With his grandsons leading the Pledge of Allegiance, and his son leading the meditation, Lee P. Brown was sworn in for the third time as the Houston’s Mayor on January 2. This exercise legally enables him to serve for another two years-bringing his six-year term to an end.

Resuming the last lap of his tenure may be hectic, as he plans to spend much time in applying finishing touches to a list of projects he has already initiated. One can tell he needed more time to serve Houston even better, especially when in his inauguration speech he reinstated his position on doing away with term limits, saying, “You know my feelings on term limits. I think they are a disservice to the citizens.” He promised that he will work to change that during his last term in office.

Brown’s entrance to this position on January 2, 1998 changed the history of Houston. This was the day he was sworn in as the first African-American mayor of the fourth largest city in America.

He brought with him impeccable credentials, both academic and professional. Mayor Brown received a bachelor’s degree in criminology from Fresno State University and two masters’ degrees in criminology from San Jose State University and the University of California at Berkeley. There, he also received a doctorate in criminology.

His teaching career has included: professor at the Baker Institute, Rice University in Houston, Texas; Department of Public Affairs, Texas Southern University, Houston, Texas; Howard University, Washington, D.C., and Portland State University.

Professionally, Brown has worked as a Law Enforcement Officer concentrating in administration (management). In 1975, he became director of Justice Services in Multnomah County in Portland, Oregon.

He later was appointed Public Safety Commissioner in Atlanta, Georgia. From Atlanta, Brown came to Houston, Texas as the first African-American Chief of Police.

Brown finally went to New York, where he became police commissioner. After some time, Brown returned to Houston to be with his dying wife. President Clinton appointed him director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Brown acknowledged that much work would be needed to make Houston a model city. The one hour- fifteen minutes event also saw the swearing-in of five new city councilmembers.