Private conversations between former Mayor David Billings and City Manager Michael Kovacs raise new questions about influence, transparency, and who really had access to City Hall.
Fate, TX – Text messages obtained between former Fate Mayor David Billings and City Manager Michael Kovacs reveal a relationship that continued well after Billings left elected office—one in which the former mayor was regularly discussing active city business, asking for information unavailable to the public, and at times appearing to direct or advise the city’s chief executive officer.
The conversations, which span numerous topics, occurred between May 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025, paint the picture of a former elected official who maintained extraordinary access to City Hall without submitting Open Records Requests required of ordinary citizens.
While former elected officials frequently maintain friendships with city staff, these exchanges raise broader questions about whether Billings continued to wield informal influence over municipal operations after voters had elected a new city council.
Direct Access Outside the Open Records Process
Throughout the messages, Billings repeatedly asks Kovacs questions regarding ongoing city matters and receives prompt responses.
Rather than directing Billings to publicly available records or suggesting he submit an Open Records Request, Kovacs routinely answers questions directly, provides updates, and discusses city operations.
For residents seeking similar information, the City of Fate has frequently required formal Public Information Act requests, and in many instances has asserted legal exceptions to disclosure of city business.
The contrast between the public process and the private communications is likely to invite scrutiny.
Discussions of Active Public Safety Matters
Among the more striking conversations are discussions involving registered sex offenders.
Billings questions Kovacs about individuals living within the city and asks whether Fate has anyone violating local sexual offender restrictions.
According to the texts, Billings asks:
“Are you sure we have no one in violation of the Fate sexual offenders laws.”
Rather than declining to discuss an active law enforcement matter, Kovacs responds with detailed information about multiple individuals, explaining that one suspect had fled, another was moving away, and describing the status of investigations.
Kovacs also tells Billings that police were reviewing maps to determine whether additional offenders might be hiding within prohibited areas.
The conversation continues with Billings asking follow-up questions about which offender local residents were monitoring and commenting that he would remain silent regarding information not yet known publicly.
Later in the exchange, Billings promotes the value of automated license plate readers, noting from his own experience that they quickly tracked down criminals.
Whether any of this information was confidential under Texas law would ultimately depend on the status of the investigations and applicable law enforcement exceptions. Regardless, the exchange demonstrates that Billings was being briefed on ongoing public safety matters despite no longer serving in elected office.
A Former Mayor Giving Direction
The conversations also show Billings offering more than casual opinions.
On multiple occasions he appears to instruct or advise Kovacs regarding city operations.
Among the examples:
- Billings tells Kovacs, “You should get Codi educated and onboard.”
- Billings advises that the police chief “needs to take threats more seriously,” adding that he would explain later.
- Billings offers recommendations regarding technology and law enforcement practices.
- He regularly asks follow-up questions that resemble those of an active policymaker rather than a private citizen.
While city managers routinely receive advice from many individuals, these exchanges suggest Billings occupied a uniquely influential position long after his term ended.
The Discovery Warning
Perhaps the most revealing exchange comes when the discussion turns to Department of Public Safety matters.
Kovacs informs Billings that the text messages involving DPS (ie: Chief Lyle Lombard) will be captured during the discovery process.
Following that warning, the conversations regarding those subjects effectively stop.
For observers familiar with litigation, the significance is difficult to ignore.
Discovery is the legal process through which communications and documents become subject to production in lawsuits.
Whether Kovacs was simply acknowledging that the communications would eventually become public or signaling that sensitive discussions should no longer occur by text is open to interpretation.
What is evident is that once the prospect of discovery is raised, the subject matter changes.
For journalists, that transition may prove one of the more noteworthy portions of the exchange.
Access Not Available to Ordinary Citizens
Perhaps the broader issue raised by the messages is one of unequal access.
Residents seeking information from City Hall generally must:
- Submit formal Open Records Requests.
- Wait statutory response periods.
- Potentially pay production fees.
- Sometimes litigate withheld records.
Billings, by contrast, appears simply to send a text message directly to the City Manager.
The exchanges suggest that information concerning city operations, policing issues, development, and other municipal matters flowed privately between the city manager and a former elected official without the formal transparency mechanisms available to the public.
Whether that arrangement was appropriate is ultimately a matter for residents to decide.
Questions Raised
The messages raise several questions deserving public answers:
- Why was a former mayor receiving updates on active city business instead of obtaining information through public channels?
- What role, if any, did Billings continue to play in influencing municipal decisions after leaving office?
- Were other former elected officials afforded similar access?
- Were any discussions conducted outside the public record to avoid future disclosure?
- Should communications between city leadership and former elected officials concerning municipal business be subject to greater transparency?
None of the texts, standing alone, establish wrongdoing.
However, they do provide an unusual window into the continuing relationship between the City’s top administrator and a former mayor whose official authority had already ended.
For a community that has increasingly questioned transparency at City Hall, the messages are likely to fuel renewed debate over who truly had access to the decision-makers—and whether some voices carried more weight than others.
Read the entire conversation of text messages we have obtained here:
(Edited: Higher Resolution File Uploaded: )
Edited: Additional pages that were corrupted from above:
*Edited: Meanwhile, if you are a citizen, you get this:
