All aboard

metro board

lawyers, engineers, transportation experts

Metropolitan Transit Authority

embattled agency

require City Council approval

Gilbert Garcia - Yale graduate invest banker and Parker transition team co-chairman, to be chairman of Metro board, which has nine members total

Christof Spieler - director of technology and innovation, Morris Architects, blogger and transportation analyst for Citizens' Transportation Coalition

lawyers Dwight E. Jefferson (former professional football player and Republican Harris County district judge) and Carrin S. Patman

engineer Allen Dale Watson of Cobb Fendley

in addition to those appointed by city, two are appointed by Harris County and two by mayors of Metro's 14 other member cities

replace Metro President and CEO Frank Wilson

"I really approached this as if I were assembling a corporate board, and, in a sense, that's what this is, because they will have oversight of hundreds of millions of dollars in their tenure as board members, and they will have an impact on the lives of millions of citizens in our region . . . I wanted a change of leadership at Metro."

litigation against Metro - Wilson used funds in an inappropriate relationship with his chief of Staff, denied by Wilson

agency's board voted Thursday to hire an independent financial fraud expert to investigate the allegations

board also voted to pay Wilson's legal fees in the case

after three-day trip to Washington where Parker met with Transportation Secretary Roy LaHood to affirm city's commitment to building all five planned light rail lines, encouraged to quickly implement leadership changes so federal funding plans will not be disrupted by slow or rough transition

earlier this month, Parker expressed skepticism about whether Metro's funding for all five lines was feasible

unspecified

This Week's Hot Headlines

Austin restaurant chain bowls over River Oaks and more popular stories

Photo by Becca Wright

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Editor's note: It's time to look back at the top Houston news of the week, including restaurant openings and a major acquisition for MFAH. Plus, where to celebrate New Year's Eve in Houston. Catch up on our most popular stories below, then visit this guide to the best Christmas weekend events.

1. Meet the men behind River Oaks' new destination for bowls and broth. On this episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” Honest Mary’s founder Nelson Monteith and COO Andrew Wiseheart joined CultureMap editor Eric Sandler to discuss the Austin-based restaurant that just opened its first Houston location in the River Oaks Shopping Center.

2. Houston's only Michelin-recognized Tex-Mex restaurant now open in Bellaire. It didn’t take Sambrooks Hospitality Group long to turn Mandito’s into Candente. First announced in September, the restaurant’s second location officially opened December 22.

3. 25 Houston restaurants celebrating New Year's Eve with caviar, bubbles, and more. Houston restaurants are ringing in the new year with indulgent menus featuring caviar, lobster, and steak, along with plenty of bubbly.

4. Houston museum acquires historic Masonic lodge property for new greenspace. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston has acquired a prime parcel to expand its campus in the Museum District.

Holland Lodge masonic building The building at 4911 will be torn down for the new greenspace. Holland Lodge No. 1, A.F. & A.M./Facebook

5. Houston's richest residents, best suburbs, and more top city news in 2025. As 2025 comes to a close, we're looking back at the stories that defined Houston this year. These are the City Life stories that captured Houston's attention.