HOUSTON – Houston Controller Chris Hollins announced Monday that his office has opened a formal investigation into Mayor John Whitmire’s senior advisor for financial integrity, former Houston Controller Chris Brown, following questions raised about Brown’s role, work activity and use of taxpayer-funded resources.
The investigation comes after a Houston Chronicle investigation raised concerns about Brown’s attendance records, supervision and job responsibilities while serving in a taxpayer-funded position within the mayor’s office.
According to Hollins, the review will examine compliance with city policies, oversight and accountability measures, and whether taxpayers received appropriate value from the position.
“The questions raised are serious, and bring about significant concerns that demand a full accounting to Houstonians,” Hollins said. “No one takes any satisfaction in having to examine the actions of a public servant, but public trust depends on responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars, adherence to city policies, and accountability for work funded by the public.”
During a news conference announcing the investigation, Hollins cited reporting indicating Brown received a salary of more than $127,000 annually while badging into city facilities only 13 times over nearly 600 workdays.
“Mr. Brown has collected a taxpayer-funded salary of more than $127,000 per year, while badging into city facilities only 13 times over a period spanning nearly 600 workdays,” Hollins said.
Hollins also noted that Brown’s current position did not previously exist and was created specifically for him within the Whitmire administration.
According to Hollins, the investigation will focus on determining what work was performed and whether taxpayers received value for the position.
“The central issue in question is whether the work being paid for with taxpayer money was performed at all,” Hollins said. “What did Houstonians receive for the money that they spent? What advice was provided? What responsibilities were assigned? What deliverables were produced? Who supervised that work? And how was Mr. Brown’s performance evaluated over this two and a half year period?”
Hollins emphasized that the investigation is not a finding of wrongdoing and said investigators intend to interview Brown, Mayor Whitmire and other relevant parties.
“We intend to work together with the mayor in this investigation,” Hollins said. “We expect full compliance. We expect that documents that are necessary will be turned over. We expect when we interview the mayor and Comptroller Brown that they will cooperate.”
Hollins also called on Whitmire to suspend Brown while the investigation is underway.
“I’m calling upon Mayor Whitmire to immediately suspend Chris Brown pending the outcome of this investigation,” Hollins said. “Suspension is not a finding of wrongdoing.”
The controller repeatedly stressed that no conclusions have been reached.
“This is not a finding. This is not conclusion. We have to follow the facts,” Hollins said. “Today is day one, and so there are no conclusions. There are only questions.”
KPRC 2 contacted Chris Brown for comment but has not yet received a response.
In response to the investigation, Mayor Whitmire issued the following statement:
“Chris Brown has spent more than 20 years serving Houstonians, including eight years as Controller, where he ran a serious, competent Controller’s Office and helped define the problem of Houston’s structurally imbalanced budget. This is exactly the experience I want on my team as we navigate complex city finances, reduce costs, and lay the foundation for long-term fiscal stability. Controller Brown was a part of helping pass the FY27 budget with a 15-1 vote and continues to provide valuable public service. I don’t have time for politics.”
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