Mayor Sylvester Turner today announced that he has won the support of three of Houston’s most prominent community leaders: Congressman Al Green, Howard Jefferson and Rev. Bill Lawson.

The three leaders issued this statement:

“There are three of us who have enjoyed a very close friendship of over thirty years, who felt it important that we publicly announce our support for Sylvester Turner for a second term as Mayor of Houston. Congressman Al Green, Texas representative in the United States Congress; Howard Jefferson, long-time leader in the Houston Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and now a member of the national board of the NAACP; and William “Bill” Lawson have formed a threesome advocating for minorities and for the poor.

“If the wealthy and the powerful, or their families, were helped by the efforts of these three friends, good. But our focus has been on the underclasses. So it is now. We are not pushing for a member of a specific political party or for an alumnus of a specific school or for a Mayor who represents a special social or economic class.

“We are interested in a Mayor whose leadership will include all parties, all social and economic levels and the totality of the Houston population. We have not been limited to listening to Mayor Turner during one campaign. We have watched him serve the State of Texas for 27 years in the State Legislature before he was elected as Mayor of Houston. And we have seen the Houston economy improve and the rate of employment rise markedly in the four years he has been our Mayor.

“What has impressed the three of us is that in all of this he has included the total family, including women, minorities and the poor.

"The three of us are convinced that Sylvester Turner deserves one more term to demonstrate his ability to give leadership to a municipal family that is diverse and inclusive. Turner for Mayor!”

“I am grateful and humble by the endorsement of these great men,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said. “You cannot find any three people who have done more for this community for so many years than Congressman Green, Mr. Jefferson and Rev. Lawson. To receive their endorsement is an honor, indeed.”

Houstonians can vote early now through November 1. Election Day is Tuesday, November 5. For questions about voting, visit www.SylvesterTurner.com/vote.