Harris County Commissioners in a 3-2 bipartisan vote, voted to oust J. Kent “Kenny” Friedman, effective Friday, and replace him with Juan Garcia, an attorney and an official with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Opposition from Judge Lina Hidalgo and Commissioner Rodney Ellis voted against the ousting.
"He helped bring two Super Bowls, three Final Four (NCAA) Basketball Championships, and...the 2026 (FIFA) World Cup to Harris County," Hidalgo said. "The Super Bowl in 2017 brought almost $350 million to Harris County, and the World Cup, check this out, is expected to bring the economic equivalent of seven Super Bowls to our economy."
Commissioner Rodney Ellis also opined that he personally felt it sets a bad precedent, when someone has served on the board and no one has delineated reasons in public why they shouldn't be there," Ellis said. "It would discourage people from going on a board when we put them in a position where we publicly chastise them and appear to be publicly humiliating the people that serve on the board."
The decision to oust Friedman came just a little more than 2 weeks after Houston Mayor John Whitmire held a news conference calling for new leadership at the Sports Authority. He cited the need for improvements at the city's sporting venues and the agency's lack of communication.
The suggested replacement is Juan Garcia, the county nomination was put forth by Commissioner Adrian Garcia, who was one of the officials who stood behind Whitmire during a press conference earlier this month calling for new leadership at the sports authority.
In a statement, Adrian Garcia wrote that Juan Garcia's experience with the rodeo and in the community made him the perfect fit for the job. According to the commissioner's statement, Juan Garcia is the first Hispanic member at-large to serve on the rodeo's executive committee and will be the first Hispanic chair of the sports authority, if his nomination goes through.
"Juan Garcia's story is phenomenal and truly inspiring," Adrian Garcia wrote in a statement. "I'm confident he will bring the same dedication, commitment and fearlessness he has shown throughout his career to the sports authority board. I know he will do an outstanding job representing Harris County and help take our region to the next level."