HOUSTON (AP) - For nearly three decades, a well-known Texas state senator has also worked in public financing, profiting in many cases from deals made by agencies the Legislature regulates.
Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, was elected in 1990 and is now seeking the Democratic Party endorsement for the Harris County Commissioners Court.
Outside the Senate, Ellis has worked in bond underwriting, when a firm handles the sale of government bonds to outside investors. The Houston Chronicle reported (https://bit.ly/1N4evsU ) his past clients include the city of Houston, Harris County, and the Lower Colorado River Authority in Austin.
U.S. senators and House members are not allowed to work as government bond underwriters, but no such requirement exists in Texas. State lawmakers are paid $7,200 a year, and most have some form of outside employment.
Ellis hasn’t listed any government bond fees in his personal financial statement since the one covering 1994. He said he was told in 1995 that he wasn’t required to disclose them.
“There is no connection between my votes in the Senate and any bond underwriting,” he told the Chronicle in an email. “I’m a businessman, lawyer, and African-American involved in public finance. I’m proud of the fact that I’m one of the first to combine those four experiences and also have a successful legislative career at the same time.”
His government service and outside work have overlapped at times.
He served on the Senate Transportation Committee when his firm was involved in underwriting hundreds of millions in bonds for mass transit in the Dallas and Houston areas as well as the North Texas Tollway Authority.
Tom Smith, Texas director of the good-government advocacy group Public Citizen, lauded Ellis’ efforts on ethics reform, but also questioned his private employment.
“There’s the good Rodney and the bad Rodney,” Smith said. “The good Rodney knows what needs to be done, but he also has made a lot of money off of connections, knowing who to talk to, and selling bonds.”
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Information from: Houston Chronicle, https://www.houstonchronicle.com
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