STUNG BY CRITICISM, REED-COME-LATELY UNLEASHES P.R.

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

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."

So is everybody else, we would say. The other entities, county, city, school district, etc., have all been proactive in informing the public about what they are doing to protect the public.

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.