The Alamodome is owned by and run by the city. The luxury suites inside are supposed to generate money for the facility; but our News 4 WOAI Trouble Shooters uncovered a pattern where several city employees were using the suites to get free stuff from local businesses.
Marc Solis has been in charge of the Alamodome since March 2010. But soon after he arrived he started wheeling and dealing with local businesses.
“Well, he is the general manager and he is the authority for that building,” Michael Sawaya, Director of Convention, Sports and Entertainment, said. “He has full authority to administer everything in that building."
After receiving an anonymous tip our Trouble Shooters investigated and confirmed Solis had backdoor deals with The RK Group, Aramark and the Grand Hyatt Hotel. He got them free suites for the Monster Truck Jam and they repaid the favor with free food and beverages or hotel rooms.
City Recorded Conversation:
Marc Solis: This is a way for us, being our partner, to reward them and have them or let them invite their clients, employees or whomever.
Solis was also accused of taking a free trip to London with Newtek, another contracted Alamodome vendor. And while he can't provide any receipts to back up his claim, Solis swears in an affidavit, he paid Newtek back in cash.
City Recorded Conversation:
Marc Solis: It has been, you know, pretty loose. It was when I went in and kind of inherited the facility.
The anonymous tip we received named four city employees involved in these “suite deals”. Those men are Alamodome General Manager, Marc Solis, his boss and Director of Convention, Sports and Entertainment, Michael Sawaya, former Assistant Director, Jim Mery, and the Alamodome's Booking Manager, Michael Flores.
Despite everything we uncovered and everything city investigators uncovered, all four of men still have their jobs with the city and we wanted to know why.
“My explanation was there wasn't a policy in place until recently,” Sawaya told us.
Sawaya explains the Alamodome didn’t have a suite policy to guide Sawaya on how to use the suites. But he tells us they have now established some new operating procedures in early May.
“And just to make sure, you didn't have a policy in place until someone anonymously tipped off the city about you guys using the suites whenever you wanted,” News 4 WOAI Trouble Shooter Mireya Villarreal asked.
“We were in the process of developing that. Dome staff was directed to find other facilities to see what procedures they had in place,” Sawaya answered.
The city tells us all four men were reprimanded, though they won't say how, and they are all now trained on the new policy.
City Recorded Conversation:
Marc Solis: Our world, our business, it's different. It's different in the sense that we have to be able to kind of compete with everybody else out there.
Investigator: What does that have to do with bringing family and friends to the events?
Marc Solis: Huh, that's a good point. That's a good point.
Our investigation has revealed the Monster Truck Jam held in January may not have been the only time these city employees used the Alamdome suites to their benefit.
We're going to keep digging and we'll keep you posted on what we find
