Houston Matters

How Effective Have Ethics Regulations Been at City Hall?

Late Wednesday night (6/17/15), the Houston City Council approved a $5.1 billion budget for FY ’16. It came after hours of wide-ranging discussions about ongoing union talks, deed restrictions, and a number of amendments. It was a long night for City Hall reporters too — the Houston Chronicle’s Mike Morris among them. Nevertheless, he joins […]

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Late Wednesday night (6/17/15), the Houston City Council approved a $5.1 billion budget for FY ’16. It came after hours of wide-ranging discussions about ongoing union talks, deed restrictions, and a number of amendments. It was a long night for City Hall reporters too — the Houston Chronicle’s Mike Morris among them. Nevertheless, he joins us on this edition of Houston Matters.

We talk a bit about the budget and then turn to a discussion on the influence lobbyists can have at City Hall. Morris reported recently how in the four years since Mayor Annise Parker set up new rules to improve accountability among elected officials, not much has been done to enforce these ethics regulations.

MORE: A Closer Look at Mayor Parker's $5.1 Budget Budget Proposal (Houston Matters, May 18, 2015)

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Michael Hagerty

Michael Hagerty

Senior Producer, Houston Matters

Michael Hagerty is the senior producer for Houston Matters. He's spent more than 20 years in public radio and television and dabbled in minor league baseball, spending four seasons as the public address announcer for the Reno Aces, the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

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