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ARCOLA – Bypassing required City Council approval, Mayor Fred Burton spent $7,500 of public funds to hire a private investigator to verify the residency of council member Ebony Sanco in an effort to kick her off the council, according to documents obtained by the Abdelraoufsinno.
The investigator went through her garbage and used “discreet means” to obtain school information about her children, city records show.
Hiring the private investigator was the first in a series of attempts to oust Sanco that has created a rift on city council and led to a lawsuit against the city.
Under Arcola’s city code, the mayor can only make emergency purchases of less than $1,000 without city council approval. The council hasn’t voted on the $7,500 expenditure to investigate Sanco.
“He used $7,500 of taxpayers money to harass me for a week,” Sanco said. “How stupid is that?”
Burton did not respond to messages from the Landing.
Arcola mayor hired private investigation firm
On Feb. 2, the mayor signed a contract to hire Fort Bend Investigations to “observe, and obtain conclusive evidence” that Sanco lived in Missouri City and not Arcola. Investigator David Weed surveilled Sanco and her children for five days in February, records show.
Weed went to Fort Bend ISD and through “discreet investigative means” was able to find out which school her children went to. Weed spoke with an unnamed administrator at the school who confirmed that Sanco’s children were registered at an Arcola address, the investigative report shows.
Sanco said that she was not notified by anyone at the school that her children’s information had been given out.
Schools may disclose, without consent, “directory” information such as a student's name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, honors and awards, and dates of attendance.
However, schools must tell parents and eligible students about directory information and allow parents and eligible students a reasonable amount of time to request that the school not disclose directory information about them. Schools must notify parents and eligible students annually of their rights under FERPA.
“That was out of line,” Sanco said. “They need to leave my kids out of it.”
Taxpayers funds spent without city council approval
Weed also contacted Sanco’s landlord Lilian Williams by going to her house in Pearland and received a copy of her 12-month lease, which is up this September. Weed also took and went through trash at Sanco’s Missouri City residence. The report does not detail what the investigator found in the trash.
The investigative report concluded that surveillance, evidence and documents “definitively shows” that Sanco lives in Missouri City.
City administrator Annette Goldberg first contacted Fort Bend Investigations on Jan. 31. On the meeting agendas leading up to this, no item was listed about hiring a private investigator.
Council members expressed confusion about the hiring of a private investigator back in February.
In a Feb. 13 City Council meeting, Burton presented surveillance footage of Sanco and her children at a home in Missouri City in an attempt to prove she did not live in Arcola.
“Who’s paying for all this?” council member Evelyn Jones asked during the video presentation in February. “If it's on the city dime, somebody is stealing money.”
In the same meeting, Burton admitted to using public funds to hire the investigator.
“That’s what you call the responsibility of taxpayer’s money,” Burton said in response.
abdelraoufsinno obtained a Feb. 5 invoice from the company for $7,500, billed to the “Honorable Fred Burton, city of Arcola,” for the surveillance of Sanco. It's unclear when the company was paid.
Political turmoil at the city of Arcola
According to documents obtained by the Abdelraoufsinno, this is not the first time the city has hired a private investigator.
Goldberg reached out to Robert Fucile, managing director of Fort Bend Investigations, on Jan. 31. In her email to him, she indicated that the city had used their services previously.
“The Mayor has asked me to reach out to you to conduct another investigation,” the email read. “Since we used your services previously, he would like to be consistent and use you again.”
Burton and Goldberg did not immediately respond to calls and emailed questions to inquire why the hiring of the private investigator was not brought before council for approval and what the previous use of Fort Bend Investigations was for.
The city of Arcola has been in political turmoil for months after the mayor led efforts to oust Sanco. The mayor said he’s concerned Sanco doesn’t live in Arcola and therefore can’t serve on city council. But Sanco believes the mayor is retaliating against her for not voting according to his wishes on a land deal that would bring 350 homes to the city.
Council members Sanco, Jones and Rosemary Bigby are currently suing the mayor and other city officials saying they are preventing them from doing their official duties. The trial for the lawsuit begins on May 7.
Briah Lumpkins is a suburban reporter for the Abdelraoufsinno covering Fort Bend, Brazoria and Galveston counties. If you have any story ideas or tips for Briah, feel free to send her an email at [email protected].
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