Harris County Commissioners Court voted 4-1 Wednesday to approve $468,000 for sponsorship of the Gay Softball World Series. The event is scheduled for next month involving some 200 teams from around the country, although they have yet to finalize a specific location for the games.
Republican Precinct Three Commissioner Tom Ramsey cast the only no vote on the spending, which comes after commissioners spent two days haggling over a new budget and how to close an estimated $200 million dollar shortfall. Precinct Two Commissioner Adrian Garcia led the effort to sponsor the gay softball event, insisting it will "pay for itself" despite several critics railing against it during public comment at this week's meeting. That included Raquel Hernandez-Boujourne, who is challenging Garcia in next year's election. "Anyone with common sense knows handing out nearly half a million dollars of our taxpayer money to sponsor a softball tournament is fiscal negligence," she told commissioners.
Garcia and Democrat Precinct Four Commissioner Lesley Briones both acknowledged the county's budget deficit, floating the idea of a hiring freeze to save money. Both then voted in favor of the softball event funding.