City Controller Chris Hollins wants any investigation into his office’s fundraising practices to extend to the Mayor’s State of the City event, he said in a letter to the Office of Inspector General and City Council Ethics Committee.
Following Mayor John Whitmire’s public call last week for city employees not to attend the controller’s annual Investor’s Conference and for an Office of Inspector General investigation into the event’s sponsorship offers, Hollins requested any OIG inquiries extend to the mayor’s events, which he said use similar sponsorship methods to raise money.
“Bias has no place in public service,” Hollins said in a news release Tuesday. “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Let me be clear: I do not consider the marketing practices of either event to be unlawful. But I do believe the same set of rules should apply equally to both the Mayor’s and Controller’s fundraising activities.”
Whitmire held a news conference last week to criticize Hollins’ changes to the investor conference’s fundraising practices, which included tiered sponsorships ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 with benefits, such as a private dinner with Hollins and prime advertising.
Hollins said the funds would support the nonprofit Houston Forward, which supports a banking equity initiative Bank on Houston that originally was housed in the controller’s office.
Whitmire said it gave the appearance of a pay-to-play system and would negatively impact the city’s credit rating. Whitmire had known about the sponsorships for two weeks without questioning Hollins’ office and said he instead wanted to be transparent with the public about the issue.
In a statement issued in response to Hollins’ call to expand any investigation, Whitmire said, “It is the practice of the mayor’s office not to comment on active investigations. I did my job by bringing this to light.”
City employees scheduled to speak at the conference did not participate, according to the Houston Chronicle.
“We will continue in my administration to assure transparency, and conflicts of interest will not be allowed if I learn of them,” Whitmire said during last week’s press conference.
Hollins countered in a press conference later that day that Whitmire was a “walking conflict of interest.” The State of the City event also offers tiered corporate sponsorships with benefits like access to VIP receptions and “premier brand placement.”
Hollins said in his Tuesday letter that he did not believe either office had committed ethics violations, but any investigation should be expanded to the mayor’s event to “ensure fairness, transparency and adherence to ethical standards.”
The request is now in the hands of the Office of Inspector General, a branch of the Legal Department. The Legal Department answers to the mayor.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print.
