Who Is Tony Buzbee.
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River Oaks Attorney Trying to Beat Long Odds
Every two years, Houston decides who is going to be its next CEO. More often than not, history repeats itself, and the incumbent not only defends but serves a term limit of six years. Tony Buzbee, whose motto is “just win” has other ideas. He has his sights on becoming the CEO of one of America’s largest and vibrant cities, with a self-financed plan to get in a runoff after November elections and put an end to the 25-year string of wins for incumbents.
Not Since 1992, when then Kathy Whitmire’s ten-year term came to an end has a sitting mayor been defeated. As it has been in the past, it will be an uphill climb to unseat the incumbent Mayor Sylvester Turner. What makes this East Texas native think he can pull off something that hasn’t happened in 20 years? So what motivates him? Is it power or his frustration with the current administration, the Houston traffic, or his constant desire to “just win”?
Tony Buzbee has practiced law in Texas for over twenty years, and his opulent lifestyle well documented. He is a River Oaks resident and very successful plaintiff lawyer. He currently runs the Buzbee Law Firm. Buzbee garnered most of his wealth representing Plaintiffs against BP. His self-funding massive ad campaign is everpresent on news programming while also hosting a regular meet and greet throughout the city.
Intown caught up with him recently at a breakfast meeting for Hispanic preachers held at Harry’s in midtown. It was a light turnout, and his prowess in working the room despite his first try at a campaign for any office was evident. As he sauntered into the room nearly an hour after the start time, he greeted folks throughout the restaurant taking time to speak with and listen to several patrons. Buzbee addressed the room of mostly Hispanics through an interpreter and appeared in no hurry despite the relatively small crowd.
Tony Buzbee was born and raised in Atlanta, Texas, a town with a population of 2,000 in East Texas. His mother was a bus driver and worked in the school cafeteria. His father was a union meat-cutter. According to Buzbee, his parents did not have much money, but they were abundant in the things that matter. He has three siblings: Laura, Tim, and Jennifer. His older sister, Laura, still lives in Atlanta along with his parents, where she owns a children’s boutique. His younger brother, Tim, lives in Australia where he is a professional musician with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. His younger sister, Jennifer, lives in Houston and runs Tony’s life – literally.
Growing up, Tony worked multiple jobs to help out at home. He remembers overhearing his parents’ quiet discussions at night over which bills they could afford to pay that month. Those stuck in his head and made him more determined to succeed.
Buzbee later attended Texas A&M University on an ROTC scholarship. While there, he served as a Battalion Commander in the Corps of Cadets.
After earning a degree in psychology, he entered the U.S Marines where he served as an infantry officer in the Persian Gulf and Somalia before advancing to reconnaissance officer. Buzbee attained the rank of captain and awarded the prestigious Navy Commendation Medal. “The Corps of Cadets was perfect for a young person like me,” said Buzbee. “It provided structure, friendship, leadership, and guidance. In the Corps, you learn you can compete against others from all over the state and excel. That builds confidence.”
After his service to his country, Buzbee attended the University of Houston Law School, graduating second in his class.
In 1999 he founded the Buzbee Law Firm in 1999, and while practicing in Galveston in a restored warehouse near the docks, it became the scene of his most significant battles. In 2005 an explosion at a Texas City refinery owned by BP killed 15 people, injured 170 and spawned thousands of damage claims. Buzbee sued BP on behalf of 179 clients, and in all, the company paid out $2.1 billion in claims from that explosion. He put his take from the litigation at close to $100 million.
Buzbee and his wife, Zoe, who graduated from Texas A&M in 1991 met in an English class. They had four children and divorced in 2017.
In September 2008, Hurricane Ike made landfall on the east end of Galveston Island and Buzbee’s offices were heavily damaged. He relocated most of his staff to downtown Houston on the 73rd floor of JPMorgan Chase Tower, where his business resides today. He lists 13 other attorneys on his website.
He also worked on the defense of Texas Governor Rick Perry on two felony abuse of power charges. He was a longtime Perry supporter and served as a debate coach in Perry’s unsuccessful presidential bid.
Q & A with Mayoral Candidate Tony Buzbee
Who is Tony Buzbee?
Intown: Can you tell us about your first job after graduating from law school?
Tony Buzbee: I was the only University of Houston graduate who was hired by the nationally known, Susman Godfrey, LLP out of Houston. It was an honor to get that job.
Int: What do you remember most about your childhood?
TB: Working; whether it was feeding the animals we had on our small farm, or working our garden, when I wasn’t in school my dad had me working.
Int: During the BP trials where you represented plaintiffs and were ultimately awarded millions of dollars for you and your clients. You were quoted during that time as “hating BP.” Do you feel that way today?
TB: That was a long time ago. BP was a serial offender of all sorts of laws, including the criminal law. Remember, they were convicted criminally even before the large oil spill. I tried more cases and had more clients suing BP than any other lawyer in history. They hurt a lot of people.
Int: Do you remember the day and the reason you decided to run for mayor?
TB: It was a slow transformation. People have asked me for years to run for mayor because I would always opine on how we could do things differently, and better. I finally decided to run for mayor about two years into Turner’s administration when I realized he had done nothing for this city, and likely would not do so.
Int: What changes would you make from how the current administration is running the city?
TB: I will actually lead. I won’t just talk, go to events, and travel. We have a lot of work to do. If you give money to a candidate, you won’t do business with the city or work for the city, period. I will turn out all lobbyists at city hall. I will put more police on the streets, and at the times and in the areas where crime occurs. The best way to fight crime is to prevent it in the first place. I will actually repair the streets and make them drivable, even if that means I have to privatize street maintenance. We will quit nibbling around the edges of drainage and flood prevention, and actually do something about it. I intend to immediately give the firefighters the raise the voters voted for. I intend to cut millions from the budget, eliminate unnecessary positions, and completely change the way we collect waste. I am going to tackle homelessness head on. I intend to make a dent in the stray animal population, and ramp up laws regarding animal cruelty. I am not going to tolerate sexual and human trafficking. Finally, I intend to cancel several contracts that I know are a complete waste of taxpayer monies, and are only in place due to campaign donor influence.
Int: You have interests in a number of retail, commercial buildings, and hotels. Won’t these holdings provide an opportunity for conflicts of interest?
TB: I have divested myself of all of my commercial real estate holdings.
Int: One of the big problems with Houston is our mobility and mass transit. What are your thoughts on improving the gridlock and mass transit?
TB: First, we will properly synchronize the lights. You would be surprised how much of a difference the would make if done correctly. I am going to work with TXDOT to make sure they are properly scheduling projects, and not blocking lanes when no work is being done!! And, I am going to incentivize people to use mass transit; we’ve already spent the money on it, we may as well actually use it. Stand by on that. Finally, the biggest thing we could do is make Houston proper a place where people want to live, which would alleviate a lot of the freeway traffic.
Int: As a very successful lawyer, what advice would you offer kids graduating to the workforce today?
TB: Here is the secret to success: WORK HARD.