Lubbock Lights and publisher, L. Scott Mann, have filed suit to encourage the Lubbock County Expo Center to release public records connected to the long-delayed Expo Center project.
Let’s make something clear – we’re not against the Expo Center – Lubbock needs this facility. And to make things even more clear – we’re not for or against anything.
Since Lubbock Lights became a news website in October 2023, we don’t do opinion. We do news.
But in our previous iteration, we did opinion and urged voters to approve using visitor tax to help pay for the Expo Center.
Before either iteration of Lubbock Lights, Scott and I – separately – have been adamant about open records, open government and all the transparency our laws demand. Because as we all know – people generally make better decisions when they know people are watching.
Since working together, if anything, our interest in transparency has only gotten stronger.
Back to the Expo Center. Scott was getting frustrated with a lack of transparency and told me he was thinking of legal action as our publisher. He asked if the newsroom wanted to be involved. I said yes.
None of which is to suggest the Lubbock County Expo Center leadership has done anything wrong. But the public has a right to know what they are doing.
And yes, the Expo Center folks are a private organization. But they are connected to public money and for us, that makes their business public.
Preliminary hearings are more open thanks to actions of the Minot (N.D.) Daily News when I was editor there in the mid-1980s and the same in Illinois when I was editor of the The Pantagraph in Bloomington, Illinois about 20 years ago.
Want to set me off? Tell me we can’t cover a public meeting or a public document is unavailable.
I hope the Expo Center is built. Where? That’s a good question and will hopefully be worked out soon. Appreciate all the good people trying to make this happen.
But public money? Please do your business in public.
Press release detailing the lawsuit
Scott Mann and Lubbock Lights file petition to enforce Texas Public Information Act against Lubbock County Expo Center, Inc.
Lubbock Lights Publisher Scott Mann, along with Lubbock Lights, has filed a petition for a writ of mandamus against Lubbock County Expo Center, Inc. (LCEC), seeking to compel the release of public records related to the long-delayed Expo Center project.
The filing asserts that LCEC has repeatedly violated the Texas Public Information Act (TPIA) by ignoring two lawful open records requests submitted in October and refusing to produce any documents or request an Attorney General opinion as required by law.
“This isn’t about politics or personalities — it’s about the public’s right to know how taxpayer money is being spent,” said Scott Mann, founder of Lubbock Lights.
“Seven years and seven million dollars later, Lubbock County residents still don’t have a building — and still don’t have answers. Transparency is not optional when public funds are at stake.”
The Petition
The petition, filed in Lubbock County District Court, details the following:
- Two lawful open records requests were submitted to LCEC on October 16 and 22, 2025.
- The organization acknowledged receipt but failed to respond within the required ten business days.
- Instead, the group’s representative stated, “Yes, we intend to comply — but it will be on my timeline, not yours.”
- No request for an Attorney General opinion was ever filed, making the information presumed public under state law.
“The law is clear — when an entity takes public money or operates a publicly approved project, it must operate transparently,” said attorney Christina Duffy. “Our clients followed the law to the letter. The Expo Center did not.”
Why It Matters
The Expo Center project was approved by Lubbock County voters in 2018 and tied to a $7 million commitment of hotel-occupancy tax revenue.
To date, the project has produced no completed facility, and questions persist regarding expenditures, contracts, and financial oversight.
“This case is about restoring public trust,” Mann added. “Lubbock County residents deserve clear, factual answers — not delays and secrecy.”
Relief Sought
The petition asks the court to:
- Compel LCEC to immediately release all requested records.
- Declare the withheld information public under the Texas Government Code.
- Prohibit further delay or obstruction of future requests.
- Award attorney’s fees and court costs as permitted by law.
