KHOU-TV Channel 11 picked up our story on Metro's light-rail consultant, a former associate of Metro's CEO who landed the contract with no competing bids sought.

Consultant Clyde H. Garrison Jr., who is based in California, could earn $500,000 for his work managing the light-rail contract. Garrison's current deal pays him $300 per hour.

Garrison used to work in Los Angeles with Metro CEO Frank J. Wilson.

Metro told KHOU that the $1.46 billion project to extend light-rail throughout Houston is just too big for the transit agency's staff to handle.

“We don't have staff accustomed to handling projects of this size, but we know we need that level of expertise and someone who has worked on multi-billion dollar projects," said George Smalley, VP of Communications and Marketing for Metro.

Metro also told the television station that the agency looked at other candidates, just not with a formal bidding process.

KHOU interviewed Texas Watchdog Editor Trent Seibert:

“This may be the most qualified guy in the world, and he better be at $300 bucks an hour,” said Seibert.  “But the fact is the process was a no bid process. Taxpayers didn't have a say.”