Drip Drip Drip
NEW VIDEO! We’ve been debating what to call our latest Thirsty for Answers report from Corpus Christi. Do we call it “DRIP, DRIP, DRIP” as we expose more drama in the fight over water, or “RUN RUN RUN,” because that’s what a lot of folks are doing when we try to ask them questions to get the truth?
Drip Drip Drip
“Come on man don’t make me have to chase you, it’s ridiculous,” Wayne Dolcefino said.
The chase is on at Corpus Christi City Hall.
“You’re going to make me walk down the stairs with you really. C’mon Mr Holland, this is silly,” Dolcefino said.
The guy fleeing from us will duck into the men’s room.
“We’re just playing games and game and games,” Dolcefino said.
I’ll admit it’s not quite as intense as the dinosaur chase scenes in Jurassic Park, but I love this line.
“Do you think we ended the chase at the restroom door? Not a chance, because we are thirsty for answers,” Dolcefino told the camera.
Let’s rewind a few hours.
We are finally getting a chance to talk to George Holland.
For three and a half years he’s been Corpus Christi’s watchdog.
The guy who told local TV viewers last year they could trust him.
“Pride myself and my integrity of over 35 years auditing experience. I just want to get to the truth,” Holland said.
We are trying to get to the truth too, and that’s why I delivered a message to the members of the City Council Audit Committee.
“I want an explanation of where my waste fraud and abuse complaint is and why has it not been acted on, why it’s not on the agenda,” Dolcefino said.
The allegations, local hotel developer Ajit David cheated taxpayers on building permit fees, grossly undervaluing the cost of renovation to this Residence Inn hotel downtown.
Ten million dollars less.
Corpus Christi City Council knows but has done nothing.
Neither has the auditor.
Now we want an independent investigation.
“Why is Mr. Holland being allowed to conduct the investigations where he has a clear conflict of interest?” Dolcefino said.
“The auditor, his office should not be within a mile of any of these hotel fights,” Dolcefino said.
“We’ve since learned the Audit Committee doesn’t have the authority to direct the auditor to do anything. Kind of makes it useless,” Dolcefino told the camera.
And that means the city thinks it can simply ignore our formal complaint they claimed they want.
Holland had just promised an interview when the meeting ended. He had avoided us for weeks.
Even hiding in his house when we knocked on his front door. He called our visit a crime.
“Trespassing is not a legal activity, you can’t do that,” Holland said.
“Trespassing at City Hall?” Dolcefino said.
“No at my home,” Holland said.
Maybe that explains why Holland wrongly accused the developers of the Homewood Suites hotel of forgery, because they covered up the date on a FEMA press release during a PowerPoint presentation trying to get two million dollars in tax incentives.
Holland set off an investigation that has wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Law enforcement found no crime. Neither did the law firm hired by the city to investigate.
“I have a big problem with that. I have a problem with you not taking a look at everyone equally,” Susie Saldana said.
Months after getting hired in 2023, George Holland was already in trouble, accused of workplace misconduct, creating a toxic work atmosphere.
He called it a witch hunt, but an outside firm wanted him fired.
“The attorneys performing the investigation heavily recommended removing the auditor from his office based on toxic work environment and essential skills needed to manage the audit department,” Elena Martinez said.
During that first investigation another auditor accused Holland of sexual misconduct during a trip to San Antonio. In recent days she has told us even more.
“When I would walk into his office he would gyrate his hips up and down, look at me, look down at his crotch, then look up. He would do that with other people too.”
The lawyer representing Holland in that investigation was Doug Allison.
Allison is also the lawyer for Ajit David in his continuing lawsuit against the city.
And the husband of former Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales, an arch political enemy of Mayor Paulette Guajardo.
“The timing of the Homewood Suites criminal allegations should have raised red flags from the very start. It came after Doug Allison had helped Holland save his job,” Dolcefino told the camera.
The auditor invited us to his office after the audit meeting. He had just shocked the room, announcing he was leaving his job in two weeks.
We get in the elevator, but he suddenly gets back out.
We watch Holland then walk to another elevator on the other side of City Hall.
You know us. We joined him to ask about his allegiance to his former lawyer.
“Did you ever an attorney in the past? You know what they are doing now?” Holland said.
“Yeah, I know what all my attorneys are doing,” Dolcefino said.
“I’m fed up with corruption,” Rachel Caballero said.
Failed political candidate Rachel Caballero claims she’s the one who started the drive to impeach the mayor.
“As a community member we deserve accountability,” Caballero said.
I like accountability too, so why is Rachel afraid to face our questions?
“I have never spoken to you. I don’t even like you,” Caballero said.
That’s pretty obvious. Check out her Facebook page.
“You have this weird used car salesman lawyer guy Dolcefino consulting out of Houston,” Caballero said.
“Your information is incorrect. I never spoke about your company,” Caballero said.
Look at all the names she’s already called me after my Thirsty for Answers investigation started. We have a list going.
This Caballero lady has even tried to link me to a political organized crime ring supposedly running Corpus Christi.
“You got me. There’s The Godfather right here on the wall of my Houston headquarters. I even have this Corleone family cookbook,” Dolcefino told the camera.
“This is literally good versus evil,” Caballero said.
“Boy my cover is blown,” Dolcefino told the camera.
“You’re kind of like a paid hit man,” Gil Hernandez said.
“The councilman hopes folks won’t listen to our questions,” Dolcefino told the camera.
Like his reaction to an ethics complaint that’s been filed against him and two other councilmembers, Eric Cantu and Kaylynn Paxson.
“I care about the city and wasting money and I care about the public trust, and someone has to stand up for what’s right,” Sondra Meyer said.
Campaign records show Hernandez took 2500 dollars in campaign money in 2024 from Ajit David’s company.
Most of the money came a day after David asked the auditor to investigate his competitors, the developers of the Homewood Suites.
But Hernandez says the campaign money was actually related to his vote to stop a convention center hotel. Not sure that’s better.
“Was that timing just a coincidence?” Dolcefino said.
“Just retaliation,” Hernandez said.
“I’m talking about the contribution,” Dolcefino said.
“No, it was for something different,” Hernandez said.
Despite repeated conclusions there was no corruption here, Hernandez led a last-minute effort to say the Homewood Suites folks somehow defaulted on their contract.
Ignoring a city lawyer’s warning it could spark yet another expensive lawsuit.
But at the same time Hernandez has been ignoring the allegations against Ajit David.
“It does look kind of funny,” Dolcefino said.
“You are probably correct in the sense that it needs to be looked at so it can be addressed,” Hernandez said.
We confronted Hernandez for ignoring the auditor’s clear conflict.
“Why should he be involved in any of this?” Dolcefino said.
“You’ll have to ask him. I don’t know, I didn’t talk to him about any of this,” Hernandez said.
“Who does he work for?” Dolcefino said.
“For the councilman,” Hernandez said.
“So he works for you?” Dolcefino said.
“Look, I know you are a paid guy that does this,” Hernandez said.
It’s clear Holland wants out of Dodge. We saw a U-Haul attached to his pickup truck outside City Hall.
“Before the auditor leaves, we think Corpus Christi taxpayers should demand to know more about his motives,” Dolcefino told the camera.
Keeping this hotel fight alive appears to be part of a bigger battle, the fight against the mayor.
“It would be great if we all got along up here. That’s not going to happen. It’s called democracy,” Caroline Vaughn said.
“Is that what you call it?” Dolcefino told the camera.
The battle lines are clear. Ajit David supports the impeachment, so does Mr. Allison.
“The mayor needs to resign,” Doug Allison said.
But it’s also a fight to stop a June vote to move forward with the Inner Harbor desalination project.
This is also about whether Corpus Christi will control its own water future.
The Port of Corpus Christi has already been embroiled with scandal because of water.
“He’s walking away with 1.6 million dollars.”
Sean Strawbridge was forced to resign from the port after he was busted for excessive spending.
He brought Doug Allison in as a lawyer for the port. Records released to Dolcefino Media show Allison billed the port 2.3 million dollars.
Where is Strawbridge today? He’s now partners with Doug Allison.
Planning the largest water infrastructure project ever built in South Texas.
Congratulations are in order.
We saw on Facebook Doug Allison and Barbara Canales just had a wedding in Revello, Italy.
The ceremony performed by the daughter-in-law of the judge presiding over David’s lawsuit against the city. I love small towns.
The former county judge, she is into water business too. Two years ago she became the CEO of Blue Water Renewables.
Yet another reason why we wanted to know if Doug Allison provided free or discounted legal services to the auditor, who then went after the Homewood Suites.
Just like Allison wanted. The question hit a nerve.
“So how much did you pay Mr. Allison?” Dolcefino said.
“No, you’re lying, you don’t know the facts,” Holland said.
“I’m lying? What am I lying about?” Dolcefino said.
“You’re getting paid,” Holland said.
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