Houston First asked to fund $124,000 book on mayor's legacy, organization responds
Mayor Turner involved in book controversy
Another controversy erupting for outgoing Mayor Sylvester Turner is now involving who will pay the cost of publishing a book about his life and legacy. FOX 26 Political Reporter Greg Groogan tells us why some have labeled this a "vanity project" at public expense.
HOUSTON - Another controversy erupting for outgoing Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, this one involving who will pay the cost of publishing a book about his legacy and life.
The volume entitled "Legacy - The Power of Vision, Collaboration, Resilience and Transformation" was distributed to guests at this year's "State of the City Address," which would be Turner's last.
FOX 26 contributor and columnist Bill King was the first to report that Mayor Turner is asking the city-funded Houston First Corporation to pay the publisher's $123,977 bill.
"There are thousands of better ways that you can spend $124,000 than publishing 600 copies of a vanity book," said King.
While Houston First was the official sponsor of the "State of the City" luncheon, King and others question whether funding a 90-page volume praising Turner's performance as mayor is an appropriate or legal use of resources by a taxpayer-funded entity.
"This has just nothing to do with the city. This has nothing to do with Houston First. This is a personal project from him," said King,
FOX 26 sought and received comment from Houston First.
"We wanted to ensure a transparent process to reach a resolution. As such, we placed it on our public agenda so that the Board is able to review and discuss the item," said Michael Heckman, President and CEO of Houston First.
Mayor Turner's spokesperson claims that "no tax dollars" were used to fund the "State of the City" event, only contributions.
The Mayor's Office shared this statement on Thursday:
"The Mayor's Office was informed that $540,000 was raised to cover all expenses associated with the State of the City luncheon. Houston First collected the revenue and was responsible for paying the expenses, including the book, production costs, and other items that accompany hosting an event. Mayor Turner has asked Houston First to provide a full accounting of all expenses and explain why it chose to single out the cost of the legacy book."
"This is an after the fact construct to justify what he tried to get away with here, which is to use our tax money to pay for his book," said King.
What remains unclear is whether contributions and sponsorships were sufficient to cover both the expense of the event and a six-figure book.
Houston First Corporation Chairman David Mincberg gave this statement ahead of their Thursday afternoon board meeting:
"After additional review and consultation, I have decided to remove Item 5.C. from our board meeting today. I want my fellow board members, the public and members of the media to know exactly why I am taking this step.
Over the last three years, Houston First has been charged with producing the State of the City. The Houston First management team has completed a review of the costs incurred to produce the 2023 event as well as the amount of private funds raised for the event. All private dollars raised were used to produce the event. There are no remaining funds.
Houston First will not use public funds to pay for the book. Houston First plans to collaborate with the event chairs and fundraisers to develop a strategy to generate additional private funds to pay for this project.
Our goal is to have a plan in place in the coming weeks."