By Bob Sechler
Austin American-Statesman
Originally published May 15, 2020
The Teacher Retirement System of Texas describes itself as committed to public transparency and says it’s no longer trying to prevent disclosure of the full terms of its multimillion-dollar office lease in the luxury Indeed Tower high-rise under construction in downtown Austin.
But that hasn’t stopped a development company in which the taxpayer-funded retirement system has a big financial stake from continuing the state agency’s nearly yearlong legal effort to conceal the information following multiple American-Statesman requests for it.
The company — TC Austin Block 71 LLC — has filed a lawsuit against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, seeking to overturn a recent decision by Paxton’s office that the lease is not exempt from public disclosure and requiring the Teacher Retirement System to provide it to the American-Statesman without redacting its terms.