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Best mayor in the world? Annise Parker on short list for big international prize

Houston Mayor Annise Parker has made the official short list for the 2014 World Mayor Prize, an international contest for the best mayor in the world.

Parker is just one of three United States mayors to make the cut. Her North American counterparts Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi, Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett and Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson are also up for award.

The organization requests voters to email reasons why she should win, using “Houston Parker” in the subject line and provide your name and city, to Houston@worldmayor.com.

The global honor is given to mayors who exemplify a host of leadership qualities such as honesty, leadership, vision, integrity, social and economic awareness and fostering good relations among different cultural, racial and social backgrounds. Parker has been elected Houston's mayor three times and garnered national attention for being the first openly gay mayor of a major U.S. city.

“I’m flattered to be nominated. It’s wonderful to see that Houston is receiving world-wide attention. Our team is committed to taking a stand on significant issues,” Parker said via email.

The 2014 World Mayor Prize, which is sponsored by City Mayors Foundation, an international think tank based in London, is truly global with a total of 26 nominees from Latin America, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa up for the prize. The winner receives the World Mayor trophy and the runner-up is given the World Mayor Commendation.

The long list of nominees was a bit curious considering it also included former Toronto mayor Rob Ford, who built a reputation as crack-smoking, drunk driver rather than an integrity-fueled city leader. Ford was later cut from the list as it was whittled down to the finalists.

The World Mayor Prize is encouraging each city’s residents to vote for their respective mayor through the end of October. The organization requests voters to email reasons why she should win, using “Houston Parker” in the subject line and provide your name and city at the end of the email. Use the address Houston@worldmayor.com.

The prize is given every two years. The 2012 winner was Iñaki Azkuna from Bilbao, Spain and the runners-up were Lisa Scaffidi from Perth, Australia and Joko Widodo from Surakarta, Indonesia.

Mayor Annise Parker and spouse Kathy Hubbard.

3 Pride Parade Houston June 2014 Mayor Annise Parker and Kathy Hubbard

Photo by Dalton DeHart

Mayor Annise Parker and spouse Kathy Hubbard.

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who needs a raise?

This is the income it takes to be in the top 1 percent in Texas in 2026

Hundred dollar bills, income study, top 1 percent earners in Texas

Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash

The income needed to be ranked among the top 1 percent of earners in Texas has surged over $800,000 in 2026.

In a state where local billionaires are wealthier than they've ever been, high-earning Texans need to make $73,000 more than they did a year ago if they want to be among the top 1 percent of earners, a new report has revealed.

SmartAsset's latest study analyzed income thresholds for the top 1, 5, and 10 percent of earners in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, using 2022 IRS data for individual tax return filers (the most recent year available), adjusted to 2026 dollars.

Texas has the 11th highest income threshold, with residents needing to make a minimum of $817,158 to be considered among the top 1 percent of earners statewide. In 2025, Texans needed to make about $744,000 to be among the top 1 percent.

For comparison, residents living in the nation's capital must make at least $1.16 million to qualify as top 1 percent earners. The District of Columbia led the nation with the highest income threshold to be a top earner.

To be considered among the top 5 percent of earners in Texas, a resident would need to make $312,671. The income threshold to be considered among the top 10 percent is $210,609.

SmartAsset additionally found that 128,130 Texas residents qualified as top 1 percent earners in 2022. Nationally, the report estimated that fewer than 2 million households earn enough to be considered among the top 1 percent of earners nationwide, but 23 million households rank among the top 10 percent.

"In some places, households can enter the top 1 percent at income levels that fall well below the threshold elsewhere, reflecting an uneven landscape of wages and wealth," the report said.

A separate SmartAsset study that tracked the upper and lower thresholds for middle class households found Houston residents need to make anywhere from $42,907 to $128,722 to maintain their middle class status.

The top 10 states with the highest thresholds to be considered in the top 1 percent of earners in the U.S. are:

No. 1 – District of Columbia ($1,156,664)
No. 2 – Connecticut ($1,147,898)
No. 3 – Massachusetts ($1,006,921)
No. 4 – California ($987,325)
No. 5– New Jersey ($969,976)
No. 6 – New York ($959,562)
No. 7 – Florida ($956,449)
No. 8 – Washington ($903,303)
No. 9 – Colorado ($828,772)
No. 10 – Wyoming ($819,014)

income finance smartasset reports salaries

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Mayor Annise Parker and spouse Kathy Hubbard.

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who needs a raise?

This is the income it takes to be in the top 1 percent in Texas in 2026