Does Waller County suffer from a culture of corruption?
Does Waller County suffer from a culture of corruption?
According to a recent story in the Houston Chronicle, local government is rife with officials on the take. The article written by reporter Cindy Horswell begins with a recounting of the guilty pleas of four officials in the county and points to an ongoing investigation by the FBI that hints at more possible indictments against other local public officials.
Already serving time in prison for soliciting and accepting kickbacks are former Brookshire mayor Keith Allen Woods and former Brookshire public works director Henry Cheney. Awaiting sentencing in July on similar bribery charges are former Hempstead aldermen Larry Wilson Sr. and Paris Kincade.
Horswell’s article quotes some officials who feel the FBI investigation is targeting blacks because all of those who have been indicted and those rumored to be under investigation are black.
To me, race is not the issue. If you’ve committed a crime, your race is irrelevant. Now, if the FBI is targeting blacks, that would be a problem. Call me naïve, but I don’t see that happening. I see the agency tracking down corrupt officials. That they are all back so far is either coincidental or supports the story’s theory of a culture of corruption in the black community.
Does that mean white or Hispanic officials are not or have not been just as corrupt? That’s hard to say. I would imagine that local history will bear out a pattern of corruption among all races. I’m too new here and have not done enough research to say for sure.
I do know that the story has created a stir in Waller County government. The county’s two newest commissioners – Odis Styers and Sylvia Cedillo – asked me about it. I agree that the story painted the county with a broad brush. I feel bad for all the honest, hard-working officials whose reputations are needlessly tainted just by their affiliation with the county.
It’s my experience in the few months that I have been here that most of the officials – elected, appointed and hired – are decent, honest folks who only want the best for their community and the people they represent. I’m just afraid they’re all going to have to grit their teeth and thicken their skin if the FBI probe results in more indictments.
It’s worth the hit on the reputation of local governments to have corruption purged from its ranks. The alternative is to live with corruption, which is not an option.
I must switch gears here for a minute to note that I don’t normally acknowledge the work of competitors, nor do I try to react to it. This is a case where the competition is much bigger with far more resources and the story that came out had such a wide impact on our primary coverage area. This is clearly an exception to my rule. Besides, I had most of the background information in print first.
I know that people here are concerned about graft and corruption and I will do the best I can with the resources at my disposal to bring you the best and most up to date information about this case as it develops. I hope there will be nothing more to report, but until this so-called culture of corruption is dealt with, I’m afraid there may be plenty to write about.
Summer break
School’s out. Like I had to tell you that. My kids have been counting down the days, just like their father did when he was that age. There is nothing like that long, agonizing wait until summer break when you can put aside the books, tests and waking up early so that you can stay home and play, play, play.
So why is it that when this long-awaited day comes, one of the first thing youngsters will say is “I’m bored”?
I can honestly say that I have not been bored in more than 20 years. I’ve been frustrated that circumstances have kept me from doing what I want and forced me to be idle, but actual boredom has not been a problem.
I learned a long time ago that if I was bored, my parents would have a long list of chores just waiting to break the monotony. My kids haven’t quite figured out that little trick yet. If I’m lucky, they’ll push it far enough that in addition to having a spotless house and well-groomed yard, we can get the cars de-greased and the house painted.
According to a recent story in the Houston Chronicle, local government is rife with officials on the take. The article written by reporter Cindy Horswell begins with a recounting of the guilty pleas of four officials in the county and points to an ongoing investigation by the FBI that hints at more possible indictments against other local public officials.
Already serving time in prison for soliciting and accepting kickbacks are former Brookshire mayor Keith Allen Woods and former Brookshire public works director Henry Cheney. Awaiting sentencing in July on similar bribery charges are former Hempstead aldermen Larry Wilson Sr. and Paris Kincade.
Horswell’s article quotes some officials who feel the FBI investigation is targeting blacks because all of those who have been indicted and those rumored to be under investigation are black.
To me, race is not the issue. If you’ve committed a crime, your race is irrelevant. Now, if the FBI is targeting blacks, that would be a problem. Call me naïve, but I don’t see that happening. I see the agency tracking down corrupt officials. That they are all back so far is either coincidental or supports the story’s theory of a culture of corruption in the black community.
Does that mean white or Hispanic officials are not or have not been just as corrupt? That’s hard to say. I would imagine that local history will bear out a pattern of corruption among all races. I’m too new here and have not done enough research to say for sure.
I do know that the story has created a stir in Waller County government. The county’s two newest commissioners – Odis Styers and Sylvia Cedillo – asked me about it. I agree that the story painted the county with a broad brush. I feel bad for all the honest, hard-working officials whose reputations are needlessly tainted just by their affiliation with the county.
It’s my experience in the few months that I have been here that most of the officials – elected, appointed and hired – are decent, honest folks who only want the best for their community and the people they represent. I’m just afraid they’re all going to have to grit their teeth and thicken their skin if the FBI probe results in more indictments.
It’s worth the hit on the reputation of local governments to have corruption purged from its ranks. The alternative is to live with corruption, which is not an option.
I must switch gears here for a minute to note that I don’t normally acknowledge the work of competitors, nor do I try to react to it. This is a case where the competition is much bigger with far more resources and the story that came out had such a wide impact on our primary coverage area. This is clearly an exception to my rule. Besides, I had most of the background information in print first.
I know that people here are concerned about graft and corruption and I will do the best I can with the resources at my disposal to bring you the best and most up to date information about this case as it develops. I hope there will be nothing more to report, but until this so-called culture of corruption is dealt with, I’m afraid there may be plenty to write about.
Summer break
School’s out. Like I had to tell you that. My kids have been counting down the days, just like their father did when he was that age. There is nothing like that long, agonizing wait until summer break when you can put aside the books, tests and waking up early so that you can stay home and play, play, play.
So why is it that when this long-awaited day comes, one of the first thing youngsters will say is “I’m bored”?
I can honestly say that I have not been bored in more than 20 years. I’ve been frustrated that circumstances have kept me from doing what I want and forced me to be idle, but actual boredom has not been a problem.
I learned a long time ago that if I was bored, my parents would have a long list of chores just waiting to break the monotony. My kids haven’t quite figured out that little trick yet. If I’m lucky, they’ll push it far enough that in addition to having a spotless house and well-groomed yard, we can get the cars de-greased and the house painted.
posted by Joe Southern | 11:17 AM
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