What I do

Services

Investigative reporting on matters of public interest across Texas, and showing up in person at public meetings to press for answers. Watchtower is 100% funded by readers.

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The short version

Reader-funded. Public matters only. Nobody buys the coverage.

Nobody hires me
100% funded by readers
Public matters only
No legal advice, no private investigations

Ground rules

How I Work

Readers pay for this work, so readers are who it answers to. No ads, no sponsors, and nothing on this page is for sale.

Nobody hires me
I do not take paid clients. Everything on this page is done on matters of public interest, and no one who asks for it is ever charged.
100% funded by readers
No ads and no sponsors. The only revenue is voluntary support from readers, and no contribution from any quarter buys a say in what gets published.
Public matters only
Government compliance, public meetings, public money, procurement, and the public complaint, inspection, and court records that attach to private businesses. Private disputes are referred to appropriate private counsel or to the city attorney.
No legal advice, no private investigations
I am not an attorney or a licensed Texas private investigator, and I do not take private investigation work from anyone. I refer matters that need legal counsel to licensed attorneys, and matters that need licensed private investigation to licensed professionals.

If a resident, official, or employee brings me a concern that falls outside my scope, I say so plainly and point them to the right place, whether that is the city attorney, a licensed private attorney, a licensed private investigator, a state agency, or a specialized nonprofit.

The core of the work

Two Things I Do Most

The core of this operation is investigative reporting on matters of public interest across Texas. Most of it has been local government, and that continues to be a large share of the work. Alongside it sits consumer and public-safety reporting on private businesses with a documented public record, whistleblower work, civil rights reporting, and showing up at public meetings to speak. The method is identical no matter who is on the other end, and nobody is ever billed for it.

Investigative Journalism

Evidence-based reporting on matters of public interest across Texas: government misconduct, financial irregularities, transparency failures, and conduct that affects the public but never gets examined by anyone. Every published claim is supported by primary-source public records, direct observation, or verified sources, with documentation and chain of custody available on request.

Investigative work follows a methodical process: Public Information Act requests, financial record analysis, attendance at public meetings, source interviews, and cross-reference verification before publication. Areas of coverage include procurement irregularities, administrative misconduct, misuse of public resources, compliance failures, and policy violations.

When this applies

Residents notice their roads are deteriorating while the city is simultaneously approving large infrastructure contracts. They cannot get answers from their council. In a situation like this, I would file public information requests, obtain the contracts and payment records, attend council meetings, and produce an investigation documenting how the contracts were awarded, who received the money, and what the community received in return. The goal is a complete, evidence-based public account of where the money went.

Council Meeting Advocacy

I show up to city council meetings, and to the meetings of other public bodies, in person, and I speak. Sometimes it is to raise an issue residents have brought to me. Sometimes it is to ask, on the record, how an agenda item squares with the law before the vote happens. Sometimes it is simply to make sure someone in the room asks the question at all.

The Texas Open Meetings Act gives the public the right to address each item a governing body is going to act on, and I use that right. At one Trinidad meeting in March 2026, I signed up to speak during citizens comments and on most of the close to twenty items on the agenda, cited public records, and asked the council, item by item, whether what it was about to do was consistent with the law that governs it.

The point is pressure in the right direction: officials following the law, answering the people they serve, and doing the right thing for the town. I advocate on matters of public interest only, and nobody pays me to do it. I do not speak for a paying client, I do not give legal advice from the podium, and I cannot promise to be at any particular meeting.

When this applies

Residents have asked their council the same question for months and keep getting no answer. They send me the notices, the dates, and what they have been told. In a situation like this, I pull the agendas, minutes, and records behind the issue, sign up to speak when the item comes up, put the question to the council on the record, and report what they say, along with anything they decline to answer.

Want me at a meeting?

Send the date, the public body, and the issue to [email protected], text it to (903) 998-0933, or use the contact page.

Also on the beat

The Rest of the Work

Consumer and Public Safety Reporting

Private businesses generate public records too. Health and safety inspection reports, licensing and permit files, code enforcement actions, state agency complaint histories, civil judgments, and regulatory filings are all obtainable, and most of them are never read by anyone outside the agency that filed them. When complaints against a business pile up in the public record and nothing changes, that is a story.

Reporting in this area is straightforward, traditional journalism. Pull the records first. Then walk in, identify yourself, and ask for an on-the-record interview, recording it with the same openness. If I am asked to leave, I leave. There is no surveillance, no pretexting, and no work of any kind that would require a private investigator license. I do not take this work on behalf of a paying client, and no one can hire me to look into a competitor or a neighbor.

When this applies

A car dealership accumulates a long trail of public complaints over the same financing practice. State records show the pattern, county filings show the lawsuits, and buyers keep describing the same experience. In a situation like this, I obtain the regulatory complaint history and the court records, compare them against Texas consumer-protection law, request an interview with the dealership on the record, and publish what the documents show alongside whatever answer they choose to give.

Whistleblower Investigations

Disclosures from public employees often require independent verification before they can support published reporting. I receive those disclosures, request the relevant documentation through the Public Information Act, analyze it independently, and publish findings based on what the documentary record shows.

I protect a source's identity at every stage. I only publish claims I can verify independently through public records or other primary-source evidence.

When this applies

A city employee notices that purchase orders are being approved without proper authorization and that vendors are being paid for work that was never completed. They contact me with documentation. I file public information requests for the relevant purchase orders, vendor contracts, and payment records, analyze the responsive documents, verify the discrepancies, and publish an investigation based on the public record. The source's identity is never disclosed.

Civil Rights Reporting

I document and report on alleged abuses of municipal authority, including First Amendment retaliation, selective code enforcement, due process concerns, and other patterns indicating misuse of governmental power. Reporting in this area is supported by public records requests, witness interviews, and direct documentation of the conduct in question.

Areas of established investigative experience include First Amendment retaliation against public commenters and records requesters, selective enforcement of municipal ordinances, due process violations, and broader patterns of authority misuse. Findings are published when supported by the documentary record and are made available to attorneys, regulators, and other appropriate authorities upon request.

When this applies

A resident speaks critically about city leadership during public comment at a council meeting. Within weeks, code enforcement opens citations at their property for conditions that have existed without complaint for years. A neighboring property with the same conditions receives no citation. In a situation like this, I document the chronology, obtain the code enforcement records through Public Information Act requests, evaluate the data for selective enforcement patterns, and publish findings supported by the documentary record.

Forum and Event Moderation

I facilitate candidate forums, town halls, and public engagement events with structured, impartial moderation. That includes logistics planning, advance question collection, time management, and post-event documentation. Every participant receives equal speaking time and the same set of questions.

I work with local civic organizations to design formats that prioritize substantive public participation and direct, on-record responses from candidates. Forum proceedings are documented in writing and made available to the community after the event.

When this applies

A civic organization wants to host a candidate forum before a contested city council election, but previous attempts devolved into shouting matches with no structure. I can design the format, collect questions from residents in advance, moderate the event with strict time controls, and publish a written summary of each candidate's responses afterward. Every candidate gets the same questions and the same amount of time. The community gets answers.

Who I work with

Who This Is For

Readers and residents
Texans who want to know what is actually happening where they live
Consumers
People dealing with a business that has a public complaint record and no consequences
Whistleblowers and public servants
Employees and officials reporting misconduct through proper channels
Journalists and media professionals
Independent reporters and outlets covering accountability in Texas
Civic organizations
Nonprofits, advocacy groups, and community watchdogs
Residents with an issue for their council
People who want a question raised on the record at a public meeting

Funding

Who Pays for All of This

Readers. Residents, whistleblowers, and civic organizations pay nothing, and I take no money from the governments I cover. Watchtower runs entirely on voluntary reader contributions from people who want independent eyes on things nobody else is checking. No ads, no sponsors. That is the entire funding model, and it is the reason the reporting can say what the records show.

If you value this work and want it to continue, the most direct way to help is to contribute. If you cannot contribute, sharing the reporting with your own community is just as valuable.

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Reach me

Get in Touch

Residents, readers, officials, and public employees can reach out through the channels below at no cost. That includes story tips, whistleblower disclosures, consumer complaints backed by a paper trail, and requests to raise an issue at a public meeting. I read every inquiry myself and keep it confidential. If a request falls outside the scope of my work, you will get a straight answer and a referral to the right resource.

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Important Disclaimer

I am not an attorney, and Watchtower is not a law firm. I do not represent clients or provide legal advice. My work is investigative journalism and advocacy at public meetings on matters of public interest. When I speak at a meeting or write about the law, I am sharing how I read it as a journalist, and it should never be taken as legal counsel.

I am not a licensed private investigator, and Watchtower is not a licensed private investigations firm. I do not hold a Texas private investigator license under Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1702, and I do not provide private investigation services to anyone, for any fee, under any arrangement. My work is journalism on matters of public interest, built from publicly held records, public meetings, publicly filed complaint and inspection records, information lawfully obtained through the Texas Public Information Act and other open-government statutes, and interviews people agree to give on the record. When I report on a private business, I do it the traditional way: public records first, then a request for an on-the-record interview in a place open to the public, and I leave when asked to leave. I do no surveillance, locate work, background investigation for private parties, or anything else that requires Texas private investigator licensure.

If you need services that fall under the Texas Private Security Act (Occupations Code Chapter 1702), including covert surveillance, civil or criminal background investigations for private parties, locate services, or evidence-gathering for private litigation, you must engage a licensed Texas private investigator. Where appropriate, I can refer you to licensed professionals I know.

When someone contacts me about a situation that involves a legal matter, I start by talking through the circumstances to see whether my reporting is a fit. If the situation calls for legal representation or specific legal guidance, I refer the person to a licensed attorney whose practice fits the matter. Where appropriate, I may also connect the person with another journalist or report on the public-record facts myself.

Nothing on this website or in my communications should be read as legal advice or as a substitute for professional services that require a state license. For specific legal questions, consult a licensed attorney. For services that require private investigator licensure, consult a licensed Texas private investigator.

Confidential tips

Every story here started with a tip.

If something in your town, your agency, or a business near you does not add up, send it. Documents help, but a date, a place, or a name is enough to start. I read every tip myself.

Email [email protected]Text (903) 998-0933

How I handle tips and protect sources →