William Menjivar/Houston Public Media
Houston Mayor John Whitmire speaks during an appearance on Hello Houston.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire’s office paid up to $60,000 for his new podcast, “901 Bagby: Inside The Mayor’s Office,” according to records obtained by Houston Public Media.
In a purchase order, the work provided by podcast host Owen Conflenti — owner of Conflenti Media and former KPRC 2 news anchor — was described as “advertising services.”
The podcast is intended to foster “public engagement,” Whitmire told Houston Public Media on Friday.
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He declined to discuss the matter further, simply adding, “Stay tuned.”
Since March 2, there have been three episodes of the podcast. Running from 17-22 minutes, the segments covered the Houston Police Department’s growing workforce, budget management, the mayor’s initiative to address homelessness, as well as preparations for the FIFA World Cup, in which the city is set to host seven matches this summer.
In the first episode, Whitmire said, “I’m so confident that we’re on the right track that I don’t — I don’t worry about the politics or re-election.”
“You win elections in between elections,” Whitmire told Conflenti. “I don’t have time for politics.”
The purchase came from taxpayer funds, not Whitmire’s campaign coffers. Public funds cannot be used for political advertising, which the Texas Ethics Commission defines in part as “a communication supporting or opposing a candidate for nomination or election to a public office.”
“I do think anything that would refer to politics or elections falls into the gray zone,” said Nancy Sims, a political science lecturer at the University of Houston. “If it’s a taxpayer-funded podcast — which, you know, I applaud him for doing a podcast, that is the hottest current thing and way to communicate with the public — but if he does talk about anything political, that would skirt into the gray zone.”
Addressing Whitmire’s comments about reelection, campaign ethics attorney Andrew Cates said, “It’s close, but it’s not overtly against any laws or regulations that I know of.”
Sims and Cates pointed out Whitmire is not alone in using public dollars to highlight achievements. At all levels of government, elected officials often use physical newsletters and digital communiques to connect with constituents.
“This has been a debate as long as I’ve been involved in politics and even long before that,” Sims said. “It’s always been a bit of a controversy when elected officials use whatever latest tools are out there to tell the story of their success in leading.”
In its response to Houston Public Media’s public records request, the city did not release the agreement between Conflenti and the administration. The administration is seeking an opinion from the Texas Attorney General’s Office — which referees public records disputes — to allow the city to withhold it.
It is unclear if the agreement includes other services. A spokesperson for Whitmire did not respond to a question about how many episodes or what timespan the payment covers.
Conflenti did not respond to requests for comment.
In comments to Chron.com, Conflenti described the podcast as “an opportunity for the mayor to speak at length and give more context to important issues.”
“Sound bites and social media videos often limit the conversation,” Conflenti said.
Whitmire’s office did not seek competitive bids for the work. The administration took advantage of a “professional services” exemption from the state’s competitive bidding rules.
In the form justifying the exemption, the administration said Conflenti’s work “will support the communications strategy established by the Mayor’s office, help execute that strategy across broadcast and digital formats, and provide hands-on production and on-camera leadership where helpful — without adding permanent headcount or creating operational burden.”
Whitmire isn’t the only public official in Houston to claim control of his message in a taxpayer-funded media production. Under state-appointed superintendent Mike Miles, the Houston Independent School District launched a digital, news-like video program called “HISD Now” — to the tune of $2 million from 2025 through 2026, according to the Houston Chronicle.