To: Lina Hidalgo From: Mary Courtney Date: 9/14/2022 Re: Hidalgo- Separation and General Release Agreement To whom it may concern, Lina Hidalgo for Harris County (campaign) I am Mary Courtney. I am writing this letter in order to make you aware of my disappointment, and of the damages done to my reputation regarding my tenure with the Linda Hidalgo reelection campaign. I am a political/campaign organizer. I have years of experience in the field and have worked on several campaigns for various candidates at all levels of government. In working with the Linda Hidalgo re-election campaign, however, my experience and past work have been ignored, and my advice and my style of engaging with potential volunteers vis a vis the campaign have been disparaged and ultimately denied, hence my termination as of (date of termination email). I do not deny the campaign’s ability to terminate any employee, however, in doing so, the campaign has interfered with my ability to get other employment from other campaigns, by disparaging my reputation. I was hired because of my past work efforts, determination, and commitment to serving the community and doing my part to improve the world. I chose the Hidalgo re-election campaign from among several campaigns with similar opportunities in Austin, Pennsylvania, Alaska, and other cities for noteworthy candidates. Now, after having been terminated and then maligned by campaign staff within the Hidalgo campaign, I am no longer in a position to get paid employment doing what I love, serving my communities. What follows is an overview of central details documenting my experience performing as Southwest Field Organizer Direct Point for the Lina Hidalgo re-election bid: • Hiring Interview: I had several conversations with staffer RJ Colorado before I was hired. I believe I was very transparent, precise, and consistent when I communicated my experience, which I would bring to the Hidalgo campaign. I directly expressed to RJ and Aylin, that I am an activist and an advocate with a reputation for operating within and holding to account institutions large and small regarding how they serve communities of color and disadvantaged communities. To wit, I have asked said institutions to live up to their expressed missions and their high ideals. This is to ensure that institutions uphold their principles and make all appropriate attempts to reconcile grievous deviations from those principles, thus ensuring fair treatment for ALL who fall in their various jurisdictions. I believe it is people like me who make a difference in the integrity of services paid for by our tax dollars, by speaking up and speaking out against abuses. •
Racial Discrimination Compliant: After professionally addressing my concerns that the Lina Hidalgo campaign was not reaching Black and Brown communities, I began to see that my position on the campaign staff was relegated to “being seen” as “Black support” for her candidacy, while I was disregarded and relegated to the position of “Black optics/ representation.” To wit, at my very first campaign event, while I was greeting potential volunteers and voters I was called outside of the event by RJ and remanded to sit at the table and not to engage. I was also instructed by the campaign staff NOT to appear in photos with the candidate, and not to take photos with the candidate. My intellectual contributions and my efforts to operate fully in the capacity of my hired position were quelled.