On The Record: C. Giovanni Garibay

For this episode of On The Record, we speak with Giovanni Garibay, a member of the Democratic National Committee from Houston representing the Young Democrats of America and Chief of Staff to City of Houston Council Member Adrian Garcia.

How did you get started in politics?

As a junior at the University of Houston, I was elected in a close run-off to Student Body President. I ran because of the possible cuts in financial aide, and I was proud to work with then UT Student Body President Sherry Boyles, a recent former candidate for Texas Land Commissioner, to create a nationwide student lobbying effort. I didn’t realize then that I was forming my democratic values.

Do you have any ambition for higher office? Do you have plans to run for any other party office, or possibly even public office?

I believe so. At the end of my term as President, my mom passed away after a long battle with cancer. She was single mother of two who lost her husband in the Vietnam War and these life challenges have instilled in me a sense of civic duty to help others.

Who are some of your political heroes?

While volunteering for Lee P. Brown’s Houston Mayoral campaign, my college buddies met folks like Rick Noriega and Carol Alvarado. The following year, Noriega ran for State Representative, and I enjoyed that it was a family campaign with lots of free food. Nothing brings in volunteers like free food.

Later, my grandmother wanted me to be confirmed in the Catholic Church, and I asked Rick Noriega to be my sponsor, or in Spanish, "Padrino." It’s pretty cool now that he is running for US Senate.

What advice would you give to young people just getting into politics?

My advice is to be patient. People are passionate about their politics and it’s important to pick your battles. Your enemy one day may be your friend the next.

How did you begin your work with Houston Council Member Adrian Garcia?

I met him while working for Mayor Brown. Garcia and his wife hosted an event for the Mayor, and I remember thinking when I met him, this guy was going to be something big. I’ve been with Adrian since the fourth day of his campaign.

Tell us a little bit about the DNC, and what roles you feel like you fulfill in that group, official or otherwise.

I was elected in a nationwide vote, in which I won over a New Yorker, to represent the Young Democrats of America (YDA) as their National Committeeman. I was elected at the Young Democrats of America San Francisco Convention in the summer of 2005 and my term ended at the last YDA Convention in Dallas this summer. I was the first Texan to hold this seat on the DNC since Lyndon B. Johnson’s era, and it’s great that Texas will continue to have an extra seat on the DNC with the election of David Hardt as the new YDA president.