HOUSTON - There’s a lot of chatter on social media about the City of Houston recognizing Lakewood Church this week with a proclamation for their work during Harvey.
Some people want to know why another Harvey hero, Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale, didn’t get the same honor. So KHOU’s Verify team got to work.
KHOU found McIngvale did get that same proclamation on March 27 in the same type of ceremony. The Houston City councilmember who made it happen was the same one who requested the proclamation for Lakewood Church: Councilmember Jack Christie, At-Large Position 5.
After Tuesday’s ceremony, Christie praised the church's 70,000 hours of volunteer work since Harvey.
"Rebuilding 1,150 homes, that's amazing,” Christie said. “So I don't look at 'So they missed first base'. Big deal. It's that coming on home and doing all that good work."
Shortly after accepting that proclamation, Pastor Joel Osteen admitted his church was caught off guard during Harvey.
“Yeah, we would do things differently,” Osteen said. “We've already met with the city and the county. Again, we weren't prepared to...had no staff in the building. So yes, we've already met with authorities and, you know, we're gonna do better next time."
So how does someone get a mayoral proclamation? According to the city’s website, anyone in Houston or the surrounding area can apply online or through mail.
The site says they're given to "organizations and individuals who have made a significant contribution to society." They also honor retirements, as well as significant birthdays, anniversaries and events.
Mary Benton, press secretary for Mayor Sylvester Turner, says more than 3,600 proclamations were fulfilled in 2017, and 2018 has seen more than 2,100 requests so far.
"It's not something that the mayor is sitting there, looking through and approving,” Benton said. “As long as it meets the criteria, the City of Houston will issue a proclamation to someone."
Basically, Benton says, the proclamation can't be political in nature or fall on a federal holiday. However, Benton says only a small percentage are presented in the council chambers. Those require a councilmember to sponsor the proclamation, something the recipient can request.
While the well-known names typically get the exposure, Benton says she’s seen a lot of “non-celebrities” receive proclamations during her six months with the city.
"The mayor treats every proclamation the same,” Benton said. “I've seen him do it for baseball teams, I've seen him do it for churches, for people who are turning 100 years old."
Just recently, Benton said, a councilmember honored a woman who helped rescue another person from their car during Harvey.
Benton says she’s frequently asked whether J.J. Watt will get a mayoral proclamation. She says she has seen via e-mail a citizen applied on Watt’s behalf. However, Benton says the whole process can takes weeks and believes the biggest obstacle would be working around Watt’s schedule to bring him to City Hall.