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Bush Says He Will Resign From Alamo Trust Nonprofit To Avoid Possible 'Conflict Of Interest'

Ryan Poppe
George P. Bush, Texas General Land Commissioner

Texas General Land Commissioner George P. Bush, facing criticism from state lawmakers over his office’s management of the Alamo and its restoration effort, will resign his position from the nonprofit that runs daily operations for the historic site.

Critics recently accused Bush of mishandling the Alamo Restoration Project's finances and not being sufficiently transparent about its plans for the historic site.

In December, members of the Senate Finance Committee suggested that Bush resign from his position on the board of Alamo Trust, which runs the site's daily operations and receives reimbursement from the state, so it did not appear there was any favoritism between the General Land Office and the nonprofit.

General Land Commission spokeswoman Brittany Eck said Bush proactively decided to resign from the board.

“As the agency that oversees the Alamo’s operations, including the financial management of it, we don’t want to see any, or have any room for critics to claim 'conflict of interest' or a 'lack of transparency' in that process,” Eck said.

Bush told the San Antonio Express News editorial board that he will resign his position on the Alamo Trust’s board of directors at the nonprofit's next board meeting, which he said will take place sometime this spring. The meeting will be open to the public.

Bush plans to remain on the boards of the other two nonprofits, which receive no money from the state, created to help the state agency manage the estimated $450 million cost to restore and rebuild the Alamo complex in its entirety by the site's 300th anniversary in 2024.

Ryan Poppe can be reached at rpoppe@tpr.org or on Twitter @RyanPoppe1

Ryan started his radio career in 2002 working for Austin’s News Radio KLBJ-AM as a show producer for the station's organic gardening shows. This slowly evolved into a role as the morning show producer and later as the group’s executive producer.