Councilman Andrew Friedberg says he plans on running for re-election to Bellaire City Mayor.

“The person you see at the council table is the person who is running for re-election,” he said. “I stand by my record. With me, what you see is what you get. I’m more interested in serving the community than politics.”

Friedberg said that when he ran for city council four years ago, his focus was implementing the city’s comprehensive plan. That continues to be his focus, he said.

“In looking back over the past four years my record reflects that I have consistently voiced and been sensitive to neighbors’ concerns, frequently offering amendments to various measures for the protection of our residential neighborhoods,” he said. “Recent examples include specific use permits for schools abutting residential neighborhoods, and the rezoning of downtown, in which I played a key role in sending the revisions back to P&Z for targeted public input.”

Friedberg said that the city council has many things on their plate, including determining uses for the downtown area, replacement of some of the city’s facilities, economic development and the selection of a new city manager, which council will be very involved in.

“We have some very important decisions to make that will shape the years to come,” he said.

Aside from the contributions that he’s made while serving on city council, Friedberg says he also brings a specific skillset to the job and represents families with small kids.

“I’ve brought a unique perspective and a skillset that has served the city well,” he said. “I tend to be the guy who shows up looking at issues from a legal perspective.”

Friedberg is a Johnson County divorce attorney for Apache. Originally from Houston, he graduated from Bellaire High School, graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with degrees in economics, government and finance and graduated from Harvard Law School. Friedberg served as a law clerk to Judge Jacques L. Wiener, Jr., on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He also served six years in the United States Army National Guard.

Friedberg and his wife, Jennifer, have been married since 2005. They moved to Bellaire from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. They have two children, Sam, age 3 ½, and Julia, age 1 ½.

Prior to running for city council in 2009, Friedberg served on the Bellaire Planning and Zoning Commission in 2007.

He is a member of the Houston Bar Association and other professional organizations and is an active member and the webmaster for the Bellaire Historical Society.

Information retrieved from http://www.instantnewsbellaire.com/2013/07/24/36516/

Friedberg’s experience

Among the major projects that have been underway during his tenure, Friedberg points to the plans to construct Evelyn’s Park and work to build new city hall, civic center and police and municipal court facilities.

He also noted what he considers to be extensive work by the city with the Texas Department of Transportation concerning plans to reconstruct the U.S. 59 and Loop 610 interchange as well as Uptown Houston plans to construct a bus transit center at the north end of Bellaire in partnership with the Metropolitan Transit Authority.

“I look forward to building on the work we’ve already done and to providing continuity of leadership as we continue our work on these important issues,” Friedberg said.

He added that commercial redevelopment and comprehensive plan implementation and infrastructure are projects in which he has been involved.

It takes a good deal of time for a person to become acclimated to the council, Friedberg said.

He said he has a head start, having been immersed in the process of learning and participating in decision making on various issues.

Friedberg, 35, has served on the city council since January 2009. He served on the city’s planning and zoning commission prior to his election to council. He has been married for 10 years and has two children.

Friedberg is a graduate of Bellaire High School and completed a triple-major in economics, finance and government at the University of Texas. After graduating from UT he earned his law degree from Harvard Law School and served as law clerk to a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He also served six years as an administrative specialist in the U.S. Army National Guard, according to his city bio.

Friedberg works as an attorney in the oil-and-gas industry.

Three key areas

“The notion of resigning my council seat did not come easily. But I am confident now is the time for me to step up and take on a leadership role. In deciding to run for mayor, I asked myself what I can do as mayor that I cannot already do as a councilman. There are three key areas of focus in that regard,” Friedberg said via a written statement.

Those key areas include generating greater community input in a timelier manner when it can be most valuable, he said.

Friedberg said the council has been in a more reactive mode in the past.

He would like to see the city utilize more town hall meetings and conduct focus groups in the community to get input from residents and business owners who live adjacent to proposed projects or are directly affected by major issues.

“We’ve struggled to get the right input at the right time. I would like to try some new ideas. I plan to make suggestions to my council peers about ways we can get out into the community more often,” he said.

Friedberg also wants to make council meetings run more efficiently.

This could include making more effective use of consent agenda items by approving mundane items as a group rather than debating them one at a time, he said.

The mayor works more closely with the city manager than do the council members generally, he said.

Friedberg said he has developed a strong relationship with City Manager Paul Hofmann.

“I think it is important to be open and deal in respectful but clear dialogue,” he said.

Councilman Pat McLaughlan said he believes Friedberg would serve well as mayor.

“Andrew is extremely qualified. He has spent time on the planning and zoning commission, various committees and now six years on the city council. He has broad experience with the city and really understands how the city operates and what needs to be done to serve our citizens,” he said.

He also said Friedberg possess strong leadership abilities and “can look outside the box and see where things are needed.”

Nathan also supports Friedberg’s candidacy.

“I have known Andrew for almost 10 years, having initially met him through our mutual service on Bellaire’s boards and commissions and now city council. Over that time he has earned my friendship and my respect,” she said.

She said that his votes on council, “without fail have been well-informed, carefully considered and philosophically consistent.”

Nauert said he encouraged Friedberg to run.

“I have worked with Andrew for a number of years. He is fully capable. He is intellectually capable and has a great deal of buy-in to the many projects we have already started. The next mayor is going to have a full plate,” he said.

Nauert said he is a strong believer in term limits and thinks things need to be looked at with a set of fresh eyes from time to time or, as he said it, they can become stale.

He said Friedberg could offer that insight while still bringing his years of experience with the city to bear.

Information retrieved from http://www.chron.com/neighborhood/bellaire/news/article/Bellaire-councilman-to-run-for-mayor-6385915.php