 The seat had been vacated by Shelley Sekula-Gibbs when she won an earlier election to complete the term of Congressman Tom DeLay after he resigned from office.Noriega was subsequently elected to three two-year terms on the council, where she served as chair of the Public Safety Committee, vice-chair of the Development and Regulatory Affairs Committee, and on seven other council committees.In its endorsement of Noriega for a third term on the council, the Houston Chronicle praised Noriega for her effectiveness in dealing with Houston's pension issues and her efforts "to put Houston's infrastructure improvements on a more stable, pay-as-you-go basis."