Let’s face it, drainage is not an exciting subject to talk about. Realistically, not one person cares about it until there’s at least 20 inches of sewer water entering your home.
June 20, the day after my birthday, changed my perspective of how I view politics. The morning of the “500-year rain” flood, I was on call at the hospital and received many texts from co-workers saying they couldn’t make it to the hospital. I immediately knew we had flooded again.
Weslaco has had a long history of flooding, and politicians always blame it as an “Act of God.” Some residents fall for it, others just live with it. This being my hometown, I have seen first-hand how the flood has affected this area and the most vulnerable in our community. After seeing an elderly man go through this disaster multiple times, I decided I could no longer remain silent. I began questioning the problems in our drainage system and seeking a solution.
I took it upon myself to examine the ditches, and what I found was beyond upsetting—lush vegetation overran our drainage canals. There’s a failure in basic drainage upkeep. Something as simple as basic drainage maintenance lacks in our city.
Yet I heard our elected officials blame God, mother nature, illegal dumping, and lack of funds for the problem.
My ears have heard enough!
They have blamed everyone and everything except themselves; and their incompetence and negligence is disappointing.
Some people want me talk about something else, but I won’t because nothing is being done and this problem remains unsolved.
I have learned about the intricate political relationships that exist in our town, and I’ve realized that I needed to share my knowledge with others using my “Make Weslaco Drain Again” Facebook page. There is so much nepotism (“compadrismo”) in our local government and it has continually enabled them to make questionable decisions for our community.
Currently, there is an active FBI investigation with the city of Weslaco concerning contracts for the construction of the water tower. As an advocate for speaking the truth, my family and I have become targets. I want to show everyone that it is ok to live with courage. My message is to live by faith not by fear, and I hope to gather with others beyond social media to petition our government for real solutions.
If we do that together, we can finally “Make Weslaco Drain Again.”
This is an outside commentary submitted and published with the author’s permission. If you wish to submit a commentary to Texas Scorecard, please submit your article to submission@empowertexans.com.
