New Councilman Joe Panzarella outlines vision for Freedmen’s Town

After winning a decisive runoff election for the District C council member seat, Joe Panzarella says he is set to act on his campaign promises. 

The community organizer, a Democrat, ran on issues like safer streets, public transportation improvements, transparency in governance, flood prevention, and affordable housing reforms.

Panzarella defeated former City Hall staffer Nick Hellyar in May’s special runoff election to replace outgoing District C Council Member Abbie Kamin, winning nearly 65% of the vote.

In Freedmen’s Town, the historic Black community in Houston’s Fourth Ward, shaped by decades of displacement and gentrification, Panzarella plans to transform the neighborhood.

Here, longtime Black residents have spent decades navigating urban renewal and rising development pressures that have transformed the once predominantly Black neighborhood into one marked by rapid demographic change.

One of his first priorities at City Hall will be to redesign streets to make them “safer, more comfortable and more accessible,” asking neighbors if stepping outside their homes on foot feels like a safe bet.

A historical neighborhood

Congratulations to incoming District C Council Member Joe Panzarella.

This is the most incredible council district anyone could have the privilege of representing — it's a precious responsibility that has been the honor of my life thus far. Give it everything you have. The… pic.twitter.com/ZKQArPmtsg

— Abbie Kamin (@AbbieKamin) May 18, 2026

Charonda Johnson, a fifth-generation Freedmen’s Town resident and community advocate, said she has watched those shifts unfold firsthand.

“I’ve seen it change dramatically with gentrification, urban renewal, and now more recently with the city’s change of direction and basically trying to preserve and save the historic assets of Freedmen’s Town,” Johnson said. “A lot of Black and Brown communities literally suffer the same fate. Urban renewal, highway, eminent domain, and always used to basically take land from Black Americans for ‘the greater good,’ but not for their greater good.”

Panzarella argues that rebuilding trust starts by giving longtime residents greater decision-making power over the services they need and the actions the City Council should take to better the historic neighborhood.

“It can be solved by giving minority community members decision-making power,” he said, referring to distrust between government institutions and communities like Freedmen’s Town. “These community members have been advocating for a long time. At what point in time do they get to be decision-makers in the process?”

Part of that vision, he said, includes trusting neighborhood leaders already working on preservation efforts and building policies around what residents want to see.

He added that community leaders and preservation advocates who have spent years maintaining the neighborhood’s historic identity, which ties into his plan.

“My vision for Fourth Ward is what Fourth Ward used to be when it was founded,” he said. “It was a hub of culture, energy, and Black-owned businesses. It was a thriving community.”

Panzarella pointed to the neighborhood’s historic churches and street life before Interstate 45 cut through the area, accelerating disinvestment and displacement. Rather than freezing Freedmen’s Town in time, Panzarella said growth and preservation must happen together.

“The vision I have is bringing that vitality back,” he said. “How can we have more businesses come into the neighborhood? How can we have more Black-owned businesses, Black-owned institutions?”

The next step, per the new council member, is to bring in more affordable housing and commercial properties. It also includes implementing his signature campaign issue of increasing walkability in the neighborhood.

Panzarella helped revive the Fourth Ward Super Neighborhood 60, alongside Johnson, to address issues of gentrification and housing. Although he has served as its president since 2023, both Panzarella and Johnson believe it is time for him to focus his attention on council affairs.

“Being a City Council Member doesn’t mean stepping back from Freedmen’s Town,” he said. “It just means that my effort in the community might be better served at City Hall as opposed to with the super neighbor.”

The dichotomy: Preserving Black history vs. growth and infrastructure

Freedmen’s Town, which has seen increased gentrification and infrastructure efforts in the past few years, faces the threat of cultural erasure.

Not on Panzarella’s watch, he pledged.

“The best way forward is to continue to trust and support the boots-on-the-ground individuals that are already supporting Freedmen’s Town,” Panzarella said.

One of those individuals is Johnson, who has been doing “the thankless work behind the scenes for years and years.” 

Panzarella also linked infrastructure decisions to affordability, arguing that city planning choices shape who can still live in Freedmen’s Town.

“When it comes to preserving the character while encouraging development, it’s looking at all of the empty lots throughout the neighborhood that are generally owned by the tourist, so they’re already within city purview, and saying what’s the best way to develop that land, bring more folks in, while still protecting the heritage, protecting the culture, and protecting the legacy residents that still have a stake in the neighborhood.”

Beyond talking points

Johnson, however, cautions against treating walkability as a new concept imported into Freedmen’s Town.

“Our community has always been walkable,” she said, noting new sidewalks and infrastructure have recently arrived, but arguing the neighborhood long functioned as a pedestrian-centered place.

The main issue that Johnson wants solved is affordability. Over the years, she has seen legacy residents pushed out of the neighborhood by gentrification.

“My goal is to actually create a community hub inside the Freedmen’s Town for the legacy residents who were pushed out of their identification and still come to the community for church,” she said. “They still come every holiday. They bring their family because, regardless if they live there or not, they still call the place home, and they often return.”

Johnson hopes Panzarella would follow the style of leadership of the previous council member, Abbie Kamin, describing her as someone who treated all residents “as family.”

Still, she believes he could succeed if he listens closely.

“Joseph has big shoes to fill, but in my opinion, if he follows Abbie, then he should be okay,” she said.