SHAPED BY HOUSTON'S STRENGTH, READY TO FIGHT FOR HOUSTON'S FUTURE.
Get to Know Mayoral Candidate Neeloy Azad
Houston is a city of grit, generosity, and possibility. We are a community that shows up for one another in moments of crisis and celebrates together in times of joy. This campaign is about harnessing that spirit. The belief that when we stand shoulder to shoulder, there is no challenge we cannot face.
My story is rooted in that same belief - after all, I grew up in Texas. Afterwards, I studied art history and philosophy at UC Berkeley where an early spark of civic engagement grew into a lifelong commitment to justice at the University of Chicago Law School. When it came time to choose where to plant roots, Houston called me home. Here, I met and married the love of my life, and together we started The Desi Democracy Project, a nonprofit dedicated to amplifying South Asian civic engagement and ensuring every community has a seat at the table.
For over five years, I’ve worked as a civil rights and corporate governance lawyer at some of the top firms in the world, raising and managing funds for socially and environmentally progressive initiatives and repeatedly negotiating multi-million-dollar transactions with Texas state and municipal agencies (including the Texas Education Agency and the Houston Municipal Employees Pension System) over how public money is managed.
But my most meaningful work has always been here in Houston: fighting for tenants, defending working families, supporting small businesses, and building sustainable infrastructure that serves our neighborhoods. I stood with our community in the CAIR lawsuit against Greg Abbott and Ken Paxton. I’m a proud, dues-paying member of the Houston Tenants Union. I sued ICE to help detainees obtain freedom. Through pro bono service and partnerships with Houston Legal Aid, Lawyers for Good Government, LegalLine and more, I’ve stood with communities too often left behind.
This campaign is not about one person or one office. It’s about us. It’s about re-energizing our democracy so Houstonians of every age and background feel their voices matter. In a city where the average resident is far younger than those who represent us, we can bring new energy and inclusion to civic life.
Together, we can stabilize housing costs through affordable development and stronger tenant protections. We can invest in modern transportation that connects every neighborhood. We can build a disaster relief system that prepares Houston for the future.
When we actually listen to and address the concerns of our communities, people are inspired to act. This campaign is here to give Houstonians something worth showing up for.
Neeloy Azad