The Reason This City Exists
The seawall isn’t just Galveston’s most famous landmark — it’s the reason this city survived 1900 and everything that’s come since. Protecting this island from the Gulf isn’t an engineering question or a federal issue. It’s the foundation of everything else we want to build here.
But coastal resilience is also a cost-of-living question — and for too many families, it’s the one that matters most.
Galveston homeowners already pay some of the highest insurance premiums in the state. Many families are spending more than $10,000 a year on insurance alone before property taxes are even calculated. FEMA’s Risk Rating 2.0 has driven premiums even higher for older homes, slab foundations, and properties near the water — exactly the kind of homes that make up most of Galveston’s housing stock. That’s not a number on a spreadsheet. That’s the difference between a family staying and a family leaving.
A mayor can’t rewrite federal flood policy. But a mayor can directly lower what families pay — by improving the city’s Community Rating System score, which earns every NFIP policyholder in Galveston an automatic discount on flood insurance. The higher we climb, the more every homeowner saves. That’s not a campaign promise — it’s a federal program designed to reward exactly the kind of leadership this city needs.
At the same time, billions of dollars in coastal resilience investment are moving forward. The Coastal Texas Project — the Ike Dike — is a $35 billion initiative now entering its design phase, with Texas having committed nearly $1 billion and Congress allocating its first round of federal funding. Engineering contracts have been awarded. This is no longer a concept — it’s becoming real. But the city of Galveston has to be at the table, with leadership that has relationships at the state and federal level, to make sure this project serves our residents and not just the petrochemical corridor.
Every mitigation investment we make — every seawall improvement, every drainage upgrade, every dune restoration — reduces insurance premiums for every homeowner on this island. Protecting the island and protecting family budgets are the same fight.
We take care of the island, and the island takes care of us.
“Protecting this island and protecting family budgets are the same fight. A mayor who doesn’t treat them that way isn’t doing the job.”
Where I Stand
Make Galveston a leader in coastal resilience funding. Federal and state programs exist to help coastal communities invest in flood mitigation infrastructure — beach nourishment, drainage improvements, barrier upgrades, and more. A mayor’s job is to make sure Galveston is at the front of that line. I’ll treat resilience funding as a top-level priority, not an afterthought.
Improve our Community Rating System score. FEMA’s CRS program rewards communities that invest in flood mitigation with reduced flood insurance premiums for their residents. Every improvement to Galveston’s rating puts money back in homeowners’ pockets. I’ll make CRS improvement a measurable goal — and track it publicly.
Plan before the storm, not after. Galveston has been through enough disasters to know that reactive planning costs more than proactive investment — in lives, in property, and in tourism revenue lost when the island shuts down. As mayor, I’ll make sure our emergency preparedness, drainage systems, and resilience infrastructure are maintained and improved before we need them.
Coordinate across agencies. The seawall, the drainage system, the beach, the bay — coastal resilience in Galveston involves federal, state, county, and city jurisdictions. I have 18 years of experience working across those systems. I know who to call and how to build the coalitions that get things done.
How We Get There
Coastal resilience and affordable living are the same fight. Every improvement to our drainage, our seawall, and our mitigation infrastructure makes this island safer and brings insurance costs down.
We don’t have to choose between investing in resilience and protecting family budgets — they reinforce each other. A city that plans ahead for floods protects both lives and the pocketbooks of every homeowner.
As mayor, I’ll treat cost of living as a policy priority — not a talking point — and make sure every decision about budgets, infrastructure, and development is made with an eye on what it means for the families who are already doing the math.
John Paul Lisowski's Priority Issues
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Keeping Galveston affordable means putting families first. Explore more of John Paul’s priorities — from local jobs to strong neighborhoods built for everyone.