Houston Chronicle report shows 2-time elected official may not have shown up to work for years

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Serious questions are coming to light about Harris County Tax Collector Ann Harris Bennett's job performance following a Houston Chronicle report showing the two-time elected official may not have shown up to work for years.

Bennett's office collects property taxes, processes vehicle registrations, and manages voter registration and records for Harris County's more than 2.5 million registered voters. However, public information requests from The Chronicle show she hasn't swiped her badge to enter the office or any county facility since 2020.

The Chronicle reports Bennett swiped her badge 92 times in 2019, seven times in 2020, and not once since then. Bennett has not been active online, sending a total of 18 emails since January.

The lack of activity raises concerns about a lack of leadership and oversight in an office with around 500 employees; according to the county auditor's office, Bennett earned a little over $171,000 in salary last year.

Bennett and her office did not respond to ABC13 or the Houston Chronicle's requests for comment on any of the public information. The revelations come amid unprecedented scrutiny of voting in Harris County and after a series of mishaps under Bennett's administration.

The office of the Tax Assessor-Collector does not oversee actual elections; it only oversees voter registration and records.

But the Chronicle notes that Bennett was noticeably absent last year after Republicans in the state legislature passed a new law regulating how elections are run in Harris County-stripping the county of its elections administrator position and returning control to the Tax Assessor-Collector office.

That contrasts County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth, who has worked with local leaders and voters to navigate the changes.

Bennett is not seeking a third term, but she is still in charge of the Tax-Assessor Collector office until January.

Experts and former holders of the office tell ABC13 that reports of absence do not raise concerns about voting and election legitimacy. However, they criticize Bennett for not leading in public during times of turmoil and say voters should be concerned an elected official making a county salary may not be coming to work.

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