HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Houston Mayor John Whitmire is at odds with a councilman over the city’s response to Hurricane Beryl.
Whitmire and acting Houston Police Chief, Larry Satterwhite, publicly denounced comments made by Councilman Edward Pollard regarding the death of an HPD employee in a news conference today.
Pollard made his comments to ABC13 after Wednesday’s city council meeting.
He said in part, “We were not fully mobilized. We were having our officers come in on the day of the storm and on the morning of the storm putting those lives at risk.”
Pollard went on to mention, Russell Richardson, an information security officer for Houston police.
The 54-year-old tragically drowned on his way to work after being caught in flood waters the morning Hurrican Beryl hit.
READ RELATED: HPD employee drowned on his way to work during Beryl storms, Mayor John Whitmire says
Whitmire initially planned to address Pollard’s comments at the next city council meeting but decided they were too damaging, not only to the Richardson family but also to first responders across the city.
“He can’t get away with misinforming the public that perhaps had we been better prepared, Russell Richardson would still be alive,” Whitmire said.
For context, HPD says Richardson was both a civilian and considered a tier-one employee. Per protocol, Richardson was expected to come to work the day of the storm but to proceed with caution.
“On that day, on that Monday, Russell looked across and said, ‘I need to be there. I need to get in. I can help. I can make a difference,'” Satterwhite said.
In a statement to ABC13 Pollard said:
“First, my heartfelt condolences go out to the Richardson family. They should never have to relive such a tragic experience. It is deeply disheartening to see our city resort to a press conference aimed at smearing me politically. My comments were solely focused on the logistics of mobilizing our officers a day earlier to ensure their safety and readiness before Hurricane Beryl hit. I hold the utmost respect for our officers and all first responders. At no point have I cast blame on any individual, and I refuse to politicize this tragic event for personal gain. This experience has been a learning opportunity for all of us, and I am confident that we will be even better prepared for future natural disasters.”
Satterwhite says logistically, personnel were put in place both overnight and the morning going into the storm.
“If we made a mistake, I would be the first one to admit it. The buck stops with me, but in this case and in this storm, we were prepared,” Satterwhite said.
Satterwhite believes other administrations may have done things differently, but he stands by the city’s response.
“Every storm is different. We mobilized when we needed to, but you don’t want your officers to burn out.” Whitmire said. “They have families.”
Whitmire said Pollard’s focus should really be on CenterPoint Energy and their slow restoration efforts.
The company has faced widespread criticism after the storm knocked out power to more than 2 million of its customers.
“It is unfortunate that an elected official would confuse CenterPoint’s lack of preparation with that the city was not prepared because nothing can be further from the truth,” Whitmire said.
Whitmire said he hasn’t spoken to Pollard since the comments were made and believes the attack was directed towards his administration.
“Well, it missed its target and it hit our first responders, fire, police, EMS, public works, and thousands of city employees, but it really damaged the Richardson family,” Whitmire said.
Whitmire said he consulted with Richardson’s wife prior to holding the press conference and she was quote, “devastated” about the narrative.
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