Facing a wave of anger over land deals tied to planned data centers, Caldwell County Judge Hoppy Haden says he is not going anywhere. On Monday he said he will not resign after a grassroots group called for a law-enforcement review of the transactions.
The dust-up started after Haden disclosed that he and a county assistant district attorney had each signed separate pre-sale agreements with a land-acquisition company for neighboring pieces of ranchland. Haden maintains the land has not been sold and might never be. After learning about the agreements, District Attorney Fred Weber fired the assistant and said the twin deals created an appearance of impropriety. Haden has told county leaders that he filed a conflict-of-interest affidavit and will step aside from any county business involving the property.
Activists call for outside probe
The Caldwell Data Center Action Team on Monday urged the Texas Rangers, the Texas Attorney General’s Office and Caldwell County District Attorney Fred Weber to launch a full, independent investigation, according to CBS Austin. Members of the group say the deals have shattered public trust and could threaten property values and local resources. The organization has been staging public actions and has rolled out a "Data Center Week of Action," according to the Caldwell Data Center Action Team.
Judge files disclosure, pledges to recuse
Haden says he filed the required disclosure affidavit with the Caldwell County clerk immediately after he signed his pre-sale agreement, then announced the filing at a commissioners court meeting. He told commissioners he will sit out any future county negotiations, votes or discussion tied to the land. According to Caldwell County, Haden also emphasized that the pre-sale agreement simply gives a potential buyer time to conduct due diligence on the property.
DA: appearance of impropriety
Weber has said the fact that a county attorney under his supervision and the county judge each had separate pre-sale agreements could look like they had "inside knowledge, resources and contacts not available to the general public," creating "an appearance of impropriety and a potential conflict of interest." He added that he has no reason at this point to believe anything illegal happened, but said he felt obligated to address conduct that could undermine confidence in the district attorney’s office. The assistant county attorney involved in the land deal was later dismissed, according to the county release.
Campaign contributions stoke concern
Campaign finance reports have added fresh fuel to the controversy. Local reporting found that 83.1% of Haden’s campaign contributions since February came from a single donor, Brooks Willig, and CBS Austin confirmed Willig donated $17,000 during that stretch. Haden has responded that he has complied with state disclosure rules and has no intention of stepping down, but the outsized donations, combined with the matching pre-sale agreements, have intensified residents’ questions about how the data center projects are being handled.
What’s next
The Caldwell Data Center Action Team says it will keep pushing for outside review and public testimony while it carries out its week of action around the proposed data centers, according to the group’s materials. Any decision to open a formal state investigation will rest with state law enforcement and the attorney general.
Legal context
Under Texas law, local public officials who hold a substantial interest in real property must file an affidavit disclosing that interest and often must avoid taking part in decisions that would affect the property. The affidavit and abstention rules appear in FindLaw, which summarizes Local Government Code §171.004, and penalties for knowingly violating those provisions are outlined in Justia, in its summary of §171.003.
