This One Man, This One Cause

By Greg Ritchie

Messenger Reporter

Editor’s note: Greg’s Corner is an award-winning editorial (opinion) section where Messenger Reporter Greg Ritchie shares odds and ends from the job and unusual or interesting facts from across the world and across time.

MESSENGER OFFICE –  I still remember that hot summer day in downtown Grapeland when they told me I got the job as reporter for The Messenger. I was more concerned than happy, to be honest. Fill two newspapers a week in a rural county? Impossible, I thought. But a man must feed his family, so I asked God to help guide me to try and find interesting stories and people to write about and keep the public informed and entertained. 

And the good Lord, showing his sense of humor, gave me CEIDC. I wish I had just prayed for good health and to win the lottery that day.

Monday’s Crockett City Council meeting showed – once again – some of our leaders in the city either have issues processing information or are just so determined to defend their little group of friends, they are willing to laugh at the results of the November election and try and keep CEIDC alive. 

Every week they keep it alive their buddy CEIDC Executive Director James Gentry gets another check for literally doing nothing so, yeah, I guess, why not? Gentry still has that million dollar lawsuit pending against the city, too. 

Woodrow Jones, who it was determined was illegally hired to serve as some kind of Office Manager is suing the city, too. The problem is, Precinct Two Councilman Darrell Jones was implicated in his illegal hiring, being the only person other than Gentry to interview the candidate. Jones is going through some legal issues of his own. Should Darrell Jones be able to vote for or against some kind of settlement the city may or may not pay to Woodrow Jones? Or, was that the plan all along?

So, let me help Darrell Jones out a little and serve as his political advisor. I used to do a lot of this kind of work in a previous life.

Jones faces a re-election bid in May. He has already signed up to be a candidate. But this time – for the first time in a while – Jones faces some serious competition. His attendance and voting records will both be called into question, as they should be. While Jones plays games on the council, voting yes for something here and no there – who does he represent? Do the good people of Precinct Two care more about CEIDC and a Gentry payday than smooth roads and clear water?

Mr. Jones, in the November election, your precinct voted 80% for a certain Donald Trump. They voted 65% for the Republican candidate in the only competitive local race. Most importantly, 40% of them voted to close CEIDC and stop its funding.

In NaTrenia Hicks’ Precinct Three, her position would seem much more secure. While not up for re-election this time around, voters in her precinct went for Kamala Harris by a majority of 60%. 62% voted to keep CEIDC. But troublingly for her, only 52% voted to keep funding CEIDC. Hicks was kicked off the CEIDC board, before winning her seat to city council. Should she be allowed to give away the city’s money to her friend and mentor Gentry?

People have had enough and it’s starting to show. It’s hard to preach about how the people in power and their little group keep you down when you have the power and all you do is look out for your little group.

As someone who has been yelled at, bullied, cursed at, threatened and called names over CEIDC, let me say it used to be the other side angry at me. I gave Gentry a front-page story when I began at The Messenger, a chance to explain the good CEIDC does in the city. I have argued loudly in these pages for the need for some kind of organized engine for economic development to keep this place going.

But our city council members should beware and mark my words. It’s not just those vocal people who attend the council meetings who are fed up. Your voters are tiring of seeing you accomplish little more than supporting this one little entity, this one man, this one cause. 

It may seem that gaming the system, ignoring the results of elections and bending the rules is all acceptable, since you believe your cause is such a noble one. Others – voters and state officials, may soon show they disagree. 

Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]