In Mayor Turner's administration, Houston's City Hall saw a push to amend airport contracts in a way that could tie the hands of his successor. According to a report by KPRC 2 Investigates, Agenda Item 34 on the council's session proposes changes that would require City Council approval for terminating food and beverage and retail concession contracts at George Bush Intercontinental and William P. Hobby Airports.
Previously, the authority to cancel contracts rested solely with the Mayor and the Director of the Houston Airport System. This change is proposed despite sources suggesting a feud with Areas-Pappas, known as the "food fight. Despite attempts to obtain clarification on the matter, neither the airport's Communications Director nor Mayor Turner's office responded to the inquiries posed by KPRC 2 Investigates.
Pappas Restaurants filed a lawsuit against the city, claiming foul play in the bidding process for a Hobby Airport contract, as The Houston Chronicle reported. This dispute has heated up following a contentious bidding process that led to the company, which had a long-standing presence at the airport, losing a lucrative contract to Spain-based Areas SUA.
The legal complaint zeroes in William-Paul Thomas, a former aide to Mayor Turner, who reached out to Pappas CEO Chris Pappas during a no-contact period for bidding, delivering a message expressing his wish to discuss the airport concession,"Mr. Pappas, this is William Paul-Thomas, Mayor Sylvester Turner’s Office. I wanted to visit with you regarding the upcoming airport concession at Hobby Airport. I had a great meeting with a couple of folks and I’m going to share with you some of the thoughts that we had going forward. Please give me a call at your convenience.” The city's chief procurement officer has rejected the complaints about the bidding process, stating it was carried out by relevant law. After the denial of their formal protest by the city, 4 Families, the umbrella company for Pappas, stated, "Unfortunately, the (city's) response was conclusory at best and clearly did not take seriously our concerns that the city failed to comply with state law, city code, as well as the city’s own policies and procedures in this procurement.”
