Former airport CEO Richard Vacar met with Nicaraguan strongman Daniel Ortega on junkets taxpayers funded a trip to Tripoli
Houston Mayor Bill White was informed nearly a year and a half ago that a nonprofit arm of the Houston Airport System was heavily involved in building and running airport facilities in several other countries according to public records obtained by Texas Watchdog.
The mayor who last month helped spur the sudden retirement of longtime airport system chief Richard M. Vacar was told as long ago as mid-January 2008 that the airport system and its top officials were involved in airport projects worldwide from Dublin to New Delhi as well as domestic projects such as taking over Chicagos Midway Airport if it were privatized.
Texas Watchdog also found that Vacar also rubbed shoulders with the notorious such as former Nicaraguan Communist strongman Daniel Ortega.
And a White lieutenant -- Houston chief administrative officer Anthony W. Hall Jr. -- signed off on taxpayers covering a Vacar trip to Libya costing in excess of $13000.
At the center of the questions about offshore deals and airports in exotic locations is a nonprofit corporation called HASDC - thats the Houston Airport System Development Corp. of which Vacar was chairman of the board. It was unclear Thursday whether he retained he status with the nonprofit despite his departure.
Everything that we look at in regard to the airports offshore schemes just lead to more questions said Texas Watchdog editor Trent Seibert. Vacar left without saying a peep and the mayors office is being quite vague on Vacars departure. Taxpayers voters and citizens need more answers.
*This story is from the Texas Watchdog
Former airport CEO Richard Vacar met with Nicaraguan strongman Daniel Ortega on junkets taxpayers funded a trip to Tripoli
Houston Mayor Bill White was informed nearly a year and a half ago that a nonprofit arm of the Houston Airport System was heavily involved in building and running airport facilities in several other countries according to public records obtained by Texas Watchdog.
The mayor who last month helped spur the sudden retirement of longtime airport system chief Richard M. Vacar was told as long ago as mid-January 2008 that the airport system and its top officials were involved in airport projects worldwide from Dublin to New Delhi as well as domestic projects such as taking over Chicagos Midway Airport if it were privatized.
Texas Watchdog also found that Vacar also rubbed shoulders with the notorious such as former Nicaraguan Communist strongman Daniel Ortega.
And a White lieutenant -- Houston chief administrative officer Anthony W. Hall Jr. -- signed off on taxpayers covering a Vacar trip to Libya costing in excess of $13000.
At the center of the questions about offshore deals and airports in exotic locations is a nonprofit corporation called HASDC - thats the Houston Airport System Development Corp. of which Vacar was chairman of the board. It was unclear Thursday whether he retained he status with the nonprofit despite his departure.
Everything that we look at in regard to the airports offshore schemes just lead to more questions said Texas Watchdog editor Trent Seibert. Vacar left without saying a peep and the mayors office is being quite vague on Vacars departure. Taxpayers voters and citizens need more answers.
*This story is from the Texas Watchdog
