Crystal Pletka

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Crystal Pletka

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2019

Education

Bachelor's

Coastal Carolina University, 2003

Graduate

Florida Atlantic University, 2009

Ph.D

Florida International University, 2016

Personal

Religion

Judaism

Profession

Geologist

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Crystal Pletka ran for election to the Houston City Council to represent District G in Texas. She lost in the general election on November 5, 2019.

Pletka completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Crystal Pletka was born in Huntington, West Virginia. Pletka earned a bachelor's degree from Coastal Carolina University in 2003, a master's degree from Florida Atlantic University in 2009, and a Ph.D. from Florida International University in 2016. Pletka's career experience includes working as a geologist.

Elections

2019

See also: City elections in Houston, Texas (2019)

General election

General election for Houston City Council District G

Incumbent Greg Travis defeated Crystal Pletka and Tom Baker in the general election for Houston City Council District G on November 5, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Greg Travis (Nonpartisan)	67.0	19,766
		Crystal Pletka (Nonpartisan)	20.4	6,009
	Submit photo	Tom Baker (Nonpartisan)	12.6	3,725

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 29,500
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Campaign themes

2019

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Crystal Pletka completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Pletka's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Dr. Crystal Pletka and I am running for Houston City Council, District G. I am a geologist, a leader in my professional field, mother, wife, and animal lover. And I want to be the voice that represents our district on Houston City Council.||I earned my B.Sc with a major in Marine Science. During my studies, I held three jobs in addition to teaching Introductory Science Labs at the university. After graduation, I ran Residence Halls at Eastern Washington University, where I managed operations, safety and two budgets for buildings of over 400 residents, supervised a student staff of undergraduate students, and served on the campus wide Judicial Board.||I returned to school to obtain my M.Sc as well as a Ph.D in Geology. Even before completing my doctorate, I was fortunate to be offered a job in Houston working as a Biostratigrapher in the Energy Industry. Since then, I completed my studies, worked for several companies in the Energy Corridor, worked offshore in the Gulf of Mexico and well-sites across Texas and Louisiana, served on the executive boards of professional scientific organizations, and raised my family in District G.||As a geologist, mother of two, and resident who has been flooded three times in the last four years, I decided to run for City Council because we need comprehensive solutions to address the challenges of our city. I want to provide a voice that brings an evidence-based and scientific perspective to Houston City Council.||Our city needs Council Members that are transparent, approachable, and proactive in addressing the concerns of district. That's why I am running to be a Council Member for District G on Houston City Council and I would be honored to have your support.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• To address flooding, we need to stop piecemeal efforts. We need to look at flooding, not just as a City of Houston problem, but as a regional challenge and provide regional solutions.
• We need to focus on transportation infrastructure because our roads are in poor condition and need major repair (potholes, worn previous repairs, low spots).
• Our city needs to hold our contractors accountable and move toward adopting a performance-based contract/bid reward system instead of lowest bid.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Flooding. As mentioned before, to address flooding, we need to stop piecemeal efforts. We need to look at flooding not just as a City of Houston problem, but as a regional challenge and provide regional solutions. We need a formal entity consisting of City, County, State and Federal representatives to work in tandem where projects are conceived, developed, funded, and built in tandem and complementary to each other. The Harris County bond program and projects are a good start, but it is not a regional solution to address drainage, ditches, bayous, retention projects, and fund ongoing debris removal maintenance. Development also needs to be considered carefully for upstream and downstream impact. Finally, we need to encourage and incentivize permeable surface installation and development within our region.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

The person who I look up to the most is the same as whose example I would like to follow and that person is my father. He is an incredibly strong, supportive, loving, intelligent man who raised two daughters from childhood through adulthood by himself, all while working full-time. We always knew we had his unconditional support and love while he guided us to make our own decisions and succeed in life.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

The principles most important for an elected official are trustworthiness, transparency, intelligence, humility, and a desire to do what is right for the constituents you represent.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I would be a successful officeholder because I like to approach things in a very logical, calm manner. I am extremely dependable and work tirelessly at any job I have. I excel at thinking outside of the box and I am approachable and easy to talk to for people from a variety of backgrounds.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The first historical event that I remember happening is the Challenger explosion. I was four years old at the time.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job outside of babysitting and helping neighbors with various tasks was fast food. I worked at a local fast food restaurant for most of my senior year of high school and the summer before I moved away for college.

What is your favorite book? Why?

I LOVE to read and depending on what is going on, will read anywhere from 1 to 5 books a week so it is hard for me to pick a favorite. One book that I will always go back to is called 'Beauty' by Robin McKinley. It is a retelling of the classic Beauty and The Beast story and the main character is appreciated and loved for her personality, selflessness, attitude, and dependability, and the focus is not on her appearance.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

One of the lesser known powers of City Council is their role in land use decisions. Houstonians need to know when land is being developed and make sure everyone is aware of both upstream and downstream impacts.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

While I don't think experience is ever not beneficial, I do not think having previous government or political experience is required. In this case, I think having experience with different careers helps an officeholder with the varied issues and tasks that a City Council Member must deal with.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

I think one of the skills that would be most helpful for a City Council Member to have is a logical and evidence-based approach to issues facing City Council. It is also helpful for an officeholder to have a varied background and have the ability to work cohesively with a group for the betterment of the whole.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

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