The on-going feud between Democrat City Controller, Chris Hollins, and Democrat Mayor John Whitmire appears to be just warming up.
After Mayor Whitmire called out Hollins for possible 'pay for play', because Hollins was selling private access with him at a dinner, Hollins fired back today releasing this statement at the start of the big Houston's Investor Conference downtown.
— City Controller Chris Hollins filed a letter today with the City of Houston’s Office of Inspector General and the Houston City Council Ethics Committee requesting that, should an investigation into the fundraising practices for the Controller’s Investor Conference take place as requested by Mayor John Whitmire, the scope of the investigation must be expanded to include fundraising practices for the Mayor’s State of the City event.
“Bias has no place in public service. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander,” said Hollins. “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.”
The letter describes how the Controller used the same fundraising model for the Investor Conference that was used by the Mayor for the State of the City event.
The only difference is that the Mayor controls the proceeds from the State of the City, while the proceeds of the Investor Conference flow to a non-profit donor-advised fund, where an independent body has exclusive spending authority.
Hollins continued: “By applying equal scrutiny to both our offices, we can ensure fairness, transparency, and adherence to ethical standards across all levels of City government. This approach will not only address current concerns, but also set a precedent for accountability in future fundraising activities by City officials.”
This is a developing story.