THE CHRON’S MIKE SNYDER reports on Mayor Bill White’s big announcement about a new $11 million pet adoption facility. Even though Snyder covered the recent mayoral race, in which then-Senate Candidate White warned the mayoral candidates of excessive promises of new spending, we find no mention in this story of any effort to square that advice with Mayor White’s new spending.
The thin-skinned mayor couldn’t resist taking a shot at some of his more persistent critics in what should have been a feel-good presser:
Talk is cheap and advocates come a dime a dozen. Ooh, did I just say that? I did. And there’s a role for advocacy. But real advocates are those who are willing to donate both their treasure and their time to accomplishing the goal that they seek. They’re not so into taking credit as they are taking individual responsibility for making sure change takes place.
Thank goodness some of our city’s advocates HAVE called attention to shortcomings in the city, whether it’s been the failure to address deplorable conditions at BARC over the years or defending others who have trouble defending themselves. We agree with the outgoing mayor in this sense: Advocacy SHOULD come in forms other than the affluent writing pols hefty campaign checks!
