HOUSTON – Mollie Oshman passionately spoke before the Houston City Council on Tuesday afternoon.
She said the White Oak Music Hall needs to go.
"It is ridiculous for hardworking Houstonians to be out in the cold holding bake sales and refinancing their homes in an effort to litigate a problem the city helped create," she said.
Some of Oshman’s neighbors are suing the development, which was approved during the previous mayor’s administration.
But Oshman claimed there is a lack of transparency on the city’s part.
"Stop hiding behind a lawsuit that you are not a part of. This is not an excuse for the city to hide information. In fact, it should be the opposite," she said.
She said she and other opponents want to know the names of the investors behind what she said is a loud neighbor. She claimed the city has more than $1 million invested in the project, which required the disclosure of the investors’ names.
"If they do, then produce it. If you don't, say we don't. But if you got to the attorney general to keep the list a secret, it sort of suggests there is a list," opponent Wayne Dolcefino said.
The city attorney, however, was not certain if the contract required the disclosure. A partner in the music hall said he was only required to disclose where the money came from, not the investors.
"Unfortunately, I feel like there is an agenda to draw the city of Houston into this litigation, to effectively force the city of Houston to effectively, quote unquote, choose sides," John So said.
The case is expected to be heard in court on May 15.