05 October 2011
Mayor kicks off disability awareness month, days after disabled parking crackdown
Houston, TX-- In an effort to raise awareness about disability issues and promote positive perceptions about the diverse contributions and abilities of America's workers with disabilities, the City of Houston Department of Neighborhoods/Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities and community partners will host the 3rd Annual Disability Awareness Month Celebration on Friday, October 7, 2011, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. It will be held at the Metropolitan Multi-Service Center Auditorium, 1475 W. Gray, Houston, Texas 77019.
This year's (2011) campaign theme is, "Synergy for Inclusion." In addition to honoring outstanding individuals with disabilities, this event will acknowledge persons and agencies/organizations that have stepped up to the plate to level the playing field for disabled citizens by addressing and removing barriers; providing programs/services and offering employment opportunities.
“We believe everyone should be given the opportunity to participate fully in our economy," said Catherine Flowers, Director, City of Houston Department of Neighborhoods. "That is why we work to remove physical and attitudinal barriers for Houston’s residents."
Right! Well, except for the Parker Administration treating fraudulent and legitimate handicapped motorists parking downtown all the same, and restricting parking privileges previously enjoyed by the disabled (just a few days ago). There's that.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/05/11 10:12 PM |
04 October 2011
Truck driver working on METROrail expansion takes out Danger Train; 15 injured (UPDATED)
Police said a dump truck driver disappeared after colliding with a METRO light rail car Tuesday, knocking it off the tracks in downtown Houston, Local 2 Investigates reported.
The driver was working as a subcontractor to build METRO's newest light rail lines a few blocks away when, police said, he ran a red light and was broadsided by the rail car at Main and Capitol around 9 a.m.
This idea of running light-rail trams down busy streets at grade is SO (third) world class. We should build more! (Oh wait, the driver who disappeared was doing just that).
Fifteen people were taken to the hospital, including the rail operator and the dump truck driver.
We wish everyone injured in this latest fiasco a speedy recovery. It's not their fault our transit organization thinks light-rail trams are a good mix on busy streets with Houston's horrible drivers.
METRO officials said the dump truck driver, Paniagua Prisciliano Espino of Espino Trucking in Fresno was taken to the hospital, but he took off before police could arrive to ask questions.
METRO said he left the hospital before he could be treated, and he wasn't seen again.
Hmm, now why do you suppose he would do that? Probably just confused (perhaps suffering from a concussion), right?
(10/05/2011 UPDATE) KPRC-2 now reports that the driver was NOT missing:
On Tuesday, police said that Espino had disappeared from the hospital because he was not there when they went to question him. On Wednesday, investigators said Espino was taken to different hospital than what they were told.
Espino left the hospital and went home after officers did not show up.
METRO police said Espino never tried to run or hide from them. There was simply a communication error.
Well, you'd think METRO's expensive communications operation might have gotten that important detail, but that shop seems to work about as well as the rest of the organization.
It's good that METRO has some lowly buses they can press into service when incidents like this shut down their prized light-rail-tram transit backbone (or rain does, or an electric short does, or smoke in a car does, or a pedestrian does, or... well, you all know the story by now).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/04/11 10:09 PM |
Ed Hubbard reaches out to State Senator Dan Patrick
A Personal Note to Senator Fosdick - Ed Hubbard, Big Jolly Politics
Better click over and read the whole thing. It may require more popcorn!I guess the clear message we were to take from this lecture was that Judge Emmett and his supporters are hidden moderates in the shadows of our party, who are waiting for just the right moment to infect us all with their moderation. In the meantime, our Fearless Fosdick of a State Senator made it clear that he is here to protect us from the spread of this deadly virus.
Is there anyone out there who is as tired as I am of this bull—especially flowing from a State Senator with a radio license? I, for one, have had enough! So, Senator Fosdick, if it is a constant internal fight you want within the GOP to boost your radio ratings, let me lay a few markers down for you now:...
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/04/11 09:56 PM |
03 October 2011
Emmett cites "mature judgment" (not cool nickname) of commissioner pick
After a couple of weeks’ deliberation, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett on Monday named civil court Judge R. Jack Cagle as the new Precinct 4 commissioner.
[snip]
Cagle, 50, will be sworn in at the Tuesday meeting of Commissioners Court.
Known as “Cactus Jack,” Cagle has served on the bench of Harris County Court-at-Law No. 1 since being elected in a special election in 2000. He was elected to full terms in 2002 and 2006.
At a press conference at the Harris County Administration Building, Emmett, said that he was looking for a candidate with “mature judgment” who put policy matters over political the “chit-chat” that he said “drives me crazy.”
We mainly wanted to blog this because we just don't get the opportunity to post many Cactus Jack references!
But here's a question for readers (especially our more active Republican types): What do you think about this appointment?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/03/11 09:37 PM |
Texas Watchdog: HISD's communications shop under scrutiny
Be sure to read the entire Watchdog story.Just two of Houston’s nine school board members have their own shows on the district’s television channel -- and both are trustees who have challengers at the polls this November.
Board President Paula Harris and Trustee Manuel Rodriguez, the board’s second-ranking officer, have shows airing on HISD TV, the Houston Independent School District’s channel, whose programs air via the Internet and public-access cable.
Meanwhile, three other Houston school board members said HISD staff members have ignored requests for their own shows. A fourth says he spoke with an HISD media department employee about creating programming at some schools, but the conversation went no further.
HISD's communications shop under Terry Grier sure does seem to wind up in the news a lot.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/03/11 09:24 PM |
02 October 2011
News and views roundup (2 October 2011 edition)
I'm still playing catchup at work and elsewhere after being away two weeks, so regular blogging has suffered a bit. Hopefully we'll crank back up shortly with more frequent updates, but here's another linkpost of notable local news.
- Jerry Eversole, developer Mike Surface enter guilty pleas - KTRK-13 News
This saga began with aggressive watchdog reporting from Wayne Dolcefino and KTRK, although most local media will refrain from proper credit. County Judge Ed Emmett names the replacement on Monday. - Developers revive Ashby high-rise - Nancy Sarnoff and Louis Casiano, Houston Chronicle
Excellent! Pass the popcorn. - Harris County disputes city bill for park drainage - Mike Morris, Houston Chronicle
Ongoing cluster.[Harris County Commissioner Steve] Radack called the offices of City Council members Stephen Costello, who led the campaign for the drainage fee, and Brenda Stardig, whose district includes the park, to express his displeasure.
In return, he got a letter saying the city was "reviewing" the bill and adding "no payment is due at this time." Public Works and Engineering Department spokesman Alvin Wright said that letter simply should have said the bill had been sent in error and that no money was due.
- Rivard ends 14-year run as E-N editor; Kyrie "MeMo" O'Connor is new interim editor - Jennifer Hiller, San Antonio Express-News
This promotion of sorts for the Chronicle's highly erratic features editor was shocking at first, since it was hard to imagine there wasn't a more capable internal candidate to take over on an interim basis. But it appears Hearst also eased out the #2 person on the news side. Given the extent to which the two Hearst newspapers have shared more and more features content in recent years, and ongoing rumors that another round of layoffs is on the way, this corporate decision isn't entirely shocking (if there are any staffers currently on maternity leave in San Antonio, it might be a good idea to update your resume now that Ms. O'Connor is in charge).Kyrie O'Connor, senior editor of the Houston Chronicle, a sister paper of the Hearst-owned Express-News, will join the Express-News today as interim editor.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/02/11 06:15 PM |
27 September 2011
Disgraced METRO CEO Greanias's porn hobby costs taxpayers $14k+ (so far)
The minute METRO's officials (quite likely in consultation with Mayor Annise Parker) decided not to refer disgraced CEO George Greanias's apparent gay-child-porn viewing activities to proper legal authorities for investigation, it was clear that the fix was in. But it was nice of them to throw some "business" Gene Locke's way in the name of "due diligence."Outside legal bills resulting from researching possible disciplinary actions against [METRO CEO] Greanias, along with related matters such as studying case law concerning the Open Records requests that would likely follow, cost $14,560, according to Metro.
Documentation for legal work, done between July 17 and July 31 by the firm of Andrews Kurth LLP, listed a total of 20 items – 17 of which were related, at least in part, to the fallout from the pornography-viewing incidents.Greanias was suspended July 28, which means all but three of the legal tabs took place prior to the board’s decision to suspend him. The last three pertinent entries are for preparation for the July 28 board meeting and “review of potential statutory consideration (civil and criminal) as requested.”
[snip]
The pornography suspension-related tabs cost taxpayers between $595 an hour and $170 an hour. The bulk of the total went to Andrews Kurth partner Gene Locke, who is also Metro’s special counsel.
A more just outcome would have involved calling in proper legal authorities to investigate Greanias's apparent affinity for gay-child-porn sites, instructing Mr. Locke to draw up termination papers (for less than $14,000!), and telling the disgraced METRO CEO to take a hike.
Photo of George Greanias via METRO website.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/27/11 10:29 PM |
25 September 2011
News and views roundup (25 September 2011 edition)
Here are a few stories that caught my eye upon returning from vacation, in addition to the ones Anne Linehan blogged about in my absence:
- VA agrees not to censor prayer at Houston cemetery - Lindsay Wise, Houston Chronicle
The documents state that VA will pay attorneys fees and expenses of $215,000, but the government admits no liability or fault, and stresses that some provisions of the agreement already were policy or practice at the department.
Under the settlement, VA would agree "not to ban, regulate or otherwise interfere with prayers, recitations, or words of religious expression absent family objection" and to allow veterans' families to hold services with any religious or secular content they desire.
So, one asinine bureaucrat -- who apparently still, inexplicably, has her job -- cost taxpayers a cool $215K. Nicely done.
- FBI investigates possible corruption at HCC - Ericka Mellon, Houston Chronicle
Another Houston-area quasi-governmental agency, another scandal. That's the Houston Way - County attorney blasts the way Port does business - Mike Morris, Houston Chronicle
See above. - Harris County releases Port of Houston report - Wayne Dolcefino, KTRK-13 News
See above. - Houston ISD postpones strengthening ethics policies - Jennifer Peebles, Texas Watchdog
Who's surprised? - Port Authority shake-up doesn't appear forthcoming - Chris Moran and Mike Morris, Houston Chronicle
See above. - Houston housing model attracting worldwide attention - Houston Strategies
Wait, Houston has done something right historically? One would hardly know from the writings of the "smart" crowd in town (Chron columnists, Houston Tomorrow and other Houtopians). - Houston, We Have a Solution - Mario Loyola, NRO
- Metro clears federal hurdle for $900M in rail grants - Carol Christian, Houston Chronicle
"A year after blocking $900 million in Metro light-rail grants over a botched rail-car procurement, the Federal Transit Administration has told Congress it intends to approve the grant agreements.
Most of the money is still subject to annual congressional appropriations....
That last is the kicker, really. In case some of the light-rail utopians haven't noticed, the federal government is broke. - President touts Houston transit in jobs speech - David Crossley, Houston Tomorrow
A failing president touting a failing transit organization (with its disgraced, child-porn-viewing CEO). How fitting!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/25/11 04:56 PM |
20 September 2011
Commissioner Eversole resigns
Jerry Eversole, the long-time Precinct 4 commissioner, tendered his resignation yesterday afternoon:
Eversole submitted a resignation letter to County Judge Ed Emmett's office at 2 p.m. About 4 p.m., the U.S. Attorney's Office filed court documents that suggest Eversole's resignation was part of negotiations with prosecutors that could see him and his co-defendant plead guilty to lesser charges, legal experts said.
"I ran for this job to try to solve problems, and then I looked in the mirror one day and I was the problem," Eversole said. "I wanted to allow Harris County government to get me out of their system and get a person in there to start running Precinct 4 in their way."
Judge Emmett will appoint a successor by October 1st.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/20/11 07:02 PM |
The "genius" of paying kids to do well in school
It boggles the mind that the public education industry has come to this -- and, warning! you might need a flowchart to keep up with this seven paragraph blog post at Chron.com's School Zone:
Roland Fryer, the Harvard University economics professor who is consulting with the Houston Independent School District on the Apollo school reform program, won a coveted $500,000 “genius grant,” according to an announcement today.
The no-strings-attached grant, awarded to 22 recipients in all this year, comes from the Chicago-based John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The award is based on Fryer’s body of work and is not tied to the 34-year-old’s consulting and research gig with HISD, which started last school year. But the foundation noted Fryer’s other research into public education, including the impact of paying students to improve performance.
Whew! That's pure genius -- paying kids to do well in school. Don't miss the rest of the blog post and the comments.
I don't know what the answer is for HISD, but sure hope Fryer can come through with whatever he sold Superintendent Grier, because if he doesn't, it's the kids who lose. The experts and the well-placed bureaucrats always do very well for themselves. That's how these things work. And doesn't it seem as though every time we turn around, there's a NEW educational expert with some NEW idea about how to elevate student performance? Bribery doesn't seem like a long-term, winning strategy.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/20/11 06:50 PM |
18 September 2011
Houston Press: The Red Light Camera Circus
The Houston Press has one of its in-depth articles on the Red Light Camera Circus. The entire article is well worth reading, but here's a tasty snippet:
Finally, on August 24, the issue reached a breaking point. Rumors of abysmal mayoral polls floated from politico to politico; some claimed they heard Parker's support was in the 20 percents. It was no longer about safety or even revenue. Rather, it became political. Nearly all city council members sprinted over to the side long held by council woman Jones: The cameras had to go. Finally, Parker brought to the council a vote to repeal the ordinance allowing red-light cameras — a vote that would mean the end of red-light cameras in Houston forever. All but council woman Sue Lovell voted to bring them down. Parker, with a little help from her friends on city council, changed sides for the last time. She ordered the cameras off, three months before Election Day.
Like any good pol, Mayor Parker isn't immune to the will of the voters:
Kubosh and his brother, Randy Kubosh, asked to hear where each council member stood on the issue. "If the council members are silent and won't say whether they're for or against, I recommend we vote against every elected official who's running next November," said Randy Kubosh, to a loud standing ovation quickly silenced by the mayor.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/18/11 05:31 PM |
All in The Family (Gayle Fallon-style)
Four years ago, the Chron noted that Houston Federation of Teachers was keeping it all in the family by paying Gayle Fallon's son a $4,000 per month retainer to handle legal representation of teachers.
Last week, Texas Watchdog's Mike Cronin and Jennifer Peebles explored the topic and discovered that during a four year span, James Fallon was paid nearly half a million dollars for his legal expertise:
The Houston Federation of Teachers paid James Fallon III , the son of federation president Gayle Fallon, $477,687 between 2006-10 for “legal counsel to members,” according to disclosures the local union filed with the U.S. Department of Labor.
That is almost as much as the $521,755 paid to the other five law firms hired by the 7,000-member local union during that same time period, the disclosures show.
It also means the union paid Fallon more in legal fees than it paid its own general counsel, whose firm was paid just $232,000 in the same time frame, the records say.
Gayle Fallon and her son, James, both told Texas Watchdog that nepotism is not prohibited by the union.
“It's not a conflict with us,” Gayle Fallon said in a telephone interview.
Thus sayeth the arbiter of "shining star" management.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/18/11 11:40 AM |
16 September 2011
METRO wants to add "civilian fare inspectors" to its payroll
Over at METRO's blog, Mary Sit addresses the issue of those who ride the Danger Train without paying. She said according to state code, only police officers can issue citations for not paying the fare. But METRO has an idea:
we are exploring the possibility of modifying the Texas Transportation Code to allow us to hire civilian fare inspectors. The earliest this could happen would be the 2013 Legislative session.
"Adding civilian fare inspectors could not only increase fare inspections but also permit better utilization of law enforcement resources with additional safety and security personnel," said Rodriguez. "As the METRO rail lines expand in the coming years, we will certainly explore all avenues to effectively and efficiently provide for the safety and security of those lines. A hybrid approach using both police officers and private security is worth a look."
What could possibly go wrong? With METRO, everything! But first, this is going to require a great acronym. Or scratch off cards. Maybe even a wrapped train.
Let's just imagine this scenario actually comes to pass...does this mean METRO PD would finally be freed up to police bus stops and Park and Pillages. Will METRO look to Houston and its success with the Mobility Response Scooter Corps?
So many questions...
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/16/11 04:20 PM |
Temporary smoking ban in parks due to drought
Mayor Parker signed an executive order banning smoking in city parks (KPRC-2):
The smoking ban applies to lighted cigars, cigarettes, pipes or any other device used for the burning of tobacco or other plant material.
Last week, the use of barbecue grills and other outdoor burning was banned in city parks because of the exceptional drought conditions.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/16/11 03:37 PM |
12 September 2011
Candlelight vigil
There will be a candlelight vigil Tuesday night for the two precious children who were killed yesterday evening in Spring. The vigil will begin at 8:30 at the Church at Creek's End, 20010 Kuykendahl, south of FM 2920.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/12/11 03:36 PM |
06 September 2011
Blog vacation
We're putting the little blog (and ourselves) on vacation for a couple of weeks.
Here's hoping the cooler weather continues, with rain added to the mix...
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/06/11 07:22 AM |
04 September 2011
An unsurprising Chron/METRO omission...
Metro board hears little negative comment on Greanias - Carol Christian, Houston Chronicle
One of the top?The Rev. Dave Welch, executive director of Houston Area Pastor Council, read a letter to board chairman Gilbert Garcia from the council and Houston Ministers Against Crime.
The letter asked for a law enforcement investigation into whether Greanias' web surfing broke the law. Pending such an investigation, the group is calling for Greanias' suspension.
[snip]
The Rev. William Lawson, Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church's retired pastor, called Greanias "a man of competency," while Minister Robert Muhammad of Mosque No. 45 said Metro's CEO is "one of the top."
Apparently, neither the Chronicle reporter nor her editors saw any need to note that "supporter" Robert Muhammad also is a contractor for METRO.
There was not much reason for anyone to go down and voice displeasure with the METRO Board's tacit approval of their disgraced CEO's apparent adolescent gay-porn surfing habits, since it was clear when the METRO board circumvented any law-enforcement investigation into Greanias' activities that the fix was in.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/04/11 09:36 PM |
02 September 2011
Rick Casey retiring from Chronicle, to be replaced by Patricia Kilday Hart
Yesterday, Harvey Kronberg noted that Chronicle metro/state columnist Rick Casey will be retiring, to be replaced by Patricia Kilday Hart.
There won't be much change in ideology, as both are reliably left of center, nor is the Houston focus likely to improve (Casey always came across as the San Antonio careerist he was when Jeff Cohen brought him over, and Hart has long covered the Austin/statehouse political scene). However, Hart probably will bring a little more energy to the column, and she doesn't appear to be a demonstrated plagiarist like Casey, so that represents an upgrade for the Chronicle.
Chronicle editor Jeff Cohen sent out a memo to staff about his favorite columnist's retirement. Parts of it are so over the top that we've reproduced the whole thing after the jump. Enjoy!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/02/11 06:32 AM |
30 August 2011
Bill King and GHP start campaign to reform state public pensions
- Battle brewing over Texas public pensions - Kate Alexander, Austin American-Statesman
A group of high-powered Houston business leaders is starting a statewide campaign to overhaul retirement for future teachers, firefighters, police officers, judges and other state and local government workers.
"I think the state needs to get the hell out of this (pension) business completely," said lawyer Bill King , who is forming Texans for Public Pension Reform with others from the Greater Houston Partnership, an über-chamber of commerce with business members representing $1.5 trillion in assets.
Taxpayers bear too much risk on behalf of public employees by providing them a guaranteed retirement that most private sector workers don't get, King said.
In a previous thread, I discussed the incentives for municipalities to make pension promises that will be very difficult to keep and then simply kick the can down the road, exacerbating the problem (a pattern we have seen now with the last three mayors in Houston). My prediction was that the state would have to visit this issue (via legislative action or perhaps a state question) in a few years, as the problems became more apparent. It looks as if Bill King and crew are ready to jump start that conversation.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/30/11 10:15 PM |
28 August 2011
Texas Watchdog: Interwoven ethics problems at Houston ISD, Houston Community College, port authority, Harris County — all one big ball of string
Note: The following report is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License. Click here to view the story on the Texas Watchdog website.
BY MIKE CRONIN AND JENNIFER PEEBLES
There’s trouble at the Houston school district. There’s trouble at the port authority. There’s trouble at Houston Community College. There’s trouble at the Harris County government.
A casual reader of Houston news might think it’s a coincidence that there’s so much controversy in four of Houston’s largest government agencies.
But the ongoing ethics concerns at those four agencies include overlapping casts of characters. And officials’ relationships with contractors and vendors are a common theme in all four – in some cases, they’re the same contractors.
For instance:
- Some of the officials involved in the scandals brewing in Harris County and at the Port of Houston Authority are friends and campaign supporters of Houston Independent School District trustees President Paula Harris.
- One of the central figures named in an internal investigation into questionable contracting at Houston Community College, former college trustee Abel Dávila, has close ties to HISD.
- And a major contractor for both HISD and HCC has been accused in court records of giving kickbacks to an HISD trustee, while another major contractor for both entities hired three firms with ties to HCC trustees as subcontractors.
In other words, it’s all one big ball of string, with loose ends going in four directions.
HCC and HISD
Similarities abound between Houston ISD and Houston Community College.
They’re both public entities that levy property taxes. They’re both huge operations – HISD with an annual budget of $1.6 billion, and HCC with annual operating expenses of more than $300 million. And, obviously, they’re both in the education business.
But there’s also a lot of cross-pollination between the two entities: The same people with connections in high places, the same contractors getting work – and the same controversies lately over jobs going to connected contractors.
Within the past couple of years, HISD and HCC have had two sets of married trustees: HISD’s Greg Meyers was married to HCC trustee Sandie Mullins, and then-HISD trustee Diana Dávila was (and still is) married to former HCC trustee Abel Dávila.
While Meyers has been the subject of some controversy – his marriage to Mullins ended in divorce amid allegations by her that he was “spending time,” as the Houston Press put it, with an HISD employee – HCC’s Abel Dávila has been one of the key figures in an outright scandal at the college, records show.
An investigation done for the college by an outside law firm questioned, among other things, a $1.5 million painting contract given to a firm headed by a pharmacy tech in her early 20s who is a family friend and former student of Abel Dávila’s.
Diana Dávila resigned from the HISD school board last year soon after the Houston Chronicle revealed that she had tried to get her husband appointed to the school system’s bond oversight committee, which oversees hundreds of millions of dollars in school construction.
Story continues below Flash graphic — click here to jump down automatically.
Before she left the school board, HISD’s then-head of procurement e-mailed to Diana Dávila each week the district’s list of newly issued “requests for proposals,” records made public by the district show. The records show the weekly lists of new RFPs — for everything from safety shoes to remodelling of an entire middle school — went only to Diana Dávila, and not to the other school board members.
Since her resignation from the HISD school board, Diana Dávila and two current HISD trustees, Larry Marshall and Manuel Rodriguez, have been accused in civil court filings of having “significant funds” spent to entertain them by tech vendors seeking business with the school system under the federal E-Rate computers-in-schools program.
Neither Abel nor Diana Dávila could be reached for comment for this story. A message left at a local eatery owned by Abel Dávila yesterday afternoon was not returned by press time, and multiple other Houston phone listings for that name did not yield a return call.
The HCC investigation, done by outside law firm Smyser Kaplan & Veselka, identified the pharmacy tech linked to the Dávilas as a Jocelyne Ramirez.
A person by that name gave $500 to HISD’s Marshall as a campaign contribution in June 2009, campaign financial disclosures show, but it was unclear from records available online this week whether Marshall’s donor was the same person as the pharmacy tech.
Also at issue in the HCC investigation was Abel Dávila’s involvement in HCC’s 2009 decision to hire Chevron to help the college save on energy costs. The investigative report accused him of trying to use his influence as a trustee to get Chevron to hire Ramirez’s company as a subcontractor, including that Dávila “pushed to get (Ramirez’s company) paid $500,000 … for being ‘mentored’ by Chevron on how to perform ‘program management’ services,” and later wanted the firm to be hired by Chevron as a subcontractor for electrical and general construction work “in the range of $1.25-$1.5 million.”
HISD is also working with Chevron and another firm, Schneider Electric, on an energy-savings arrangement. The school board voted in June to have the firms perform initial energy audits.
INFLUENTIAL MEDFORDS
Meanwhile, the internal investigation at HCC also found that a major contractor for the college, Fort Bend Mechanical, had hired as subcontractors three firms tied to three college trustees: the pharmacy tech’s firm tied to Abel Dávila, the son of Trustee Yolanda Navarro Flores, and a property management company run by Trustee Chris Oliver.
Fort Bend owner Pete Medford told the Houston Chronicle last year that Abel Dávila had introduced him to the pharmacy tech. Medford did not return a call for comment for this story.
Fort Bend Mechanical is also a major construction and maintenance contractor for HISD. The school system has paid the Stafford-based firm more than $9 million in the past two years, according to the district’s check register.
School district records show Westco Ventures, a firm owned and run by one of Harris’ closest friends, Nicole West, has subcontracted for Fort Bend Mechanical on HISD work. It was not clear at press time what job or jobs for which Westco “subbed” for Fort Bend, or how much Westco was paid.
“We don’t really know whether a lot of these stories are true,” HISD Superintendent Terry Grier told the Houston Chronicle’s Ericka Mellon last year, “but we’ve had people complain that subcontractors have come to vendors and said, ‘If you don’t name me as a sub, you’re going to be in trouble because of my association with this person or that person.’ We don’t know if that’s true or not.” Grier declined to be more specific or name names.
Also last year, Grier spoke indirectly about his concerns about how the district chose its contractors.
"I have seen a procurement department made up of independent folks rate bids from a variety of different companies across the district to do a lot of different work," Grier said last week. "And then I've seen staff — just for whatever reason — pull names off of a list and put other names back on a list, (with) no rhyme or reason except, quite frankly, influence where influence has no business coming from."
Though he didn’t name any names then, either, Grier’s comments came after the school board voted to begin negotiations with Fort Bend Mechanical, RHJ and two other firms, KBR and Jamail & Smith — for repairs and small construction jobs at various Houston ISD facilities.
The Medford family are also among Marshall’s major campaign donors. Five Medfords have given Marshall a total of $18,000 in campaign cash in the past three years, records show. (The Medfords have given to other HISD trustees as well, but to a lesser extent. Records show donations of $5,000 to Greg Meyers, $2,500 each to Harris and Harvin Moore, and $1,500 to Juliet Stipeche.)
Marshall also disclosed on his January 2009 HISD ethics disclosure form that Fort Bend Mechanical officials gave him tickets to football games between the Houston Texans and the Tennessee Titans and against the Chicago Bears.
COMMON CONNECTION IN RHJ
Another major contractor for both Houston Community College and HISD is RHJ-JOC – the firm that has been accused in court documents of giving kickbacks to HISD trustee Larry Marshall.
The company, led by Houston businesswoman Eva Jackson and her husband, Richard, touts its relationship with HCC on its website:
RHJ-JOC has completed a number of projects for the Houston Community College (HCC) throughout the system since 2003. This includes projects at the Administration Building, The Fine Arts Building, Heinen Theater and the JB Whitely Building at the Central Campus. As part of their dedication to the community and commitment to mentor minority and small business enterprises, RHJ-JOC contracts with several subcontractors for their work at the HCC.
Meanwhile, HISD has paid RHJ more than $3.2 million over the past two years, according to the district’s online check register.
In a civil lawsuit, Houston businessman Gil Ramirez Jr., head of RHJ rival Ramirez Group, alleges that RHJ paid kickbacks to Marshall in return for RHJ winning a big school district contract over the Ramirez Group. The suit claims the kickback payments were routed through Marshall’s campaign treasurer, who was paid $185,000 by RHJ as a consultant.
Marshall has denied any wrongdoing. Neither Ramirez nor his attorney returned calls for comment in recent days.
Marshall is a board member of a Houston-based nonprofit that Eva Jackson heads, theInternational Faithbased Foundation Inc., which seeks to endow “global humanitarian development and disaster relief projects,” according to its website. Also on the foundation board is HCC trustee Bruce Austin, records show.
In the past three years, RHJ and the Jacksons have made campaign donations to HISD trustees, including $5,300 to Harris, $3,500 to Marshall and $250 to Moore, disclosure forms say.
Meanwhile, a Gil Ramirez Sr. gave $1,000 to Rodriguez in 2009, and a Gil Ramirez, with no suffix listed, gave Marshall $1,000 the previous year. A “Gill Ramirez Sr.” was also listed among the campaign supporters for HISD trustee Manuel Rodriguez on an invitation to a July fundraiser.
LINKS TO HARRIS COUNTY, PORT AUTHORITY
There are also links between some of the folks involved in recent controversies in HISD, Harris County and the Port of Houston Authority.
Revelations of wining and dining at taxpayers’ expense preceded Edwin Harrison’s retirement this summer as Harris County’s longtime financial services director.
But Harrison wasn’t the only one jetting off to New York – and sometimes even to Costa Rica — to live large, including taking in an NFL game in New York City in a luxury suite paid for by Goldman Sachs. With him on some of those trips were lawyers on Harris County bond deals, and one of those lawyers was Frank Jones.
Jones is also campaign treasurer for Harris, who is up for re-election this year in HISD’s District IV. His law firm, Greenberg Traurig, is one of a handful of law firms that have paid back Harris County a total of $300,000 for travel and entertainment expenses.
Meanwhile, records show that firms run by Frank Jones’ wife, Demetra C. Jones, have done more than $75,000 in no-bid consulting work for HISD, putting on after-school and continuing education classes.
Demetra Jones used to work Harris County Precinct One Commissioner El Franco Lee, serving as Lee’s head of human resources and risk management for nearly 20 years. She did not return a call for comment for this story.
Lee also had testy exchanges with Harrison and Frank Jones’ most vocal critic, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett, when the subject of Harrison’s trips came up at recent county Commissioners Court meetings. Neither Lee nor Harrison returned calls for comment for this story.
Harris’ campaign also paid one of Demetra Jones’ firms, TLConsulting, for fundraising work in the most recent fundraising period, according to campaign financial disclosure forms and Harris’ own HISD ethics form, submitted in July.
Records also show that Westco Ventures, another firm connected to a Harris friend, has done more than $300,000 in work for Harris County in the past three years, including $182,000 in post-Hurricane Ike cleanup work at the flooded-out Evelyn Meador library branch in Seabrook and $59,000 to overhaul the county-owned cafeterias at the County Administration Building, Criminal Justice Center and civil courthouse after the existing contractor walked off the job in 2009.
Harris is the godmother to the children of Westco owner Nicole West.
Another of Harris’ campaign supporters is the former Port of Houston Authority communications chief who left with a $380,000 settlement package last year, Argentina James.
That golden parachute was one of the installments in the recent investigation of the port authority by KTRK-TV’s Wayne Dolcefino. Titled “Port of Plenty,” the series outlined questionable spending by port officials, including a port-funded trip on the port authority’s tour boat, the M/V Sam Houston, for James’ children’s basketball team. The trip included a $1,280 catering bill.
James has given Harris’ campaign $500 in the past two years, financial disclosures show. Harrison, the former county official, also gave $200.
James, who has launched her own public relations firm, HillDay, since leaving the port authority last year, told Texas Watchdog she knew both Harris and Demetra Jones but only in a professional capacity.
The port authority is a public entity, with board members appointed by the Harris County Commissioners Court, the Houston City Council, and other local governments. Part of its revenues come from property taxes. Some of Dolcefino’s findings are being probed by the Harris County attorney.
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Contact Mike Cronin at [email protected] or 281-417-8849. Follow him on Twitter at @michaelccronin. Contact Jennifer Peebles at [email protected] or 281-656-1681. Follow her on Twitter at @jpeebles or @texaswatchdog.
Photo of 'Confettit in a ball' by flickr user ingermaaike2, used via a Creative Commons license. Interactive graphic: Jennifer Peebles, Texas Watchdog.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/28/11 10:01 PM |
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