A few years ago, I bought season tickets to the zoo, which I have been attending since the early 1990s, when I would take my children there almost every weekend. I started buying family yearly tickets when the day tickets got too expensive. After my children outgrew, the weekly visits of the grandchildren followed. The additional costs were well worth the added additions to the zoo and the much better habitats for the animals there. We now have a world-class zoo thanks to all the work and the vision of former Mayor Bob Lanier, a true visionary. I am not rich, but I would rather spend my money on taking them to the zoo than paying what costs almost $100 to take a family of four to a movie theater. There were five in my family,
I am not sure what Whitmire is up to, but I would not be surprised that he is looking for ways to get out being in partnership with the park people. Has Whitmire checked how much a family of five would cost to attend an Astro’s game? A Rocket’s game? A Texan’s game? The Mayor and City Council get free tickets to many, if not all, of the games for the professional teams. What does the Mayor do with those tickets?
However, the mayor is interested in helping one of Houston’s wealthiest people in Houston. Of course, the fact that said rich man was one of his biggest contributors has nothing to do with that. The Mayor is talking about an additional sports team, hockey.
Whitmire said he did not know he had access to the tickets the zoo said were distributed. He later clarified his statement, saying they were given to his community outreach office and handed out to agencies like the YMCA and churches.
Mary Benton, the mayor’s spokesperson, said the office has given away 150 tickets.
Regardless of having free tickets, Whitmire doubled down on his affordability concerns.
“The zoo’s questionable hand out to city officials does not address the fundamental question,” Whitmire said.