b'Editormaking daily operational decisions. After a revolv- he leads. Speaking on the subject of traffic delays duearisen as the main bone of contention by conserva-ing door of city managers that lasted for three years,to widespread road construction throughout the city: tionists in Port Aand the concern is legitimate. Salt-Zanoni was hired this spring at a record-shatteringCorpusChristiisaverypatientcommunityifyouwater de-sal is a high-energy process, the by-product salary of $300,000 per yearan investment in highlyhadnt noticed. Nobody loses their temper around hereof which is salt brine, which is toxic to fish and other sought-after, ascending talent for which the councilvery often. Everybody just kinda lays back when theymarine life. Outflow from such a plant on Harbor should be commended. drive, and kinda waves to everybody, you know. No- Island would, theoretically, end up in the Lydia Ann Mayor Joe McComb is a stalwart of the communi- bodys in a hurry. Channel, and Redfish and Corpus Christi Bays, current ty, running his familys 80-year-old moving businesshome to some of the best fishing in the state.for decades, serving as an elected official for 18 of theIs this the kind of attitude that led boomtownsMayorMcComb,however,hasmaintainedun-last 36 years, both as Dist. 5 city councilman, and aslike San Antonio in the 1980s or Austin in the 2000s?wavering support for saltwater de-sal, adding an en-Nueces County Pct. 4 Commissioner, plus what seemsIt is more the attitude of a mayor who boasts aboutvironmentally-conscious twist as a bonus, telling the like more than one failed campaign for Mayor of Cor- theaccomplishmentsofawaterdepartmentsoCorpus Christi Caller Times:pus Christi in there a couple of times. That all changedwrought with problems that it makes national news. in early 2017 when local crackpot Dan McQueen, whoIn his speech, McComb encouraged audience membersWe could be making an environmental contribution to defeated Nelda Martinez for mayor in November 2016to take their overbilling disputes, which number inthe rise of the sea levels. Were sucking water out of that on the back of the water department debacle, resignedthe thousands, to the utilities departmentwhere, weocean and moving it up to West Texas, which lowers the his position via Facebook after 37 days in office. Mc- assume, they will receive speedy, courteous service. sea levelsWe could be helping the rising sea levels by Comb took on the role as adult in the room during theThe mayor went on to reinforce his affection forshipping water out to Lubbock and San Antonio.McQueen hullabaloo and was elected mayor in the en- roadwork:suing special election. He was reelected last year andInfrastructure[construction]isthegiftthatneverDont laugh.recently announced his campaign for 2020, 14 monthsquits giving. A scientific paper has actually been written on ahead of the election. this theory, though not peer-reviewed. The researcher Mayor Joe is a good guyanyone will tell youMayor McComb acknowledged hearing, a lot ofdetermined that of the 18,000 or so saltwater desali-that. A perfect gentleman, and never a hint of con- complaints and a lot of concerns about Developmentnization plants in the world, the most powerful is lo-troversy or dirty laundry. Quite to the contrary, theServices, the City department that conducts inspec- cated in Saudi Arabia, one that cost $7 billion to build, community rushed to his side in sympathy and sup- tions and issues building permits, and that is notori- and the second most powerful is located in Israel that port after his daughter-in-law and two grandchildrenously inefficient, often discourteous and is said to becost about $600 million. In order to offset the cur-were tragically killed in a 2015 flood in Wimberley,a haven of discontent wrought with personal grudges,rent rate of rise in world sea levels, 46,000 of the Is-that also took the lives of Dr. Ralph Carey and fourinternal animosity and strong-arm intimidation. Theraeli plants would be required at a cost of $23 trillion. members of his family. McCombs son, Jonathan, wasDevelopment Services Department is overseen, alongThese are plants that each process about 165 million the sole survivor. withthedisastrousUtilitiesDepartment,byVangallons of water per daythe proposed City of Corpus The encompassing theme of our interview andVleck, whom, these days, is defended by no one at CityChristi plant would process from 10 to 20 million.story on County Judge Canales [Mayor of the CoastalHall and by all accounts is on his way out. Okay, laugh.Bend, page 32] is her leadership role in a new gen- Butnobodys in a hurry. Humorisfineandtongue-in-cheekcomments eration of highly educated, highly accomplished pro- Water was a loud and ongoing topic in the may- are cute, but does anyone doubt that Ole Joe really fessionals who are applying their talent and energyors speech as he emphasized the regions need for a to the growth and improvement of the Coastal Bend.non-interruptible source of water, along with ever- thinks (or thought) that our puny de-sal plant would Canales, who is in her early 50s, is influenced andexpanding consumption by industrial customers: actually impact world sea levels?informed as much by her college-aged children andOur water supply depends on what falls from the sky.WhileMayorJoesenergylastspringseemed their friends, as she is by her electoral constituentsWere convinced that saltwater desalinization is going tocentered on a de-sal plant, he was the one and only and colleagues in government. She lives with an ac- play a real role in the future water supply of our city. prominent elected official who did not show up for the tive window into the future, and her early actions inunveiling of the historic North Beach Infrastructure office and stated agenda reflect a forward vision of aThe City of Corpus Christi, which operates theRedevelopment Task Force report and proposal at the world that moves faster, and becomes more competi- primary public water system in the Coastal Bend re- Texas State Aquarium in April. Everyone was theretive every single day. gion, has applied for permits to build and operate salt- but Ole Joe had something more important to do.The new generation, the one we are relying on towater desalinization plants on Port of Corpus ChristiWecitizensofCorpusChristideserveand fill the jobs we aspire to create, were raised in a digi- property located on the La Quinta Channel, in theshould expectmotivated, energetic, intelligent and tal world of instant. Instant information. Instant re- northeast corner of Corpus Christi Bay, and on Har- competent leadershipand Mayor Joe McComb is out sults. Instant communications, and instant decisions.bor Island, across the ship channel from Port Aran- of place among a new wave of fast-moving, forward-They are not about waiting, nor is the broader worldsas, and in its city limits. The proposal has sparked athinking leaders at the County, the Port, the Univer-economy in which we aspire to compete. major controversy that is now in County Court, as thesity, the College and in neighboring communities.YesI knowwe CorpitosMi Familiahave al- Port sued the City of Port Aransas after its city councilThe missing piece in the Coastal Bends puzzle of ways known that CC is all about Maana. passed an emergency moratorium on development onprogress is dynamic leadership in the office of Mayor But in these fertile waters of opportunity, it isHarbor Island.time for all of us to embrace a new motto: A Hora! The Ports primary project at the site is a crudeof Corpus Christi, and the time has come for new en-In Mayor McCombs March 2019 state of the cityoil export terminal that will accommodate the worldsergy from a new wave of candidates.speech, a number of comments stood out in how theylargest oil tankers. It is not clear whether a desalini- With the deepest love and affection, it is time for defined, with great clarity, his perspective of the cityzation plant is negotiable on Harbor Island, but it hasus to say adios to Maana.The Editor 20 THE COASTAL BEND MAGAZINEFall 2019 TheCoastalBend.com'