On Monday, I put up a note about which included a recording in which George Huntoon suggests to a homeowner that they bypass a water metering station to avoid paying for the water necessary to fill up a retention pond. A pond that the subdivision Silverlake called a “lake” to enhance the status of the subdivision. I spoke with Mr. Huntoon and Houston DWI Attorney Paul B. Kennedy and confirmed that the recording was authentic. But, I never spoke to the other candidate that I mentioned, Attorney Jeff Williams.
In the note, I used the terms “clandestine” and “blackmail”. Today, I received an email from Mr. Williams, upset that I had used those terms without calling him first. He says that the terms reflect badly upon his character and that he did nothing wrong in this episode. I called and spoke to him at length about the issue.
Upon reflection, he is correct. I should have called him. I used the term “clandestine” with poetic license – Mr. Huntoon never used that term. In fact, according to Mr. Williams, the first meeting took place at a Whataburger because the Denny’s next door was crowded. He explained that when he saw that Denny’s was crowded, he suggested they move next door to the Whataburger because it was less crowded, hence, more private. Not clandestine.
Which brings us to the purpose of the meeting. The reason Mr. Williams wanted privacy, he states, is because he knew that the materials he had to show Mr. Huntoon were indeed sensitive. Rather than trying to blackmail Mr. Huntoon, Mr. Williams wanted to save him the embarrassment that he thought would come from having the materials go public. Well, at least more public, because the materials were already public, they just weren’t part of an election campaign.
And, although it is certainly humbling, he is correct, I should have called him. I should not have used “clandestine” to “spice up” the story. And I should not have used “blackmail” without confirming that was his purpose. If I had called, I would have known that his purpose was noble.
I apologize to Mr. Williams. And I apologize to you, the reader. My stated purpose for doing this work is to highlight the truth and I failed in that area in this instance.
The election ended with these two men in a runoff. This runoff is going to get very, very nasty because that is the nature of runoff elections. I wish it weren’t so but it is. I hope that by acknowledging this mistake now, I can cover it from a distance, fairly and equitably. Thank you for your support.