Ann Harris Bennett
The elected official in charge of Harris County’s voter registration and tax collection appears to have been absent from her office for years, last swiping her ID to enter the county building in late 2020, county records show.
First sworn into office in 2017, Tax Assessor-Collector Ann Harris Bennett is tasked with a wide array of duties that affect nearly every Harris County resident, from collecting billions of dollars in property taxes to processing millions of vehicle registrations and title transfers every year. As the county’s voter registrar, she also oversees voter registration and maintains records for over 2.5 million voters.
In October 2023, Bennett announced that she would not seek a third term, citing a desire to focus on her family and health. The retiring official, however, still needs to lead her office in fulfilling its election duties through this year’s high-stakes presidential election cycle, including assisting voters with any registration issues that may arise.
Her prolonged absence from public view raises questions about what she has done since she was reelected in 2020, when she appears to have stopped showing up at the office. She has also hardly corresponded via email and missed a string of key public appearances last year while state Republican leaders targeted Harris County’s election process.
[…]
Last year, the state Legislature took unprecedented steps to change Harris County’s election procedures, abolishing the elections administrator’s post and returning voter registration tasks to the tax assessor-collector’s office. Bennett was not seen during that time, while the other affected elected official, County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth, offered guidance to county leaders and the public.
Annette Ramirez, the Democratic candidate vying to become the next tax assessor-collector, said Bennett should have done more to improve internal processes and interact with the public to ensure “we don’t give Austin an opportunity to say that we haven’t done a good job.”
“You, as a public elected official, are the face (of the office), and so you’ve got to show up. You’ve got to make sure that we are being transparent, communicating with the public…That’s the job,” Ramirez said, adding she would go to work every day if elected.
Steve Radack, the Republican candidate in this year’s tax assessor-collector’s race, spoke in Bennett’s defense. He said every manager has a different style, and over the years, he has also seen other government officials who do not always show up to work.
At the same time, Radack vowed to be responsive to constituents and to actively champion the policies he believes in if elected.
“My presence will be known,” he said.
For what it’s worth, I interviewed her in January 2020, as she was in a contested primary. She was still making occasional trips into the office at that time. My best guess here, and this is just my own guess, is that there’s a health issue at the root of this. Among other things that might explain why there’s no explanation being proffered, as people don’t want to speak out of turn if Bennett herself hasn’t said anything publicly. Again, that is all 100% my speculation. Maybe we’ll know more some day, maybe we won’t.
The good news is that the staff at her office are doing a good job – no one raised any complaints in this article, and I’m not aware of any recent news about issues there, though as noted there were some before 2020, in her first term. I’ve heard some grumbles about her office not doing more about voter registration – that was a subject I explored in this year’s interviews with the primary candidates – but that was about how extensive and energetic the outreach was, not about how the nuts and bolts were being done. It’s a little weird that this question is coming up now, as her term nears its end, but one way or another we’ll have a clear point of comparison soon enough.
She is not on the ballot, so what is the purpose of going after her now?
Could it be to throw dirt on Democrats?
Democrats then continue the narrative on something that has no purpose for this election.
The Chronicle does a good job of doing that to Democrats; it does not need assistance.
FYI, I can say that is what Whitmire is also doing: throwing dirt on Democrats. Whitmire was a Democrat in name, but only when you live with the Rats must one be an R.
There are issues at the tax office and have been for years. Most recently, three employees were charged with taking bribes. It’s widely rumored that the property and excise tax office also accepted bribes for years. Not to mention the kickbacks that Lineberger gives to staff.
Lineberger, didn’t Bill King used to be charged here in Harris County?
Didn’t Carol Alvardo work there when she first started as an elected official? Rumor has it that several other elected officials were on the payroll.
Rumor has it that two former HISD trustees were paid for decades after getting Lineberger into HISD.
Some bloggers are supposedly still on Lineberger’s payroll.
Manny, if you were employed and were an elected official, don’t you think your constituents (regardless of their political persuasions) would be wondering where you were if you hadn’t been in your place of employment in four years, were extremely sporadic in your email traffic, rarely attended Commissioners Court meetings, and failed to make a public appearance for key City/County events ?
The timing, not the actions, CL.
It should have been brought up years ago; why near election time?
@Manny…. that’s the kicker, right ? Far as I (and, I suspect, you) know folks have been bitchin-n-gritchin about her ‘disappearance’ for 36 months now, but said bitchin is just now in the public domain.
I can’t fault the complaint because of when I heard of the complaint, I can only fault the circumstances of said complaint. To disregard the issue because of the date on the calendar regulates the issue to a non-issue, which I don’t think it is.
There is no issue; what crime, if any, did she commit?
Could she have been removed from office? If yes, why?
In a few months, there will be a new Tax Assessor.
So why make it an issue just as early voting starts?
People usually choose when to bring things out, so why now?
CL, what party would such allegations put in a bad light? Politics is like war without as many deaths. Read the “Prince.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prince
I would be interested in a story which lists the various judges up for re-election who do not come in to the courthouse, who leave early in afternoons and take off Fridays, and how they are handling their caseloads, or not.
We should begin with the work habits of the State Supreme Court.
@Manny… re: “People usually choose when to bring things out, so why now?”
That’d be a better question posed by you to the Houston Comical. I suspect they’d tell you they’re not the DOJ, therefore they have no unwritten internal policy that prevents them from reporting on an elected official 30/60/90 days before an election.
CL, I often call the Comical a whore, as it will do the bidding of those that advertise hugely.
I subscribe because it is trying to do better, but there are other sources for most of the information it publishes.
It is no longer the biggest, badest newspaper in Texas.
So why did the Chronicle publish it now?
I would really like to see a follow up on this story. No matter what party affiliation the elected official has, or how close they are to leaving office, constituents are entitled to know why that paid elected official appears to have not been working since 2020. If it is related to a personal or family health issue, that is all Ann Harris Benett or her spokesperson needs to say. Saying nothing is more damaging to herself, the office, and her party.