click here if you do not wish to receive this publication > NO <
This publication is dedicated to & maintained by those of us who really care about this city. We are many --- (and growing stronger with more people joining our ranks everyday). We are the nameless , faceless city, county, state, federal, and corporate taxpaying citizens & workers who are sick of the "good ole boy system" here in Houston, Texas --We were born on 7-30-1999. We are --- married & single-male & female, maintenance worker to Deputy Directors. We are the faceless civil servants who year after year do our job. We are the one's who see the hard earned tax $$s of the citizens in this area used & abused and given away to enrich a few greedy people with each new administration. Our hobbies include: Watching our backs---as we try to bring you the truth of what is happening in Houston, and getting the REAL information out to the public.
Dear Mr. Al Haines; The following memo came
to Housnitch:
(click document to see it full view darlins.)
Tell us Mr. Haines, as the highest official in the Mayor's administration, WHAT EXACTLY IS YOUR POSITION on a department, POSTPONING City Business, to take a tour on City Time of the Mormon Temple of Houston? (oh, we forgot...YOU'RE a Mormon aren't you Mr. Haines? Could this be YOUR Temple???? WAS IT YOU WHO EXTENDED THIS INVITATION?????) And before ya'll run off and phony up some documents..., "Is it ok with you for all those employees to BACKDATE requests for time off to cover for this tour taken on City Time at the expense of taxpayers, for an expedition on NON City Business"? We been telling ya'll since this department was created .... THEY DON'T DO NOTHING BUT PLAY & SOCIALIZE & SPEND OUR MONEY OVER THERE !!!!! Ya See that MM up there in the corner? Monique McGilbra, Director of the BS Department obviously approves of these goings ons, and signed off on it, but then again, we've been telling ya'll what a pet she was of the Mayor. ... (LOTS OF OUR MONEY THEY WASTE OVER THERE!!!!) COUNCILMEMBER KELLER .... ASK EM THE HARD QUESTIONS DARLIN!!!!!
Subj: It's Done
Date: 8/18/00 4:10:20 PM Central Daylight Time
From:
To: Housnitch1@aol.com
Hilda Garza Scott - Terminated
Dan Jones - resigned
Janet King - terminated
Roger Harris - resigned
Aug. 19, 2000, 12:06AM
City fires 2 directors under investigation
By MATT SCHWARTZ
Copyright
2000 Houston Chronicle
City officials announced Friday the
firings and resignations of four employees, three of whom face
misdemeanor criminal charges, over a pair of scandals involving
Public Works Department contracts.
Hilda Garza Scott, deputy public works director, and Janet King,
Convention and Entertainment Facilities Department deputy
assistant director, were fired Friday for their alleged roles in
two separate investigations, according to Mayor Lee Brown's
communications office.
Dan Jones, the mayoral agenda director under Bob Lanier and later
deputy director of the Public Works and Engineering Department,
and Roger Harris, a former senior projects manager in the Public
Works Department who had been transferred to the Building
Services Department, are also off the city payroll.
Jones retired Friday, and Harris resigned Tuesday.
Of the four, only Jones could be reached for comment Friday.
"Due to the change in state law that became effective Aug. 1
of this year, it was timely for me to retire and I am anxiously
seeking opportunities in the private sector," Jones said.
A new state law changes the formula on which retirement benefits
are calculated, enabling city employees to retire sooner and with
larger benefits.
The statement from the mayor's office included no explanation for
the personnel actions, other than to say they followed the recent
release of investigative reports by the city's Office of
Inspector General, which were completed last year.
Since none of the criminal cases have been resolved, the reasons
for the firings are expected to be characterized as
administrative violations of city policies.
"I can't go into a lot of detail because they are personnel
issues. All I can say is they were terminated for cause,"
Tom Rolen, acting director of the Department of Public Works and
Engineering, said of Scott and King.
Jones, King and Harris had been suspended with pay since February
1999, after the Harris County District Attorney's Office began
investigating irregularities involving city contracts related to
about $90 million in renovations to four city buildings.
The three were indicted. Jones and King each were charged with
one count of violating state bidding laws, a class B misdemeanor.
Harris was charged with eight counts of tampering with a public
document, a class A misdemeanor.
Jerry Dinkins, a former assistant director of public works, was
indicted after he resigned from the city on 14 counts of
tampering with a government document and one count of violating
state bid laws.
All of the charges are connected to renovation projects on City
Hall, the City Hall Annex, the Bob Lanier Public Works Building
and the Houston Police Department headquarters.
The investigation focused on allegations of money shifting
between project contracts being used without City Council
approval. None of those indicted was accused of personally
benefiting from their alleged actions.
Scott's firing was related to a separate, more recent
investigation into allegations that she used her position as head
of the Capital Projects Division of Public Works to funnel some
$2 million in contracts to the engineering company that employed
her husband.
Two weeks ago, a Harris County grand jury indicted Scott, her
husband, Richard Scott, and former Public Works director Jerry
King on one count each of abuse of official capacity, a
misdemeanor. Prosecutors dropped those charges hours later
because they could not prove intent.
Lawyers on both sides of that case said Hilda Scott sought the
advice of the city's Legal Department as to whether a conflict of
interest existed between her duties and her husband's employment
with a firm that does business with the city.
After the charges were dropped, speculation about whether Scott
could still face disciplinary action began to mount, particularly
after a Legal Department memorandum became public.
The memo claimed that while Scott had sought the counsel of the
Legal Department, she failed to follow its advice to insulate
herself against "even the appearance of impropriety."
Brenda Flores, operator of an online government watchdog group
called Housnitch, has been seeking the ouster of Scott for more
than a year.
"It just shows the little guy can prevail," she said of
Friday's firings. "It may take a while. You may have to
embarrass the hell out of the administration, but enough little
guys can prevail"
As executive-level employees, neither Scott nor King can appeal
their terminations to the city's civil service commission.
Jones' case is scheduled to go to court next month.
Subj: Re: Check out The DA did WHAT???
Date: 8/15/00 4:40:46 PM Central Daylight Time
From:
To: Housnitch1
Wow!
I wish I could really tell you what happened but I can't. I'd
like to clear up a couple of misconceptions, though. Bollig and
OIG did an excellent job in ascertaining the facts. It was clear
from the outset that Guitterez/Tobias DID NOT WANT an indictment.
I guess that when they got it they felt like a dog chasing a car
- what do they do now. I don't think that Brown is responsible at
all. What he has done wrong is not getting rid of Lanier
holdovers that didn't pass the "smell test."
It was through your efforts that the case ever went to the Grand
Jury. Roberto'd set on it for over 11 months and since he's lost
other city "corruption" cases I think that he simply
didn't have the "balls" to try this one. Remember, he's
got another one that he's had for 2 years (Dan Jones, et al. and
it hasn't come to trial yet. He's a token at best.
Several members of the jury privately stated that with the
dismissals the incident got more press and exposure than if
they'd kept their mouths shut.
Whoever becomes the next District Attorney needs to overhaul the
Grand Jury Division by firing half of the incompetents. Tobias
wants true bills on each and every case presented (that comes
through intake). Seems that if they come direct he wants no
bills. A real crummy system for those 12 persons who earn $6/day
+ parking. A real waste of time. Don't be to hard on Ms. Magee -
she's only an employee and has to do what Tobias says. She is
just a name to "fade the heat."
Roberto and Andy sandbagged that case. The only way that the
taxpayers can come out on this one is for Lee P. to dismiss Ms.
Scott. She''s a Deputy Director and serves at the pleasure of the
Mayor. She can be axed. You need to demand that Council begin an
investigation and have OIG give them the report.
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. You have friends in HIGH places!!
Too bad we couldn't get Hilda on the criminal charges too, but we can still take her PE license....and Richard's!
Subj: FW: Letters to the Editor
Date: 8/17/00 4:23:57 PM Central Daylight Time
From:
To: housnitch1@aol.com ('housnitch1@aol.com')
This is one that they won't print 'cause it's too long.
Regards,
From:
Sent: Thursday, August 17, 2000 10:35 AM
To: 'Houston Viewpoints'
Subject: Letters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor
Two articles in the August 16th Metropolitan Section incensed me
to the degree
that I felt it necessary to comment.
The Grand Jury process in Harris County is truly a joke. While I
expect a strong rebuke from Johnny Holmes I am heartened by the
fact that his tenure will end in five months and new leadership
will assume the mantle of District Attorney. Whoever wins needs
to take a long look at realigning the staff and either
reassigning, retraining or firing personnel.
One case involves the district attorney filing "felony child
abuse" charges against a nursing mother who was involved in
a wreck while breast feeding her baby. This would appear to be a
poor soul desperately in need of maturity and parenting skills.
Thankfully the grand jury felt the same way and refused to indict
the woman.
In a similar case several months ago the same charge was filed
against a woman solely because "she kept a dirty home."
She was going through a traumatic divorce and was left to care
for three children. Coupled with the divorce, she suffered the
deaths of her mother and father-in-law. She was a prime candidate
for social services, not a felony indictment. One photograph
aimed at showing litter was of a number of bags of aluminum cans.
This was not garbage as alleged by the officer's report but a
recycling project for her son's Boy Scout troop. Thankfully she
received a no-bill because the jury felt that these charges
should never have been accepted in the first place.
The other case making headlines is that of Hilda Garza Scott and
her husband, Richard. This was one case that the district
attorney's office had sat on for well over a year. For one reason
or another they simply wanted it to go away.
A grand jury received a direct complaint from a citizen outlining
the facts and demanded to know what the D. A's office was doing.
After receiving evasive answers for almost two months the Grand
Jury demanded the case be brought forward or they would initiate
their own investigation. Reluctantly the case was brought forward
and dragged on over the course of three weeks. Daily, the
assistant district attorney would attempt to influence the jury
by demanding a no bill. The office of the Inspector General did
an excellent job of outlining the law. They had a memo from the
City Attorney confirming the allegations of wrongdoing but the
district attorney's office was steadfast in not wanting to
prosecute the case. Were they simply inept or has their track
record been so pitiful in public corruption cases that they
didn't want to risk the publicity or a "not guilty"
verdict? Who knows but Johnny Holmes?
After having served on two grand juries over the course of three
years I have concluded that the current consensus is that the
district attorney's office considers the system a waste of time
and would just as soon get rid of it. Over and over again grand
jurors are told not to impose "jury nullification".
Because of the makeup of most juries (retired persons and those
with little or no knowledge of the law) the assistant district
attorney presenting a particular case gets his or her wish. Only
the most baseless cases are no billed. I have no idea how many
indictments are eventually tossed out at trial on motions to
suppress evidence due to illegal searches. A number of these
cases should have been no billed by the grand jury hearing the
case initially but there is generally inadequate time allocated
to each case in order to make such an assessment. A grand jury
may hear 35 to 75 cases a day and that provides little
opportunity to give any matter more than cursory consideration.
You would think that Harris County collected taxes based on
prosecutions. The intake division needs lessons from Solomon. Far
too many cases are accepted that should not be. Grand Juries
should be instructed that just because charges have been accepted
they do not automatically rise to the level of a criminal
offense. Nondiscredited testimony of a citizen should be given no
less credibility than that of an officer or the assistant
district attorney presenting the case.
This election in November will give us the opportunity to change
faces in the office of the District Attorney and hopefully give
the new administration a chance to clean up the office. There
appears to be too many "good old boys"
who've kept their jobs, not through their skills and abilities
but due to their friendship to the current office holder.
Subj: Chronicle Front Page
Date: 8/19/00 9:13:41 AM Central Daylight Time
From:
To: Housnitch1@aol.com
GO!!!! BRENDA GO!!!!
HIP
HIP
HURRAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WE HAVE MILES TO GO BEFORE WE SLEEP DARLINS......HERBERT LUM, SHOWRI NANDIGIRI, AND GARY ORADAT ARE STILL THERE. HERB & SHOWRI WON'T BE SO HARD TO GET RID OF, THEY HAVE BOTH VIOLATED MANY CITY ORDINANCES, BUT ORADAT....HELL HE'S JUST STUPID. BUT WE THINK IF WE SHOW ENOUGH OF HIS MISMANAGEMENT OF CONTRACTS THEY WILL DO SOMETHING ABOUT HIM..
Subj: What's Up? Victory?
Date: 8/18/00 8:24:49 PM Central Daylight Time
From:
To: Housnitch1@aol.com
Congratulations! Maybe. 2nd Stooge is in charge now. Thumbing
theirnose at the whistleblowers? Apparently Lee.P.Brown's plane
landed this aft. - Memo from Tom Rolen delicately titled
"Reassignment" of Showri to
Acting Deputy Director. Did Hilda resign or is she on the famous
paid suspension? Seems to me there's new "evidence"
worthy of re-indictment or a grand jury probe - aka - Anthony
Hall's "You're not going to blaim
me for this crap" memo. Bless you, Mr. Hall. The really bad
managers are quite thrilled to have Mr. Showri running it now.
Gee....do I remember someone else thumbing their nose like this?
Oh, yeah....Dr. Joye Carter of Harris County - and it's not
looking good for her. If Hilda resigns, then hey - they can hire
back her hubby - I wouldn't put
it past them. Here we peons are trying so hard to win the lottery
- City gov't. has it's own.
Naw, Hilda was fired darlin...yes Showri is in the cat bird seat now.....i guess it was the Mayor's way of placating Lutfi Hassan......did anyone else see him there on the floor of the DNC?
next to the Mayor? Ya know guys, it's almost enough to make me want to leave my party when i see people like Lutfi there, he's not a citizen, he can't vote, but he sure has bought his way into places that were once sacred to many Americans.
Aug. 18, 2000, 12:56AM
Boney uses city funds for LA trip
By MATT SCHWARTZ
Copyright
2000 Houston Chronicle
GOD FORBID ALL GORE SHOULD WIN & BROWN GO OFF TO DC & LEAVE US WITH BONEY!!!!! (then again, he'd be REAL easy to bring down!!!)
Subj: Sunland, SES Horizon, Bovay, and TEDSI
Date: 8/20/00 8:49:46 AM Central Daylight Time
From:
To: Housnitch1
Now that Hilda Garza Scott can no longer help him, Fred Martinez
is going directly to the selection committee and telling them
that Mayor Brown wants projects given to Sunland, SES Horizon,
Bovay, and TEDSI, Hilda's old Hispanic Alliance.
Dont fall for Fred's BS. Call the Mayor's office and verify it.
After you conclude that the Mayor doesnt even know who Fred
Martinez is, call the OIG at 713-247-5022 and report it.
KEEP US POSTED READER'S WE'VE GOTTEN GREAT LETTERS THANKING US FOR FOREWARNING THEM ABOUT THIS SCAM!
Subj: Fw: Campaign Finance Issue
Date: 8/22/00 8:10:16 AM Central Daylight Time
From:
To: Housnitch1@aol.com (B. Flores)
Hi Brenda, I sent this to each CM today. Really don't expect
quick response.
Subject: Campaign Finance Issue
Date: Tuesday, August 22, 2000 8:06 AM
Members of Council:
Today's Chronicle describes a classic "straw man"
campaign finance scam designed to evade restrictions on corporate
contributions. Entertainment One (hereafter referred to as
E-One), an aviation department contractor, admits having in place
procedures to reimburse employees for contributions to
candidates. Is such a scheme not illegal in regard to elected
city officials and candidates? What method exists to file charges
against E-One? Will you act to strip E-One of its aviation
department and any other city contracts? Will you investigate
contributions made to all council members and candidates and to
the Mayor by any present or former employee of E-One to determine
if such contributions were "straw man" transfers
similar to that described in the Chronicle article? Will evidence
(such as detailed in the Chronicle article and otherwise
discovered) be forwarded to the Harris County District Attorney
for action? Will you voluntarily detail any contributions to your
campaign or office holder accounts by any present or former
employee of E-One and by any present or former subcontractor of
E-One or consultant to E-One?
Thanks for your time and attention. Your quick response will be
appreciated.
Reference Houston Chronicle 08/22/00
"Under the fundamental philosophy of
the American constitutional form of government Housnitch adheres
to the principals that government is the SERVANT and NOT the
master of the people. The people, in delegating authority, do not
give their public servants the right to decide what is good for
the people to know, and what is not good for the people to
know.....
Housnitch will remain informed, & in return, inform you, so
that we may maintain control over these instruments of government
that we have created"
Subj: CONGRADULATION
Date: 8/20/00 6:52:43 PM Central Daylight Time
From:
To: Housnitch1@aol.com
YOU HAVE FOUGHT THE GOOD FIGHT AND HAVE WON ONE BATTLE IN THE WAR
TO RID POLITICS OF THE POLICIES OF "SELF" RATHER THAN
POLICIES OF "TRUTH."
NEXT QUESTION FOR THE POLITICIANS IS, "HOW COST EFFECTIVE
ARE THEY IN THE ALLOCATION OF OUR TAX DOLLARS?" HOW MUCH IS
SPENT ON WASTE, INEFFICIENCY (NOTED IN THE RECENT FIRINGS),
DUPLICATION OF EFFORT, AND THE GERRYMANDREING OF THE SYSTEM BY
THE POITICIANS FOR PURPOSES OTHER THAN THAT OF EFFICIENT USE OF
OUR TAXES? WHAT ARE THEY DOING TO MAKE GOVERNMENT SMALLER AND
MORE EFFICIENT?
I APPRECIATE YOU AND YOUR EFFORTS. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.
Thank you darlin, for all that YOU do, and we'll keep plugging away as long as possible!
Subj: Congratulations
Date: 8/20/00 1:37:26 PM Central Daylight Time
From:
To: HOUSNITCH1@aol.com (Brenda Flores)
Read the Houston Comical yesterday morning and saw the good news.
You are to be congratulated for your success. Two Biggies down
and we won't even try to estimate how many are left to go.
WAY TOO MANY LEFT TO EVEN COUNT...BUT WE'RE GONNA START
WITH LUM & SHOWRI. WE ARE WORKING ON COMPLAINTS TO FILE
AGAINST BOTH OF THEM FOR THE OIG.
Subj: al gore??????
Date: 8/19/00 6:28:13 PM Central Daylight Time
To: housnitch1@aol.com
Madam:
I read your website as often as possible. Though not a resident
of the City of Houston (something for which I'm VERY grateful), I
do enjoy your articles.
You mentioned in your last article, August 9 I believe, something
about getting the message to Al Gore about Lee Brown and his
associates being corrupt, unethical, etc. From what I have seen,
that would make all of these people HIGHLY qualified and HIGHLY
desirable to serve in the Gore adminstration, should the country
be stupid enough to elect him.
Keep after 'em
Subj: Re: al gore??????
Date: 8/19/00 8:06:59 PM Central Daylight Time
From: Housnitch1
To:
Darlin....i have enough to do working on the corruption just in
this City....Republicans or Democrats...i see corruption on both
sides...MOST of the contractors sticking it to the City are
Republicans...so if you ask me...one isn't better than the other.
Lee Brown is just too stupid to have any people around him with
finesse about their evil ways. Thank you for your comments....and
since you don't live in Houston I will give a preview of next
week's page.....
Subj: It's Done
Date: 8/18/00 10:10:20 PM
From:
To: Housnitch1@aol.com (Housnitch1@aol.com)
Hilda Garza Scott - Terminated
Dan Jones - resigned
Janet King - terminated
Roger Harris - resigned
Subj: Metro in Motion
Date: 8/18/00 10:05:52 AM Central Daylight Time
From:
To: Housnitch1
Brenda,
I received your name from (*&^%$ I have been involved with
the Metro plan to build a light rail line on Main Street since
last summer.
Under the Open Document Law, I requested all emails, letters and
phone calls to the Mayor's office in 1999 regarding light rail
(LR). Spence was one of the persons who wrote to the Mayor and
city council.
I contacted every person who wrote to Mayor Brown and found that
the majority of the responses were against the LR.)(*&^%$
stated that he had written many times during 1999 and had hand
delivered every one of them. My concern is that only one of his
letters was given to me.
As for Metro, I have found that they were evasive to me on an
Open Document request I sent them. I filed with the AG Office and
was immediately given what I asked for. One of my key questions
was regarding a statement John Sedlak made in a reply to a letter
I sent Ms. DeLibero.
I had asked her why Metro would propose a monorail system, that
would run down Main, in 1991 and 7 years later decide to change
to LR on grade. His reply was that City Council had passed an
Ordinance forbidding any elevated system on Main St. My open
document question was to show me the Ordinance.
After the AT forced them, I was told, in writing, that there was
no Ordinance.
The Fannin Street renovation is another piece of my puzzle. The
design plans were signed off in about Nov 1998 for the Fannin
work. Metro had not yet approved any LR line for Fannin. The
plans provided for concrete paving only in the outside lanes and
asphalt paving in the center lanes.
Why? This work reduces the cost of constructing the LR line
significantly and the Fannin project is actually paying for the
LR line development. What is upsetting, to me, is that this work
was planned BEFORE any approvals were made to build the LR line!
Also, the true cost of building it is deceptive.
The ads Metro ran were false advertising. I can discuss that
later.
I am a proponent of honest government and involvement of the
people. Not just the special interest groups who tend to profit
by the projects or those who feel they are the one's to decide
Houston's fate.
I would be glad to talk to you at length on this issue at any
time
LOOKS LIKE WE WILL HAVE TO DO A METRO PAGE...
ON TO ANOTHER DEPARTMENT....BS DEPARTMENT (building services), OOOOOO, COUNCIL MEMBER KELLER ISN'T GOING TO LIKE THIS!!!!!
Subj: The BIG BS in Building Services!
Date: 8/02/00 7:09:09 AM Central Daylight Time
From:
To: Housnitch1
Dear Housnitch,
Yesterday, Deputy Director of BSd, trinh pham, held her first "organizational meeting" to show the rest of us how the design & construction division is organized. What a JOKE! Particularly when you consider this is the product of a four-month effort by trinh pham. You may remember her as the POLITICAL HACK of mcgilbra. The meeting began with pham's attempt to explain her background & credentials. She was quick to explain that she was an architectural GRADUATE, but not a registered Architect.Certain requirements must be met by State Law in order to use the title Architect. pham at least admitted that she had not met those requirements. So you might well ask how she qualified to be Deputy Director of Design & Construction. She IS NOT!!!!!! Her own executive staff knows this. mcgilbra FOR GOD'S SAKE WAKE UP!!!! By her own admission her experience has consisted of working for a couple of firms. (The information from one reliable source at one of these firms was that she was not even qualified to be a team leader on an interiors team, and he was amazed that the BS department would make her Deputy Director of Design & Construction.) She went on to inform us that she got the opportunity to design Kim Son Restaurant. If this is true, this was done without the benefit of a license and to do so is in violation of State law. What an insult to the Citizens of Houston, and the hardworking, qualified employees of this department that mcgilbra appoints her incompetent, unqualified friends to these positions and our Mayor Lee Pee permits this to happen. Isn't it amazing that the OIG can investigate a fireman, and submit a report in just a matter of days, and yet it took over a year for his investigation of Hilda Garza Scott to be ready?. The answer to us is very simple. The fireman was not a bagman for Lee Pee, Hilda was.
Enclosed are copies of the new organizational
chart. The new assistant director over Convention &
Entertainment & Solid waste is the latest appointee, &
friend of mcgilbra. Again this individual is not qualified by
education, training or experience for this position. Hois ONLY
qualification is that he is a friend of mcgilbra. MAYOR BROWN WHEN WILL THIS STOP???? (click the pic to see full
size darlins) 
Councilmember Keller already told them don't come back for approval on this outsourcing stuff anymore....he wants this department to do what it was designed to do...and that was keep us from losing money....so far they ain't doing what they are suppose to do!
WE NEED YOU ... This is your page ..... help us with it...ANY DONATION WILL HELP....PLEASE......P.O. Box 55423 Houston, Texas 77255 713-722-9258
tell em what you think darlins.......
"He who joyfully marches in rank and
file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large
brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would
suffice."
-Albert Einstein
