Overview
- A June Houston Chronicle report that Brown badged into City Hall 13 times and sent 12 city emails over nearly 600 workdays prompted City Controller Chris Hollins to open an investigation into Brown’s pay and activity.
- Brown publicly defended his work at a tense City Council session on Wednesday, saying the role is project‑based, largely remote, and that he averaged about 15 hours a week before the report and now handles roughly 19 city projects.
- Mayor John Whitmire backed Brown at the meeting, saying Brown was hired for expertise not hourly presence and that a full‑time salary above $300,000 was discussed before negotiating the current arrangement.
- Hollins says his office waited months for records about Brown’s duties and that some documents arrived only after a public‑records request; he expects to release investigation findings within weeks.
- Brown was hired in January 2024 after two terms as elected city controller and his $127,000 salary sits against local pay caps for mayoral and controller roles, which frames the larger debate over transparency and oversight.