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Sarah Grunau\/ Houston Public Media<\/p>\n
A seasoned engineer in line to receive Harris County commissioners\u2019 appointment as flood control director works for a firm that is tied to a delayed flood bond project \u2014 a key controversy at the center of the former director\u2019s departure. <\/p>\n
County commissioners are set to discuss appointing Marcus Stuckett during a closed-door executive session on Thursday, according to meeting agenda documents published late last week. Stuckett is the former director of engineering at the Harris County Flood Control District and is the vice president of a Houston-based private engineering firm, Pape-Dawson, according to a public LinkedIn profile. He served in various capacities at the flood control district for six years, until 2022.<\/p>\n
Sign up for the Hello, Houston!<\/a> daily newsletter to get local reports like this delivered directly to your inbox.<\/p>\n Commissioner Adrian Garcia told Houston Public Media on Wednesday that without a look at a pool of qualified candidates, there\u2019s no way of knowing whether Stuckett stands out. <\/p>\n \u201cFor a position as critical as director of flood control, I cannot understand why we would abandon a process we have used for every other department appointment,\u201d Garcia said. \u201cThe process enables us to understand the capabilities and wherewithal of any candidate seeking to take on significant responsibilities within the county.\u201d <\/p>\n Hundreds of campaign finance, court and public county documents reviewed by Houston Public Media show that Pape-Dawson has made several high-dollar campaign donations to some commissioners on both sides of the political aisle. The company has received bids to complete county flood control projects \u2014 including one that\u2019s off track to meet a federal funding deadline \u2014 and is facing allegations in district court for a project that left sinkholes in a Katy housing development. <\/p>\n Houston Public Media requested comment from Pape-Dawson, and from Stuckett through the firm, and did not immediately get a response. <\/p>\n Stuckett\u2019s potential appointment comes after Tina Petersen resigned June 11<\/a> as director of the Harris County Flood Control District after introducing a framework plan that she said would save several flood bond projects facing a federal funding deadline early next year. The projects were authorized by county voters as part of a $2.5 billion flood bond in 2018, a year after Hurricane Harvey caused widespread flooding throughout the Houston region.<\/p>\n In an internal resignation letter obtained by Houston Public Media, Petersen said her role became a distraction. Her performance had been at the center of criticisms and hours-long closed-door meetings among commissioners since the revelation that many of those post-Harvey projects were not on track to meet the grant funding deadlines. A May report from the flood control district shows that more than $245 million in grant funds are jeopardized as projects linger behind schedule<\/a>. <\/p>\n A political action committee affiliated with Pape-Dawson has donated $18,500 to Commissioner Tom Ramsey\u2019s campaign since 2023 and $12,500 to Commissioner Rodney Ellis\u2019 campaign since 2021. The PAC\u2019s finance report last month included two payments totaling $1,000 to Commissioner Lesley Briones\u2019 campaign and a $500 payment to Ellis\u2019 campaign.<\/p>\n Briones declined to comment.<\/p>\n \u201cMarcus brings deep technical experience, institutional knowledge, and an understanding of the urgency required to move projects forward,\u201d Ellis said. \u201cI look forward to working with him to restore accountability, improve transparency, protect available funding, and deliver on the commitments made to Harris County voters and residents.”<\/p>\n Pape-Dawson was selected for the third phase of the Kluge Stormwater Detention Basin project, approved by voters as part of the flood bond, in Ramsey\u2019s Precinct 3. <\/p>\n Amery Reid, a spokesperson for Ramsey\u2019s office, said the project appears to be held up in the flood control district\u2019s review process, not by the consultant.<\/p>\n Emily Woodell, a spokesperson for the flood control district, said the Kluge project is set to begin construction this month. It went out for bid earlier this year, she said. Woodell also said she \u201ccan’t speak to who was on the [project] team\u201d from Pape-Dawson.<\/p>\n \u201cCommissioner Ramsey looks forward to Marcus’s appointment tomorrow,\u201d Reid said Wednesday. <\/p>\n According to a Pape-Dawson news release about Stuckett\u2019s hiring at the firm in 2022, he has overseen engineering, designing and bidding of the county flood control district\u2019s projects, and served as a liaison to the county\u2019s engineering department. <\/p>\n The firm was sued by a Katy housing development in 2024 for designing a detention pond project that left deep sinkholes in the area. The lawsuit, which is pending, alleges Pape-Dawson failed to follow certain county flood control district specifications to test for erosion susceptibility.<\/p>\n The company denied all allegations in a court filing. <\/p>\n \u2018Shovels, not scapegoats\u2019<\/p>\n Earlier this month, Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham put pressure on the county flood control district to get delayed flood bond projects to construction more quickly. She said there\u2019s \u201clikely zero chance\u201d the district will meet a funding benchmark set by the Texas General Land Office for early next year if county officials don\u2019t set aside differences to eliminate delays. <\/p>\n