Defeated mayoral bidder Boykins to join Harris County DA’s office
Following a failed bid for mayor, City Councilman Dwight Boykins will join the Harris County District Attorney’s Office in January, handling community outreach for a secondchance program.
“I am really excited to have an opportunity to work with the DA’s Office to make lives better,” Boykins told the Houston Chronicle in a text message.
It’s not clear what exactly the program will entail, but a district attorney confirmed that the longtime local politician will work on a 90-day contract subject to review and possible renewal.
“Dwight has dedicated himself to serving the public and has experience with secondchance programs,” said district attorney spokesman Dane Schiller, “and will reach out to vulnerable populations, such as the elderly, at-risk youth, and potential gang members.”
Now the District D councilman, Boykins is a Houston native raised in the South Union neighborhood. He graduated Texas Southern University and spent decades in banking and lobbying before turning to local politics. In June, he announced his plans to challenge Mayor Sylvester Turner, repeatedly criticizing his former ally’s handling of the contentious debate involving firefighters’ pay parity concerns, a move that won him the union’s endorsement.
In July, a video of Boykins telling a group of teenage girls at a youth advocacy summit to “keep their legs closed” sparked criticism, though Boykins later said he’d just been asked to “speak frankly” about difficulties for youth, including teen pregnancy.
Ultimately, Boykins failed to make the runoff after winning 6 percent of the vote.
News of his new job comes as District Attorney Kim Ogg makes a renewed push for more prosecutors, asking county commissioners for more than $7 million to hire 58 new attorneys at an office she’s long argued is drastically understaffed.
While the slew of added lawyers would be paid for through the regular budget process if approved, Boykins’ fees will be paid for using the district attorney’s hot check fund. The current DA administration typically has used that fund to pay for some attorney training and travel, small amounts of office supplies and some high-dollar contractor fees, including payments to special prosecutor John Raley and top lieutenant C.O. Bradford.
Created by state law, the fund is a largely unrestricted pot of money that prosecutors may use to cover expenses related to the office without asking commissioners for approval.