Your anonymous Houston Fire Department Captain is back with another piece on Houston Mayor Turner.
For the last 15 years of my career I have often found myself to be in the position of a person’s last chance. Hopefully a glimmer of hope. From cardiac arrest reunions, extrication from a vehicle/atv or other entrapments, capsized boats, aircraft crashes, wild-land fires, acute medical conditions, even rescue from a burning structure, I can thankfully say that I and many others have had a small role to play in events like these throughout the years.
Members of the Houston Fire Department have given a lot of people a second chance.
Last night, despite some initial head scratching and dissent, we gave many more another.
111,404 people voted for our incumbent mayor.
128,343 voted for another.
The Firefighters support of Council Member Boykins was wholehearted, as he would have been a fantastic candidate to support public safety, and has battled through such fights on city council. He was revered by his district, and accomplished much in terms of housing, and bringing development into a large swath of lower income residences. I for one, in the times I have met him, applaud him for his work ethic and candor. I asked him for things we needed at our fire station a few times, and he absolutely delivered. Most importantly this; I believe he was a candidate that appealed to the ideals of many that may have voted for the incumbent mayor. Despite our support and endorsement, there were not enough that shared that sentiment. But if I am correct, then his vote alone permitted a runoff, a second chance, for the majority of voters to take stock in their beliefs that a change is needed in this city, and show again they do not support this administration.
I for one am tired of being another Google search away from finding wasted money when recycling trucks are catching on fire, and can’t pick up my waste. I’m tired of seeing elected officials sitting behind home plate at World Series games, after a state takeover of 8 billion dollars was implemented because 10 homes have been rebuilt in 2 years. I am tired of “spend every penny” philosophy to hide money and ask for more next year, only to find that money “disappears” in back room deals and contracts hidden from city council.
All the above and more is just the start. The figures Bill King often brought up are very real, but the mayor will not talk about them because he wants you to believe that in the last 4 years he has worked miracles to save us from financial ruin.
Look no further that the Harris County Commissioners Court. A majority of this body was poised to increase our taxes 13% after many residences have flooded 3 times in 3 years. This administration will bleed its taxpayers the same way.
There has been almost nothing done to address drainage, our streets are not getting better, our infrastructure is literally crumbling around us, the basic public safety we pay for is stretched danger thin with both police and fire, many aspects of crime have risen, and nothing has been done to address the biggest concern of the Houston taxpayer, “what am I getting for my tax dollar”. Unless you wanted 3.5 million dollars in live bands in Intercontinental Airport, at least that was a 45 minute discussion at a city council meeting spearheaded by the mayor.
So here is our second chance.
I hope we are paying attention.
HFD Captain
(Editor’s note: the writer of this post did not want his/her name published. We have verified that this person is a captain in the fire department.)