by George H. Rodriguez
SATP President

In light of the recent VIA plans supported by the Bexar County Commissioners’ Court and San Antonio Mayor Castro’s proposal to extend employee benefits to domestic partners, the SA Tea Party feels there is a critical need to change the political culture in Bexar County and San Antonio.  We feel a small group of liberal elitists, supported by some big-money developers, hold sway over our local governments as they see fit without much voter input or consideration.

The county held two referendums on mass transportation, and both were soundly rejected by the voters.  Yet four county commissioners support a new VIA plan which will cost the taxpayers millions of dollars.  The arrogance of the commissioners was on full display when Commissioner Paul Elizondo said it was time for Texans to “give up their trucks.”  County Judge Nelson Wolff stated that he “doesn’t need someone to tell him what’s good or not,” as if to say that he doesn’t respect the views of the local electorate.

San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro shied away from open dialogue while campaigning for his second term. The SATP submitted questions to the mayor requesting he clarify his positions on several issues during the campaign in March and again in May after his re-election.  However, he never responded to our specific questions.

The SA Tea Party has serious concerns about the Mayor’s SA 2020 plans that call for downtown development but do not elaborate on costs.  The planning process has not included suburban, county, or regional input; and there are concerns about the tools to implement the project, such as eminent domain.  Some of us also fear SA 2020 could infringe on our freedom to choose where to live and what to drive.

The Mayor’s latest proposal of benefits to domestic partners comes as an out-of-left-field surprise to the voters, because he never mentioned it during his election campaign.  He apparently refuses to consider a popular vote since the “elites” have decided this is good for San Antonio, regardless of how the majority of citizens may feel.

Finally, we believe our local government should not fund expensive projects or extend new entitlements during times of fiscal austerity.  We view these discretionary projects and actions as calculated stepping stones for professional politicians seeking higher office.

The position of the SA Tea Party is the county and city elected officials work for the voters and therefore should represent and carry out the “will of the people.”  The Mayor, City Council, and County Judge and Commissioners are trusted servants of the people and must listen to their voices.  Yet, with deaf ears and arrogance, the elitists are leading us into expensive “progressive” projects without asking for voter input.

The SA Tea Party affirms that God grants to all people certain unalienable rights, that people in turn grant to governments their consent to be governed, and that the role of government as defined by the people is to preserve those rights.  We feel that a “reformation” is needed in the political culture of City Hall and in the County Commissioners’ Court.

The truth is this proposal could cost up to $12,960,000 the first year!  And it not only applies to the homosexual live-in lovers of city employees, but the heterosexual live-in lovers of city employees as well.

According to the U.S. Census 2007, 18% of the population in Texas are living together; that is, they are domestic partners.  This includes both heterosexual and homosexual couples.

At two district budget hearings the figure of $300,000 was the answer given to the question, “How much is this going to cost?”  At one district, the number of people mentioned was 50.  That works out to $6,000 per employee.

The city of San Antonio has 12,000 employees.  If 18% of the city employees have live-in partners in line with the rest of Texas, that comes to 2,160 employees.

If the city paid $6,000 for 2,160 employees, the cost would be $12,960,000.

We can’t afford that.

It’s time to delete domestic benefits from the 2012 budget.

August 18, 2011

Bexar County Commissioners Court
Paul Elizondo Tower
101 W. Nueva, 10th Floor
San Antonio, TX  78204

Dear County Commissioners:

The San Antonio Tea Party is very concerned about the resignations of Marty Wender and Mike Novack submitted on Monday August 15.

It appears VIA’s short-term plans which were recently presented before the County Commissioners did not come from a VIA commission recommendation, nor was the VIA commission consulted before VIA officials decided to publicly pursue this version of the plan.  Without such consultation and public input, the VIA proposes building an east-west streetcar route that mainly runs along Houston and Nueva Streets before constructing a line that runs north and south.

The SA Tea Party is concerned that VIA is not following its own internal process, but rather seems to be following the private and personal agenda of a few people. We are also concerned by the comment in the Express-News by County Judge Nelson Wolff stating that he doesn’t need anyone to tell him whether the plan is good or bad. “I think it’s a very good plan,” he said. As an elected official and public servant, Judge Wolff should listen to the opinions of the county’s citizens rather than making an independent decision on what is good or bad without public input.

We want the Bexar County Commissioners Court to tell VIA to 1) stop the entire process, 2) reappoint a chair and co-chair of the commission, 3) wait for the results of the feasibility study before they make a recommendation to the Court or City or the public, and 4) present the resulting plan to the people to decide if they want to accept it or not. The County Commissioners, as elected officials and public servants, are accountable to the citizens of the county, and they should be fiscally responsible on all projects.

Please feel free to contact me at 210-367-2058 if you wish to discuss the matter.

Sincerely,

GEORGE H. RODRIGUEZ
President