Chris Bell - Council Member R. Christopher (Chris) Bell was first elected to Houston City Council in February 1997 in a special election to fill an un-expired Term and then re-elected in December 1997. Council Member Bell chaired the Council Committee on Customer Service and Initiatives, which was created for him by former Mayor Bob Lanier to carry out his goal of providing Customer Driven Government to the citizens of Houston. Customer Driven Government applies common sense and basic business principles to City Services with the objective of making city government more responsive to the needs of taxpayers. A twice yearly City Services Survey and a Mystery Shopper program are two of the initiatives the committee has launched to gauge satisfaction with city services and employee helpfulness.

Chris also served as Chair of the Council Committee on Fiscal Affairs. During the year 2000 budget process, he implemented a new amendment review that helped streamline the entire budget process. Chris is an attorney with Beirne, Maynard & Parsons and is a graduate of South Texas College of Law. While attending law school, he worked as a reporter for KTRH Radio and was awarded Best Radio Reporter by the Texas Associated Press in 1991. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1982. Council Member Chris Bell is the first city official that sponsored a live, online (AOL), town-hall meeting.