Cup-O-Joe

Who on the island is Joe Jaworski?

Mayor Joe Jaworski combines a celebrated family tradition of public service with a deep faith in the power of individuals to make a positive difference in their communities.

Mayor Jaworski was sworn in as Galveston’s 55th Mayor on May 13, 2010, after earning 53% of the vote in a tight, five candidate race. Joe campaigned on the promise of “New Vision and Energy”, and he lives that commitment every day.

Jaworski served three terms on the Galveston City Council, where he earned a reputation for insisting on strict financial accountability to hold the line on new taxes while safeguarding vital services. First elected in 2000, he was re-elected in 2002 and then again in 2004 as Mayor Pro-Tem. In 2005, Jaworski helped lead the team that faced Hurricane Rita and won praise for his role in the City’s emergency preparation and response to the storm. He stepped down in May 2006 under the City’s term limits law.

Jaworski  campaigned for over two years to represent Galveston in the Texas Senate, but six weeks before the November 2008 election, Hurricane Ike struck Galveston Island and the Galveston Bay area. Jaworski did not win the seat, but following Ike’s devastation to his home and community, he resolved to lead the Island back to greatness.    

Born in Houston on the day Texas prepared to mark its 126th year of independence, Jaworski earned his bachelor’s from North Carolina’s Davidson College and his law degree from the University of Texas at Austin, where he graduated in 1991 and won honors for his mock trial work and was elected to the prestigious Order of Barristers.

Jaworski served as law clerk to U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge John Brown, practiced maritime law on behalf of numerous shipping and energy companies, and has worked to defend individuals’ rights against special interests throughout his career. He is currently a partner in The Jaworski Law Firm, headquartered in Galveston, and he specializes in mediating serious personal injury, insurance-related and complex commercial matters in state and federal courts around the country.

A former chairman of the City of Galveston Ethics Commission and a Trustee of both Galveston’s Park Board and Wharves Board, Jaworski is a senior fellow of the American Leadership Forum and an alumnus director of the Texas Lyceum. He is a lifelong musician and is known to regularly “sit in” with favorite bands. Jaworski is fluent in Spanish, and he regularly appears on local Univision and Telemundo channels to comment on Galveston’s positive progress.

Jaworski and his wife Rebecca have two children and live in Galveston.

The Mayor Marches to the Beat of a Rock Drummer