‘Now is not the time’: Harris County judge, Houston mayor clash in news conference over severe weather

HOUSTON — At their first joint news conference to discuss the impact of Thursday night’s deadly storms, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Houston Mayor John Whitmire appeared to trade passive-aggressive blows.

The two leaders shared a podium Friday morning, along with other city and county leaders and emergency managers to share details about the extent of the damage and deaths in Southeast Texas.

BACKGROUND: ‘We’re in recovery mode’: Storm kills 4 – maybe 5, Houston mayor asks Houstonians to stay home

Shortly after the press conference ended, the county judge stepped in to deliver her previous speech in Spanish. Mayor Whitmire was willing to cede the podium to another Harris County Pct. 4 Commissioner, Leslie Briones.

“We promised the Spanish media that I would sue you, so let me just repeat my remarks in Spanish,” Hidalgo said.

A small disagreement ensued before Judge Hidalgo appeared to remind Whitmire that a plan was already in the works and that this “sudden” change was not part of the plan.

“Mayor, there is an impact in all four counties and so every time we have an impact on a county, the commissioner joins us,” she explained. “But all four counties were affected and I don’t feel comfortable giving them special treatment.” “Everyone has been informed that you, as mayor, and I, as county judge, are speaking. I’m happy they’re joining us. But at least if you want her to speak, let me do my due diligence with Spanish voters.”

AFTER SEVERE TIMES: Trees, power lines down in Houston; Daylight sheds light on how serious the deadly storm really is

Shortly afterward, Whitmire said in a seemingly sardonic tone, “Of course, I’m just glad I made the approval list.” » However, Hidalgo did not find anything funny in his comments and replied: “Mayor, this is a disaster, this is not the time.”

Moments later, apparent tensions began again after Whitmire requested that Texas state Rep. Jolanda Jones, of House District 147, deliver a short message.

“I don’t want to privilege because it’s your press conference, but Jolanda Jones has a very important message about the homeless and the conditions they face in the inner city,” he said. “So I don’t want to step out of line. But she has a real problem. It’s his neighborhood, and glass is everywhere. And that’s kind of the purpose of me being here, is to let people know our concerns.

Hidalgo, appearing to object to the sudden program changes, asked to answer questions from the media beforehand, to which Mayor Whitmire turned to Rep. Jones saying, “I tried.”