Letters to the Editor: Readers call on Councilwoman Nury Martinez to resign
April 29, 2014 10:41 am
by John P. O’Brien
(Editorial page editor John P. O’Brien has served as the editor of the Chronicle for the past 20 years. He can be reached at 508-626-4229.)
In response to an Op-Ed published in the Chronicle by Councilwoman Nury Martinez, who is a prominent Democrat in our city, I am writing to say that I am appalled by her comments and actions as they relate to the councilwoman and the council.
I know that it has been difficult to write about Councilwoman Martinez because, like any other public official here in San Antonio, she is required to keep her head down and do the correct thing. She is not supposed to raise her voice, hold her head up high or act inappropriately. As we go through these difficult times, I hope that we never forget how much the nation owes to those who show up on the front lines, whether they are in the military or their local office. It has been the public’s opinion that we have become a divided country, that one is doing better than the other. In a city where there have been many divisive issues, the divisive issues have always been between the Democratic Party (the right) and the Republican Party (the left). Well, I disagree with that. People from both parties are good, honorable citizens. Unfortunately, both have turned their back on this country and its citizens and turned their backs on truth and decency.
A couple of days ago, Councilwoman Martinez wrote a column in the Chronicle titled, “I am disgusted at how ‘deplorable’ the city of San Antonio is.” In the entire column, she only once mentions the real reasons for the city’s problems. Her comments seem directed at the city’s business community, not the city’s residents as a whole. It says a great deal for the city’s businesses that this woman would even think to address the city’s residents.
In the past, Councilwoman Martinez has used her elected office as a forum for her own