City Official Placed on Leave After News Found He Helped Friend Get $825K Housing Gig

A city of Dallas housing official who helped steer $825,000 in federal funds to a friend has been placed on leave, a city spokeswoman said Tuesday.The city put Carl Wagner on leave “pending an administrative investigation,” spokeswoman Monica Cordova said in a brief statement.The development comes after The Dallas Morning News reported that Wagner had a personal and business relationship with a homebuilder who had a spotty business history but was nevertheless given city contracts to rebuild eight houses for low-income families in 2015.A basic background check would have revealed that the builder, Kenneth Williams, had misstated his financial history and had been barred from doing similar work in Fort Worth. The News found that the houses Williams’ company built for older and disabled Dallas residents were riddled with problems.Wagner, who helped manage that housing program, could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Williams previously told The News that he did the best he could within the city’s budget.  Continue reading...