HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A heated dispute between Houston Mayor John Whitmire and City Controller Chris Hollins erupted during Wednesday’s City Council meeting over a senior mayoral financial adviser’s nearly $127,000 salary and the amount of work he performs for the city.
The confrontation escalated as Hollins pressed for information related to his investigation into Chris Brown, the city’s senior adviser for financial integrity. Brown, the former Houston city controller, was hired by the Whitmire administration in January 2024 for a position the mayor created.
The city council meeting ultimately paused for a 10-minute recess after Whitmire accused Hollins of embarrassing himself and said the controller kept speaking without being recognized.
The dispute follows a June Houston Chronicle report that found Brown had badged into City Hall only 13 times since beginning the job in 2024 and sent less than one email per week on average.
Hollins opened an investigation after that report, saying taxpayers deserve to know what the work behind it is in a six-figure city position.
“This is taxpayer money being spent on a six-figure position,” Hollins said. “If he’s working, if he’s providing value, if he’s been so instrumental, then show us the emails, show us the PowerPoint documents, show us the Excel files that he’s worked on.”
Hollins said his office requested records from the city in June but had not received the information he requested. He said documents began arriving only Tuesday night, after his office submitted a public-records request. Hollins said he expects to release his investigation findings publicly within a few weeks, once he determines whether the city has provided all requested records.
Brown publicly addressed the controversy for the first time Wednesday, describing his position as remote and assignment-based.
“I perform assignments assigned to me and appear when asked, as I have today,” Brown said.
Brown acknowledged that before the Chronicle report, he was working about 15 hours per week. He said his workload varies and that he is currently involved in 19 city projects.
He also criticized Hollins, saying the controller had not responded to repeated invitations to discuss city budget strategies. Hollins denied that claim, saying Brown had not contacted him recently about the budget.
Council Member Alejandra Salinas questioned Brown about his stated 15-hour-a-week schedule. Mayor Whitmire intervened, arguing Brown was hired for his experience rather than for an hourly schedule.
“We didn’t hire him by the hour,” Whitmire said. “We hired him for his experience and his knowledge.”
Whitmire defended Brown as a valuable adviser who is fairly compensated, calling Hollins’ investigation political theater. The mayor argued that Hollins lacks authority to investigate Brown and suggested the controller is using the matter to raise his political profile for future campaigns.
Hollins previously launched a mayoral campaign before withdrawing in 2023, and speculation has continued about whether he could run again. Asked Wednesday by ABC13 whether he plans to seek the office in the next election cycle, Hollins declined to give a direct answer, saying he was focused on the work of the controller’s office.
Copyright © 2026 KTRK-TV. All Rights Reserved.