Yesterday Morning, as forecasts warned that a major winter storm was about to smack North Texas with bitter cold and possible blackouts, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins was photographed boarding a flight to Costa Rica with his family.
FOX 4 reported that it obtained a photo showing Jenkins at a Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport gate while the system closed in on the region. The station noted that the image immediately drew comparisons to earlier dustups over politicians leaving town during weather emergencies.
Who’s overseeing emergency response?
Under state law, the county judge is the top local official for emergency preparedness, and Dallas County states that the office runs a 24-hour operation to coordinate responses. The county lists Scott Forster as its chief of emergency services, the official in charge of day-to-day management during events like this storm.
Jenkins’ office responds
In a statement to FOX 4, Chief of Staff Lauren Trimble said the Costa Rica trip was scheduled in advance and that emergency operations and coordination were already in place before Jenkins left town. The statement said, “The County’s full focus is on keeping people safe and services running,” and added that county teams were prepared to adjust as conditions evolved.
Why the optics matter
The timing hit a nerve in part because Texans have seen this movie before. Critics quickly recalled the 2021 episode when Sen. Ted Cruz flew to Cancún during a deadly winter freeze, a controversy covered extensively by outlets including CNBC. That storm helped cement public expectations that top officials should be visibly present when the weather turns dangerous…