In 1989, during a city council race, many in Sharpstown voted for Jim Westmoreland for an at-large position. In one precinct 68.5 percent of the voting residents voted for him. Westmoreland drew controversy after reports of a joke that was characterized as racist spread. Westmoreland was defeated in that race. In a 1989 "Houston Chronicle" article, Nancy Palm, a Republican Party activist from western Houston, said that the residents who voted for Westmoreland had social ties with them and did not see the controversy as significant. In the first 1991 Mayor of Houston election most Sharpstown voters voted for Bob Lanier. By December 3, 1991, increases in crime and changes of demographics in southwestern Houston neighborhoods lead to many challengers desiring to fill the city council seat of District F. In 2005 Khan promoted an anti-graffiti campaign in Sharpstown and other communities in his district.