A dispute between two of Houston’s top elected officials is intensifying.
Last week, Mayor John Whitmire called for a city ethics investigation into a conference organized by City Controller Chris Hollins.
In response, Hollins is pushing back, requesting that if his event is being investigated, the mayor’s well-known State of the City event should also face scrutiny.
The Houston Investor Conference isn’t typically seen as one of the city’s more exciting events. It’s designed for representatives from major companies to learn about investment opportunities in Houston.
However, Whitmire had sharp words about this year’s conference, stating, “It’s wrong. It violates everything I stood for when I was sworn in, transparency. I won’t be there, and city employees shouldn’t be there.”
Whitmire accused the controller of creating an appearance of a “pay-for-play” system.
Hollins, meanwhile, defended the event and committed to continuing with the conference, rejecting the mayor’s claims.
On Tuesday, Hollins said the conference was a success, despite having to cancel one panel because city employees did not attend.
“The mayor’s lack of support didn’t impact us as much as expected. Today went great; all sponsors remained involved, and five of our six panels proceeded,” Hollins said at a press conference. “We’ve also heard that some attendees left for lunch to meet with the very people who should’ve been here. It’s all a bit ridiculous that they’re not participating.”
This year’s conference offers perks for companies donating between $10,000 and $100,000, such as private dinners with the controller.
Hollins stated the funds raised would support the Bank On Houston program, which aims to increase financial literacy for low-income Houstonians. Although his office collaborates with the program, Hollins emphasized he has no control over how the funds are spent.
He also mentioned that previous controller’s conferences had sponsorships but provided limited details, saying, “It was mostly phone calls and outreach, asking for support. There’s not a lot of documentation from 12 years ago.”
Now, Whitmire is pushing for an ethics investigation into Hollins, while Hollins demands that Whitmire’s State of the City event, which also receives sponsorships, be investigated as well.
The mayor’s office responded by stating Whitmire did his job by bringing the issue to light and declined to comment on ongoing investigations.
Bob Stein, a political science professor at Rice University, commented that the conflict raises questions about both Hollins and Whitmire.
“I think the issue here is optics. How does it look? To the average citizen, it probably doesn’t look good, especially with the mayor drawing attention to it. But Mayor Whitmire should be cautious about what he’s asking for,” Stein said.
