No sooner had his challenger for his position of the Brownsville Navigation District board of trustees criticized him for keeping the public in the dark about the port's efforts - if any - to protect them from the COVID-19 threat, that chairman John Reed unleashed a long-winded screed by the port's public relations machine.
Reed, who is being challenged by Julio Graña for Place 3 on the ballot, blandly states that the port has been "monitoring and acting on information and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, the Texas State Department of Health and local public health officials."
But Reed goes on to say that the port is "currently operating under the existing communications protocol dealing with its overall comprehensive emergency plan, which includes a wide variety of situations including terrorism and severe weather events, among others."
That still begs the question: Why hadn't the port exercised its leadership role as the receiver of foreign vessels from countries affected by the COVID-19 and keep the public informed of its alleged precautions until a political rival called them on it?
At the heart of Graña's criticism is the traditional "clubby" nature of the BND and its board of commissioners and their penchant for keeping the public in the dark about the goings-on behind closed doors. The only information the public gets, the challenger notes, is a glossy magazine extolling the greatness of its tenants and its board members.
As an example, up to yesterday's press release onslaught, they had said nothing about the upcoming annual State of the Port production presented by the chairman, who is, of course, Reed himself.
After Graña's criticism, the press release announced the postponement of the address originally programmed for March 24 to "minimize the potential spread and impacts of COVID-19. "
It also stated - in response to his questions about the screening of ship that all inbound vessels and its crews - that they are being thoroughly vetted by the USCG and USCBP prior to entering the Brownsville Ship Channel.
"As COVID-19 conditions and protocols evolve, anticipate changes to normal operations as the U.S. Government enacts new measures to minimize the spread of the coronavirus," the statement reads.
If all it took was a political challenge to force the port and it chairman to inform the public, maybe a few more challenges would open the door to the public and let them know what else is going over at the board room of the Golden Ditch.
10 comments:
The first coronavirus case was confirmed in the US on January 21st, and for nearly two months thereafter, Trump downplayed and denied the outbreak, saying it would just "go away," and ordered the CDC to block testing out of fear that a high number of cases would harm his re-election chances. Countless lives will be ruined and lost as a result.
At who's expense the taxpayers pinche culo pay your own way like everybody else. Pinche gringo mamon
At who's expense what? Pay your own way for what? Que "Bob". You don't make any sense.
You are now seeing the total destruction of the world economy for what purpose? When I was a boy I got sick my mom kept me out of school so I would not get other kids sick. To see the world go to its knees this quick by bowing to the money changiers is breathless!
to 11:38--f--k you pinche meskin mamon (the clocks ticking)
to 11:38--f--k you pinche meskin mamon (the clocks ticking)
Campaign with your own money pinche guey
Use your own money to campaing pinche guey y el pinche coco mamando
March 18, 2020 at 9:20 PM
Pinche gringos from cockroach europe full of vireses and talking shit uuuuuy que miedo
You're not shays much pendejo gringo...
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