In the age of which we now live, where Social Media reigns as king of false information and fake news, it is more important than ever that government entities are transparent about moves and decisions they make.

 

This should be no different when it comes to city government and decisions made to spend citizens’ tax dollars.

 

Over the past six months, The News has reported on five separate decisions the Port Arthur City Council made that increased expenses close to $700,000. Each decision represented an unbudgeted, unplanned expense. Each decision left local citizens puzzled about why it was made. That shouldn’t be the case.

 

Readers should remember in June, council members voted to pay $48,000 to attorney Langston Adams who had filed three separate lawsuits against the city over the building of Edison Square project in Port Arthur. Of the three lawsuits, the city won two; the third was a non-decision. So why did the city pay as much as it did? Should the city have paid anything?

 

In July, council members voted to terminate long-time attorney Carl Parker’s contract. Parker received a $6,000 monthly retainer from the city which cost the city $72,000 each year. Since this decision, council members moved all ongoing legal proceedings between the city and Police Union/Police Officers to an attorney’s office in Dallas/Fort Worth. This move has increased costs to just over $300,000 to date and it is growing. Why was this an important change to make when it cost the city more than they had been paying?

 

In September, council members approved spending $30,000 with The Breeze radio station owned by former city councilman Stephen Mosley. His 100-watt local station does not show on Nielson Ratings, but it’s where a handful of council members host weekly radio shows. Why spend $30,000? Who does this station reach? Why is it important for the city?

 

In October, while citizens were recovering from the flooding associated with Tropical Storm Harvey, six council members and the city attorney spent $11,852 dollars attending the Texas Municipal League conference in Houston. Hotel rooms ranged from $245 per night to $345. Each spent upwards of $2,000 per person over the three-day event.

 

District 5 Council member Willie Bae Lewis was one of the attendees, even though he only has six months left on council. Why was this expense approved? Did he really need to go? Could attendees not have stayed in Port Arthur and traveled daily with the conference only 90 miles away?

 

In November, the city offered a severance package worth close to $300,000 to City Manager Brian McDougal in exchange for his resignation. Council members stated they had lost faith in McDougal’s ability to lead the city.

 

However, most citizens and the business community supported McDougal’s progressive approach to fix what had previously been a failing city. So what faith had the council members lost? Why did the citizens’ opinions not matter?

 

Elected officials hold their positions because citizens elected them. These officials make financial decisions to spend tax money paid by those same citizens. It’s important for all levels of government to be transparent to help minimize questions and concerns that follow official decisions, which citizens may not agree with or understand.

 

All of the above concerns may have been needed when the decision was made. Or they may not have been.

 

But how do we know the right decision was made? Do we, as citizens, just go on faith?

 

It is my hope that our City Council members and new leadership will find ways to share complete information with citizens about their decisions. Especially when it comes to those decisions that are not the norm for regular city business and city budget.

 

In the words of the Dalai Lama: “A lack of transparency results in distrust and a deep sense of insecurity.”