Mary Courtney Says Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo is 'No Good for Blacks'

Dear Judge Lina Hidalgo, My name is Mary Courtney, I am the Southwest Field Organizer Direct Point of Contact for your campaign. As a hired employee of the campaign, I was interviewed and vetted several times before accepting the position on your campaign re-election bid for Field Organizer. In attempting to serve in my role, which I take very seriously, I have encountered problems working with your leadership staff on the campaign. RJ and Jonathan have both given me certain affirmation that the work I do is extraordinary. I have worked very long hours and the entire holiday, gone to events, taken pictures, and greeted and engaged potential volunteers and voters at those events. I am from the southwest side of Houston so I hope to work there on your behalf and assure those residents that they can put their trust in you (Hidalgo). However, in the 1 week’s time I have experienced a fairly hostile environment while trying to work with staff leadership, RJ, and Jonathan. For example, I was told to give the team my contacts in the community, also I was told to make the team aware of potential events, and to put those events on the team calendar. Yet, I have been told that Aylin Rodriguez would have veto power over whether the events I submit are acceptable, and whether I myself can attend those or any Hidalgo events. Why do I need permission to attend events? I have been told that “everyone knows” that attending Hidalgo events is necessary, and on-demand (when I am told to), but when at events I get feedback from RJ that I am somehow too engaging; don’t spend enough time sitting at a table to recruit volunteers, that I should not take pictures with Hidalgo; and other confusing messages that give me pause. Ms. Hidalgo, I have asked both RJ and Jonathan for a brief meeting with you, because I feel very ignored and unheard by the campaign leadership, after sending Jonathan an email with my concerns regarding bullying, harassment, and intimidation at work. I was horrified by his response. Page 3 has his reaction. Jonathan has already demonstrated that he is not a manager but rather the gate-keeper in chief. I have begun to wonder where is the Black constituency in your campaign? Do you have any intention of engaging the Black community in Houston, and if so, who will guide you in securing as many of those votes as possible? It seems that my approach to campaigning is very different from that of your current staff, and their approach has been to make me think that you don’t care about the Black vote or the Black voices in your community. I think this is detrimental to your campaign, and I know it is yours to lose, due to long-standing distrust between our communities. I have tried in good faith to work with the team, and I am still trying. But rather than acceptance, I get push-back and silenced. I am not at all sure that the campaign team is doing all that it could be doing. I appreciate that you are busy and that your campaign is and should be extremely important to you. What I would like to see is more affirmation of my talents and skills and awareness of what matters to the people I represent among your constituencies. I bring experience and energy to your team. I could have taken similar jobs in Austin, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Colorado, and Alaska, and all were worth

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