Some local Muslims plan to once again boycott Whitmire's appearance at annual Ramadan event over his refusal to call for a ceasefire of the Israel-Hamas war.

Then-Houston mayor Sylvester Turner describes his bout with cancer in an interview at City Hall in Houston on Nov. 15, 2022. (Annie Mulligan for) U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner, a former Houston mayor, state legislator and institution in Houston Democratic politics,

ABC13 asked Mayor Whitmire about his decision to send leaders of his administration to speak on the panel, which is named after Senior Trump Advisor Elon Musk's DOGE coin.

I’ve lost a personal friend,” a somber Mayor John Whitmire said before the City Council. “No one will be able to step into Sylvester’s shoes and carry on his duties because there’s only one Sylvester Turner.