19 January 2006
Mayor White tables decision on Texas Municipal League
The Chronicle's Matt Stiles reported today that Mayor White tabled a controversial proposal for the city to pay $68,000 in dues to the Texas Municipal League:
In another example of Mayor Bill White's desire for City Council harmony, his administration worked Wednesday to avoid a potentially fractious vote on using taxpayer money for a lobbying group that has fought property tax appraisal caps.
At issue was whether to pay $68,000 in dues to the Texas Municipal League, which represents the collective concerns of cities such as Houston before the Legislature and Congress.
The issue, which has sparked recent consternation among conservatives, likely would have been decided with a narrow victory for White — or perhaps even a defeat.
So the mayor, who acknowledged some reservations about using taxpayer money, pledged instead to raise the dues from private sources.
"If you build a consensus, you'll be more effective," he said after Wednesday's meeting, "as opposed to fighting over 68,000 bucks."
This reporting is a little unusual for Stiles, in that he usually reports facts in a fairly straightforward manner, and avoids the sorts of editorial assessments of Mayor White's desires that we see in the first paragraph.
As for the second bolded paragraph, Harris County Republican Chairman Jared Woodfill indicates that eight councilmembers (Shelley Sekula-Gibbs, Ron Green, Michael Berry, Toni Lawrence, Anne Clutterbuck, Addie Wiseman, M.J. Khan, and Pam Holm) indicated they were prepared to vote against the measure. Woodfill is not a disinterested party (he pushed hard for a no vote), so make of that what you will.
Substantively, Greg Wythe raised the following good questions:
It sure seems like there's a bit more to this story that the Chron left on the cutting room floor. The mayor has made something of a habit of finding private funds for things he can't quite get through council with bipartisan support. So what's the difference there? Doesn't that private funding for public services put things at the whim of the mayor just a bit too much? And if it's deemed that there's nothing improper about this funding mechanism, then where's the fundraising group for putting more cops on the street? ... something the mayor says is his overriding passion these days.
It seems to me that the Mayor tabled this proposal for a couple of reasons: 1) There was a real chance he could lose the vote -- remember when the MediaSource loss left him stammering and asking M.J. Kahn if he really understood how he was voting? -- and Mayor White doesn't like losing; and 2) Avoiding the vote and the controversy lets Mayor White sidestep an issue that could potentially come back to dog him if he decides to run for higher office and wants the support of the broader Harris County area.
BLOGVERSATION: Lone Star Times, Houblog.
UPDATE (01-20-2006): The Chronicle's Kristen Mack reports that Councilmember Green says he would have voted with the mayor.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/19/06 11:54 PM |
18 January 2006
Lindsay to endorse Hamric
Sedosi notes that state Sen. Jon Linsday will endorse Rep. Peggy Hamric for SD 7, which makes absolute perfect sense to me. Hamric is in favor of the Grand Parkway F2 segment being built through Spring instead of further north. Every other candidate (including Dan Patrick, I am told) is opposed to F2 paving over Spring.
Getting Lindsay's endorsement will not be helpful to Hamric in this part of SD 7.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/18/06 10:07 AM |
17 January 2006
Chief Hurtt isn't rolling out the welcome mat for the Guardian Angels
The Guardian Angels have arrived and a KTRH-740 news break mentioned that Chief Hurtt is none too happy about it. This KHOU-11 story echoes that:
The Guardian Angels’ No. 2 man is in town from New York.
“We’re looking to be in Houston, in perpetuity, because the people of Houston want us here,” Arnaldo Salinas said.
But judging from his previous comments, Houston’s police chief will not welcome the red berets with open arms.
“I need to work with the police; it works better when we work together,” Salinas said. “But can I work alone? Absolutely, and I would.”
The Guardian Angels have a history in Houston. They patrolled the Montrose area in the 1980s, but this time they are starting from scratch.
For too long MayorWhiteChiefHurtt ignored talk of a police manpower shortage -- they have been focused on everything BUT public safety. You might say we have a world-class crime problem! Therefore, Chief Hurtt isn't in much of a position to complain about a private group coming in to help out, even if the group is just providing an unarmed presence in crime-prone areas. If Houston's top two public servants, who are charged with keeping the public safe, won't do their jobs, are citizens supposed just to sit there like bullseyes? I don't think so.
LOCAL TALK: Chris Baker is discussing HPD issues this afternoon, including the issue of the officer who was fired, then reinstated.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/17/06 04:16 PM |
12 January 2006
Council uses debarment power for first time
Yesterday, City Council used its debarment procedure, the first time it has invoked the power that it approved for itself in 2000:
In an unprecedented action, the city banned a construction company Wednesday from doing business with the city for two years because it failed to complete work on a fire station in Clear Lake.
Stephens Construction Ser- vices was awarded a $2.6 million contract in December 2004 and began the work shortly thereafter.
The city first knew something was wrong last March, when Stephens subcontractors reported they weren't being paid.
By fall, the company trailer on the site was cleaned out, the gates were locked and it was clear Stephens had abandoned the project.
The company completed 65 percent of the construction and was paid $729,000.
[snip]
Wednesday's vote was the first application of debarment procedures the City Council approved in 2000.
[snip]
"Finally we've decided to use it and hold these contractors liable," Councilman Ronald Green said. "This will help us send the message that you cannot reinvent yourself and expect to get city business and do this over and over."
Excellent.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/12/06 11:12 PM |
Maybe Mayor White can get FEMA to pay for a new soccer stadium
A couple of days ago we posted on the decline of HPD ticket revenue, which is impacting the city of Houston's budget.
Yesterday KPRC-2 ran its own story on the topic and this paragraph stands out:
However, the original loss of $5.1 million because of the lack of traffic tickets being issued is something city leaders said they would try to recoup the money (sic) from the federal government.
Houston is going to bill FEMA for lost ticket revenue? Is there anything for which Houston won't be billing the feds????
PREVIOUSLY: Mayor White wants FEMA to help fund HPD
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/12/06 09:30 AM |
11 January 2006
Great news for Houston taxpayers is bad news for Mayor White
All that economic boom euphoria Mayor White was basking in last week had a bit of cold water thrown on it Monday:
In a defeat for Mayor Bill White's administration, a district court has ruled that the city of Houston must operate under two revenue-cap initiatives approved by voters in 2004.
The city had argued that a limited cap backed by the mayor, called Proposition 1, took precedence because it received more votes. Backers of Proposition 2, put on the ballot by resident petition, said the city had to put both caps into effect, and sought a court order.
In a summary judgment issued late Monday, state District Judge Tad Halbach agreed with the Proposition 2 plaintiffs.
The city will appeal the ruling, which the mayor and controller say has no immediate practical effect on city revenues since this year's budget was written to allow for both revenue caps.
"We will work through this and straighten it out," White said. "I don't think it will be a problem in the next fiscal year. So long as Prop 2 is out there, and if we don't get this cleaned up in the courts or in the charter, it could threaten our bond rating."
Ah yes, the bond rating. Let's rewind to last October:
The current rating and outlook presumes that the legal challenge by supporters of a competing, more restrictive measure that garnered less voter support is unsuccessful.
There is no reason government shouldn't face the same budgetary restraints many of us experience in our personal lives.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/11/06 09:23 AM |
10 January 2006
Texas AG asked to weigh-in on red light cameras (updated)
Is Houston one of the Texas cities requesting permission to put red light cameras on state roads?
The Texas Department of Transportation has asked Attorney General Greg Abbott to decide whether the agency can install red-light cameras on traffic signals along state roads.
A few Texas cities already have installed cameras that catch red-light runners by mailing tickets to the vehicle's registered owner. Leaders in several other cities are considering using the cameras as well.
The state, however, controls many traffic signals along freeway frontage roads, U.S. and state highways and farm-to-market roads. TxDOT executive director Michael Behrens wants to know whether cameras can be placed on those red lights.
In a Dec. 20 letter to Abbott that was made public Monday, Behrens said he wants to know how to respond to requests from cities that want to place cameras on state roads within their borders.
It appears that some of the roads on this list of dangerous intersections in the Houston area are state-controlled. MayorWhiteChiefHurtt do want more cameras, we know, which would help make up for the ticket revenue shortfall.
UPDATE: Well, shoot. I missed this KTRK-13 story on the current state of Houston's four test red light cameras:
Back in November there was much fanfare about the newly installed red light test cameras. They were to photograph vehicles as they ran through red lights. The motorists would then receive a warning in the mail.
Two months later, the system was to be officially sending out citations to violators. Houston police admit the testing period took longer than expected.
HPD Lt. Robert Manzo explained, "The testing period has ended. Some of the vendors have started removing their equipment from the intersections."
The red light camera testing ended last Friday and the results are staggering. At just four intersections in midtown and downtown, over 2,800 vehicles were photographed running red lights. Of that number, Houston police determined 633 motorists committed clear violations. Those violators were mailed warning citations. HPD says that's an average of 20 vehicles a day at each location.
"(It) seems like an awful lot," said driver Terri Gaskin. "Seems very dangerous. There's a lot of people crossing the streets around here all the time and I think it's very dangerous."
The test cameras remain at two downtown locations. If you are photographed running these red lights, you won't get a ticket -- yet.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/10/06 04:08 PM |
Put out an APB: HPD's productivity policy is missing (updated)
Officers wrote fewer citations in 2005. That may be good for drivers, but the city needs the money generated from all those fines. Officers issued fewer tickets last year because they were busy with evacuations and hurricane victims. The new crime task force also has officers working overtime.
The city says police officers will not be told to write more tickets to make up for the financial shortfall.
PREVIOUSLY: HPD's "productivity policy" begins
UPDATE: Right now, Councilman Michael Berry is discussing HPD ticket revenue on KPRC-950 AM.
KEVIN WHITED ADDS: Berry informs that his new show will be on from 9 to 11 am weekdays on KPRC. We're looking forward to some good talk radio with a local perspective.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/10/06 09:38 AM |
08 January 2006
Chron politics columnist not impressed with inaugural
In her most recent politics column for the Chronicle, Kristen Mack almost seemed to be channelling blogHOUSTON:
MAYOR Bill White and the City Council began their new terms in a ceremony this week at the Houston Police Memorial, coincidentally symbolic of the increasing concern about local crime.
But Tuesday's inauguration, even with that somber backdrop, was contrived and orchestrated, and lacking in specifics about White's plans for the next two years.
Two years ago White set aside tradition and ventured out of downtown to take his oath of office.
He rode Metro's then-new light rail to Miller Outdoor Theatre, where he was greeted by Chinese drummers, African musicians, a mariachi band and the Houston Fire Department's pipe and drum corps — fitting his theme of unity and inclusion.
[snip]
Tuesday's ceremony, in contrast, was inevitably more pro forma.
For starters, anyone who wanted to go had to board a shuttle to get to there, making it a hassle likely to put off some residents.
For a mayor whose hallmark is accessibility and a common-touch, the inauguration lacked both elements.
[snip]
White said he wanted the inauguration to be celebratory, so he's saving the details of his next term for his State of the City speech later this month. Let's hope we get them and not another thematic preview of what's to come.
Well put.
PREVIOUSLY: Mayor closes Memorial to celebrate his inaugural.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/08/06 07:32 PM |
07 January 2006
HPD bans tattoos, goes after beards
In an effort to get Houston's crime problem under control, Chief Hurtt will leave no idea untried:
The Houston Police Department's new dress code is now in effect. It became department policy on January 1 and prohibits uncovered tattoos on officers.
[snip]
In his quest to make the streets of Houston safer, Police Chief Harold Hurtt has said all along that he wants his officer looking professional. But many in the rank and file believe his efforts to clamp down on their grooming habits are slightly misguided.
"I think we need to be concerned about the homicide rate. I think we need to be concerned about staffing issues we have, about being able to run calls for service in a timely fashion," said HPD Officer J.E. Tippy. "I think there's a lot of other bigger issues the citizens of Houston would be concerned about."
Maybe this is the kind of cutting-edge thinking that got Chief Hurtt noticed when he was in Phoenix:
“Chief Hurtt is a leader, someone who can instill confidence up and down the ranks. He can also communicate well with our diverse community,” said Mayor Bill White. “Many consider Chief Hurtt the most successful major-city chief in the country.”
BLOGVERSATION: Laurence Simon
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/07/06 12:45 PM |
06 January 2006
Union hardball at City Hall
SEIU, the union last seen successfully organizing Houston's janitors and electing Sue Lovell to city council, is claiming victory in the fight to represent Houston city workers:
The union, which recently won the right to represent Houston's janitors, said it has collected more than 5,000 signatures, amounting to a majority of workers who would like it to represent them at the bargaining table.
"It's time to move forward," said SEIU spokesman Chris Coil.
But its chief rival, AFSCME, says not so fast. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees said the city has 12,000 eligible employees, while the city says it has as many as 14,000.
Either way, 5,000 signatures wouldn't be a majority, said Greg Powell, administrator for AFSCME Local 1550 in Houston. Powell said his union has collected about 4,000 signatures in the petition drive.
Coil said the union believes the number of eligible workers is closer to 10,000 when department heads and other high ranking officials are excluded.
It's even more complicated than that, as L.M. Sixel reports.
What is clear is that SEIU is aggressively working to become a force in Houston.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/06/06 10:25 PM |
I used to like Alan Ashby...
Alan Ashby, who recently lost his job as radio analyst for Astros games, is a candidate to become the next head of the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority, the authority's chairman said Thursday.
Ashby, a popular former Astros catcher, has the kind of sports background that would be useful for the sports authority's next chief executive, said chairman Billy Burge.
"You need somebody from a sports culture who has worked sporting events around the country," Burge said. "I'm not saying (Ashby) is the person, but that's the kind of profile we are talking about."
Oliver Luck, a former Houston Oilers quarterback and former head of NFL Europe, resigned as the sports authority's chief executive at the end of December. He was hired as president of the Major League Soccer team relocating to Houston from San Jose.
The sports authority's board will form a search committee this month and likely make its choice sometime next month, Burge said. He expects three to five candidates to emerge.
That's a shame. There must be SOMETHING else he can do.
KEVIN WHITED ADDS: This part was the real stunner to me:
Ashby said he took classes at a community college, but does not have a college degree.
"He doesn't have a financial background. But (the sports authority) has a controller," Burge said.
The job would focus more on attracting sports events to Houston, not bond repayments, Burge said.
Unbelievable.
Ashby may be a nice guy, and his supporters may feel like he got a raw deal from Drayton McLane, but there is no way that Billy Burge ought to be able to bestow a $200,000-per-year position on an athlete with no college degree simply because Billy Burge thinks it's a great idea. It smacks of the sort of cronyism that Mayor White's press shop has long said won't be tolerated by this administration.
Incidentally, is Burge's boosting of Ashby's candidacy really "news" at this point? The story is set up so that Burge effectively is acting as Ashby's PR man, touting his candidacy, yet a formal search committee has not yet been formed. Does that mean the fix is in, already?
PREVIOUSLY: Billy Burge: THE best reason to shut down the Sports Authority!, Shut down the Sports Authority and save $40 million, County official recommends downsizing Sports Authority
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/06/06 08:18 AM |
03 January 2006
Mayor closes Memorial to celebrate his inaugural
KHOU-11's Jeremy Desel posted quite a whopper from Mayor Bill White before his inauguration today:
The new year is a time for new beginnings, for some, but not for Houston Mayor Bill White.
"We are not going to be one of these like, you know how politicians who've never managed a thing in their life and every new year there is a new spin or press conference? We are not going to run Houston that way. We are going to keep our focus," said Mayor White.
Oh please!
Communications is an important part of politics, and Mayor White has a very effective press shop, his "aw, shucks" act notwithstanding.
Indeed, the decision to shut down Memorial for the inaugural and inconvenience motorists almost certainly was the product of the Mayor's press operation. Sometimes the press of getting Houston moving trumps actually getting Houston moving.
INAUGURAL COVERAGE: AP, KPRC-2, KHOU-11, KUHF-88.7, and the Chronicle.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/03/06 10:07 PM |
01 January 2006
Next time, visit the archives and not the Mayor's spokesman
In this Matt Stiles and Kristen Mack story previewing Mayor White's next term, there is an odd paragraph toward the end:
This summer White, along with Houston Independent School District officials, went door to door asking ninth-graders to commit to stay in school and graduate.
What in the world are they talking about?
Okay, I will assume they mean HISD's Reach out to Dropouts Day effort, in which Mayor White participated, but it was geared toward kids who had already dropped out -- and not ninth-graders only. Also, it was not just Mayor White and some HISD officials -- it was HISD officials, 1,300 volunteers, and Mayor White.
While I am sure Dr. Saavedra appreciated Mayor White's taking the time to participate, the program was started by HISD two years ago and expanded this past year.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/01/06 06:04 PM |
31 December 2005
If Mayor White wanted to fight graffiti, he'd find the money
In this story on Houston's growing graffiti problem, KTRK-13's Deborah Wrigley says this:
Funding cleanups is another matter for a cash-strapped city budget.
Wouldn't it be interesting if local media actually checked that out? It's stated as a fact, but why? Did the mayor's office tell Wrigley that?
Tom Bazan checks out monthly sales tax revenues reports for the city of Houston, and almost every month he finds that the city is collecting more than in the previous year. Does the city publicize that? Do local media check out monthly sales tax reports?
How come our local media question whether or not CoH has the money to increase police manpower and fight graffiti, yet local media never question whether or not the city has the money to fund an African American museum, a grand new city park, Tasers (that may be problematic), and day labor (wink, wink) sites, among many other dubious expenditures?
Oh, let's just keep going: a $35,000 desk, $2 million for a new orchestra pit in the Wortham Center, $700,000 for shiny new police badges, $85,000 to teach city employees how to be nice, and at least $100,000 to fight the voter-approved Proposition 2.
The city has the money to fund graffiti abatement; the problem is Mayor White hasn't decided to make it a priority.
UPDATE: In the forum, Laurence Simon adds the mayor's (taxpayer-funded) inauguration announcements to the list. Mayor White has to thank his supporters, you know!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 12/31/05 09:17 AM |
29 December 2005
Tuesday is Inauguration Day
It's almost time for Mayor White to be sworn in for his second term:
Houston Mayor Bill White will be sworn into office for a second term on Tuesday, KPRC Local 2 reported.
The inauguration ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. at the Houston Police Department memorial, located on Memorial Drive at Sawyer, near downtown Houston.
The event will feature Grammy award winner Yolanda Adams, White's inaugural address, as well as other speakers.
The ceremony is open to the public.
Free shuttle service will be provided by Metro. All the city needs to add is refreshing beverages and crudite, and the ceremony would be world class!
RELATED: 2006 Inaugural Ceremony (CoH press release)
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 12/29/05 01:37 PM |
27 December 2005
Mayor White wants FEMA to help fund HPD
So...MayorWhiteChiefHurtt have come up with a plan to deal with HPD's manpower shortage:
They point out that the hurricane evacuees who came to Houston have increased the city's population making a bigger job for the city's police force.
And because the city's overall population has increased since hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the mayor is optimistic that FEMA will pick up the tab.
Except that Houston's police shortage and related crime problems did not begin when Hurricane Katrina evacuees began rolling into town:
HPD manpower issues begin to affect public parks (9/29/2004)
Hurtt on manpower issues: patrol city desks more vigorously! (10/25/2004)
Maybe White/Hurtt Could Put A Camera On Her house? (12/25/2004)
HPD wants to use unpaid, reserve officers to fill the gaps (3/21/2005)
Another manifestation of HPD's manpower shortage (4/12/2005)
Northside neighborhood losing touch with HPD (KHOU-11, 4/26/2005)
Neighborhood residents complain about MS-13, HPD reaction (4/29/2005)
HPD reallocates resources to deal with MS 13 (5/12/2005)
Tenants on alert after rash of aggravated robberies at complex (KHOU-11, 5/15/2005)
Police Shortage Affects HPD Response Times (KPRC-2, 5/20/2005)
Student asks city to fight murders, shootings, other crime (5/22/2005)
Multi-agency task force targets MS-13 (5/25/2005)
Armed robbers hit Galleria-area pharmacy (6/10/2005)
Up Close: Life is tough in the 'Gulfton Ghetto' (KHOU-11, 6/17/2005)
DeLay criticizes, White/Hurtt support, HPD sanctuary policy (8/07/2005)
HPD warns it may cut services to fund crime lab investigation (8/15/2005)
RELATED: Sanctuary policy could jeopardize federal funding (bH)
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 12/27/05 11:58 AM |
22 December 2005
That's some desk!
A blogHOUSTON reader with a keen eye spotted this in City Council's December 13th agenda:
10. Ordinance 2005-1357
ORDINANCE appropriating $36,893.27 out of General Improvement Consolidated Construction Fund for Construction of a Reception Desk at City Hall for Building Services Department,
CIP D-0113a. Motion 2005-1206
FOUR SEASONS DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, INC for Construction of a Reception Desk at City Hall for Building Services Department - $35,136.45 and contingencies for a total amount not to exceed $36,893.27
It's hard to top the eagle-eyed reader's comment: "I guess you need a world class desk in order to accept world class bribes."
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 12/22/05 08:32 AM |
21 December 2005
The stadium-financing fairy will pay for new MLS venue (updated)
John Lopez tries to reassure us that Houston's new soccer team won't be a burden to taxpayers:
And among the first promises [newly named club president Oliver] Luck announced was a most important one that every sports fan should note: A soccer-specific stadium here would not be financed like every other sports mansion on the local landscape.
Financing will not be another tax burden on citizens. Now you're talking our language, Oliver.
It should matter to you that Luck is in charge. Even if you couldn't care less about the beautiful game and all those men with funny hair and short shorts, if the No Names' stadium is put in the right place and run the right way, you benefit.
Luck's vast experience with projects bigger than the likely 25,000- to 30,000-seat soccer-specific stadium gives this organization a head start succeeding.
With associations with all the usual suspects when it comes to ownership — Chuck Watson, Jim McIngvale, Tilman Fertitta, etc. — Luck is ahead of the game. He also has been contacted by potential owners from Mexico.
And with his experience helping develop Toyota Center and Minute Maid Park, he certainly could hammer out a public-private partnership with, say, HISD.
Being eternally skeptical, I'll await the details our local media will surely dig up.
UPDATE: Do NOT miss Slampo:
In a textbook case of government “empire building,” Oliver Luck and the Sports Authority have been angling for several years to bring an MLS franchise to Houston---a job that by no stretch of the imagination was part of the authority’s initial charge. The Sports Authority should have been shuttered long ago and its bill-paying functions housed in a back office of some non-descript office building with a hand-lettered sign on the door. Didn’t County Judge Robert Eckels raise that possibility a while back? What happened with that?
Last year, in his role as the Sports Authority’s chief officer, Luck gave a speech in which he told an East End group that a revamped Robertson Stadium would be a suitable venue for an MLS franchise. There was no mention of a new stadium, according to the Chronicle story still posted on the authority’s Web site. Now that Luck has taken the revolving door to the former San Jose Earthquakes, Robertson Stadium apparently will be good only as temporary home for the MLS. A new stadium must be built. No doubt the owners of the Earthquakes figure Luck is the man to deliver one, and he's already shown them he knows how to handle the media (was he, by any chance, working out this financing plan of which Lopez writes while drawing some of his $200,00 annual paycheck from the Sports Authority?).
Our olfactories aren’t that sensitive anymore, but this has a very bad smell about it.*
Read it all.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 12/21/05 11:13 AM |
20 December 2005
Atlanta contractor charged with bribing Brown official
Today, the Chronicle's Dan Feldstein continues his reporting on corruption in the Lee Brown Administration with news that Atlanta contractor Floyd Gary Thacker has been charged with bribing Monique McGilbra, Houston's former building services director under former Mayor Brown:
The criminal information alleges that Thacker gave $50,000 to an Atlanta official with the understanding that a portion be passed to a second Atlanta official. Gallagher said he could not name the officials. Thacker attorney Justin Thornton of Washington, D.C., also declined comment.
In Houston, Thacker and McGilbra had a "personal relationship" in 2002, according to his charges and her plea agreement. He got a subcontract with Reliant Energy to improve the energy efficiency of Houston's traffic signals and expected a net profit of more than $250,000.
McGilbra got earrings, a $700 Luis Vuitton gift certificate, expenses for trips to Miami and New Orleans and about $6,000 cash, never disclosing her gifts to the city.
In a wiretapped phone call, Gray and a Honeywell official panicked because of a tip that Reliant might give Thacker some of the business that Honeywell hoped to receive. The tip was provided to them by Mayor Brown's brother, Earl, who was on Gray's payroll.
McGilbra assured Gray it was only because Reliant needed a minority partner. But in fact, she testified at Gray's trial, it was also because she received gifts from Thacker.
The city let Thacker design the energy saving system, but canceled his contract in 2004 before the construction stage and paid him $202,000. New building services director Issa Dadoush said Monday that he had been uncomfortable with how Thacker got the contract.
By 2004, of course, Bill White had taken over as mayor.
No doubt he continues to spend an inordinate amount of time cleaning up other messes left to him by his predecessor, whose legacy continues to grow.
ARCHIVES: Monique McGilbra.
BLOGVERSATION: Houston's Clear Thinkers.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/20/05 09:09 PM |
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