Congratulations to Vice Mayor Pro Tem and Houston Council Member Martha Castex-Tatum on being recently elected to serve as the President-Elect of the Texas Municipal League (TML).
Castex-Tatum has served on the TML Board of Directors since winning her special election bid in May 2018 to serve Houston’s District K as Council Member. Her district covers the edge of the Texas Medical Center to the portion of Houston within Fort Bend County, and includes three management districts – the Five Corners District, Stadium Park District, and the Brays Oaks District – as well as two school districts – Houston ISD and Fort Bend ISD and two Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones – TIRZ 9 & 25.
She will be the first TML President-Elect that has served on the city council of two Texas cities.
Castex-Tatum served on the San Marcos City Council in 2000-2003 after successfully defeating a 12-year City Council incumbent, becoming the first African American woman to be elected to San Marcos City Council in the city’s history. During her tenure on the San Marcos City Council, she also served as Deputy Mayor Pro Tempore. Castex-Tatum also served on the San Marcos Economic Development Council and the Convention and Visitor Bureau.
“I wholeheartedly believe in serving where I live, and I’m honored to join the leadership team of TML,” said Castex-Tatum. “I look forward to using my experience in a small city and large city this next legislative session as we work alongside state lawmakers to ensure the best public policy for all Texans.”
Castex-Tatum will serve as president-elect for one year and become president during the League’s annual conference in Houston on October 6-8, 2021. Castex-Tatum is the eighth official from the City of Houston to be elected TML president-elect. Most recently, Senator Carol Alvarado led the organization when she was on the Houston City Council in 2006-2007.
Castex-Tatum is a native Houstonian, who graduated from Lamar High School in Houston ISD. She is also a graduate of Southwest Texas State University, now Texas State University, in San Marcos, TX, where she earned both her Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Public Administration degrees. After graduating from Texas State University, Castex-Tatum served as an adjunct professor at the University while beginning to voice her passion for her community through political service. In 2004, Castex-Tatum returned to Houston and joined the bustling business community as a high-performing residential realtor with Keller Williams Realty, where she worked for 10 years. Castex-Tatum has continued her career as a residential and commercial realtor with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services.
In addition, Castex-Tatum is a Leadership Houston Class of XXXVI graduate and is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., where she has been active for over 29 years.
TML is a voluntary association established in 1913, after Austin Mayor A.P. Wooldridge issued a call to the cities of Texas to come to Austin to consider the creation of an association to allow officials to confer on municipal issues. He invited representatives of all Texas cities to a convention in Austin on November 4, 1913, with 13 cities responding, including the City of Houston. Since that time, the Texas Municipal League grew rapidly and has since provided services to Texas cities, such as:
- Representing the interests of member cities before legislative, administrative, and judicial bodies at the state and federal levels
- Sponsoring and conducting an annual conference and other conferences, seminars, meetings, and workshops for the purpose of studying municipal issues and exchanging information regarding municipal government
- Providing administrative services to the Texas Municipal League risk pools so that quality coverages at reasonable and competitive prices can be made available to member cities and their employees
- Publishing and circulating an official magazine and other publications, reports, and newsletters of interest to member cities
- Serving as a repository of literature, analyses, research, and data related to municipal operations and make that information available to member cities
- Alerting member cities of important governmental or private sector actions or proposed actions which may affect municipal operations
- Promoting the interests of League affiliates (departments) and regions by providing organizational and technical assistance as directed by the Board and consistent with financial resources
- Promoting constructive and cooperative relationships among cities and between the League and other levels of government, councils of governments, the National League of Cities, educational institutions, and the private sector
- Providing for and conducting training in relevant and timely topics related to municipal government
- Providing, in a timely manner, any additional services or information which individual members may request, consistent with the member cities’ common interests and the League’s resources
Today, 1,160 Texas cities and more than 16,000 mayors, council members, city managers, city attorneys, and department heads are member officials of TML by virtue of their cities’ participation.
The Texas Municipal League is governed by a Board of Directors made up of a President; President-Elect, to which Martha Castex-Tatum was just elected); Regional directors, one from each of the League’s 15 sub-state regions; Affiliate directors, one from each of the League’s 21 affiliates; Eight at-large directors, one from each of the state’s eight largest cities; All past presidents still in municipal office; and two ex-officio directors, one from health and risk pools.
The TML Board of Directors elected Castex-Tatum president-elect on October 15 during the virtual 2020 TML Annual Conference and Exhibition. Coppell Mayor Karen Hunt was elected president. The conference attracted more than 1,000 city officials who gathered to explore best practices and solutions for response and recovery during the pandemic.
Congratulations, once again, to TML President-Elect Martha Castex-Tatum on her recent accomplishment.