Mayor Adame’s disregard for the ethics law and policy unacceptable.

Joe Adame is a guy who wants to get things done, and he doesn’t seem to want the rules of public office to get in the way. He continually makes public comments through his openly supportive cheerleader, the Caller Times, regarding projects involving the City where he has a direct financial interest, the most recent being the "waterpark" project. He did it with the Coliseum and his nearby Whataburger. There he voted on issues that according to area real estate developers quoted in the Caller Times will directly raise the value of his property and increase business resulting in a higher rent for his property and an obvious conflict of interest.

If this wasn’t enough, there could be no clearer evidence of his disregard for the law and ethics policy unless you look to the Cotton Yard/water park project where he has twice publically criticized the City staff for not “cooperating” more with the developer. No one knows what the developer has proposed, but we do know that Adame controls 3.5 acres for which he has tried to get the port to bail him out of after being unable to get financing to move the project forward.

It has been obvious from when Adame first campaigned to be Mayor that his personal frustration and conflicts with City departments were part of his motivation to run. The problem is however that he seems to lack an understanding of how government works and worse has no respect for an open public process as required by law. The result seems to be his attempts to bypass the problem and the law. The shortsightedness in this is that while he may win the battle, citizens are shut out and lose the war against crony government.

Perhaps the Mayor’s disdain is represented most by his remarks to a constituent who asked that the time for public comment be changed so that more people could participate. His response was, “I’m not going to change it, 70% of the people who come up here are negative.” If the Mayor is the Mayor only for those who are “pro-growth” and is willing to circumvent the intent and meaning of the law and decent respect for his constituents, maybe he shouldn’t be Mayor. If he can’t set aside his personal agenda concerning what are obviously deep conflicts of interest, then it is time he should consider stepping down.