Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Legal Ethics topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents urge Freeport to cut ties with Olson & Olson, alleging past misconduct
Summary
At a July 8 special council meeting, resident Jeff Pena alleged a pattern of misconduct by the law firm Olson & Olson in prior city matters and urged the council to stop using the firm for public-information requests; the council recessed into executive session afterward to interview a city attorney applicant.
At the Freeport City Council's special meeting on July 8, 2026, resident Jeff Pena told the council the law firm Olson & Olson should be removed from any city work, saying, “They should not be getting a single **** cent from Freeport.”
Pena said the firm was handling public-information requests for the city and accused the firm of multiple prior improprieties, including alleged collusion with private parties in negotiations over the East End that he said nearly cost the city more than $8,000,000; an alleged $345,000 improper wire transfer tied to two individuals he named; shielding information about the suspension of Police Chief Howe; lying under oath in a trial; and improper billing after termination. He asked the council to select a different attorney for public-records matters.
Pena framed his comments as warnings about trust and accountability: “These guys cannot be trusted for a **** cent,” he said, and urged elected officials to stop perceived cover-ups and return money they said was wrongly collected. The transcript contains inconsistent spellings of the firm's name (appearing as both Olson and Olsen); this article uses the spelling Olson & Olson for consistency when referring to the firm named in the comment.
Another public commenter, Manning Rollerson, urged the council to "make the right choices" and to focus on long-term benefits for residents rather than short-term or self-interested decisions.
None of the allegations Pena raised were answered on the public record during the meeting. After public comment, the council recessed into executive session to interview a candidate for city attorney under Texas Government Code §551.074; no public action or vote on the firm's role was recorded before the session began.
The council did not provide a response to Pena's specific accusations during the public comment period; the claims remain allegations on the public record. If the council chooses to consider or act on the requests he raised, any formal motion, staff report, or contract action would be reflected in a future public agenda or meeting notice.
