As long as we're on memory lane. Let's us not forget that the city of Laredo's 2009 trip to Washington DC turned out to be quite a debacle. Councilman Mike Garza had mentioned that they were going to go up there and get around $100 Million dollars funding for the Cuatro Vientos road but came back with ZERO. This, according to the following Monday Wash editorial from 2009.
As you will read, a subsequent trip to Austin by City Manager Carlos Villarreal and state representative Richard Raymond is what actually yielded some results. Did the city learn to go to Austin and not waste their time up in D.C.? Of course not, a very sizable contingent of city councilmen, the mayor and staff find themselves up in our nation's capitol again, apparently not having learned their history lesson.
Monday Wash
City fans on stimulus for Cuatro Vientos
By
Odie Arambula
"We're going to turn it around," Carlos Villarreal said.
That was the city manager's parting comment in a returned telephone call Friday afternoon from Austin.
Every word was Carlos Villarreal. True to character, people are going to listen to what he has to say.
The point is that if the Cuatro Vientos road project in south Laredo gets funded, the city manager's message, supported by our elected representatives, got to someone at the top other than the Texas Highway Commission.
THE GIVE AND TAKE late Friday had the numbers from flat zero funding for the project to something like $30-plus million, but nowhere near the figure cited by Councilman Mike Garza last week ($100 million-plus).
City management got encouraging support of our representatives in Austin, State Sen. Judith Zaffirini, State Rep. Richard Raymond and State Rep. Ryan Guillen.
Congressman Henry Cuellar was there for Laredo at The Hill.
Ah, the great Cuatro Vientos project. A road that must be of benefit to somebody -- I just know it.
ReplyDeleteAll the private hotel rooms the City of Laredo is footing the bill for will surely not be in vain.
Keyrose