Ex-Richardson Mayor Goes on Trial in Steamy Bribery Case

SHERMAN -- Laura Maczka’s position on new apartments near Richardson neighborhoods was clear during her successful run for mayor - we don’t need them, “period.”Then she met an apartment developer.Mark Jordan was younger, handsome and rich, federal prosecutors say. They had an affair. He lavished her with gifts and trips, according to prosecutors. In exchange, she voted for zoning changes for his controversial Palisades mixed-use project along Central Expressway, which neighbors fiercely opposed due to its numerous apartments, her indictment says.Mark Jordan received more than $45 million in economic development incentives from the city. And he gave her a high-paying job for which she wasn’t qualified and married her, according to federal prosecutors.Those are allegations the government hopes to prove to a jury as the Plano couple’s bribery trial gets under way this week in Sherman, about an hour north of downtown Dallas. The trial began Monday morning with jury selection.  Continue reading...