Mayor’s press aide resigns under fire
She again tried to stop release of files on personal work at office
Mayor Sylvester Turner’s press secretary resigned Friday afternoon, three weeks after news broke that she had been suspended for routinely conducting personal business on city time and failing to release public records.
Darian Ward sent or received roughly 5,000 pages of emails about personal business from her government account over the last four years, many of which dealt with reality shows she was pitching to television networks or a charity for which she serves as an adviser.
Ward, who earned $93,712 annually, was suspended for 10 days without pay in late December.
Her resignation came hours before new emails showed Ward again had tried to block the release of a portion of the personal business documents she sent on city time. The Houston Chronicle and other news outlets sought the emails under the Texas Public Information Act.
“I believe many of the documents which include show concepts, treatments, etc. are protected through the Writers Guild Association’s registration. Legal needs to be advised,” Ward wrote to colleagues two weeks ago.
Assistant City Attorney Danielle Folsom replied last week, saying the city attorney’s office “does not believe that registration with the Writer’s Guild of America makes information confidential under the TPIA.”
Ward still wanted to seek an opinion from the Texas attorney general’s office, emails show. Pamela Ellis, founder of a charity Ward was promoting on city time, also asked the city to withhold documents.
As a result, the city released roughly 2,500 pages of Ward’s emails Jan. 19.
With the release of that first batch, Ward expressed confusion that her attempt to intervene had not fully halted the city’s records release.
“How were emails released when I’m waiting to write the AG’s office?” she wrote to co-workers that evening.
More pages released
The city distributed nearly 1,200 additional pages Thursday, accompanied by a letter to the attorney general’s office.
“The city takes no position with respect to the public availability of the requested information and will not raise any arguments on behalf of any third party,” Folsom wrote in requesting a ruling from the attorney general’s office.
Kelley Shannon, executive director of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, called Ward’s request absurd.
“It was done on public computers. It’s something somebody was reprimanded for,” Shannon said. “Now, there’s this effort to twist and turn the Texas Public Information Act to prevent the public from seeing what was being done on its watch.”
Ward did not respond to requests for comment but said in her resignation letter that she was stepping down “with great sadness.”
“My job is to get the city’s and your message out, not to be a distraction,” she wrote to the mayor. “Therefore, I think it is in the best interest of the city that I resign effective immediately.”
Ellis, in a brief interview Friday evening, said she sought to withhold records related to her charity and private business because the nonprofit should not be sullied by a scandal it did not cause.
“We have no connection with the city of Houston, and so I just think for our own good name and the good we do in the community there’s no reason to involve us in the story,” Ellis said.
Turner wished Ward success after accepting her resignation Friday.
“Ward served the city as a key communicator for many years and has our thanks for working in public service,” he said in a statement.
Interim aide takes over
The mayor tapped Mary Benton to replace Ward on an interim basis. Benton previously served as spokeswoman for former Precinct 1 Harris County Commissioner Gene Locke and, prior to that, worked for the Harris County Toll Road Authority and was a longtime reporter at KPRC Channel 2.
Benton declined comment. She is set to start Monday.
Ward joined former Mayor Annise Parker’s staff as press secretary in 2014. Turner kept her on in the same role.
Though he signed off on Ward’s two-week suspension, Turner initially brushed off criticism of Ward’s behavior.
“She’s done her job extremely well since I’ve been here, over and above,” the mayor told reporters three weeks ago.
Beyond conducting personal business from her city email, Ward in 2015 used Houston’s publicly funded television station, HTV, to promote contestants in a reality show she was developing.
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office has asked the city’s Office of Inspector General to share information regarding Ward’s behavior.