Hidalgo and Commissioner Adrian Garcia did not attend Tuesday’s meeting.
Hidalgo alleged she was “manhandled” by rodeo security and suggested she was treated differently because she is a woman — a charge rodeo leadership rejected. Ramsey asked commissioners to consider a modified resolution stating commissioners’ opposition to Hidalgo’s characterization of the incident, but that, too, was rejected.
“I think the tens of thousands of volunteers at the rodeo would disagree with this approach,” Ramsey said. “To not acknowledge, to not deal with a very clear problem that, frankly, we’ve experienced in this Commissioners Court … we need to set the record straight.”
Briones said she did not support the call for Hidalgo’s resignation because it was not commissioners’ place to push for the removal of an official twice elected by Harris County voters. Ellis cited racist and sexist remarks made by President Donald Trump, and suggested commissioners should first address the president’s behavior before holding Hidalgo to a higher standard.
“Donald Trump’s well documented pattern of conduct, including racist content depicting former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as apes, calling Mexican immigrants drug dealers, rapists, enacting a Muslim ban, referring to Somali Americans as garbage, boasting on tape about grabbing women without their consent and being found liable by a federal grand jury for sexual abuse far exceeds any threshold this resolution contemplates,” Ellis said.
Ramsey voiced his disappointment with Tuesday’s outcome at a news conference after the meeting.
“At least you would have thought there would be a call for an apology,” Ramsey said. “When we ignore the problem, the problem doesn’t go away. I simply don’t understand why we don’t say this was bad behavior at a minimum.”