The People Who Keep Galveston Running
Our city employees — firefighters, police officers, public works crews, 911 dispatchers, administrative staff — are the people who keep Galveston running every single day. They show up in every neighborhood, in every kind of weather, often without recognition or thanks.
Last year, a 2% cost-of-living raise for civilian employees was stripped from the budget when a three-vote minority on council forced a no-new-revenue tax rate. The raises were eventually restored four months later — but only because sales tax revenue came in higher than expected, not because anyone went back and fought for them. For four months, the people who answer your 911 calls, maintain your roads, and process your permits were told the budget couldn’t afford them. That’s not fiscal discipline. That’s sacrificing people for a campaign slogan.
More than 70% of our police officers and firefighters commute from the mainland. Think about what that means — the people we depend on to protect this island during a hurricane don’t live here. They can’t get here if the causeway is closed. That’s not a staffing statistic. That’s a public safety vulnerability, and it exists because we haven’t made Galveston competitive enough for them to afford to stay.
The city budget is roughly 60% personnel. Every budget decision is a decision about people. As mayor, I’ll build cost-of-living adjustments into the budget from day one — not as a bonus to be negotiated, not as a line item to cut when the politics get complicated, but as a basic commitment to the workforce that keeps this city running.
And I mean all of them. It’s easy to talk about firefighters and police — they deserve every dollar and more. But the civilian employees who never make the news deserve the same respect. The person who fixes the waterline at 2 AM. The clerk who helps you with your permit. The dispatcher who stays calm when you can’t. They are this city, and they should never be an afterthought.
“The city budget is 60% employees. Every decision about where to cut has a human cost. I’ll budget with that reality in front of me — not behind a slogan.”
Where I Stand
Build raises into the budget from day one. Cost-of-living adjustments for city employees are not a bonus — they’re a basic commitment. I’ll make sure they’re included in the budget from the start, not treated as line items to cut when the politics get complicated.
Competitive pay matters for retention. More than 70% of Galveston’s police and firefighters commute from the mainland. That’s not a sustainable model — for public safety response times, for employee morale, or for the long-term stability of our workforce. As mayor, I’ll work to make Galveston competitive enough that the people who protect and serve this island can afford to live here.
Respect for civilian employees too. It’s easy to talk about firefighters and police. But the public works crew that clears the roads after a storm, the 911 dispatcher who answers your call, the permit clerk who processes your application — they matter too. All of our employees deserve to be treated like the professionals they are.
No more waiting months for what was already earned. The raises that were cut last budget cycle were eventually restored — but families don’t pay their bills on “eventually.” I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen again.
How We Get There
The city budget is more than 60% employees. That’s not a problem — it reflects what city government actually is: people serving people. The question is whether leadership treats that as a burden to manage or a commitment to honor.
I’ll honor it. That means honest budgets that reflect real costs. It means a city that works with employees rather than against them. It means keeping our promises — and not waiting until the politics make it convenient.
Strong cities are built on the people who show up every day. As mayor, I’ll make sure Galveston’s employees know they’re valued — not just in speeches, but in the budget.
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.