Democrats Face Multimillion-Dollar Corruption Allegations In Houston

Two Democratic officials in Texas are facing multimillion-dollar controversies surrounding the contracts awarded to politically connected individuals.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner was accused of corruption by former Houston Housing and Community Development Director Tom McCasland. According to the claim, Turner went against staff recommendations when he awarded a $15 million housing contract to build 88 units for seniors to The Harbor Venture Group, which is led by his former law partner Barry Barnes.

Turner's staff had advised him to approve four separate contracts costing $16.2 million, but would provide 362 affordable units for families, the Houston Chronicle reported.

Turner fired McCasland the same day the allegations surfaced. The Houston mayor accused McCasland of using him as a “cover” for his own “mismanagement” of the housing and community development department. McCasland has denied any wrongdoing under his department.

Three weeks after McCasland made the claim, Turner canceled the deal, saying it had become a “distraction.” The Houston mayor also ordered his legal department to investigate whether there were illegalities or conflicts of interest during the awarding of the contract, according to the daily.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, another Texas Democrat, is also facing backlash over an $11 million vaccine outreach contract to Elevate Strategies, a company run by Democratic political insider Felicity Pereyra.

Besides having ties to the Harris County Commissioners Court, Pereyra has previously worked for several Democratic political campaigns, including those of Hillary Clinton and former mayoral candidate and now county commissioner Adrian Garcia.

Pereyra's company had existed for two years prior to being awarded the contract. The company had been chosen over UT Health, one of the city’s major hospitals.

Hidalgo later defended the decision to award the vaccine contract to Pereyra’s company, saying they “continue to follow the law.”

"It is grassroots outreach. It's the same kind of outreach you do with political outreach. We are at a point where it is a campaign for people to get vaccinated," Hidalgo was quoted as saying by Fox 26.

Hidalgo later canceled the deal amid the scrutiny. However, the county still paid thousands of dollars to Elevate Strategies. Hidalgo’s office has since been subpoenaed by Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg’s office, according to Texas Monthly.