(Ted Oberg, KTRK 13 News)
The head of the Harris County Housing Authority has been fired amid allegations of mismanagement and poor oversight. But he didn’t leave empty handed.
Saying it was time to move on, a county agency dumped its CEO Wednesday. The Housing Authority is supposed to build affordable housing, but seems to have spent thousands on extras.
Guy Rankin, the longtime CEO of HCHA, was fired Wednesday amidst allegations of mismanagement and wasteful spending. The county authority did give him $137,000 of your dollars to walk away though.
“The vote is unanimous. We thank Mr. Rankin for his service,” said HCHA Chairman Beto Cardenas.
The Housing Authority is supposed to develop housing for needy citizens and veterans in Harris County. But several county commissioners and County Judge Ed Emmett were apparently fed up with irregularities at the authority.
(See the full story at KTRK 13 News)Â
OTHER HEADLINES:
- Ordinance to Feed Houston’s Homeless Redrafted and Tabled for Now (KUHF Public Radio)
- Abducted Boy, Parents Ordered to Undergo Psychological Evaluations (KTRK 13 News)
- Educators Hope Campus Improvements Will Help Turn Around Troubled School (KUHF Public Radio)
- Drought Costs Texas $8 Billion in Agricultural Losses (KTRK 13 News)
- Districts Take Advantage of STAAR Rule Change (Texas Tribune)
- Court Upholds Ban on Texas Immigrant Housing Law (Houston Chronicle)
OPINION OF THE NEWS:
Domestic and International Poverty
- Encouraging News on Extreme Global Poverty
(Editorial, Houston Chronicle)
“A recent World Bank report offered some good news: The proportion of people living in “extreme poverty” – on less than $1.25 per day – has fallen drastically since 2000…. even the fierce global recession doesn’t seem to have harmed the trend.” - Inequality Undermines Democracy (Eduardo Porter, New York Times)
“Evidence is mounting that inequality itself is obstructing Americans’ shot at a better life. …[And] once inequality becomes very acute, it breeds resentment and political instability, eroding the legitimacy of democratic institutions.”