Texas Watchdog has released an interactive map that links to the financial disclosure statements of Houston’s city council members, including Mayor White. Each disclosure, which covers calendar year 2008, includes an accounting of real estate holdings by officials and their spouses — along with the usual stocks and bonds and mutual funds and business interests stuff.
Unfortunately, the map itself appears to note only the council members’ primary residences — not any strip centers, spec McMansions, apartment complexes, land grants, or tool sheds that might be lurking in their portfolios. For those goodies (if any), you’ll need to poke through the linked personal financial statements.
The statements, which state law requires council members to complete, are broken into 2 segments; real estate holdings are listed at the end of the first. Of course, for the more sophisticated investors in the City Council crowd, the more interesting properties are likely to be held under the name of some sort of business entity — like, say M/A Khan Holdings LP. You’ll find that sort of info in part 2.
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The information was put together by Texas Watchdog’s Lee Ann O’Neal, who used the real-estate holdings information to come out with a big scoop earlier this week . . . that council members Jarvis Johnson, Jolanda Jones, and Sue Lovell were together a grand total of about $9,000 behind on paying their property taxes. They claim to be all paid up now.
Want your own Swamplot-worthy scoop? Dig in to the statements . . . and let us know about anything interesting you find!
- Houston City Council ethics forms published via an interactive map [Texas Watchdog]
- Houston, Texas, city officials’ personal financial disclosures [Google Maps]
- Three Houston City Council members late paying property taxes [Texas Watchdog]
The Texas Watchdog group is quickly becoming an extremely valuable resource in Houston and for the state. They actually report real news voters should know versus the craptastic news the Chronicle reports.
One of the Texas Watchdog reporters that investigates METRO for their mis-dealings worked for the Chronicle. Ms. Ruiz wrote some transit columns going in detail about how horrible METRO’s bus service is by actually trying to use it.
She was quickly let go because she didn’t tow the line the previous and current transit columnist tow holding all METRO’s water and essentially publishing press releases as articles.
Texas Watchdog also broke the recent HAS scandal that the mayor’s office is trying to avoid talking about. The Chronicle is avoiding it too!
Who owns M/H Khan Holdings?
The Chronicle is avoiding it too!
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There are more sacred cows at the Houston Chronicle than there are in India at this point and one particularly nasty comment made not that long ago was that the editorial staff supplemented their income by “selling” the stories they then didn’t run. Truth is not something you will find at the Houston Chronicle and is the main reason why Hearst wanted to buy the Houston Post and shut it down. They probably supplemented their income as well when they did so. The sacred cows blessed them. With lots of advertising dollars.
When the late James Robinson left the Houston Chronicle, investigative reporting left with him.
As for the ethics at City Hall, there are none.
@ EMME
Who owns M/H Khan Holdings?
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M.J. Khan (District F) and his spouse.
http://www.houstontx.gov/council/f/index.html
It seems among M. J. Khan’s vast estate are 5 residential properties in … Lahore. It’s unclear whether these were acquired during his council tenure, or whether they front the River Ravi (tis beautiful in springtime, we hear) or whether he’s current on his property taxes there, if they impose property taxes in Lahore. By the way, does Khan actually live in the city (of Houston, we mean) nowadays, since he’s seeking a citywide office?