By JOE BOCANEGRA
Special to the NEWS
San Benito City Commissioners were updated Tuesday on plans to open a splash pad, a project that was originally expected to replace the defunct public swimming pool near Stookey Park.
The update discussed during Tuesday’s regular city commission meeting included the possibility of locating the splash pad at Heavin Memorial Park in San Benito. Commissioners decided to revisit the proposal as an action item at the next scheduled meeting.
The project has been years in the making, according to Assistant City Manager Hector Jalomo.
“It has been in the books for two, three years,” Jalomo said.
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You know, we don’t have to wait until the next election in 2014. We can recall these city officials prior to that with a Recall Petition. BUT, we would have to have 5 good people to replace them that won’t repeat the same mistakes. Who is interested in recall???
they want to bring a splash pad when they still can’t even fix the streets, where are they going to get the money for such a stupid idea..has anyone noticed the half ass job they did on Robertson street? I say the next elections coming up, we vote out all these idiots not doing a Damn thing to change san benito.
Editor;
Sounds to me like your practicing responsible journalism,something the MSM,could learn from.
This Melissa Zamora,is hired help,a public servant,at best,she needs to be reprimanded for failure to perform her job function.I don’t buy giving them alittle slack,because they are pubic servants,that is part of the problem now,no accountability,they think they need not answer to anyone,if anything,it should be just the opposite,their work,and performance should be totally transparent,they work for us.How long could you or I keep a job,with this mentality,fire her,right now,along with anybody else with this attitude.
Remember these elected officials and who they supported the last election. Same signs on each other’s lawns… Huerta, Rodriguez, Cruz- – Gonzalez, Penny. Only in it for themselves. Will do anything to bring some type of means of milking for their own benefit. Agendas. Agendas. Agendas. Come election time, take a cruise by these individual’s houses (especially GONZALEZ- PENNY- HUERTA- RODRIGUEZ)… these are the people you SHOULD NOT VOTE FOR! Let’s take back our city!
WeThePeople, that’s one way to look at it. Ever think, though, this paper is practicing responsible journalism?
How could they notrun a story on this? Please explain how that is responsible? I would be interested on their take especially since they are supposed to be reporting the news in our town?? Help me here??
Author
Allow me to satisfy your interest, WTP. Melissa Zamora of the Cameron County District Attorney’s Office did not return phone calls from News reporters seeking official confirmation of the DA pursuing the terroristic threat charges levied against the mayor. Those calls, made both to her office and mobile phone, were made Thursday, April 4, well before she commented to the Valley Morning Star for their article on Friday. Simply put, they had confirmation and we did not.
Now we could have run a story based on the little information we had, but rather than rushing a story of this magnitude to print (or the web) for the sake of getting the scoop, and possibly reporting misinformation as a result (for instance, one source provided to the News that the DA’s complaint was filed March 15 while Zamora reported March 18 to the Star ), we opted to wait until we could speak to a representative (Zamora) of the DA’s office in hopes of publishing a more comprehensive and accurate article. This is actually something we’ve always practiced.
I spoke to Zamora about this on Saturday when I learned that she had spoken to the Star yet didn’t return our phone calls. She explained to me that the voicemail system at the DA’s office has been experiencing technical difficulties, indirectly implying that this is why she did not get back in contact with us. It does not explain, however, why she did not return a message left on her mobile phone. Of course, and depending on the circumstances, we try to give public servants the benefit of the doubt as to why they could not be immediately accessible to reporters, a courtesy we especially afford to Zamora since — before this last occurrence, anyway — she’s been open to direct communication with the News. I did, however, personally express my disapproval of this situation, and I don’t think she appreciated it. As many of you are aware, I’m quite aggressive when I feel this proud publication needs defending, and I feel it definitely needed it in this case.
I hope this has satisfied your interest in this situation, WTP. Your commentary is appreciated, and I feel that you, being a loyal reader, deserved as much. As someone who I know quite well, however, I hope your concerns regarding this matter did not lead you to believe that we were somehow protecting the mayor, as you’ve foolishly claimed in the past. I’m quite aware of your background in the newspaper industry, so I can see where you were going with some of your comments. Consider for a moment that if you, someone who once criticized the News for not practicing selective reporting, were in my position you would have run an article riddled with errors and may have misinformed the public as a result. In short, I’m glad you’re not in my position, WTP.
All this and more will be addressed in a column this weekend.
Mr Editor: Foolishly, since you chose to make this personal with name calling and petty innuendo, I won’t dignify this with a further response. On the Mayor, I could care less. I just wanted a story, ANY story.
Author
Name-calling? I didn’t realize my use of “WTP” was considered a derogatory reference. And if you prefer “ANY story” as opposed to an accurate story, you’re reading the wrong newspaper. Getting it right is something we care about, even if you do not. I can also assure you that this is not petty innuendo, but this is:
The other local newspaper and a local TV station picked up on a story that did not seem to be of importance to the San Benito News:
Cameron County District Attorney’s Office is pursuing terroristic threat charges against Mayor Joe Hernandez,
I don’t get it Mr. Editor. You dropped the ball. Hmmm.
Well, WeThePeople, there’s an old saying that says “make your words of cricism short and sweet–you never know when you’ll have to eat them.” After reading the editor’s explanation of not covering the mayor’s threat charges, you must have had to chew on a few bottles of Tums!! Seriously, consider the Valley Morning Surprise is a daily newspaper, while the News is not. Good job, Editor.
Fixing the streets is right! That should be priority number #1!
I mean that’s an issue that every resident of San Benito can agree on.
Not an splash pad in a time of drought!?
Please will someone run and put some common sense into this commission…
We need responsible people without personal agendas in our elected and appointed positions. Everyone complained by the two previous administrations and voted them out. Now look what you got !
Keep cleaning house! RE-ELECT no one !!
In a way, san benny is a microcosm of the U.S.,we seem to be trying to operate exactly the way those people in Washington are trying to,and it’s not working,anybody paying attention ?
Where in the world do they come up with these ideas? Really a splash pad? Been in the books for years… that is no excuse. What happened to fixing the streets? These are the people San Benito voted for….
That’s sure what it looks like,sad,real sad.
According to my source, formerly on the CDBG board, this project was a hair-brained scheme of ONE person on that committee. This individual became obsessive about it, and wouldn’t shut up.
The elected officials are either in on the scam or just as goofy as this guy! Fix the streets, maintain what you get! A kiddie park will only benefit a select few people, and should NOT be a City priority! The streets are used by everyone. Duh.
I guess that the City Commission did not …..get the memo…..that Cameron County is listed as experiencing a severe drought and the commission is discussing a splash pad project. Their priorities are so out of whack but I forget there will be an election next year.
They are on a spending binge, first the tax increase, next the funeral home, and in the horizon, the Stonewall hotel. In the last report by The News regarding the water shortage it was reported that the city was thinking of drilling a water well at a cost between $400,000 and $500,000
Where are they going to get the money when they are on a spending binge???
It is time to start thinking about the taxpayers and forget about government grants…..they don’t exist anymore!!!!!