The city of Harlingen has two internal grant writers, one recently terminated external grant writing firm, pays more than $300,000 a year for “two” assistant city managers, and with our “so-called” $200,000-plus-a- year “stellar” city manager (who just got an undisclosed pay increase), the question is, why did the city not apply and receive the $1 million General Land Office grant for the 2018 flooding recently awarded to cities and towns like La Feria, Rio Hondo and Combes? GLO drainage grants totaling $12 million went to other Valley cities.
Last summer, our green mayor and two new commissioners (Daniel Lopez and Ford Kinsley) all spoke and/or voted in favor of the second largest property tax increase in the 100-year history of the city. A tax increase of more than $1.1 million. But now we read that the city has incompetently lost out on $1 million in GLO drainage grant money, basically the same amount as those new taxes.
Our new mayor ran on transparency and change, but apparently is focusing mostly on multimedia and feel-good community events that aren’t substantive and don’t help drive Harlingen food lines down, or fosters an economy that helps pay ever increasing property taxes, as our mall continues to struggle to pay its water/electric and property tax bills!
As our biggest retail location, the mall’s health is an indication of the overall Harlingen economy, and it’s not healthy. In February, it was reported to the City Commission that more than 9% of Harlingen property taxpayers, not just the mall, failed to pay by the deadline and are now delinquent and are facing penalty and interest, and ultimately tax foreclosure. That’s close to 1 out of 10 Harlingen property owners!
As a multi-year flood victim forced to endure back-to-back years of severe flood damage, escalating federal flood insurance as a result, and higher property taxes imposed by our City Commission, and endorsed by our new mayor. I am very disappointed and concerned about the direction our city is continuing to go in, and so should all Harlingen residents.
Jerry Prepejchal
Harlingen
Trump’s
defender
Trump’s lawyer Joe Tacopina has already shown how he will defend the former president. He will smear individuals and institutions with the same foul odor that is emanating from Trump.
Mr. Tacopina’s client considers himself above the law, so Tacopina is already trying to make Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg look every bit as loathsome as his own client. As Tacopina tells it, D.A. Bragg is placing Trump “below the law,” not even giving him the fair shake ordinary folks would get.
Trump defender Rep. Jim Jordan says this prosecution is not “equal justice.” It is low-life justice meted out by a low-life prosecutor for someone he considers to be a low-life defendant. In effect, the government is the criminal here, and Mr. Trump is the victim.
This legal strategy is as old as the story of Cain in the Bible. Cain believed God was discriminating against him because of his farming profession, not for anything ethical or substantive. Angry, he killed his brother Abel. When summoned to God’s “court,” he said he did not know the whereabouts of his brother.
God found that Cain had committed murder and banished him. Let’s hope that Abel prevails in Manhattan, not Cain.
Kimball Shinkoskey
Woods Cross, Utah
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