Whitmire and Hidalgo spar at press conference

Harris County’s top elected leaders held their first joint news conference Friday morning, making their behind-the-scenes tensions public as the two exchanged passive-aggressive remarks while providing updates on Thursday’s deadly storm.

The tension between Houston Mayor John Whitmire and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo was almost immediately palpable when both appeared at the news conference in a show of unity after the storm caused at least four died and left nearly a million people without power.

More than five months into his term, Whitmire and the judge have yet to meet in person. And, although there were at least two other major weather events before that, officials consistently chose to hold separate briefings and deliver their own messages to voters. Their apparent inability to coordinate and communicate effectively has raised eyebrows, especially as the region moves closer to what experts say could be an active hurricane season.

Hidalgo spoke first at the podium for nearly 15 minutes, while Whitmire stood to his right and frequently scanned the room, waiting for his turn to speak..

The county judge usually speaks in English and Spanish, and she paused after delivering her remarks in English to let Whitmire speak.

After the mayor finished his brief remarks, Whitmire said he wanted to “cede the remainder of his time” to Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones.

Hidalgo interrupted, saying they had “promised” the Spanish media that she would repeat her remarks once Whitmire finished his. The mayor reacted and Hidalgo responded by saying she “did not feel comfortable giving special treatment” and that all four precincts in the county were affected, not just Briones.

“I’m glad I made the approval list,” Whitmire retorted.

“Mayor, this is a disaster,” Hidalgo said. “It is not the moment.”

Hidalgo then spoke in Spanish and when she finished, Whitmire asked to speak again.

“I don’t want to privilege because it’s your press conference, but Yolanda Jones has a very important message about the homeless and the conditions they face in the inner city,” he said. “I don’t want to stand out but she has a real concern, it’s her neighborhood and glass is everywhere and that’s sort of the purpose of my presence here, is to allow people to know our concerns and how to respond.

Hidalgo then suggested they answer questions before allowing State Rep. Jolanda Jones to speak.

“I tried,” Whitmire said, turning to Jones and laughing.

Jones then walked to the microphone and urged people to stay away from downtown. Whitmire took the opportunity to quickly hug Briones before throwing his hands up in an exasperated gesture.

Asked about that exchange at a news conference later in the day, Hidalgo tried to deflect any appearance of tension between the two.

“I don’t even think I want to give this any air right now because there are still trees on the houses,” Hidalgo said. “I always go visit families. So I think I’d better not talk about it for now.

“Do we do better when we work together? Respect each other, get along? Of course, of course. So, you know, but I just don’t think that’s the topic right now.

Tensions have flared between the two officials since Whitmire took office in January.

During a winter stretch earlier this year, the two men held dueling press conferences. Then, in early February, Hidalgo told The New York Times that Whitmire extended his arm for a firm handshake when she tried to give him a hug during the Houston Marathon in January. Whitmire’s office said he preferred a handshake to a hug when he was working, the Times said. His daughter even chimed in later, saying he barely hugged her.

Authorities then faced another severe weather event in early May, when heavy rain and flooding led to mandatory evacuations along the San Jacinto River.

Instead of Hidalgo and Whitmire uniting, the two sent out press releases minutes apart — then delivered them simultaneously while delivering nearly the same message.

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