Le Lézard
Subjects: LAW, STP

City Of Houston Paid For Over $39,000 In Travel For Aviation Intern, Tony Buzbee


HOUSTON, Nov. 2, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Mayoral candidate Tony Buzbee said Saturday that the City of Houston approved international, business-class travel for an aviation intern during a hiring freeze. Travel for the intern totaled more than $39,000 over a ten-month period. The city also approved lodging expenses which exceeded the maximum lodging rate for the intern.

Mayor Sylvester Turner personally signed off on the creation of a $95,000 internship for Marvin Agumagu, 31, according to an investigation last month.

Agumagu was hired, despite having no aviation experience, for duties such as "preparing reports through the collection and analyzing of data relative to the operation of the business and the Aviation industry for use in making strategic decisions."

The city paid for 35 days of travel for Agumagu in less than a year to cities including Austin, Denver, Fort Worth, Tampa, Los Angeles, Miami, Berlin, Manila and Washington D.C.

"We have a real problem in the city of Houston. If you wonder why we can't put more police in the streets, why we're in litigation with firefighters, why we've only helped 15 people from Hurricane Harvey, this is why. How can this be happening in a city we claim is great? When I'm mayor, I'll initiate an 18-month hiring freeze, a real one. I'm going to end every single perk from cars to credit cards. I'm going to require the resignation of every department head. They can reapply, but I can guarantee you that I will not rehire the airport director, police chief or fire chief," Tony Buzbee said.

SOURCE Tony Buzbee



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