"We wanted to be in person and present with Houstonians," Panzarella said of his campaign. He told ABC13 he is ready to represent his home district on the dais at city council, where he'll be representing nearly a quarter of a million people in a 35-square-mile area of the city. Infrastructure and quality of life are his big concerns to start.
"It's the city's job to ensure that you're able to walk, and bike, and drive on the roads safely," Panzarella said, "but also that you have an affordable place to live and stay."
Pazarella won the seat this past weekend in the special election runoff. He beat Nick Hellyar by a large percentage of the vote, but the total turnout was low. Fewer than 10,000 people cast ballots.
He'll replace Abbie Kamin, who resigned from the seat to run for Harris County Attorney, and joins the council a week before the vote on the city's proposed 7.5 billion dollar budget. Included in that plan is a new fee for trash pickup.
"I think it's something we do need to seriously consider here in Houston," Pazarella said. "But I just want to reiterate and make sure that if we do bring forward a trash fee, it goes to improving solid waste services."
It will be a steep learning curve, but he says he's already in the loop and working to hit the ground running now that he's no longer running for office.
"We really look forward to working toward safer streets, more affordable housing, and more transparency at city hall," he said.
Panzarella is sworn in next week on May 27 and serves the rest of Kamin's unexpired term until January 2028.