Port of Corpus Christi commissioners may have had their emails read without their knowledge by the former CEO. This was told to commissioners via email from the acting port CEO.
This order from the previous CEO Sean Strawbridge didn't come during his years as CEO of the Port of Corpus Christi, it actually came just six days after he turned in his resignation letter, which in turn came one day after the 6 Investigates report into excessive spending at the port.
"He was secretly surveailling port commissioners at a time when were were considering the biggest employment negotiation in the history of this community that lead to a million dollar gift," said Port of Corpus Christi Commissioner Diane Gonzalez.
While it is true that any port commissioner email is subject to a public information request, they can be heavily redacted for a number of reasons. They are also subject to a ruling from the attorney general, which could potentially take months. Strawbridge was given instant access to his boss's communication...while negotiating his separation agreement.
"First of all, if it happened, it's a concern to me and secondly, I just heard about that this week for the very first time and I haven't had time to investigate it," said Port of Corpus Christi Chairman Charlie Zahn, who went on to say that he still stands firm that the deal the port gave Strawbridge was fair to both parties.
6 Investigates did reach out to Strawbridge for comment both last week and this week but have not heard back.
Port officials will meet Wednesday and will discuss amending the port's operating rules. The meeting will also include an opportunity for community input into the selection process of the next CEO, something that has changed from the previous stance the commissioner took.
