I had an old boss and friend here who had a simple mantra. It was: "We can do better."

It's just such a great way to think positively. It doesn't mean you're doing wrong or your not doing enough, but since we grow and learn each and everyday, improvement is possible.

This is all I've ever heard anybody really ask of the city. I haven't heard any calls for anyone to be fired or disciplined; just that we can do better.

"Historic" Blizzard Sweeps Through Texas Panhandle
John Weast, Getty Images
loading...

Council members noted in a meeting to discuss the city's winter storm response that the City Manager was out of town during the blizzard and that the Deputy City Manager did return to town, but never went to the Emergency Operations Center.

A suggestion was made that both not leave town at the same time again. This is a great example of a small way we can do better.

"We should never allow both the City Manager and the Deputy City Manager to be gone at the same time," Mayor Robertson said. "The City Manager was on vacation and out of state during the event, the Deputy City Manager did return to town on Monday after the storm hit on Sunday, but was never at the EOC."

What is bothersome is the defensiveness in the following quote from Mayor Robertson:

"Take it to the voters, let them know, if you want the capability, if you want the preparedness as your city to handle these type of events that typically happen every 25 to 50 years, here's how much it's going to cost and here's the effect on your tax rate. I think we need to let the citizens have input. How much money are they willing to spend to be prepared for these type of events?"

"Historic" Blizzard Sweeps Through Texas Panhandle
John Weast, Getty Images
loading...

Throwing that little "25 to 50 years" in the quote makes this a textbook case of both denial and passive aggressiveness.

So let's bust this apart.

Sure,this type of blizzard is rare, but regular seasonal snowfalls are not and a better job can be done with them, too.

I guess I'm the only one that remembers that we still have dozens upon dozens (if not hundreds) of car accidents even when there is a small amount of snow on the roads. What I'm feeling here is not a genuine call to improve, but a call for a vote so they can have another excuse if the equipment is not purchased.

 

I also have to say that I know nothing about the way city purchases work. But as the city's "customers," we're just asking for a little improvement, and that hardly seems worth an entire bond election. I certainly don't think we do that every time we buy a piece of equipment now.

It's true that we should lay out our priorities, but this isn't like tornado sirens that would cause the entire city to be wired up (as well as the fact that much of our existing does a fine job of warning us ). This is a call for maybe few extra pieces of snow equipment, cross-training a few other guys to operate the equipment, an earlier start to snow removal, having a plan and someone at the wheel when these events happen. Maybe also being a little clearer to folks other than just saying "stay home" when weather events happen.

I know many of you are growing tired of this topic. 'It snowed, get over it,' you're saying. Well, you have to realize that in addition to the tons of accidents and other inconveniences that a lot of people lost several days of work and that can be devastating for some. We can do better by those folks.

More From KFMX FM