THE FORCES BEHIND THE COUNTRY CLUB 120-APARTMENT PROJECT: DALLAS DOES DEBBIE

By Juan Montoya
After posting yesterday on the move by Texas Cameron Apartments' successful strategy of packing the city commission chambers August 20 to gain a unanimous approval for their 120-units low-income housing at the Brownsville Country Club, we went over out previous posts and found out that although the names have changed, the companies and individuals involved are the same suspects as before.
At the time (May 2011), we asked why a Saleem Jafar of Plano and Dallas would care so much about who was mayor in Brownsville and contribute to then-incumbent Pat Ahumada with two donations of $2,500 each.
Jafar, we found out, served as the President of Odyssey Residential Holdings, and is the Limited Patnership's (ORH) general partner in Dallas
One of those listed as partners in that company was none other than James R. (Bill) Fisher, who serves as Vice President of OHR and is responsible for Finance and Development. He is listed in the company's website as bringing over 10 years of significant experience in all aspects of housing development and finance, specifically affordable housing development and affordable housing finance programs.
This is the same Bill Fisher who along with daughter Melissa Renee Fisher Adami are listed in incorporation papers as the officers in the Texas Cameron Apartments. They are also listed as officers in the Naples Investment Company, who gave Debbie Portillo two contributions for her city commission campaign of $1,000 and $3,500.
Who is Bill Fisher and why should we care?
A Dallas Observer contains much more in-depth coverage on the background on this man.
In 1995, after having been convicted in federal court for conspiracy to defraud, Fisher's conviction was overturned on appeal and in a retrial in 1998, he was found not guilty of conspiracy to defraud investors in a Florida land deal.
His conviction was overturned by the federal 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on multiple grounds in 1997 after he had spent more than a year in a federal prison.
Less than four years ago, around July  2009, an FBI agent has testified in the Dallas City Hall corruption trial that an investigation into corruption in Dallas began with allegations that associates of a top city official were trying to solicit bribes from a developer. The man making that accusation was Fisher, who was in a bidding war with a former associate and went to the FBI when the officials started upping the ante and demanding too much for positive votes on his zoning and housing projects request before the Dallas city boards.
In his testimony during the trial, Fisher was a key government witness against former Mayor Pro Tem Don Hill and others after he agreed to become an informant. The prosecution said that black leaders solicited bribes from white developers, with black leaders saying it was time for the white developers to pay.
Late that year, in August, Fisher admitted he had made several "contributions" to former council member Maxine Thornton-Reese. Fisher had projects in Reese's council district. Apparently Fisher had sent Reese three checks for $1,000 each, described as campaign contributions. All three had bounced.
When he heard details of her conversation, Fisher immediately sent cashier's checks to Reese by messenger.
The government played video of another meeting in which Fisher hands John Lewis a check for $50,000. Fisher told the court his zoning issue for Dallas West Village passed the city council the day he handed Lewis the check.
Fisher's testimony provided the government the evidence it needed to convict at least seven former city officials and their agents.
It should be noted that Fisher has been involved in bidding for local projects with the Brownsville Housing Authority and that many suspect that Ahumada's replacement of a majority on the BHA board back then might have cleared the way for their participation on projects in the future.
One of the projects that Fisher was able to get was the Candlewick Apartments that the BHA approved with a disadvantageous five-year contract, sources say.
Recently, Oddysey successfully challenged the bid of a competitor for Citrus Gardens, a $16 million public-housing project being planned by the BHA.
In fact, as we speak, a Dallas-base property management company associated with Fisher and his daughter (UAH Property Management,) is in charge of Bowie Garden Apartments, at 4650 Bowie Road, Candlewick Homes, 1155 Paredes Line Road, Citrus Gardens, 2100 Grapefruit Street, and lists as uncompleted a development known as Champion Homes at Creek Canyon, 1701 Canyon Circle, all in Brownsville.
They are the outfit that packed the city commission chambers where the commissioners approved Fisher's application for tax credits from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs to build the 120-low-income apartment unit at the Brownsville Country Club.
Even though the names have changed, the actors remain the same.
Texas Cameron Apartments LP is just a front name.
Fisher and his daughter are also the principals in corporations dealing with low-income tax-credit funded housing such as the Somona Housing Advisors,  Odyssey Residential Housing, Odyssey Residential Construction, Odysey Residential Acquisitions I, II, Slade Construction, etc. They are also listed as officers in Naples Investment Company, the generous campaign contributors to Portillo's campaign. We wonder who introduced her to the Fishers?
The project at the country club (Villas Mayorca, TDHCA # 13-068) ) has been challenged by the Brownsville Country Club Neighborhoods Association for the issuance of the tax credits that will fund the $11 million construction project to Texas Cameron Apartments. When the TDHCA reviewed the application and found that the neighborhood association was challenging the issuance of the tax credits, they deducted 10 points from their scoring.
Undaunted that at least 63 residents had stated their opposition to the project, Texas Cameron Apartments decided to go to the city commission for their approval. The $50 gift cards to project residents by the UAH guaranteed that a "standing-room only" crowd would show up. In the end, UAH's President Michael Clark spent $7,100 to guarantee a unanimous approval vote from the commissioners.
The state still hasn't made a decision on the project, and Luis Sorola, the attorney handling the challenge for the neighborhood association, said the unanimous vote (including that of Portillo) will make it more difficult for the residents to be heard.
And we thought that Portillo was running for office to represent her constituents.