CLEARING THE AIR

Dee Ann Haney has been serving the city of Texas City as a Commissioner at Large since 2004. Her father before her was a commissioner and she says she feels proud to follow in his footsteps. In this election cycle, Dee Ann faces a challenge unlike anything she has faced before. A tragic accident that took the lives of two people has cast a shadow on her current run of office.  Haney, charged with two counts of intoxicated manslaughter in the accident that took the lives of these two individuals, has been covered extensively in the press and until now, Haney has kept her silence.  With an election rounding the corner, though, she has decided it is time to speak up and give her own accounting of what happened that night. Haney works at Texas A&M’s Galveston campus in as a lab safety and technology coordinator and that night she received a call that three labs were flooding. “ I had made it an early evening and was sound asleep when the call came in. They had called others but I was the only one that picked up.  I drove down and took care of the issues and finished up a little before 1:00 a.m.
I normally drive in the far right lane just to stay out of the way of the faster cars and this night was no different.  I came around the curve and there was someone in the roadway trying to wave down a car, I guess, for help.  It happened so fast. I tried to stop but I hit him. I pulled
over to the side of the road and got out. As I was walking back toward the truck a man came at me yelling at me.  He said I was drunk; that I had tried to flee the scene.  I told him no I was not drunk and I had pulled over as fast I could. He was aggressive and I thought the best thing
would be to go back to my truck and wait for the police which I did.”  “When the police came, they asked me what I had been doing that day. They asked if I had had anything to drink. I said I had had a part of a drink earlier in the day at lunch but that was all. I told them friends I was with and I went to see about a shark that had been caught and I told them I had a couple of puffs of marijuana. Later that evening I headed home and arrived there about 9 and made it an early night. I explained where I worked and that I had been called away to deal with the lab issue and was coming hole from that when the accident happened. This was a horrible thing that happened and I have tremendous regret. Of course I wish it had not happened but the circumstances have been misrepresented in the press and I feel it is important to try to clarify the actual occurrence.”  Haney decided not to step down from her position because, “ I love what I do and my city and its well being
are extremely important to me. There is still much work to be done and I want to be a part of helping my city grow and prosper. There are issues she feels strongly about and she looks forward to being a part of those things. “ I was proud to be a part of bringing Tanger Mall to Texas City and I have a deep love and respect for our animal population. I would love to be able to work to improve services in that arena as well. It has been an honor and privilege to serve the citizens of Texas City and let’s continue working together for an even better Texas City,”
“I enjoy the opportunity to serve the citizens and to in some way give back, even though it is small. By being part of the team that shapes the decisions that affect the community, I am able to make a difference in the way they turn out.  Haney worked for NASA for several years as part of a lengthy career in safety, industrial hygiene, environmental and emergency management, according to Texas A&M University, where she now works.  She was a safety representative and emergency management coordinator at the Johnson Space Center in Houston from 1997 to 2000,. She then worked as an emergency management coordinator for the United Space Alliance from 2000 to 2011. “She sat on console
for seven shuttle launches while working in aerospace for United Space Alliance; advised the Company Crisis Management Team; and assisted with preparation for and recovery after Hurricanes Rita, Gustav, and Ike along with other tropical systems,” Texas A&M says.
“Dee Ann was honored on multiple occasions for teamwork and safety, and a NASA astronaut presented her with a Silver Snoopy award for human flight safety and mission success.” Haney has also worked for Marathon Petroleum, Exxon, Union Carbide, Dow Chemical, Lyondell Petrochemical and at the MOTCO Superfund Site.  She currently works at Texas A&M’s Galveston campus in January as a lab safety and technology coordinator.