HOUSTON — Mayoral Candidate Tony Buzbee is suing Mayor Sylvester Turner over billboards promoting AlertHouston.
The billboard campaign is funded by a Texas Department of Emergency Management mitigation grant. Clear Channel Outdoors partnered with the Office of Emergency Management for the ad campaign.
Buzbee said he was filing a lawsuit Wednesday against Sylvester Turner and Clear Channel Outdoors for violations of campaign finance laws.
“Rather than promoting public safety, these billboards do nothing but promote this failed mayor,” said Buzbee in a statement.
A Redditor also noticed the AlertHouston ad campaign uses the same color scheme as Turner’s re-election campaign materials.
KHOU 11 News verified whether the billboards violate any laws:
Political analyst Bob Stein says a judge will make the ultimate decision, but he does not believe Mayor Turner has done anything wrong.
“You could do an effective campaign and just have a lot of verbiage, but putting the mayor’s face on the billboard, he’s the most recognizable and effective person to make these statements,” said Stein. “You are sworn to protect the interest and body of the community. The mayor is doing it. Obviously, this what we call an incumbent advantage. He is the incumbent.”
Galveston County Judge Mark Henry and former Harris County Judge Ed Emmett have done the same for hurricane preparedness ads in the past.
Some of Emmett’s billboards were reportedly paid for with campaign funds.
Is it convenient that the colors match Turner’s re-election campaign posters? Yes, but that doesn’t make it illegal.
Mary Benton, a spokesperson for the mayor’s office, sent the following statement Wednesday:
“The City is grateful the TDEM grant has enabled it to promote the system citywide prior to the June 1 start of Hurricane Season. The Houston (OEM) chose Mayor Sylvester Turner to be the spokesperson for the first phase of the AlertHouston! promotional campaign because the mayor is the City’s emergency manager during natural disasters, major events and other emergencies,” said Benton. “It is unfortunate that some would choose to politicize this very important public safety message. However, the administration welcomes the media attention given to the AlertHouston Campaign, in hopes that it may actually help to save lives.”
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