in Houston, Texas

Houston mayoral candidate Gene Locke lifted a veil on his personal finances Wednesday, releasing tax returns with details of his highly-paid legal work, including for public-sector clients that have prompted scrutiny of the Locke campaign.

Locke reported $737,502 in adjusted income last year, dwarfing that of his Houston mayoral opponent Annise Parker. Parker, who is city controller, reported $122,436 in adjusted income for last year.

Locke, filing jointly with his wife Aubrey, earned most of his money through his partnership at the Andrews Kurth law firm, which counts the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority, Metro and the Port of Houston Authority among its clients. Locke's financial ties to the agencies have prompted questions from Texas Watchdog and from the Parker campaign about whether Locke could appropriately distance himself from those groups if he becomes mayor.

In 2008, Locke earned $820,891 as a partner with Andrews Kurth. He contributed heavily to his retirement plan, and funded both a health savings account and a self-employed health plan. Locke paid $218,872 in taxes.

In 2007, Locke's adjusted gross income was $798,679. Locke paid $260,736 in taxes.

Aubrey Locke lists her occupation as an administrative assistant, and the forms show little income for her. The two jointly own a home in Galveston, which incurred damage claimed at $56,671 from Hurricane Ike in 2008.

While his income in the private sector is formidable - the average adjusted gross income in the U.S. in 2006 was $55,019 - the forms are what would be expected from a partner in a major law firm, said Houston accountant Bob Martin. Locke's forms were straightforward, he said, with little outside income-generating activity, while Parker's were "more active. ... She had real estate and so on."

Locke's income was such that if he were to become mayor, he would take a definite hit to his wealth, Martin added, and would most likely have to tap his retirement money for income to maintain the same standard of living he enjoys now.

The release of the tax forms comes almost two weeks after Parker handed hers over to Texas Watchdog, which asked both candidates for the information the day after the Nov. 3 general election.

Locke's timing - hours before the Thanksgiving holiday, traditionally a time in which news receives little scrutiny - is no coincidence, noted Richard Murray, director of the University of Houston Center for Public Policy.

"Maybe it's the same coincidence that the White House is releasing a list of who is visiting the White House today," Murray said, referring to the disclosure of guests at the upcoming White House state dinner. "Savvy political operators know the news cycle."


View Gene Locke's income tax returns here:

Gene and Aubrey Locke's tax return, 2008

Gene and Aubrey Locke's tax return, 2007

Gene and Aubrey Locke's tax return, 2006

More coverage of this story:

KHOU 11-News


Contact Steve Miller at steve@texaswatchdog.org or 713-228-3733.


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