in Houston, Texas

City Councilman M.J. Khan wants to be Houston's next city controller -- but does he actually live in the city of Houston?

The real estate developer and engineer who has represented Council District F for five years has given two different addresses on official documents in the past few years. One is inside District F. But now he's running for citywide office in the Nov. 3 election, and the other home isn't even inside the Houston city limits.

It's in the small city of Piney Point Village in western Harris County.

When Khan filled out his 2009 personal financial statement -- due back in April -- he listed under "address" 6289 Wilcrest Drive, No. 6103 -- that's in Alief, inside both the city limits and Khan's council district. However, Khan did not check the adjoining box that said "check if filer's home address."

The home at 6289 Wilcrest is also the address that Khan had listed on his Harris County voter registration as of Monday. And it's the address that Khan gave to John McCain's presidential campaign when he gave money to the Arizona senator in 2007, and which the McCain camp listed on Federal Election Commission disclosure filings.

But when Khan donated last year to the re-election campaign of U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, the Minnesota Democrat who was the first Muslim elected to Congress, he listed another address -- a 10,000-square-foot home in Piney Point Village listed in county property tax records in his wife's name.

"If he wants to be in politics he ought to at least live in the city," said Terry McConn, who lost a runoff with Khan for the District F council seat in 2003 and who challenged Khan's residency then.

Charles Kuffner, author of the progressive blog Off The Kuff, says he's "not one of those people that gets all that bent out of shape" over such residency issues, as long as a candidate can clearly articulate why they can represent the city or district in question. But he also says it's been an issue hounding Khan for years.

"My understanding is, that's kind of an open secret" that Khan lives in Piney Point, Kuffner said.

And political opponents of Khan's have been saying for years that the address on Wilding Lane -- appraised at $2.7 million -- is Khan's real home.

In fact, the house in Piney Point has been granted a homestead exemption from the Harris County Appraisal District, according to the district's online database. So, apparently, someone lives there. But the box on the Federal Election Commission form for the Ellison donations describes it as "mailing address."

"Wilcrest is his primary residence -- he owns it and lives there," said Andre Castro, Khan's campaign manager. "The other place is his wife's."

Castro noted that the candidate was a robbery victim during the summer outside the Wilcrest address -- robbed of his cell phone and wallet while outside the Wilcrest home, helping a friend fix his car one night, the Chronicle reported at the time. Khan was not injured, but his friend was sprayed in the face with Mace by the robbers. Two men were later charged in the robbery, and a female acquaintance of theirs was charged with driving the getaway car, the Chronicle said.

"At 11 p.m. on a Sunday night, that is where he was," Castro said. "It was unfortunate, but it does show that's where his home is."

When Khan's opponent in a City Council runoff 2003 questioned Khan's residency, he spoke reassuringly to the Chronicle:

He said the Piney Point home is in his wife's name and she will be moving into the district with him at a later date.

"I do live in the district," Khan said. "That's where my legal residence is."

That was six years ago. As of Monday, the address on his wife's voter registration is the Piney Point address -- meaning she can't vote for her own husband.

At the time Khan made that statement in 2003, Wilcrest Drive wasn't in the picture yet -- he was renting a house at 6227 Havendale Drive, also in Alief, and had that address listed on his Harris County voter registration, public records show.

Khan is opposed in the Nov. 3 election by fellow city councilmembers Pam Holm and Ronald Green. The controller post is being vacated by Annise Parker, who cannot seek the job again under city term limits and who is running for mayor.

Texas Watchdog Deputy Editor Lee Ann O'Neal contributed to this report.

Where does M.J. Khan live?

View Where does M.J. Khan live? in a larger map

[ad#ad1forposts]