2007, the Greater Houston Partnership honored Council Member Lovell for her work with the Quality of Life Visionary Award . She is currently working on creating a public art space which would give graffiti artists a place to display their talents in a productive way. If you wish to report the presence of graffiti in your neighborhood, please call 311 to alert the appropriate City task force assigned to reducing illegal tagging.
AS A LEADER IN THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY After working in the printing industry, Lovell bought Long Point Printing & Rubber Stamp. As a small business owner, she employed two students from a local high school technical program. One of those students eventually bought and still operates the business. Lovell later worked for Federal Express, as a courier. Her knowledge of how traffic affects the city come from her experience as a courier.
From 1994-1999, Lovell worked for Texas Comptroller John Sharp in the Local Government Assistance Division. She helped local community public and private sectors develop their economic potential in Harris, Galveston and Brazoria Counties . Sue also worked on the HISD Performance Review that identified millions of dollars in savings for Houston schools.
In 1999, Lovell was hired by The Mills Corporation, one of America 's leading retail developers. Lovell was selected to plan and implement a pilot jobs training and welfare-to-work program-MATCH-at Katy Mills. Because of its success, the program became the model used nationally by The Mills Corporation.
Lovell was a leader in bringing together Houston Community College, the Houston Galveston Area Council, the Texas Workforce Commission, Houston Works and Career Recovery Resources Inc. (a United Way agency), and The Mills Corporation. She found $2 million in grant funding, leveraging The Mills Corporation's investment by 500%. This was the first time the Economic Development Agency, a division of the Department of Commerce, funded the construction of a childcare facility. The MATCH Program was honored by Rice University and the University of Houston with the Houston Metropolitan Award for regional planning.
AS A COMMUNITY LEADER Sue's vision and passion for creating opportunity and jobs is matched only by her devotion to community service. In the early 1980's, Sue helped start AIDS Foundation Houston, and served on its board for 12 years. AFH pioneered the nation's first food pantry and residential housing facilities for people with AIDS, and printed the nation's first AIDS education brochures. When blood supplies were threatened by a lack of sophisticated screening tests, Sue helped bring together the Houston Blood Bank and gay community leaders to keep the blood supply safe. In November of 2007, Council Member Sue Lovell received the Shelby Hodge Vision Award from the AIDS Foundation Houston at the 25 th Anniversary Celebration.
As a single working mom, Sue saw a need for productive after-school activities for middle-school kids. She helped start the Haven Center at her church, St. Stephen's Episcopal, which now offers after-school programs, as well as health care programs, for low-income women in the neighborhood. In the process, Sue helped preserve the integrity of the neighborhood by convincing the church to rehabilitate a 75-year old building for the center instead of tearing it down. Sue was also instrumental in organizing the Neartown Little League, and in converting an under-used park into a top-notch ball field for neighborhood youth. Lovell coaches a Little League team and continues to advocating for her children and the children of Houston.
Sue is the former president of Friends of Ervan Chew Park and was involved with the creation of Houston 's first inner city dog park. She serves on the Democratic National Committee, and is a past member of the Waller County Business Advisory Council.
