{"id":142,"date":"2026-02-03T00:00:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T00:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/voteshanemckinney.com\/?p=142"},"modified":"2026-02-04T03:38:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T03:38:12","slug":"strong-enough-to-recover-responsible-enough-to-improve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/voteshanemckinney.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/03\/strong-enough-to-recover-responsible-enough-to-improve\/","title":{"rendered":"Strong Enough to Recover, Responsible Enough to Improve"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/a>I remember Galveston in the hours and days following Hurricane Beryl in July of 2024. It wasn\u2019t a picture perfect postcard. In fact, the only thing perfect\u00a0waiting on the other side of the causeway\u00a0was the sunset and the waves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The condo had no electricity. No air conditioning. For several nights, sleep meant laying by the sliding glass doors, hoping for even the smallest breeze, fighting mosquitoes, and reminding myself that discomfort was temporary. What stayed with me wasn\u2019t the inconvenience, it was what I witnessed around me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I saw resilience up close.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Across the island, businesses and homeowners were dealing with damage at the same time. Power was out. Heat was relentless. Everyone was tired. And yet, what stood out most was empathy. Neighbors checked on neighbors. Strangers helped strangers. People who were struggling themselves still found time to ask, \u201cAre you okay?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That kind of response doesn\u2019t happen by accident. It comes from a special community of people, people who care deeply about where they live and about one another. Those are people worth fighting for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Galveston has a long history of recovering from catastrophic events. It\u2019s part of who we are. Storms come, tides rise, and somehow this island endures. But resilience isn\u2019t just about buildings standing back up. It\u2019s about people choosing to stay engaged, to rebuild thoughtfully, and to hold space for one another when things are hardest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What struck me most in the months that followed was not just the damage, but how long some of it lingered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than a year later, there are still businesses with broken signage. Apartments with visible structural damage. Condemned properties sitting idle, especially in District 6. These places don\u2019t just affect aesthetics, they attract problems, create safety risks, and quietly undermine the pride of the neighborhoods around them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a city that depends on tourism, we need to ask ourselves a hard but necessary question:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can we expect visitors to care for Galveston if we don\u2019t?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Resilience doesn\u2019t mean accepting neglect as inevitable. It means responding with intention. If we want to attract visitors who add value, not just volume, we must take responsibility for how our city looks, feels, and functions. That includes holding ourselves accountable for maintaining properties, addressing blight, and ensuring that lights aren\u2019t left off and trash isn\u2019t left behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This isn\u2019t about punishment. It\u2019s about stewardship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A city that takes pride in itself sends a message. It says: This place matters. And that message attracts residents, businesses, and visitors who treat Galveston with the respect it deserves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a City Council member, my focus would be on resilience that leads to real recovery, not just survival. That means pairing compassion with accountability and empathy with action. Some initiatives I believe could make a meaningful difference include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n