Mike Heiligenstein was a member of the Williamson
County Commissioners Court until December 2003, and in
that capacity voted for the formation of
CTRMA and for
the appointments of four of its board members. According
to CTRMA’s
Web site, he also “initiated the drive for
transportation improvements that led to the passage of a
$350 million dollar bond package” in Williamson County.
In 2004, however, the Texas Ethics Commission cited
Heiligenstein and three other Williamson County
commissioners for an ethics violation related to the
promotion of that same bond package. The Ethics
Commission found that the commissioners used public
funds for political advertising in connection with the
Williamson County Road Bonds Program. Each commissioner
received and paid a $400 civil penalty for the
violation. Several future CTRMA contractors also worked
on this bond program.
CTRMA’s board offered Heiligenstein the executive
director job on November 5, 2003. He continued to serve
on the Williamson County Commissioners Court, voting at
its December 2, 2003 hearing, and was formally selected
for the CTRMA job on December 9.
Thus one of the persons responsible for creating
CTRMA found himself in the authority’s top position.
[
REPORT: Central Texas Regional Mobility
Authority: A Need for a Higher Standard (3/05)
]
