M.J. Khan for Mayor of Houston

Safety • Prosperity • Opportunity for All

Meet MJ Khan

M. J. Khan was elected to the Houston City Council in December 2003 and served three terms. He was the first Muslim elected to the council of any of America’s large cities. During his tenure on Houston City Council, Shifa Clinic and Ibn-e-Sina clinics got $850,000 each from the city; Over Ten Million Dollars for affordable housing projects for Shifa; large number of community members were appointed to various boards and commissions and opportunities were open for many in high positions in the city.

  • Served as the President of The Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH), considered as the largest Islamic organization in North America on the basis of number of managed facilities (Mosques) and the size of membership.
  • Served as the President of Pakistani-American Association (PAGH)
  • Real Estate developer and investor
  • Oil & Gas Investor
  • Worked as an Engineer with various organizations

M. J. Khan is married to Dr. Attiya S. Khan, a renowned Interventional Cardiologist and the first female Cardiology fellow at Texas Heart Institute and recipient of Six Gold Medals from Punjab University of Pakistan as the top medical student.

Their son Faraz Khan is a renowned scholar, married to Sarah Ashraf. The Khans are blessed with four grand children.

EDUCATION

Rice University

Houston,Texas
1997 MBA

University of Illinois
Urbana-Champaign, Illinois
1976 MS Civil Engineering

NED Engineering College,
Karachi University
Pakistan
1974 B.E. Civil Engineering

Sind University
Hyderabad, Pakistan
1969 B.Sc. Mathematics/Physics

HONORS (Partial List)

Honored by the League of Women Voters

USCIS-U.S. Department of State’s Outstanding American by Choice Award

Father of the Year Award

Friends of Filipinos Award

Men of Style Award

Asian American Leadership Award from Asia Society Texas Center

Along with his wife, received a proclamation from City of Houston for outstanding community service

EXPERIENCE

City of Houston
Council Member District F 2004 – 2009

Partial list of Achievements as District F Councilman:

Committee Appointments (Partial List):

Budget and Fiscal Affairs
Flooding and Drainage
International Liaison and Protocol
Minority and Women owned Business Enterprises
Homeland Security
Task Force on Airport Security issues
Convenience Store Safety Task Force

Accomplishments (Partial List):

  • New Police Station at 7277 Regency Square was opened.
  • Successfully had City Council and the Mayor appropriate general funds monies to prevent an undercount in the 2010 Census especially in minority communities to better ensure Houston receiving its fair share of federal dollars.
  • Successful in establishing Houston-Karachi sister city relationship.
  • Named chair of Flooding drainage committee – Passed ordinance amending Chapter 19 to allow restricted building in Flood way
  • Authored 11 amendments to 2009 budget, 4 accepted
    Exposed loop holes in Itinerant Vendor Ordinance – working with COH Legal Dept. to amend ordinance
  • Helped established a Point of Distribution during aftermath of Hurricane Ike; which garnered over 1000 volunteers and distributed tens of thousands of units of ice water and meals.
  • Obtained Millions of dollars in funds for apartment rehabilitation, Senior citizen Housing, and 2 Community Clinics, Ibn-e-Sina and Shifa
  • Sponsored District wide Cleanup with over 100 Volunteers, cleaned up several hundred cubic yards of debris
  • Worked with Parks and Recreation Dept.to acquire a new park in Alief (Hackberry) – increasing green space in the District.
  • Successfully protested liquor license of EL Zorro Night Club – Club will not open at the location of the previously closed Carnival Night Club.
  • As Chair of the International Liaison and Protocol Committee, welcomed a host of foreign dignitaries and delegations enhancing Houston’s position to attain international trade. One Multi-Million-dollar company rejected San Antonio and chose Houston to locate US operations
  • Established a task force on convenience store safety resulting in ordinance that standardizes convenience store operations.
  • Have begun work on the Bellaire Corridor from Gessner to Hwy 6 -completed Fondren Bellaire Intersection
  • Spearheaded funding for Bamboo Village Senior Citizen Housing; and Funding for the VN Teamwork Center
    Requested the modernization of the Water/Wastewater billing department
  • Voted to amend budget to report monthly on Unfunded Liability of retiree health benefits
  • Voted to amend budget to reduce property tax rate to 61.375 or by .0125 cents per $100 valuation
  • Submitted amendment to add two additional police cadet classes for FY2008 (only one police cadet class was added via Clutterbuck amendment)

  • Voted to develop the City’s Wireless Network

  • Voted to support the City’s Smoking Ban

  • Voted to support the Apartment Security Ordinance

  • Requested and received an additional mobile command center for Houston Police Department

  • Voted for an additional Police cadet class for FY 2007

  • Voted for a property tax decrease

  • Requested an increase in CIP planning cycle from 5 years to 7-10 years (as of the 2007, the CIP planning cycle has increase by 1 year to six years)

  • Voted for a property tax decrease

  • Voted to support the Safe Clear Mobility initiative

  • Proposed and got city council approval for all city departments to produce Zero-Based Budgets.

EXPERIENCE (cont)

International AffairsCouncil Member Khan was appointed as Chair of the City’s International Liaison and Protocol Committee (ILPC. As chair of the ILPC, Councilman Khan has the opportunity to meet and discuss an array of important issues with international leaders, delegations, and students, thereby promoting Houston as a world-class city, directly and indirectly affecting international relationships and trade

  • Co-Chair  Texas Dragon Boat Association – 7th Annual Houston Dragon Boat Festival
  • Delegation of law enforcement officials from Pakistan as guests of the U.S. State Department
  • Led Houston area delegation to Stavanger Norway
  • CM Khan assisted residents directly affected by the Dunlap Reconstruction project by providing direct contact to contractors with residents to completion of project.
  • Held Katrina Evacuee Job Fair
  • Coordinated formation of the Houston Public Library’s World Languages Project, which enhances the library’s collections of materials from diverse international cultures.
  • Assisted with Mayor’s Convenience Store Task Force Committee

Town Hall Meetings

  • Has hosted two (2) Crime Summits in District F with presence by Chief Hurtt and local police officials.
  • Coordinated a Four (4) Stop Business Owners Tour Public Safety Awareness Tour of District F
  • Katrina Evacuee Town Hall Meeting
  • Deed Restrictions Town Hall
  • How to Protest a Liquor License Town Hall Meeting
  • Itinerant Vendor Town Hall Meeting

Other Accomplishments

  • Helped spearheaded completion of the Southwest Multipurpose Center with the Gulfton Community.
  • Helped secure funding for not-for-profit health facilities, IBN-E-SINA Clinic, Shifa Clinic (CDBG funds) and a Federally Funded Health Clinic converted from an unused transit facility.
  • City Council Clean up (C3); 2005-2007; Sponsored Annual Clean up in the District. Over 300 hundred volunteers participated, 400 bags of refuse collected.
  • Khan was appointed to the National League of Cities Transportation Infrastructure and Services (TIS) Steering Committee in 2007.
  • Recommended appointment of a number of diverse Houstonians to various City of Houston Boards and Commissions.
  • Returned to taxpayer over $20,000 in unspent fund from the District F Office budget, donating it to the COH Public Library and HPD Storefront.
  • Hosted Ramadan Dinners. Sponsored by Mayor Bill White
  • Sponsored Health Fairs in Alief and for National Women’s Health Week
  • Oversaw additions to Boone Rd and. Alief Community Parks (See CIP). Helped to secure funds for Alief Park jogging trail; community center expansion and site improvements to Burnett-Bayland Park ($1, 077,000) in 2004.
  • Oversaw Cook Road and High Star Expansion and infrastructure improvements
  • Organized District F multifamily property owners to quickly provide temporary shelter for victims of Hurricanes Katrina/Rita, to help prevent wide scale chaos and overburdening of City resources.
  • Approved the allocation of millions of dollars in affordable /rental housing funds and Community Development Block Grant monies to District F
  • Secured Funding ($3,340,000) for Bamboo Village, a low-income senior community, also secured separate funding for India House.
  • Honored the wishes of members of the Braes Timber Civic Association et al and facilitated closure of the Birdwood footbridge; a conduit for illegal activity and mischief for residents of the Braes Timbers, Larkwood, Braeburn Terrace and Robindale neighborhoods.

Other Community Assignments (Partial List):

  • President Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH)
  • Recognized by local, national and international media for Hurricane Harvey Relief work.
  • Opened Mosques as shelters for hurricane Harvey Flood victims
    Collected and distributed Hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of relief supplies to Harvey affected people.
  • Distributed 2400 Backpacks with supplies to three Houston Schools.
  • Raised over $1.8 Million for Harvey Victims.
  • Led efforts to bring ISNA 55th Annual Convention to Houston (First in ISNA history)
  • Bought two parcels of land for first Muslims’ cemetery in Houston area.
  • Spearheaded voter registration drives in the community.
  • Brought Transparency and Accountability of the Board (Shura) members.
    Successfully brought women empowerment; appointed first woman to Shura (Board)
  • Initiated Senior Housing Project.
  • Pakistani-American Association of Greater Houston (PAGH)
    President 1986; 1997-2002 Established M. A. Jinnah merit scholarship at the University of Houston in 1986