RICHMOND, Texas (Covering Katy News) – A Fort Bend Independent investigation into Precinct 4 Commissioner Dexter McCoy's explosive redistricting accusations—in which he called fellow Republican Commissioner Andy Meyers a liar and accused him of scheming to "diminish the voting power of minorities"—reveals that the Democrat commissioner may have pulled an elaborate con job on Fort Bend County residents, one that his own "smoking gun evidence" ultimately exposes.
Read the Fort Bend Independent Story here.
TV Journalism Training Helped McCoy Sell His Story to Media Outlets
McCoy, who studied television journalism in Boston, leveraged his media training to create a professional news-style video making salacious accusations against Precinct 3 Commissioner Andy Meyers. The polished presentation helped his claims gain traction, with numerous Houston and Fort Bend media outlets subsequently reporting McCoy's accusations as fact without conducting the independent verification work done by the Fort Bend Independent publisher and editor Seshadri Kumar.
McCoy's Explosive Accusations Against Meyers
In addition to his video, McCoy distributed a press release last week that went to news outlets across the Houston region, claiming he had "smoking gun evidence" exposing "intentional efforts by county Republicans to mislead the public." He accused Meyers of lying to commissioners court and the public about why redistricting attorney Robert "Bob" Bass wasn't retained for the current redistricting efforts. He repeated the same claims in a week-in-review video posted last week where McCoy promotes what he's done over the previous seven days.
McCoy alleged that Bass had refused to participate in what he characterized as Meyers' redistricting "scheme" to "diminish the voting power of minorities in the county." He claimed Meyers "knowingly misled the public" when he stated in July that Bass had retired and his firm no longer handled redistricting work.
"That statement was not factual, and it is believed that Commissioner Meyers knowingly misled the public," McCoy stated in his press release, directly calling Meyers a liar.
McCoy further accused Meyers of "going shopping for a legal opinion" after Bass allegedly "advised Commissioner Meyers against this effort and refused to be a part of the scheme."
Documentary Evidence Contradicts McCoy's Claims
Billing records obtained by the Fort Bend Independent tell a different story than McCoy is telling. Allison, Bass & Magee received only a $10,000 non-refundable retainer fee with no work hours logged for redistricting services. Meanwhile, the Brazil & Dunn law firm billed 92 hours of redistricting work at $325 per hour, beginning in April 2021.
Meyers maintains he never spoke directly with Bob Bass about redistricting work, undercutting McCoy's central accusation. Even on the meeting video that McCoy cited as evidence, Meyers clearly stated he spoke with the firm, never claiming direct contact with Bass himself. Yet McCoy falsely implied that Meyers had spoken with Bass directly and characterized this video as "smoking gun" evidence of Meyers' deception.
"I did not speak with Bob Bass, I spoke to Jim Allison, the senior partner, about engaging his firm to advise Fort Bend County on redistricting," Meyers said. "Allison told me that Bob Bass was retired and that he didn't have sufficient staff to provide the county with the level of service we needed."
Bass's Letter Undermines McCoy's Accusations
In his letter to McCoy, Bass acknowledged he could not locate any email correspondence about the redistricting map adopted Nov. 5, 2021. Bass wrote that he "assumed" the commissioners court adopted the map "in good faith" but admited he had no emails about reviewing the final map or specifically advising Meyers against redistricting efforts.
Bass only claimed that the map was reviewed for population analysis, but provided no evidence there was a full and complete review.
Bass only stated he had "cautioned against" mid-decade redistricting efforts in general terms, not that he had specifically warned Meyers or refused to participate in any "scheme."
There is no evidence that McCoy informed Bob Bass that County Judge KP George had revealed the approved map was not fully reviewed by outside legal counsel and that it was based on race, which George says he recently learned was illegal. The omission suggests McCoy provided Bass with incomplete information while apparently shopping for a statement that supported his predetermined narrative.
Brazil & Dunn's detailed billing records show the firm worked extensively with county officials from April through January 2022, conducting voting rights analysis and preparing legal memoranda. None of this documentation was shared with commissioners court during public meetings or posted on the county website.
Political Motivations Questioned
McCoy served as chief of staff to County Judge KP George when the 2021 redistricting occurred, meaning he would have known of Brazil & Dunn's work on the redistricting effort. Legal experts question why McCoy would make such serious accusations against a colleague while seeking an opinion from an attorney with minimal involvement in the process four years after map adoption.
"No one has produced a legal opinion, memorandum or letter dated prior to Nov. 5, 2021, from any redistricting attorney," Meyers said. "I've asked the county attorney for such documentation but have only received an 'I'm working on it' response."
The investigation raises questions about McCoy's motivations and whether his accusations constitute a deliberate attempt to mislead voters ahead of upcoming elections. According to the Independent, McCoy did not respond to requests for comment.
Below is the headline from the Fort Bend Independent's investigation of McCoy. The link to the story is show below the first paragraph of this story.
"I am grateful to the Fort Bend Independent for tackling a complex issue and for focusing on accuracy in its reporting as a balance to the misinformation that was recently disseminated by another member of the Fort Bend County Commissioners Court," Meyers posted on his Facebook page.
Covering Katy owner Dennis Spellman is employed by the Fort Bend County Precinct 3 Commissioner's Office.
Fort Bend Independent
The Fort Bend Independent's story about Dexter McCoy's false claims about Commissioner Andy Meyers.